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  • Staff Writer
    • Mar 5, 2020
    • 2 min read

Epic Farm Battle: Goats vs. Cows

Updated: Sep 27



Is there really a comparison between goats and cows? They're both pretty awesome. I might just be really love agriculture but I'm always up for discussing the pros and cons of goats vs. cows. If you're considering adding one or both of these to your farm here are a few things to weigh.


Goats Pros & Cons

People love goats. They're friendly, humorous and fun to be around. Just don't let them get bored.


The Good:

  • Easy to manage and train (depending on the goat)

  • Don't need that much space

  • Meat, cheese (chèvre!), hide, wool (depending on the species)

  • Smaller and easier to transport

  • They eat weeds


The Bad:

  • With any milk animal you have to keep breeding them

  • Less milk than cows and hardly any cream

  • You may need to purchase electric fencing


Cows Pros & Cons

There are many reasons many people love owning cows. Some of the reasons are; saving money, exercise, health, and self sufficiency. Also, some types of cows are more friendly and easier to keep than others. But having a cow isn't right for everyone so here are some things to look at when thinking about a cow.


The Good:

  • All the milk you can handle-and extra for friends, neighbors or other animals.

  • Meat, cheese, cream, butter, yogurt, hide

  • More manure - depending on how you look at this it could be a con as well

  • They aren't picky about what they eat


The Bad:

  • Need more space about 2-3 acres per cow.

  • They eat more you may have to supplement hay

  • Hard to transport

  • Depending on where you live finding a bull might be challenging. Using artificial insemination might be a way around this but that requires training and equipment.

  • A larger animal and can be harder to manage

  • You'll need a milking stand & the right cow personality/training to be milked


Well, which one do you think wins? I believe it all comes down to personal preference. I just want a few of both!


What are your thoughts? Which is your favorite? We'd love to hear from you.


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