Episode 49 For the Love of Goats       When my daughters were teenagers, they loved showing our goats. It was a great way for us to learn about goat conformation and to see how our goats compared to others. It also provided an opportunity for us to meet other goat owners. In this episode, we are talking to Ellen Dorsey of Dill's-A Little Goat Farm in … [Read more...]

Episode 48 For the Love of Goats       Because barber pole worm (haemonchus contortus) causes so many deaths among goats, we don't talk about other worms much. Barber pole is the worm that sucks blood and causes goats to become anemic, which can cause a goat to go downhill rapidly and even die. Goats can be walking around with a host of other worms in … [Read more...]

Episode 47 For the Love of Goats         If you have goats for very long, you may realize that some never need deworming while others need it frequently. There is definitely a genetic component involved in a goat's natural resistance or resilience to worms. In this episode I'm talking to Andrew Weaver, Ph.D., Small Ruminants Extension Specialist … [Read more...]

Episode 46 For the Love of Goats       If you look online for a list of plants that are poisonous to goats, you might think you need to chop down trees and pull up dozens of weeds to keep your goats safe. Those lists can include things like oak and maple leaves, which my goats eat regularly because my farm is covered with them. The fact is that goats … [Read more...]

Episode 45 For the Love of Goats       If you ever wanted to sell your goats or sheep to someone in another country, then you are already familiar with the US's problem with scrapie. It's not a huge problem, but having anything more than zero cases for seven years means that most countries will not allow our sheep and goats to be imported into their … [Read more...]

Episode 43 For the Love of Goats       There is an old veterinary saying that most animal diseases are bought and sold. It can be so tempting to buy every cute goat that you see, but there are some very good reasons to only buy your animals from reputable breeders who have herds that have tested negative for common diseases. In this episode, I am … [Read more...]

Episode 42 For the Love of Goats       Most of us love our goats so much and want to share their awesomeness with the world. Unfortunately, that is not a risk-free proposition because there are some diseases that goats can transmit to humans — even healthy goats! In today's episode, we are talking to Megin Nichols, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, at the Center for … [Read more...]

Episode 41 For the Love of Goats     If you're confused by everything you've heard about copper needs in goats, then hopefully this episode will clear things up. We are joined again by Dr. Robert VanSaun who teaches veterinary science at Pennsylvania State University and specializes in ruminant nutrition, and he debunks common myths while explaining … [Read more...]

Episode 40 For the Love of Goats   Although we are finally getting the word out that current research shows that you should not routinely deworm goats or deworm the whole herd at one time, one of the last old-fashioned ideas about dewormers is still hanging on -- the idea that you must deworm all does after kidding (or within a week or two before kidding). The … [Read more...]