raising goats
Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Goats
Add to Favorites With more goats in the U.S. being raised as pets or in small herds, rather than as production animals, they’re living longer, and their owners are more …
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Goat Pregnancy Health and Nutrition
Add to Favorites With a relatively brief 150-day average gestation, the months of goat pregnancy can fly by for breeders. Pregnant animals need consistent attention and good nutrition throughout, but …
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Humane Certification for Goat Ranchers: Is It Attainable?
Add to Favorites The word “humane” carries weight with consumers, but without certification, it can be misleading. Goat ranchers face unique challenges in meeting humane standards, and while certification is …
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“If only” – An Experience with Ringwomb
Add to Favorites On March 19, 2023, my San Clemente Island goat doe, Sunflower, began to show signs of labor. She was a couple days earlier than expected, but within …
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Goat Horns Throughout History
Add to Favorites Even before domestication, goats and their horns played an important role in human life. From tools for daily work to signaling ceremonies and battles to objects of …
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Witnessing an En Caul Birth
Add to Favorites En caul refers to the birth of a fetus entirely encased in an unruptured amniotic sac. It’s not an emergency, it’s normal in animals. In that moment, …
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How to Tote Your Goat: Transporting Goats
Add to Favorites Goats are a common choice for many small homesteads in the United States, and as a source of meat and milk around the world. There are many …
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Reader Response: Disbudding – Yea or Nay?
Add to Favorites Disbudding is often a contentious topic among goat keepers. We reached out and asked: Do you disbud your goats? Why or why not? We had over 300 …
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Disbudding Disasters: When Disbudding Goes Wrong
Add to Favorites Disbudding, and by extension dehorning, is one of the less pleasant, but sometimes necessary, aspects of raising goats. While relatively simple, it’s not always easy. Even experienced …
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A Meaty Comparison: Dairy Goats vs Meat Crosses
Add to Favorites Over the last 25 years, I’ve often used a quality meat (Boer or Savanna, in my case) over some of my dairy does. This helps me keep …
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