Miniandtrackhoe (Minnie) is officially due to kid this coming Saturday. I’ve had it written on the calendar for five months, but this date still sort of snuck up on me. Though goats are generally known to be easy birthers, I’m kind of […]
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Little Kai Ryssdal is the friendliest goat I’ve ever owned. Anytime I venture into the barn, he comes right up, and if I’m not paying him enough attention, he’ll start jumping on me. Levi and Charlotte are thrilled that they can pet him through the fence, and even Kit the dog has befriended him.
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Does it smell or taste “goaty?” Goat milk should not smell or taste “goaty.” If it does, something is not right. There are several factors that can cause milk to seem “off.” A lactating doe that kept in close quarters with a buck or is fed or grazes on brassicas (cabbage, kale, turnips, etc.) or […]
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Male and female goats grow horns starting from the day they are born. While goats can look rather majestic with horns, they can also get caught in fences, and they can intentionally or unintentionally injure people or other goats. It is the industry standard to disbud goats when they are a few days or […]
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I have several pieces of good news to share. First off, Bella is doing great. Her emergency surgery happened almost two weeks ago, and we haven’t seen any signs of infection or peritonitis. The incision site looks as good as possible (not gooey, red, or inflamed), and although she’s a little skinny, she eats and […]
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Last Thursday started out pretty normal. Henry (the husband) and I went out to the barn to check on goats. Henry gives injections, disbuds kids, and procures goat hay, but he’s not usually involved in day to day barn chores. My doe, Bella, had kidded with adorable twins twelve days earlier. On this particular morning, […]
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One fact about keeping a dairy goat is that there are always kids. Whether you want them or not, you don’t get any milk without kids. In my case, I only breed one doe per year because the milk from a single goat more than enough for our needs. We’ve had five sets of kids […]
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