Goat Wise | Meat Goats, Feeding Goats, Goat Fencing, Livestock Management

Breeding season is underway on the ranch, and this year our breeding decisions look a little different than they have in the past. In this episode, I’m sharing what’s happening right now at Dry Creek and walking you through how we’re thinking about herd genetics, maternal traits, and long-term direction—not from a textbook perspective, but from real-world experience. I talk through why we sold our...

Planning with livestock isn’t about filling a calendar—it’s about working with seasons, weather, animals, and real life. In this episode, I’m sharing what’s happening on our ranch right now, how we plan a full livestock year, and why I’ve stopped trying to force rigid schedules that don’t fit the reality of ranch life. I walk through our annual rhythm with goats, cattle, fencing, meat sales, and f...

There are a lot of misconceptions about goats that set new owners up for frustration before they ever bring animals home. In this episode, I’m walking through five things I really wish I had understood before I got goats—lessons that would have saved me time, money, stress, and a lot of hard-earned mistakes. We start by resetting expectations around goat behavior and management, including why goat...

Breeding season success doesn’t start when the buck goes in—it starts weeks earlier with intentional management decisions around feed, body condition, mineral, and water. In this episode, I’m walking through how we prepare our goat herd for breeding season on our ranch, and why flushing is less about grain and more about timing and rising energy intake. I explain how our does typically come off pa...

Regenerative agriculture can feel like a buzzword, a badge, or a list of practices you’re supposed to follow. But in real life, and especially in a challenging climate, regeneration is a process of learning, comparing ideas against your own environment, testing small changes, observing what your land and animals are telling you, and adjusting as you go. In this episode, I’m sharing the decision-ma...

Coccidiosis is one of the most common kid-health problems goat owners face, and it’s one of the most misunderstood. Some herds battle it every year. Others hardly see it. In this episode, I’m breaking down what coccidia actually is, how it functions inside the gut, which strains are the most dangerous, and why stress and environment play such a big role in outbreaks. I’m also sharing the major shi...

This week on the ranch, we’ve got our young hens working half the barn, scratching through the bedding and cleaning up after the goats. They’re doing what chickens do best—turning packed areas into loose, manageable bedding. Watching them work reminded me how often I get asked whether goats and chickens can safely live together, so that’s what we’re diving into today. In this episode, I’m breaking...

In today’s episode, we talk about the mindset that actually makes farming, homesteading and livestock work sustainable. Not ease, not perfection — but gratitude, grit, and learning to find the good even when the hard days hit. I’m sharing two real-life stories from our ranch that shaped how I approach challenges, and practical ways you can apply this mindset on your own homestead. What You’ll Lear...

Hi friends!  Today we’re talking about the transition from conventional agriculture and livestock production to a regenerative or restorative system.  I spent two days in the truck, listening to Will Harris’ book, A Bold Return to Giving a Damn, and it gave me some great insights into the decades-long journey of White Oak Pastures, as well as a look into the future of our ranch.  If you’re conside...

Hi friends!  Today we’re talking about goat fence, specifically, a night trap which is one part of a big fence project we’re working on.  A night trap is a pen that is used to keep goats in at night and when they can’t be out grazing during the winter.  It’s designed to easily contain the goats as well as protect them from outside predators.  We’ve built a few of these over the years, and I’m goin...

Hi friends!  Today we’re talking about internal parasites, or worms, different species, the problems they cause, and how you can help your goats resist parasites, how to monitor your herd, and how to treat them when you need to.  Internal parasites are one of the biggest problems that goat owners face, and being armed with some strategies to monitor, support, and treat your goats is the best defen...

Hi friends!  Today we’re talking about breed registries, making decisions based on performance data, livestock industry problems created by breeding for maximum production, hybrid vigor, and what you need to know before you decide if you should raise registered or unregistered goats.  Let’s get to it!   All the Best! Millie   Related Episodes:   22 | What Is the Perfect Meat Goat? How to Choose th...

Hi friends!  Today we’re talking about weaning goat kids, different methods for weaning, timing to prevent unintentional breeding by buck kids, if you should wean wether and doe kids at all, and how to decide what weaning strategy will work best for your goat herd and management system.  Let’s get to it!   All the Best! Millie   Mentions:   46 | Early Banding vs Late Banding in Buck Kids: Will You...

Hi friends!  Today we’re talking about youth livestock programs, gaining wisdom by learning from experience, and the importance of teaching kids about livestock and where their food comes from.  Whether kids are involved in a formal program or have their own projects on the homestead, farm, in the back yard, or even a rented space at a nearby farm, raising livestock can be a life-changing experien...

Hi friends!  Today we’re talking about winter grazing and the different ways you can feed your livestock in a sustainable, regenerative way while meeting their needs and promoting nutrient cycling and land improvement.  We’ll define terms like swath grazing, bale grazing, cover crop and residue grazing and discuss how each of them could benefit your management system.  Let’s get to it!   All the B...

Hi friends!  Today we’re talking about preparing for winter on the ranch and homestead, and what we do to make sure the animals and people are taken care of through the cold winter months.  We’ll talk about livestock feed and water, general fall clean up that makes winter work easier, and a quick overview of what we prepare for our family that supports us through the winter as well as the rest of...

Hi friends!  Today we’re talking about selecting replacement bucks, the criteria we use to qualify bucks as breeding stock, and we’ll walk through the sorting process and how we handled it this year.  I’ll also be sharing some interesting things we observed while sorting and how it’s going to affect future decisions and data collection.  Let’s get to it!   All the Best! Millie     Mentions:   46 |...

Hi friends!  Today’s episode is a little different.  I’ve been deep in thought as I’m sure many of you have been also, reflecting on all that has happened recently.  I want to share some of what I’ve been thinking about, particularly as it relates to why I care so much about raising livestock, healthy food, and self-sufficiency, as well as what’s coming up for our ranch, the meat business, and thi...

Hi friends!  It’s time for a chicken episode! Today we’re talking about what to do with all those roosters you ended up with after buying straight run chicks this year – because that was all you could find, right?  We’ll talk about options to deal with this year’s roosters as well as long-term strategies for your flock, including rooster management and setting goals for meat and egg production.  L...

Hi friends!  Today we’re talking about handling stress before butcher, and how it can affect meat quality.  We’ll talk about the meat science behind stress and I’ll give you practical tips you can use to make sure you and your animals are prepared for hauling on butcher day.  You’re already putting in the work to raise your own meat, and with a few management practices you can make sure that meat...

Hi friends!  Today I’m going over the numbers from our 2025 kidding season!  We’ll talk about our challenges, victories, and the things we learned this year and I’ll be sharing the actual production numbers from our herd.  We’ll comb through the data, pull out the important stuff, and talk about what worked great and what we’ll change for next year.  Let’s get to it!   All the Best! Millie   Menti...

Hi friends!  Today I’ve got an update from County Fair, and then we’re talking about a management decision we’re making to sell some of the goat herd.  We’ll talk about the factors influencing the decision, which goats we’re selling and why, and how it will help us improve our herd long term.  Let’s get to it!   All the Best! Millie     Related Episodes:   30 | Livestock Decision-Making: What to d...

Hi friends!  It’s almost time for County Fair here, and with that comes a lot of reflecting about the kids and their growth doing livestock projects.  Today we’re talking about the power of animals and livestock in the lives of our kids, and how responsibility, work ethic, and good mentors can launch kids into a new level of self-confidence doing hard things even when they don’t want to or think t...

Hi friends!  Today we’re talking about another way to make money with goats – grazing for hire.  We’ll talk about the infrastructure you need and different ways you can use the goat herd you already have to bring in some extra income while grazing your goats for other people to help clear out overgrown forage or mitigate fire risk.  I’ll talk about our experience grazing for hire, what was challen...

Hi friends!  Last week we talked about all the reasons to start with terminal livestock if you’re a beginner or just getting started raising farm animals.  Today I’m going to dive into that a little deeper and talk about why you should start with smaller livestock like sheep and goats instead of cattle.  We’re going to talk about meat and dairy and risk management, especially through those beginne...