For the Love of Goats

It can be scary for a goat owner to see something bulging from the vulva of a pregnant goat days or even weeks before the doe is due.In today's episode, we are talking to Dr. Jamie Stewart, Assistant Professor at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, about what causes vaginal prolapses, the different levels of vaginal prolapse in goats, when to use a prolapse retainer, and when to call the vet.Dr. Stewart also talks about the difference between a vaginal prolapse and a uterine prolapse, including when you can wait and watch — and when you have an emergency situation.And finally, we talk about the genetics involved and when it's a good idea to stop breeding a doe.See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/vaginal-prolapse-in-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! 🐐

If you are raising goats for meat or other products, marketing is a big part of a successful business.In today's episode, we are talking to Leslie Svacina, owner of Cylon Rolling Acres, about what they do to market their goat meat.Luckily Leslie had a background in marketing before they started their goat farm. She gives you a timeline of how they got started selling live animals and delivering them to the locker and then moving on to selling individual cuts, as well as how they sold through a food hub.Now they have online sales, including a "farm club" subscription, which is similar to a CSA. Leslie talks about packaging and labeling for their retail products.You'll also hear how they use social media and SEO to drive traffic to their website. And if you don't know what to share on social media or in your farm newsletter, Leslie talks about that too!See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/marketing-goat-meat/ 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! 🐐

Whenever a goat dies, we always want to know why. But the only way to know for sure is to get a necropsy, and that's what we're talking about in this episode.I was convinced of the importance of necropsies after owning goats for only five years when a seemingly healthy doe suddenly started screaming and was dead an hour later. Without the necropsy, we never would have known that she had died from Tyzzer's disease, which is not normally seen in goats.Dr. Jonathan Samuelson, Clinical Assistant Professor of Anatomic Pathology in the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, talks about what a necropsy is, what it can tell us, and what it can't.We talk about gross necropsy, histopathology, electron microscopy, and other aspects of a necropsy that can tell us why our goat died about 85% of the time, according to Dr. Samuelson. But even if the necropsy can't pinpoint the exact cause of death, it can rule out causes, which can also be helpful.See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/goat-necropsy/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! 🐐

Dr. Kevin Pelzer, a professor at Virginia Tech's College of Veterinary Medicine, dives into the critical topic of hoof health in goats. He debunks the myth that luck alone prevents hoof rot, revealing the bacterial causes and telling how to identify and treat the condition. The discussion emphasizes the importance of dry living conditions and biosecurity for prevention. Pelzer also covers laminitis and shares strategies to minimize hoof trimming time, making goat care both effective and efficient.

Although it is a fairly common practice for goat owners to treat anemic animals with Red Cell after deworming, there had not been any research on whether it was helpful — until now.Today's guest, Joan Burke, PhD, Research Animal Scientist at the USDA, ARS Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center, is one of the co-authors on a study that looked at whether using Red Cell could help an anemic goat or sheep recover more quickly after being treated with a dewormer.Dr. Burke talks about the 4 different experiments that were done, using different dewormers, with and without Red Cell. She talks about how much Red Cell was used and the effect on the animals' packed cell volume (PCV) and fecal egg count (FEC) after one week and two weeks.We also get into a similar study that was done using injectable iron, and she even gives you a bonus tip at the end on treating strogyloides (threadworm).See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/red-cell-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-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! 🐐

Dr. Randy Berrier, a staff veterinarian and senior vice president of Colorado Serum, shares his expertise on tetanus in goats. He explains the disease's transmission through injuries and emphasizes the critical role of vaccination. Listeners learn about symptoms like muscle stiffness and lockjaw, and the different uses of tetanus toxoid and antitoxin. The discussion also covers proper vaccine handling and administration, along with essential tips for goat owners to prevent and manage tetanus effectively.

Not only is a goat placenta very different from a human or horse placenta but how it functions is also different, as well as how it should be managed after birth.In this episode, we are talking to Dr. Jamie Stewart, Assistant Professor at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, about what the placenta does and how it functions in goats. Like all ruminant placentas, it is actually a big blanket of membranes and cotyledons, which is why it usually takes at least two hours after birth to be expelled but can take longer and is not cause for concern.We talk about what to do in case of retained placenta, including what does not work (although it is frequently attempted) and what you should never do because it will actually make the problem worse and could even cause death.See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/goat-placenta/To see the most recent episodes, visit  ForTheLoveOfGoats.comThanks 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 only have a few does to breed each year, it might seem like a waste to own your buck. But even if you have a buck, who do you breed his daughters to? One option is artificial insemination, but another option is to co-own a buck.Although I had heard of two people co-owning a goat before, I had never heard of four until I met today's guests when we were recording last week's episode on Pygmy goats.Gary and Karole Miller of Fox Haven Pygmy Goats, Andrea Pursley of High Caliber Pygmy Goats, and Diane Keith of Fair View and Shasta View are co-owners of Flying Turtle's Gather Gotta Get Away, who is more commonly known as Mick.In this episode, they tell us Mick's story on the road to becoming the National Champion and how they share ownership of him, from where he lives to where he goes to shows.See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/co-owning-a-goat/To see the most recent episodes, visit  ForTheLoveOfGoats.comThanks 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! 🐐

As a Nigerian dwarf breeder myself, I am acutely aware of how many people think that "pygmy" is a size, not a breed of goat. In this episode, we are talking to four National Champion Pygmy breeders about what exactly makes a Pygmy goat.Pygmy breeders Karole and Gary Miller of Fox Haven Pygmy Goats, Andrea Pursley of High Caliber Pygmy Goats and Diane Keith of Fair View and Shasta View, talk about the breed standard, what it takes to register a Pygmy goat, and what the judge is looking for in the show ring. Unlike Nigerian dwarf goats, which can be any color or pattern, Pygmies have very strict color requirements in both coat and eye color. Our guests also talk about the difference in the body type between Pygmies and Nigerians and the historical use of Pygmy goats. See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/pygmy-goats/To see the most recent episodes, visit  ForTheLoveOfGoats.comhttps://thriftyhomesteader.com/pygmy-goats/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! 🐐

At one time or another, every goat owner will probably be faced with external parasites on their goats, which usually means lice or mites.Dr. Michael Pesato, Assistant Clinical Professor of Food Animal Medicine and Surgery at Mississippi State University, joins us to talk about the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of mites and lice in goats.While lice in goats are very common, and can be seen with the naked eye, mites are microscopic and thankfully not so common.We are also busting myths about external parasites, such as goats getting mites or lice from fresh bales of straw or hay. And we talk about why diatomaceous earth does not kill goat lice although it can kill chicken lice.See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/external-parasites-in-goats/ To see the most recent episodes, visit  ForTheLoveOfGoats.comThanks 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! 🐐