A step-by-step recipe found at Thea’s Soapbox. Things you’ll need: 2 portobello mushrooms 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper 1 clove of garlic finely chopped 2-3 green onions finely chopped 3... »
Goat Milk Soap
Kiko Goats
2009 Ober National Champion
Nigerian Goat
Courtesy of Danielle Langloism, Wikipedia CCLSo you want to raise goats...
Urban Goats and Insurance
There’s been a lot of talk about the benefits of backyard goats but in addition to dealing with community regulations, insurance is a concern. Some insurance companies will not write a homeowner’s policy for a city dweller that owns livestock and others will cancel your policy if you bring a goat home and they... »
It’s Hot
Just a couple short months ago we in the midwest were worrying about the sub zero temperatures and their effect on our herds. Now the heat wave has already begun. Goats generally fare well in warm climates but that doesn’t mean you can just leave them to their own devices. Some breeds handle heat better... »
Raising Angoras Up North
A book on the market by Susan Black Drummond offers advice for raising angora and cashmere goats in northern climates. Raising Angoras the Northern Way has chapters on shearing, feeding and general health care in addition to plans for feeders and laying out a barn. While it’s not a new book, there’s a recent renewed... »
Disbudding and Pain Control
Patty Khuly, a veterinarian in Florida, keeps a blog at PetMD covering veterinary topics. A goat owner herself, her recent contribution discusses disbudding of goats and the need for pain control. Her points are well taken. Burning the horn buds off of a two to three week goat can be traumatic and we need to be... »
Sad Kidding Day
All of my goats kidded a month ago. At least I thought all the pregnant does were done, so imagine my surprise when I went out yesterday morning and found a thought-to-not-be-pregnant doe laboring. It took her a long time to kid last year, which was her first kidding at the ripe old age of 5.... »
Kids With Weak Legs
ECTOR, Texas — In this video, Jack Mauldin shows a weak-legged buckling and talks about what it takes to strengthen his legs. Jack and his wife, Anita, raise Boer goats and their Web site has informative photos and articles about the breed, how to raise them and where to sell them. »
Spring Cleaning
Spring has sprung and the pastures are greening up. It’s a joy to the eye for cabin fever sufferers and goats as well. However, with the new green pastures can come some challenges. Remember that worms are most commonly contracted by ruminants grazing short grass. While your goats may be running for the fresh shoots,... »
Trimming Goat Hooves
In this video, shepherd Daniel Botkin says hoof trimming can be a “gnarly and dangerous job,” especially at the end of winter when manure has gotten jammed up in the hoof and the hoof itself is ragged with growth. Botkin, of Laughing Dog Farm, of Gill, Mass., is an organic gardener and permaculture advocate who... »
Goat How-To
If you’re looking to start raising goats or are a newcomer to goat tending, there’s an e-book that may be right up your alley. Goat Crazy is touted as an all purpose how-to for raising goats. Some topics covered are illnesses and common injuries, poisonous plants, pregnancy and kidding, meat and fiber, and milking. For more information,... »
Horned Goats at Post Oak Ranch
BIXBY, Okla. — The Buckmans at Post Oak Ranch run as many as 175 Spanish does bred to Kiko bucks on open pasture and brush. They need to work efficiently when handling the goats during worming, vaccinations or when simply checking the color of a goat’s eyelids using a modified Famancha method. Though horned goats do... »
Spring Means Fencing
Along with warm weather and gentle rains (unless you’re in Illinois where the rain isn’t gentle and likes to arrive with a dose of spring snow as well), comes fencing. “Fencing?” you ask. We built fences last year. Those fences were lovely last year. This year, they’re, well, a year older and so are the... »
Master Goat Producer
QUINCY, Fla. — Certification as a Master Goat Producer is being offered in May through the extension arm of Florida Agriculture and Mechanical University. Four day of classes May 14-15 and May 28-29 will cover topics on small ruminants, management and profitable goat and sheep production. The course is followed up with a farm inspection... »
Handling Hypothermia
Holly at Easy Living the Hard Way gives readers a number of ways to warm a chilled animal. When a dog ran a neighbor’s ewe into a frozen pond, Holly covered the sheep with a blanket and exposed small areas on the body and dried the wool with a hair dryer. “Even when the ewe was... »
Female Farmer Shock
It never ceases to amaze me that people are surprised that I raise livestock. Why is that such a shock? While it’s true that I usually leave the manure covered Carhart’s and farm boots at home, the disbelief when I tell people I farm seems a bit extreme. Whenever we mention farming, people immediately look to... »
2009 Alpine National Champion
Happy Goat Caramels
Happy Goat Caramels are sweet, savory and made from the milk of California goats grazed on pesticide-free grass.
