Kelp: Friend or Foe
Opinions on kelp for livestock vary about as much as they do on politics and religion. While one person says it’s a savior, others say it’s dangerous. The truth is somewhere in the middle. And as always, keep in mind … Read More
goats
What Floppy Kid Syndrome Is — and What It Is Not
Because of the simple name of this syndrome, a lot of people assume they have a case of floppy kid whenever they have a kid that’s, well, floppy. However, it is a well-defined condition that only occurs between three days … Read More
Goat Disbudding Options
Disbudding is every goat owner’s least favorite task. Disbudding is burning the horn buds at a very early age so that horns don’t grow. If you don’t want your goats to have horns, they should be disbudded within a week … Read More
Do Goats Need Baking Soda?
When I got started with goats in 2002 it was common practice for goat owners to have baking soda available free choice. The logic is that baking soda is a rumen buffer. If a goat’s rumen pH gets a little … Read More
Zinc Deficiency in Goats
In the middle of an especially cold January in 2010 with temperatures falling below zero most nights, my bucks began losing large chunks of hair. There were bare patches of skin as large as two or three inches across in … Read More
Kinders: A Dual-Purpose Goat Breed
This guest post is written by Sue Beck, president of the Kinder Goat Breeders Association, whom I first met at the Mother Earth News Fair in Wisconsin, along with a couple of her beautiful goats. Life changing moments are never … Read More
Goats and Sheep and Cobalt
You may have seen a cobalt block at your local feed store, or if you’re on social media, you may have seen goat or sheep owners talking about them. People have stated that it helps goats utilize their feed better … Read More
Heat Lamps, Safety, and Livestock
Every winter I see articles like this about a barn fire or other structure that burns down because of a heat lamp. In fact, we almost had two fires here because of heat lamps. Yeah, not just one, but two! … Read More
Nigerian Dwarf Meat and Goat Goulash Recipe
We have fallen in love with goat meat all over again, and it’s all because of a goat we called Horny Dude. Time for true confessions here. In the fall of 2016, a doe gave birth to a single buckling, … Read More
Tips for Protecting Your Livestock from Predators
One of the biggest challenges for anyone raising livestock is preventing predator attacks. This is true whether you have 300 head of sheep in Wyoming or 3 hens in Chicago. Predators are not simply big scary animals like lions and … Read More
