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Here at Bend Soap Company, we use rich, fresh, goat's milk as one of the four main ingredients in our natural soap. Not goat's milk from far, far away... Not goat's milk from some random grocery store. Nope, we use our own, hand-squeezed, real, raw goat's milk from our very own goats!
Everyone gets in on the fun, from Dad and Mom (Dwight and Marilee) to baby Royal! From growing the hay to feeding, to milking, to straining, to chilling, we are a part of every step in the process of getting milk from our sweet goats into your soap!
The question is, how much do you really know about goats?
Did you know they're the reason you have that warm cup of caffeine every morning? Unless you grew up on a farm or did 4H, you may not know much about these friendly animals.
So, here are 21 interesting facts you most likely never knew about goats:
1. You've probably heard of billy goats (domestic male goats are called "billies") but did you know domestic female goats are called "nannies?" (It makes sense because they take care of the "kids" ;)) Goats are also called "bucks" and "does."
2. Goats are great swimmers! Maybe they're motivated to get out of the water as quick as possible because they don't like it?
3. The pupil of a goat's eye is rectangular instead of round. This contributes to their excellent night vision, and wide peripheral vision (320 - 340 degrees compared to a humans' 160 - 210 degrees).
4. While you can call a group of goats a "herd," the proper name is a "trip."
5. Goats were the first domestic animals to be used for milk by humans. (Sorry cows.)
6. Goat's have four "stomachs." Well, they actually have one stomach with four compartments, but most people just refer to the compartments as stomachs.
7. Goat's milk digests 2/3 faster than cow's milk and is less allergenic. (Sorry again cows.)
8. Goats are VERY curious. However, while they may chew on tin cans and trash, they do not actually eat them.
9. Goats changed the world. Okay, so maybe not the whole world, but probably your world. You see, in a legendary story, goats are accredited for discovering coffee beans. Supposably, Ethiopian goat herder, Kaldi, began munching on coffee beans after he noticed his goats would stay up all night after eating the berries from a certain tree. So, thank a goat every time you get that cup of java in the morning.
10. For centuries, baby goats have been called "kids." It wasn't until the 1800's that children began being called "kids" as well!
11. Kids most commonly arrive as twins and often in triplets. Single kids are rare, but sometimes quadruplets or even quintuplets are born!
12. Goat owners do not always look (or smell) like their goats.
13. There are goats on every continent except Antarctica.
14. Goat kids can stand minutes after birth.
15. The oldest goat every recorded was Miss McGinty. She lived until the ripe old age of 22 years 5 months. A goat's expected lifespan is no longer than 15-18 years.
16. Goat milk soap is used as a treatment for skin disorders including eczema.
17. Goats produce natural tick-repelling oils.
18. Goats have NO upper front teeth, just tough upper gums! However, in the back of their mouths, they do have very strong molars on their upper and lower jaws.
19. Goats are sometimes kept with racehorses as a calming companion.
20. Goats are foragers, NOT grazers, meaning they prefer to eat woody plants, leaves, twigs, vines, shrubs, and hay rather than even green grass.
21. The "things" that hang down beneath a goat's neck are called "Wattles."
The More You Know...
Pretty cool, huh? We hope you learned something new about goats! They are fun animals we love to work with. Make sure to check out our all natural soap made with real goat's milk or meet our goats, here.
