For the Love of Goats

If you have a worm problem with your goats, and rotational grazing is not an option, we now have a new tool that can be helpful in breaking the life cycle of the worms. Bioworma came on the market in the U.S. in 2018 and is available through Premier 1 Supplies.BioWorma is not just another chemical dewormer, which worms can become resistant to. It’s Duddingtonia flagrans, a natural fungus that eats the worm larvae in manure. Fungal spores are added to the livestock feed and go through the animal’s digestive tract unchanged.After the manure lands in the pasture, the fungus goes to work eating the larvae as the eggs hatch in the manure. This breaks the life cycle of the roundworm, which gets out of control because animals are continually re-ingesting larvae from the pasture. (That’s why pasture rotation is so important.) In fact, it is estimated that 90 percent of worms on a farm are actually in the pasture rather than inside animals.In this episode, which is sponsored by Premier 1 Supplies, we are talking to Dan Morrical, one of the "Ask an Expert" specialists at Premier 1.Because this fungus is a very picky eater, you don’t have to worry about it upsetting the balance of anything else in the environment, such as earthworms or soil nematodes. The fungus only consumes roundworm larvae in manure of grazing animals, so it won’t work with poultry. Since it is eating the larvae, not killing them, it’s unlikely the larvae will become resistant to them the way they become resistant to chemical dewormers. (Has anything ever become resistant to being eaten?)It’s also important to understand that the fungus does not consume 100% of the larvae, so things like pasture rotation can still help. Animals have lived with parasites inside their bodies since the beginning of time, and it’s not an entirely bad thing. We just don’t want the worms to get out of control and make the animals sick, and that’s exactly what the research showed. The fungus reduced the worm load enough that animals did not need chemical deworming.This product won’t be for everyone, but I do see it as a lifesaver for those who are losing animals to worms because of dewormer resistance. In this episode we are talking about how to get started with Bioworma, as well as what works and what doesn't.See full show notes here >>https://thriftyhomesteader.com/bioworma/To see the most recent episodes, visit  ForTheLoveOfGoats.comThanks 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! 🐐

We have a lot of episodes on various diseases that can be prevented by vaccines, but rather than tell you to listen to all of those episodes to figure out which vaccines your goats might need, we decided to have an episode devoted to all the vaccines your goats need — as well as vaccines they probably don't need.Dr. Kevin Pelzer, Professor of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, is talking about the CDT vaccine, which is for enterotoxemia type C and D, as well as tetanus, including dosages, timing, and frequency, including some that are off-label.He also talks about vaccines for campylobacter and chlamydia, which can cause abortions. Then we move on to vaccines for CL, sore mouth (orf), leptospirosis, pneumonia, rabies, and the new staph aureus vaccine for mastitis.See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/vaccines-for-goats/To see the most recent episodes, visit  ForTheLoveOfGoats.comThanks 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! 🐐

One of the most common questions I get during kidding season is, "why was this kid born dead?" Unfortunately, I can't answer that question because there are dozens of possibilities, starting with a long list of possible infections that can cause abortions, stillbirths, and neonatal death.As I was planning this episode with Dr. Jamie Stewart, Assistant Professor in Production Management Medicine at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, I thought we'd discuss all the possible infectious causes of abortion, but when I opened just one veterinary textbook and looked at the possibilities, I realized there was no way we could cover all of them in a single episode.Dr. Stewart and I decided to cover the most common causes that she sees in practice, and I added the diseases that I get the most questions about.In this episode, we are talking about the causes, symptoms, and diagnoses of chlamydia, q-fever, campylobacter, toxoplasmosis, Cache Valley virus, the goat version of hairy shaker disease in lambs, blue tongue, brucellosis, mycoplasma, e. coli, and strep. We also cover transmission, prevention, and treatment.While some of these diseases will affect only a single goat, others can cause an abortion storm, affecting potentially every pregnant doe in your herd. This is why it is so important to get a proper diagnosis if you have more than one doe giving birth prematurely or to stillborn kids.See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/miscarriages-in-goats/To see the most recent episodes, visit  ForTheLoveOfGoats.comThanks 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've listened to previous podcast episodes on parasites, you have heard us talk about the 5-point check, but what exactly is it? How can you use it to determine when you need to use a dewormer?Quite simply, the 5 things to check are:FAMACHABody conditionPoopCoat conditionBottle jawIn this episode, I'm talking about how you can use this information, which you can get for free, to keep an eye on the parasite status of your goats.I also talk about which worms cause which symptoms, and how different combinations of symptoms can mean different worms.To learn more about using dewormers correctly, check out our previous episode with Dr. Michael Pesato, discussing the newest recommendations of the American Consortium of Small Ruminant Parasite Control.See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/5-point-check-for-parasites/To see the most recent episodes, visit  ForTheLoveOfGoats.comThanks 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've been thinking about a meat breed and are looking for one that does well on pasture and forage, is parasite resistant, and hardy in general, the Kiko might be the breed for you. In today's episode we are talking to Karen Kopf of Kopf Canyon Ranch in Idaho about their experience raising dairy goats and then switching to meat goats and specifically Kiko goats. One of the reasons I wanted to interview Karen is because of the amazing records they keep on their herd, so we get into all of the details on the breed.Kikos were developed from feral goats in New Zealand and dairy goats, and they have no breed standard. This means there is a lot of variation between individual Kiko goats. Karen talks about the wide variation in sizes, as well as feeding, kidding, and selling meat.See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/kiko-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! 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! 🐐

Although rabies in goats is not common, it is possible. In today's episode we are talking to Dr. Kevin Pelzer, a Professor of Large Animal Clinical Science, Production Management Medicine at the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech.We are talking about how goats can get rabies, as well as the symptoms, diagnosis, and vaccination options. Rabies in goats looks considerably different than the stereotypical rabid dog, and luckily humans are much less likely to get rabies from their goat on the rare occasion when a goat does get infected. Goats are also unlikely to give rabies to each other.Although there is not a rabies vaccine labeled for goats, we discuss the best option that is available, and why you should avoid the dog rabies vaccine.To see the most recent episodes, visit  ForTheLoveOfGoats.comSee full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/rabies-in-goats/Want 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! 🐐

When some people hear a goat cough, pneumonia is often the first thing that comes to mind, but it is really not common in goats. A cough is also not a good indication of whether a goat has pneumonia or when it has recovered from pneumonia. In today's episode we are talking to Dr. Michael Pesato, Assistant Clinical Professor of Food Animal Medicine and Surgery at Mississippi State University. He is board certified with the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, specializing in Food Animal Practice.We discuss the wide variety of reasons that goats cough, as well as the real symptoms of pneumonia and how it is diagnosed. We also talk about which antibiotics work best when a goat has pneumonia and why penicillin should not be the one you reach for first. Dr. Pesato discusses the pneumonia vaccine in cattle and why it's not appropriate for goats, as well as how management is the key to avoiding pneumonia.See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/pneumonia-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! 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 have goats, or if you are considering getting goats, you should be aware of Johnne's disease. It is an infectious disease that is highly contagious, and there is no cure.Today's guest is Dr. Michael Pesato, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Food Animal Medicine and Surgery at Mississippi State University. He is a board certified practitioner with the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners specializing in Food Animal Practice. We are talking about how Johne's is transmitted, the symptoms, and diagnosis. We also discuss the different types of testing, as well as the efficacy of each one, and when it makes the most sense to do a blood test or a fecal test. And finally, we talk about what to do if you discover that you have Johne's in your herd.See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/johnesdisease/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! 🐐

Do you struggle with marketing your goat-based business? Or do you think you've got it covered because you have a website and a Facebook page? Or maybe you send out an email every month or two just to let people know what you're selling at the moment or what's on sale.In today's episode, we are talking with Liz Wilcox, the Fresh Princess of Email Marketing, about how you can use email to build a relationship with your customers. We talk about becoming friends with your fans and followers, and not simply trying to sell your product in every email.Liz has helped thousands of people dial in their email including a plumber, a podiatrist, and even a nun, and she shares lots of ideas for those of us with goat-based businesses.See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/email-marketing-goat-business/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 today's episode, we are talking with the oldest Saanen breeder in the US about these gentle giant of the dairy goat world. If you've ever looked at the American Dairy Goat Association's Top Ten list for milk production, you've seen his goats.Scott Hoyman of Caprikorn Farms has been raising Saanens for more than four decades along with his wife Alice. He talks about why they originally chose Saanen goats and why they went on milk test. He also talks about how ADGAGenetics.org can help you to choose more productive goats for your herd, as well as herd sires that are more likely to improve milk production in their daughters.See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/saanen-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! 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! 🐐