About the Author

Karen Kopf

Karen Kopf and her husband Dale own Kopf Canyon Ranch in Troy, Idaho. They enjoy "goating" together and helping others goat. They raise Kikos primarily, but are experimenting with crosses for their new favorite goating experience: pack goats! You can learn more about them at Kopf Canyon Ranch on Facebook or kikogoats.org
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Articles by Karen Kopf

Herding: Leash Training Goats and Other Hands-On Techniques
October 14, 2025 · · Members Only, Ownership

Leash training goats and horn training with humane handling practices strengthens our bond with the herd and benefits everyone involved.

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Breeding doelings: What Age Is Best?
August 14, 2025 · · Health, Members Only, Ownership

Add to Favorites When is the best age for breeding doelings? Is it okay to breed them their first fall, or better to wait until they’re yearlings and have had …

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Hands-Free Goat Herding Part 2: Structural Strategies
July 14, 2025 · · Ownership

Add to Favorites When it comes to movement, goats are guided by distinct natural preferences. Evolutionary survival mechanisms shape these tendencies. As prey animals, they instinctively move from dark to …

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Fire Season: The Goat Fire
June 30, 2025 · · Ownership

Add to Favorites Fire season is one of the seasons on our goat calendar. There is no preventing it, only preparing. Some fires are accidents, caused by harvesting equipment or …

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Herding Goats Hands-Free: Positional Strategies
April 30, 2025 · · Members Only, Ownership

Add to Favorites Herding goats requires a deep understanding of their nature and behavior and a careful balance of the different methods. Moving a large herd of goats from one …

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Goat Ear Tags and Other Types of Goat ID
March 1, 2025 · · Members Only, Ownership

Add to Favorites Many goat ear tags say, “UNLAWFUL TO REMOVE,” yet people remove them. Is it really against the law to remove an ear tag? Yes, in fact, it …

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What to Look for in a Breeding Buck
February 8, 2025 · · Members Only, Ownership

A breeding buck is the fastest way to improve — or ruin — a herd of goats. Buck selection is a careful consideration of overall soundness.

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Goat Meat: The Responsible Side Effect of Breeding
February 8, 2025 · · Members Only, Ownership

Add to Favorites How could anyone eat goat meat or sell such an endearing animal as meat? If you’d met us 15 years ago, we were there, too. Our farm …

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Managing Livestock Guardian Dogs
December 18, 2024 · · Ownership

Add to Favorites We can’t raise goats at Kopf Canyon Ranch without livestock guardian dogs (LGDs). A solid, reliable LGD is the most valuable tool on the ranch. On the …

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Meat Goat Performance
September 4, 2024 · · Members Only, Ownership

Selecting for high performance makes raising goats more sustainable. By identifying high-producers, we can reduced our management burden.

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