For the Love of Goats

It's not unusual for people to love their goats so much that they want more! But we all have our financial limits. So the next question is, how can your goats make money for you?In this episode I'm talking about a variety of goat businesses, starting with those that don't have a huge financial start-up investment and moving on to those that cost six figures to get started in most states.I also mention the importance of being sure that you are doing everything legally and are covered in terms of liability.See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/goat-business-ideas/ To see the most recent episodes, visit  ForTheLoveOfGoats.comWant to support this podcast?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 want a standard size dairy goat that gives a gallon or more of milk daily, then the Alpine might be for you.In this episode, we are talking to Emily Thompson of Kara Kahl Alpines in Southeast Minnesota who has been raising goats her whole life with her sister and her parents, who started raising alpines in the 1970’s.Emily talks about the general attributes of Alpines, as well as why she's continued to raise them for decades.She has been a judge with the American Dairy Goat Association for 22 years and is also co-chair of judges training assessment and licensing committee.The family shows their goats at the national level and even brought home the title of grand champion doe. They are also on milk test.See full show notes here >>https://thriftyhomesteader.com/alpine-goats/ To see the most recent episodes, visit  ForTheLoveOfGoats.comWant to support this podcast?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! 🐐

Every aspect of your buck's health is critically important during breeding season, from his eyes and legs to his reproductive system.Dr. Jamie Stewart, Assistant Professor in Production Management Medicine at the vet school at Virginia Tech, who previously joined us for an episode on artificial insemination in goats, talks about the various aspects of a buck's health that can affect breeding success, as well as the success of your kidding season.Dr. Stewart talks about what a vet does in a breeding soundness exam, as well as what goat owners can do to be sure their buck is in the best condition for breeding season.We discuss epididymitis and orchitis and the many potential causes for those problems, from physical trauma to infectious disease, including some that can wind up causing an abortion storm during kidding season.If you've ever wondered why it's so hard to find a goat owner who will provide buck service, this episode will help you understand the possible diseases that can be transmitted during breeding.See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/buck-health-and-breeding/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 melanoma in goats is quite rare, it is devastating when it does happen because there is no cure. In this episode, we are talking to Julie Jarvis PA-C, a retired Dermatology Physician Assistant who practiced human medicine for 21 years. She has also been a goat farmer since 2004, and one of her goats was recently diagnosed with melanoma.In my post on squamous cell carcinoma, I talked about how easy it is to misdiagnose it, and the same is true of melanoma. Since Julie had 21 years experience in human dermatology, she knew something was seriously wrong when she saw what most people would have assumed was an injury or hoof rot.Julie goes into detail about what she saw and what she did, as well as the research she found on melanoma in goats.See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/skin-cancer-in-goats-melanoma/ 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've ever seen the goats without ears, that's what we're talking about today! LaManchas are best known for having tiny little gopher ears, which most people either love or hate. If you raise LaManchas you know the most common question you hear is, "What happened to their ears?"But LaManchas have a lot going for them beyond their cute looks. Today we are talking to Tania Love of Love Acres Dairy Goats, who has a small but impressive herd of LaManchas that have earned spots on the American Dairy Goat Association's Top Ten list for production.Tania also has some great advice for anyone getting started with dairy goats, regardless of whether they choose LaManchas or another breed.See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/lamancha-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 are looking for a medium sized dairy goat that produces about a gallon a day, then consider the Oberhasli, which originally came from Switzerland. Morgan Allen of Haycreek Farm in Minnesota has been raising Oberhasli goats since the mid-1990s. Their goats have done well showing at the national level, and they have several does on the American Dairy Goat Association's Top Ten list for production.In today's episode, Morgan is talking about what drew her to the Oberhasli and why she's still raising them after all these years. She also talks about selling their milk to a commercial cheesemaker and making their own caramel sauce.See full show notes here >>  https://thriftyhomesteader.com/oberhasli-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! 🐐

We first composted a dead goat many years ago when it died in winter when the ground was frozen solid. At the time, we thought of it as the second-best option because burial was not possible. However, as we discuss in this episode, composting actually causes a carcass to decompose faster than burying.J. Craig Williams, extension agent with Pennsylvania State University Extension in northern Pennsylvania talks about advantages of mortality composting, as well as how to do it so that you avoid bad odors and don't attract predators.Although you can use the finished compost in your fields or gardens, mortality composting is really about disposing of a dead animal more than making compost. That means you won't be out there turning the pile every couple of weeks.Because a compost pile can heat up to more than 130 degrees, it will kill bacteria and viruses, however it is important to note that it won't kill prions, so you should not compost a goat or sheep that had scrapie. To learn more about scrapie, check out episode 45, Scrapie in Goats and Sheep.For more information on mortality composting, check out Cornell Waste Management Institute's website.See full show notes here >>  https://thriftyhomesteader.com/how-to-compost-a-dead-goat/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've ever wanted to add some genetics to your herd, but the cost of a live animal was out of your price range, artificial insemination is a great way to reach the same goal at a fraction of the price. In today's episode we are talking to Dr. Jamie Stewart, Assistant Professor in Production Management Medicine at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. We are answering all of the basic questions about artificial insemination, often called AI for short.How do you artificially inseminate a goat? There are actually three different types of AI, and Dr. Stewart discusses how each one is done, as well as the chances of success of each method and how much it costs. She also talks about some money-saving tips, such as splitting straws and renting space in a semen tank.See full show notes here >>  https://thriftyhomesteader.com/artificial-insemination-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! 🐐

Today's guests first visited Antiquity Oaks Farm about 17 years ago when they were traveling across the United States looking for all things goat. That year-long trek from the east coast to the west was chronicled in their book, Year of the Goat, which was originally published in 2007.This year, in honor of its 15th anniversary, the publisher is bringing it back with an all-new introduction, sub-title, and cover, as well as lots of photos that were not in the original book.In today's episode, author Margaret Hathaway and her husband, photographer Karl Schatz, are talking about how that year changed the trajectory of their lives. Like me, they went from a couple of clueless city slickers to goat breeders and farmers.In addition to reminiscing about their visit 17 years ago when we had our first baby goat in the house, we also talk about some of their other adventures and how this book is a great read for anyone who thinks they might want to do something with goats but isn't sure exactly what.Although they started their trek with the idea that they'd become cheesemakers, ultimately they started their own homestead and today they have an agritourism business with goat hikes as their main attractions, which was the subject of an episode with Margaret last year.See full show notes here >>  https://thriftyhomesteader.com/year-of-the-goat/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! 🐐

Even though most of you reading this probably don't think of your goats as food animals, that is how they are categorized in the veterinary world. Since very few food animals don't have the opportunity to live out their natural lives, there is little research on dealing with health challenges in individual animals. The focus tends to be on herd health, contagious diseases, and production. It can become even more challenging to care for them in old age because there is even less research on the health issues faced by senior animals. So, what's a goat owner to do when our favorite goats get old? In this episode, I'm talking to Dr. Michael Pesato, assistant clinical professor of Food Animal Medicine and Surgery at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine and a diplomat of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners for Food Animal Practice. In a previous article on senior goats, I discussed what to expect in terms of reproduction as your goats get older, as well life expectancy, and parasites in older goats.In this episode, we are discussing some of the most common challenges faced by senior goats, including how to deal with age-related arthritis, dental issues, and extremes of hot and cold temperatures, which are especially challenging for older goats. See full show notes here >>  https://thriftyhomesteader.com/older-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! 🐐