For the Love of Goats

If you are thinking of getting goats, this is the episode for you. I'm busting myths and telling you about things you need to think about before buying your first goats. And yes, that's goats with an s at the end. Goats are herd animals, which means they need at least one other goat friend. You can't have just one, and I explain why.This is also a good episode for breeders to share with potential buyers!I talk about the need for goats to give birth before making milk, as well as the need for them to give birth again to continue making milk. I explain why you can't just tie a goat out in the yard and why you need good fencing and housing to keep your goats safe and healthy. And if you were thinking about keeping a goat in your house, I'll share some stories from my youngest daughter's teen years when she thought she needed to have at least one baby goat in the house every spring. If you live in an urban area, you'll definitely need to hear about the unique challenges faced by people who keep goats in a city. Full show notes here --- https://thriftyhomesteader.com/thinking-of-getting-goats/ To see the most recent episodes, visit FortheLoveofGoats.com For more information check out the following episodes that I talk about during the show:Forage and Feeding GoatsElectric FencingHousing and EquipmentWant to support the content you love?Head over to -- https://thrifty-homesteader.ck.page/products/love-goats-tip-jarStandlee Premium Western ForageWe've been using and loving hay pellets from Standlee Premium Western Forage for more than 10 years!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Thanks for tuning in! No one ever said raising goats was easy, but it doesn't have to cost a fortune or drive you crazy! You just need the right information. 🔹 Check out Goats 365 membership 🔹 Or explore The Goat Academy 🔹Looking for Deborah's books? They can be purchased wherever books are sold, or you can get an autographed copy on our online store. Happy goat-keeping! 🐐

If you own goats, you only get one chance to get fencing right. One of the first things I learned about goats was that they were too smart for me to use a sub-standard fencing option. When people say that goats are hard to keep fenced in, that's because they're not using the right kind of fencing. Any animal is hard to keep fenced in if you use the wrong kind of fencing. In this episode I'm talking to Joe Putnam of Premier 1 Supplies, the company that  makes my favorite brand of electric fencing. I've been using it since at least 2004 or so. He talks about everything you need to know to get your fencing right -- the first time. We're talking about pulse, joules, volts, amps, and ohms, as well as energizers, conductors, and insulators. This information will be helpful to anyone who wants to use electric fencing, regardless of whether or not it's from Premier 1. Full show notes here --- https://thriftyhomesteader.com/electric-fencing/To see the most recent episodes, visit FortheLoveofGoats.comWant to support the content you love?Head over to -- https://thrifty-homesteader.ck.page/products/love-goats-tip-jarThanks for tuning in! No one ever said raising goats was easy, but it doesn't have to cost a fortune or drive you crazy! You just need the right information. 🔹 Check out Goats 365 membership 🔹 Or explore The Goat Academy 🔹Looking for Deborah's books? They can be purchased wherever books are sold, or you can get an autographed copy on our online store. Happy goat-keeping! 🐐

This episode includes a basic equipment list for goats, as well as what goats need for housing. You'll learn what you need -- and what you don't. We'll answer these questions:Why do you need a hay feeder?Why do you need a mineral feeder for loose minerals rather than just getting a mineral block?Why is a water bucket is better than a water trough -- and why are two 2-gallon buckets better than a 5-gallon bucket?What's the best kind of feed pan to use?Why do you need hoof trimmers? (Who trims a goat's hooves in nature?)Why do you need a thermometer?What can you use a milk stand for (other than milking a goat)?Why should your barn NOT be insulated or heated?This is a must-listen episode for anyone new to goats. And if you breed goats, this is a good one to recommend to buyers so that you can be sure they have what they need before taking home your babies.The full show notes include links to information on what goats eat and what minerals they need, as well as photos of housing, feeders, and other equipment and a hoof trimming video.Full show notes here --- https://thriftyhomesteader.com/equipment-and-housing-for-goats/To see the most recent episodes, visit FortheLoveofGoats.comWant to support the content you love?Head over to -- https://thrifty-homesteader.ck.page/products/love-goats-tip-jarStandlee Premium Western ForageWe've been using and loving hay pellets from Standlee Premium Western Forage for more than 10 years!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Thanks for tuning in! No one ever said raising goats was easy, but it doesn't have to cost a fortune or drive you crazy! You just need the right information. 🔹 Check out Goats 365 membership 🔹 Or explore The Goat Academy 🔹Looking for Deborah's books? They can be purchased wherever books are sold, or you can get an autographed copy on our online store. Happy goat-keeping! 🐐

If you've heard that meat goats need to be finished on grain, you'll want to hear this interview with Jennifer Miller, DVM, a small animal veterinarian who raises meat goats with her husband on their small farm in central Illinois. Although Jennifer doesn't work with goats as a veterinary professional, you'll see that she has put a lot of research into their decision to raise their goats on pasture and hay. We talk about how they got started with goats and why they decided to raise them on pasture and hay. She also discusses their experiment with spent brew grain from beer breweries in her area and corn.She also does the math and explains how a pound of protein from hay costs much less than a pound of protein from grain, which costs less than a pound of protein from a protein tub. She shared this formula for "Calculating Cost of Complete Protein," which means, figuring out how much you are paying for a pound of protein for whatever you are feeding.Full show notes here --- https://thriftyhomesteader.com/raising-meat-goats-on-pasture/To see the most recent episodes, visit FortheLoveofGoats.comWant to support the content you love?Head over to -- https://thrifty-homesteader.ck.page/products/love-goats-tip-jarThanks for tuning in! No one ever said raising goats was easy, but it doesn't have to cost a fortune or drive you crazy! You just need the right information. 🔹 Check out Goats 365 membership 🔹 Or explore The Goat Academy 🔹Looking for Deborah's books? They can be purchased wherever books are sold, or you can get an autographed copy on our online store. Happy goat-keeping! 🐐

If you are still trying to decide which breed of goat to raise, or if you're looking to add another breed to your farm, you might consider kinder goats. They were originally a cross between a pygmy and a Nubian, but today they are their own breed. In this episode, I'm talking to Sue Beck, president of the Kinder Goat Breeders Association, who has been raising kinders for 12 years. She talks about the milk, the meat, the myths, and the misconceptions that people have, and we also talk about the lure of getting goats from lines that tend to throw quadruplets or quintuplets. And if you've ever said that you couldn't eat meat from an animal that you knew when it was alive, Sue has a solution for you! Full show notes here --- https://thriftyhomesteader.com/kinder-goats/To see the most recent episodes, visit FortheLoveofGoats.comWant to support the content you love?Head over to -- https://thrifty-homesteader.ck.page/products/love-goats-tip-jarStandlee Premium Western ForageWe've been using and loving hay pellets from Standlee Premium Western Forage for more than 10 years!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Thanks for tuning in! No one ever said raising goats was easy, but it doesn't have to cost a fortune or drive you crazy! You just need the right information. 🔹 Check out Goats 365 membership 🔹 Or explore The Goat Academy 🔹Looking for Deborah's books? They can be purchased wherever books are sold, or you can get an autographed copy on our online store. Happy goat-keeping! 🐐

#006 Worms in goats are a common problem, and resistance to chemical dewormers is growing. Would you like to have an all-natural feed for your goats that was scientifically proven to kill intestinal worms, coccidia, and even housefly larvae in the goat manure? What if that food was also non-bloating and reduced the somatic cell count of milking does? Sericea lespedeza does all of that! Today I'm talking to Tom Terrill, Ph.D., of Fort Valley State University in Georgia, an animal science professor and researcher who has studied sericea lespedeza for more than a decade. Dr. Terrill talks about how to incorporate lespedeza into your goats' diet as forage, as pellets, or as hay. He also provides tips on planting and growing, as well as harvesting lespedeza hay. Here is a fact sheet about sericea lespedeza authored by Dr. Terrill. Want more to read? Here are more than two dozen other studies and articles about sericea lespedeza, most of which were written by or co-authored by Dr. Terrill.Full show notes here --- https://thriftyhomesteader.com/natural-parasite-control-with-lespedeza/To see the most recent episodes, visit FortheLoveofGoats.comWant to support the content you love?Head over to -- https://thrifty-homesteader.ck.page/products/love-goats-tip-jarThanks for tuning in! No one ever said raising goats was easy, but it doesn't have to cost a fortune or drive you crazy! You just need the right information. 🔹 Check out Goats 365 membership 🔹 Or explore The Goat Academy 🔹Looking for Deborah's books? They can be purchased wherever books are sold, or you can get an autographed copy on our online store. Happy goat-keeping! 🐐

#005 Angora goats are not just cute. They also produce mohair, which is an exquisite fiber used in clothing, tapestries, and rugs. In this episode, Chris McLaughlin of Laughing Crow & Co Flower and Fiber Farm talks about her angora goats. Since she also raises Nigerian dwarf dairy goats, she explains how the angoras have different needs and personalities. She also shares her secrets on how they can co-exist with her flower farm. Full show notes here --- https://thriftyhomesteader.com/angora-goats-with-chris-mclaughlin/To see the most recent episodes, visit FortheLoveofGoats.comWant to support the content you love?Head over to -- https://thrifty-homesteader.ck.page/products/love-goats-tip-jarThanks for tuning in! No one ever said raising goats was easy, but it doesn't have to cost a fortune or drive you crazy! You just need the right information. 🔹 Check out Goats 365 membership 🔹 Or explore The Goat Academy 🔹Looking for Deborah's books? They can be purchased wherever books are sold, or you can get an autographed copy on our online store. Happy goat-keeping! 🐐

In this episode, I'm talking about what you need to have ready before kidding season starts, and I'm sharing some of the things we learned the hard way so you don't have to make the same mistakes. (Like don't leave your clean kidding towels in the barn because mice will make a mess of them!) I'm also giving you tips and tricks for kidding in the middle of a cold winter so that you can reduce the risk of hypothermia for your baby goats.Full show notes here --- https://thriftyhomesteader.com/getting-ready-for-goat-birthing/To see the most recent episodes, visit FortheLoveofGoats.comWant to support the content you love?Head over to -- https://thrifty-homesteader.ck.page/products/love-goats-tip-jarThanks for tuning in! No one ever said raising goats was easy, but it doesn't have to cost a fortune or drive you crazy! You just need the right information. 🔹 Check out Goats 365 membership 🔹 Or explore The Goat Academy 🔹Looking for Deborah's books? They can be purchased wherever books are sold, or you can get an autographed copy on our online store. Happy goat-keeping! 🐐

#003 -  Today we are stepping out of the milk, meat, and fiber goat worlds. We are talking about the elite athletes of the caprines -- pack goats -- with our guest Marc Warnke of packgoats.com. We're discussing how to choose future pack goats, as well as training, and feeding. These are not your typical pet wethers that spend their days lounging in the pasture. These goats grow bigger than any I've ever seen. They walk several miles per day while carrying one-third of their body weight. We also talk about how they compare to using horses, mules, or llamas for packing adventures. Full show notes here --- https://thriftyhomesteader.com/packing-with-goats/To see the most recent episodes, visit  FortheLoveofGoats.comWant to support the content you love?Head over to -- https://thrifty-homesteader.ck.page/products/love-goats-tip-jarThanks for tuning in! No one ever said raising goats was easy, but it doesn't have to cost a fortune or drive you crazy! You just need the right information. 🔹 Check out Goats 365 membership 🔹 Or explore The Goat Academy 🔹Looking for Deborah's books? They can be purchased wherever books are sold, or you can get an autographed copy on our online store. Happy goat-keeping! 🐐

#002 - Today we're talking to ruminant nutritionist Laura Marie Kramer, Director of National Accounts for Standlee Premium Western Forage, about the difference between different types of hay, as well as the difference between pellets and long-stemmed forage. But first we get nerdy about the whole ruminant digestive tract and how it is different from monogastrics. Full show notes here --- https://thriftyhomesteader.com/forage-and-feeding-goats/To see the most recent episodes, visit FortheLoveofGoats.comWant to support the content you love?Head over to -- https://thrifty-homesteader.ck.page/products/love-goats-tip-jarStandlee Premium Western ForageWe've been using and loving hay pellets from Standlee Premium Western Forage for more than 10 years!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Thanks for tuning in! No one ever said raising goats was easy, but it doesn't have to cost a fortune or drive you crazy! You just need the right information. 🔹 Check out Goats 365 membership 🔹 Or explore The Goat Academy 🔹Looking for Deborah's books? They can be purchased wherever books are sold, or you can get an autographed copy on our online store. Happy goat-keeping! 🐐