For the Love of Goats

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! If you’d like to support the content you love and help us keep bringing you new goat resources, you can do that through our Tip Jar. 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! If you’d like to support the content you love and help us keep bringing you new goat resources, you can do that through our Tip Jar. 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! If you’d like to support the content you love and help us keep bringing you new goat resources, you can do that through our Tip Jar. 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! If you’d like to support the content you love and help us keep bringing you new goat resources, you can do that through our Tip Jar. 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! If you’d like to support the content you love and help us keep bringing you new goat resources, you can do that through our Tip Jar. 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! If you’d like to support the content you love and help us keep bringing you new goat resources, you can do that through our Tip Jar. 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! 🐐

Join host and author Deborah Niemann as she tells you her goat story, which started in 2002, as well as why she decided to start a podcast and what you can expect in the coming weeks. Full show notes here --- https://thriftyhomesteader.com/my-goat-story/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! If you’d like to support the content you love and help us keep bringing you new goat resources, you can do that through our Tip Jar. 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! 🐐