For the Love of Goats

Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis, usually referred to as CAE, is a disease unique the goats and sheep, which has no cure. It spreads easily because goats in the early stages of the disease have no symptoms, and some may remain symptomatic forever. In the 1970s, it was discovered that most goat herds in the United States and many other countries had multiple goats that were infected. Since the diseas...

Have you thought about renting out a room or a small cottage or cabin on your farm through Airbnb? Meet Tammy Gallagher of Texas who has done just that! In this episode, she talks about why they opened up their farm to guests and exactly how that works with her goats and other livestock. Shady Paddock Farm - Willow House Full show notes here --- https://thriftyhomesteader.com/airbnb-with-goats/ To...

It might sounds like it's too good to be true -- take your goats to someone else's land and have them eat the brush and weeds while you are being paid. Goat landscaping is now more popular than ever, but it is not quite as simple as loading up your goats and having someone pay you while also providing free food for your goats. Today I'm talking to Aaron Steele of Goats on the Go abo...

Have you ever dreamed of starting your own goat milk soap business? That's exactly what Jill Spruance and her family did almost a decade ago, and they are still going strong. They make about 20,000 bars of soap annually and sell them on their farm and online, as well as wholesale through 35 retailers across the country.  In this podcast, Jill talks about why she started making soap, why they...

There is probably no other goat-related subject that confuses goat owners more than deworming. If you check five different online sources, you could wind up with five different recommendations about how to use dewormers. The problem is that there was not much research done on worms until the last 15 years or so, which means there are a lot of outdated recommendations still floating around online....

Rather than waiting for spring and wondering why your goats didn't get pregnant, now is the time to get your ducks in a row -- er, um, goats! In this solo episode I'm talking about all of the things you need to consider during breeding season. If you breed your goats now, will they give birth at a time when you are not traveling or overly busy with work? Will it be freezing outside? How...

Dan Laney, a goat breeder and a judge with the American Dairy Goat Association, has been helping people in Nepal raise goats since 2014. In this episode, he talks about how being in a coma for a month and then losing his mother to cancer ultimately led him to finding more meaning in his life by helping others. In this episode he talks about how he got started, as well as how he has continued to he...

Today we are talking about two separate problems that a lot of goat owners encounter -- milk that tastes "goaty" and does holding back their milk. First I'm talking to Katherine Boehle, Ph. D., about how bacteria in milk causes a bad taste -- and it doesn't matter whether that bacteria is alive or dead, so pasteurization is not the answer. Dead bacteria tastes just as bad as li...

Katherine Boehle is taking us on a trip down memory lane to discuss her upbringing on the farm, learning alongside nature, and using goats and other livestock as an educational tool.  5:35 Exploring ecosystems and collecting bones 10:00 Rotational grazing 12:46 First field necropsy Goats 365 Membership 19:09 Necropsy advice  21:30 Goats as parenting training 22:45 Potty training goats 24:30 Writin...

Are your goats or goat expenses tax deductible? It depends! Learn the many ways goats can affect your taxes (or not) with Harley Raptor CPA and "Accountant Warrior" as she describes the different ways to treat goats on your taxes and what differentiates a business from a hobby. Full show notes here --- https://thriftyhomesteader.com/accounting-with-goats/ To see the most recent episodes,...

If you ever thought about starting a commercial dairy, today's episode is for you. I am talking to a couple of New Yorkers who moved to Vermont to start a goat dairy selling gelato! Michael and Lisa Davis talk about the realities of having a goat dairy, from both the perspective of raising goats, as well as making gelato. Full show notes here --- https://thriftyhomesteader.com/gelato-with-nig...

The San Clemente Island Goat originally came from off the coast of California where they had become so invasive that the government started an eradication program in the late 1970s. Today less than a thousand of these goats are found in small herds around the US and Canada. In this episode I'm talking to Erin Link, who raises them and helped to start the new breeders association. In addition...

Learn about your responsibilities and liabilities as a goat owner with Eva Moss, Farmer and Partner Development Manager at Farm Commons, which is a non-profit specializing in legal education for farmers. Full show notes here --- https://thriftyhomesteader.com/goat-law/ To see the most recent episodes, visit  FortheLoveofGoats.com 2:50 zoning 6:20 goat yoga 7:20 liability 8:30 signed waivers 10:00...

Steve Hart, Ph. D., of Langston University talks about roundworms in goats, including the infamous barber pole worm, which causes a lot of heartache and financial loss for goat owners every summer.  Did you know ...? a barber pole worm can lay 2000-6000 eggs per day  can consume a pint of blood per week from your goat the larvae survives on pasture by eating the e.coli in the fecal pellets the lar...

Do you want dairy goats but don't have a farm in the countryside? It is possible to have goats in many cities, but there are a few unique challenges. In today's episode, I'm talking to Glenna Rose of Vancouver, Washington about the Nigerian dwarf dairy goats that live in her backyard and provide her with milk that she uses to make ice cream, cheese, and more. We talk about fencing,...

Today I'm talking to Matt Ruben who has two pet wethers in Chicago. If you live in the city and wonder if pet goats are right for you, here's what we're talking about: choosing does (female goats) or wethers (castrated males) dealing with noise and being a good neighbor legalities of having goats in the city dealing with poop buying and storing hay challenges of finding a goat vet a...

Have you ever wished you could attend a few goat births with a mentor? That's the idea behind my newest book, Goats Giving Birth ! In today's episode I'm reading the introduction, as well as the first birth story in the first chapter. The book includes more than 20 birth stories from normal to complicated to tragic. Each birth includes two parts -- the original blog post that I wrot...

If you are thinking of getting goats, this is the episode for you. I'm busting myths and telling you about things you need to think about before buying your first goats. And yes, that's goats with an s at the end. Goats are herd animals, which means they need at least one other goat friend. You can't have just one, and I explain why. This is also a good episode for breeders to share...

If you own goats, you only get one chance to get fencing right. One of the first things I learned about goats was that they were too smart for me to use a sub-standard fencing option. When people say that goats are hard to keep fenced in, that's because they're not using the right kind of fencing. Any animal is hard to keep fenced in if you use the wrong kind of fencing. In this episode...

This episode includes a basic equipment list for goats, as well as what goats need for housing. You'll learn what you need -- and what you don't. We'll answer these questions: Why do you need a hay feeder? Why do you need a mineral feeder for loose minerals rather than just getting a mineral block? Why is a water bucket is better than a water trough -- and why are two 2-gallon bucke...

If you've heard that meat goats need to be finished on grain, you'll want to hear this interview with Jennifer Miller, DVM, a small animal veterinarian who raises meat goats with her husband on their small farm in central Illinois. Although Jennifer doesn't work with goats as a veterinary professional, you'll see that she has put a lot of research into their decision to raise t...

If you are still trying to decide which breed of goat to raise, or if you're looking to add another breed to your farm, you might consider kinder goats. They were originally a cross between a pygmy and a Nubian, but today they are their own breed. In this episode, I'm talking to Sue Beck, president of the Kinder Goat Breeders Association, who has been raising kinders for 12 years.  She t...

#006 Worms in goats are a common problem, and resistance to chemical dewormers is growing. Would you like to have an all-natural feed for your goats that was scientifically proven to kill intestinal worms, coccidia, and even housefly larvae in the goat manure? What if that food was also non-bloating and reduced the somatic cell count of milking does? Sericea lespedeza does all of that!  Today I&ap...

#005 Angora goats are not just cute. They also produce mohair, which is an exquisite fiber used in clothing, tapestries, and rugs. In this episode, Chris McLaughlin of Laughing Crow & Co Flower and Fiber Farm talks about her angora goats. Since she also raises Nigerian dwarf dairy goats, she explains how the angoras have different needs and personalities. She also shares her secrets on how the...

In this episode, I'm talking about what you need to have ready before kidding season starts, and I'm sharing some of the things we learned the hard way so you don't have to make the same mistakes. (Like don't leave your clean kidding towels in the barn because mice will make a mess of them!) I'm also giving you tips and tricks for kidding in the middle of a cold winter so...