For something a bit different try goat meat with peanut sauce, a popular dish in West Africa. 6 to 8 servings Oil — 2 tablespoons Goat, cut... »
Goat Milk Soap
Kiko Goats
2009 Ober National Champion
Nigerian Goat
Courtesy of Danielle Langloism, Wikipedia CCLSo you want to raise goats...
Starter Tips for Raising Goats
You’ve been reading ATG and you think you might want to try your hand at goat tending. Well, Locate Your Nest has a 5 point list for the prospective goat herder. It’s simplistic but simplicity is best when you’re first checking things out. We’d like to add a 6th point: fencing. Fencing will make... »
Stanchions
The kids are born and will soon be weaned so if you intend to milk the does, it’s time to make sure you have a stanchion. While some goats will stand peacefully anywhere while you milk them, the majority will need to be put into a stanchion (milking stand). Stanchions are a must-have in the... »
Goat Shelters
There has been a lot of interest and conversation of late regarding easy to build and portable shelters. Here are some resources for those who are looking for examples of goat shelters. eHow has three articles offering shelters for goats: Goat Shed, Fainting Goat Shelter (which is really not any different than any other breed’s shelter)... »
Human Training
The Boer and Meat Goat Information Center has a delightful article on the art of goats training humans. Contributed by Connie Reynolds of Autumn Farm Boers, those who have bottle fed will be chuckling and nodding their heads in agreement. Those who haven’t? Well they’ll just be laughing. »
Milk Teeth
Unless you’re living in your barn and taking regular peeks into your goats’ mouths, you may never see a kid’s milk teeth. Lucky for you, Linda at LinderCroft’s Goats recently found some and took a picture for us. »
A Goat Primer
Those who raise livestock tend to forget that other people often have no idea what we’re talking about. Here’s a brief primer of terms as they apply to goats and goat tending. Banding: a form of castration that involves placing a band around the scrotum. They don’t particularly enjoy this. Bloat: when gas becomes trapped in the rumen... »
Surrogate Goat Mothering
Some kiddings don’t go well and the dam is left fearful of her kids. Some dams don’t produce enough milk. Others are just lousy mothers. In any of these cases, or any others in which the original mother is unable or unwilling to feed her kids, there exists the possibility to avoid bottle feeding... »
Goat Breeding: Know Your Limits
Since today celebrates the day of love, let’s talk about the love of goat breeding — responsible breeding that is. Most goats breed as the daytime hours grow shorter, which in the Northern Hemisphere results in January-April kidding — an often nasty time of year. So before you breed your herd, think about the end... »
Milk Fever
If your doe is shivering like she’s cold, don’t assume she needs a sweater. Your first guess should be milk fever. Hypocalcemia, commonly known as milk fever, is a calcium deficiency found in goats and cattle. Most often seen in newly freshened does, milk fever can also be found in goats who are preparing to... »
Adventures in Bottle Feeding
Not enough hands, not enough pockets, and didn’t I used to live in a house instead of a barn? Bottle feeding a baby goat seems like such a fun and touchy-feely way to spend 20 minutes or so. Then add a second baby, and a third. What do you have? Lots of hungry tummies... »
Dairy Goat Weight, Feeding
Kat at Fir Meadow Farm offers tips on how she feeds and maintains the weight of her dairy goats at Fir Meadow Farm in Oregon. Kat’s kept dairy goats for about 10 years and is a firm believer in alfalfa. »
Bottle Babies
The best way to raise kids is to let the dam handle it. That’s what mothers are for. There are circumstances, however, when human intervention is crucial. Does normally kid twins. Triplets are not uncommon and at times, blessings abound and quadruplets arrive. Some does can handle triplets; some can’t. With quads or quints and... »
Cold Weather Crisis
You go out to the barn to set out some hay and notice one of the kids is laying down. Just as you’re thinking how cute it is, you realize it’s not moving much, or perhaps it’s shivering or is tilted on its side. Maybe you arrive for the worst case scenario: seizures. Newborns and... »
Failure to Thrive
Some animals just don’t do well. For no obvious reason they are sickly and, regardless of human efforts, die. This is referred to as “failure to thrive.” Goats are no exception. Some kids are born, by all accounts healthy, only to die within hours or days. No illness, no parasite overload, no reason, just failure... »
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.
