Is Inbreeding Livestock Okay?
When people are new to owning livestock, they usually don’t want to have too many males. When I’m asked a question like, “Can I breed a buck (or ram or boar or whatever) to his daughter?” I usually say, you … Read More
goats
2 Ways to Sell Meat from Your Farm
If you raise cattle, pigs, sheep, and other four-legged animals, how can you sell meat? You have two basic options. You can have your meat processed and then sell individual cuts, either wholesale or retail, which means you are selling meat. … Read More
Is My Goat Pregnant?
Tis the season for goat pictures to show up on social media, and we are not talking about cute kid pictures. We are talking about pictures of goat’s back ends! They are posted on people’s personal walls, on farm pages, … Read More
Is Copper Oxide Really Safe for Goats?
More than ten years ago when my goats had severe fertility problems, and my bucks all died before the age of three, an experienced breeder suggested that we might have a problem with copper deficiency. My teenage daughter did a … Read More
Farm animal psychology
The children chased the chickens. They couldn’t understand why the chickens didn’t want to cuddle. Last week was the first week of Nature’s Farm Camp on our homestead, and I had to explain farm animal psychology to the children. I … Read More
Preventing Coccidiosis
Parasites are the leading cause of death in goats. Although people usually think of intestinal worms immediately, coccidia are intestinal protozoa that can cause death in kids, as well as diarrhea and overall poor body condition. Just as over-reliance on … Read More
Goat Birthing: A Beginner’s Guide
If you are new to goats, you probably have dozens of questions about kidding, which is when goats give birth to kids. Here are a few resources for you to help you understand the process and know what to expect. … Read More
7 Tips for Keeping Bucks Healthy
When you raise goats, it’s easy to forget that bucks have needs too. Since does are the ones producing the kids and the milk, it’s obvious that they need special attention. Because bucks are only producing sperm, it seems like … Read More
Is My Goat Kid Fat?
A lot of people new to goats think a kid is “fat” when it has a big belly. However, a big belly — sometimes called “hay belly” — is a sign of malnutrition, either from a parasite overload or not … Read More
Goat Birthing: The Problem with Online Advice
There is no shortage of forums and Internet groups where you can sign on and start asking questions or posting comments about goat keeping. This can be a wonderful way to learn and share information, but there is also the … Read More
