Once or twice a year on the Thrifty Homesteader Facebook page, I ask people for their favorite goat names, and like the post on chicken names, I realized I shoul
We are hoping to get some ND goats soon for milk. We would like to utilize rotational grazing if possible. Any fencing suggestions? I read in Deborah’s book that you could use 4 livestock panels? Has anyone had luck with that? Any portable shelters y
Hypocalcemia in goats, sometimes called milk fever, is one of the most misunderstood maladies in the goat world. This confusion stems from research done on cows, which does not apply to goats, bu
Deciding to have goats is a long term commitment similar to bringing a dog into your family and your life. You may be confused by the number of different estimates you see for a goat’s life span
Does anyone have experience with bringing sheep and goats together?
I have 3 ND wethers who are a year old and would like to bring in 2 or 3 sheep, as pets and for their wool, as well. They would be housed separately but eventually
Hello! I have a goat, who in the past, has had difficult kiddings. The first kidding happened two weeks before her due date (Bred: 11\12\18? Due Date: 4\11\19 Kidded on: 3\30\19) . The kid was born with its head touching its spine, thankfully it was
Hay y'all! my name is Justin Hiduk from northeast Pennsylvania. I have some goat experience via showing through 4-H as well as being around all the ones on the farm (though those years have past), and if things work out I will have many more years wi
My goat, Alice, gave birth to 2 beautiful bucklings! This was the quickest labor I've had at our farm. Around 2:30, her contractions were 2 minutes apart, then I went back out at 3:00 and she was pushing. The first baby came out with just a head and
I am a little shaky at the moment. I'm hoping those that know can help me while I'm waiting to hear back from the vet. I have 4 Nigerian Dwarf wethers, all about 11 months old. I know butting heads and breaking or losing scurs is to be expe
Practices with birthing goats vary tremendously from one breeder to another. Some people are very hands-on while others want to stay away as much as possible. How do you figure o
In this episode, I’m talking about why my book is called Raising Goats Naturally, what that means, and what it does not mean. I also talk about the five reasons it is impossible for most of us
Thank you all for allowing me to join the group. My wife and I will be adding three Nigerian Dwarfs this spring to our family. We currently have a miniature horse, full grown goat, Nigerian Dwarf (male), goose, duck, six guineas, six outdoor cats,
I was shocked to see this on my doeling. Her dam was born here and she is 5th generation on my farm. Her sire was also born here and he is 3rd generation.
No issues with teats from any that Ive bred. I have plenty of relatives and never an inkling t
If a herd has more than one breed of goat, odds are good that they also have some experimental goats, which are crosses of other purebred standard-sized goats. Bucks are determined creatures, and
Last year I had a doe miscarry and Deborah mentioned that bleeding is not always a sign of miscarriage. The doe last year did miscarry but she bled bright red blood for 4 days. She was 8 weeks along. Now today I let my girls out of the barn to find a
Today we are talking to Leslie Cardoza owner of Bar XX Dairy Goats, who has been breeding Toggenburgs for milk and show in California since 2003. She has had goats on the ADGA Top Ten list for milk p
