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The answer to, “When can I start milking my doe?” is not as simple as listing the specific age of the kids. In this episode, we are discussing the complexities of sharing milk with baby goats and offering practical advice for goat owners who want to balance kid health with milk production.

Deborah draws on her experience as both a homesteader and a former Board Certified Lactation Consultant to share important tips on when to start milking, how to manage multiple kids, and how to ensure healthy growth for your goat kids.

Whether you’re dealing with a single kid or a set of quintuplets, understanding how milk production works and monitoring your kids’ growth is essential to avoid common problems like low milk supply and slow weight gain.

Key Takeaways

• Milk does with a single kid from day one to maintain a strong milk supply.
• Colostrum is vital in the first 24 hours—kids need 20% of their body weight in colostrum within this time to develop a healthy immune system.
• Weigh kids daily for the first two weeks to ensure they are gaining at least 4 ounces per day.
• Dam-raised kids can be just as friendly as bottle-fed kids with enough human interaction.

Related Resources

• Goats 365 Community: goats365.com
• Podcast episodes:
  • Colostrum for Baby Goats
  • Basics of Bottle Feeding Goat Kids

See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/sharing-milk-with-baby-goats/

To see the most recent episodes, visit ForTheLoveOfGoats.com

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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. Click here to learn more about our Goats 365 membership.

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Happy anniversary to us! FTLOG is five years old! As we enter our sixth year, you can continue to count on us to help you cut through the clutter of conflicting information out there so that you can be confident that your goats will be living their best lives!

You can expect to hear from more goat experts like veterinary professors and published scientists who are on the leading edge of goat research. You’ll also hear from goat owners who have turned their love of goats into a successful business. And this year, you’ll hear more stories about goats and the people who love them.

I’m Deborah Niemann, your host and former clueless city slicker who just wanted a couple of goats so I could make goat cheese. Before I knew what had happened, two goats turned into 20, and a simple desire to make cheese turned into a career in helping people raise their goats.

Learn more on our website, fortheloveofgoats.com

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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. Click here to learn more about our Goats 365 membership.

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In this deeply personal and emotional episode, host Deborah Niemann shares the heartbreaking story of her goat, Coco, who experienced a uterine rupture and hemorrhage during a challenging kidding in 2013.

Deborah takes listeners on a journey through Coco's life, from her birth to her tragic passing after giving birth to quintuplets. This episode not only honors Coco’s memory but also provides valuable insights into the risks of uterine tears and hemorrhages in goats, how to recognize the signs, and what steps can be taken to prevent or address such emergencies.

Key Takeaways

• Uterine ruptures can occur during difficult births, especially when there is excessive pressure or improper handling during interventions.
• Goats are horizontal animals, so internal bleeding may not be visible externally. Instead, blood collects in the abdomen.
• Warning signs include mental absence, lethargy, pale eyelids (indicating anemia), and disinterest in kids or milking.

Lessons Learned from Coco’s Experience

1. Recognizing Symptoms:
   • If a goat seems mentally absent or unresponsive after kidding, check for anemia by examining their eyelids. Pale eyelids can indicate severe blood loss.
2. Importance of Veterinary Relationships:
   • Having an established relationship with a vet ensures quicker access to help during emergencies.
   • University veterinary hospitals can provide 24-hour care and specialized expertise if local vets are unavailable.
3. Risks of Certain Tools and Procedures:
   • Tools like kid pullers (wire nooses) can be effective but carry risks of causing uterine tears if not used carefully.
   • Procedures like fetotomies (cutting up a fetus for removal) are especially risky in small goats like Nigerians due to limited space in their uterus.
4. Postpartum Care:
   • Small uterine tears can heal naturally but may lead to infections.
   • Severe tears often require surgical intervention or result in fatal hemorrhaging.
5. Preventative Measures:
   • Avoid breeding smaller does with larger bucks to reduce the risk of oversized kids causing birthing complications.
   • Always ensure hands are clean, nails are trimmed short, and gloves are worn when assisting with kidding to minimize risks of tears or infections.

Resources Mentioned

1. Deborah’s book: Goats Giving Birth
2. Previous podcast episodes:
   • Blood Transfusion in Goats
   • Anemia in Goats

See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/uterine-rupture-and-hemorrhage-in-goats/

To see the most recent episodes, visit ForTheLoveOfGoats.com

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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. Click here to learn more about our Goats 365 membership.

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As goat owners in America, we know the challenges we face in caring for our herds here at home. But what is it like to breed and raise goats in another country?

In this episode, Sue Ludwig and Jade Holberton are here to talk about raising goats in Australia. Sue is the founder of the Australian Miniature Goat breed, and is the author of Australian Miniature Goats: A Comprehensive Guide to a Unique Little Breed. She is also a lifetime member and president of the Miniature Goat Breeders Association of Australia (MGBA).

Jade is secretary of the MGBA and a major importer of Nigerian Dwarf genetics into Australia from the US, mostly from Old Mountain Farm. She has been very successful with embryo and AI programs and bringing in new genetics.

Sue and Jade detail how they approached the breeding of the Australian Miniature Goat, an especially challenging undertaking considering that live animals cannot be imported into Australia due to the fact that the US has not yet been officially declared scrapie-free. They also discuss some of the practical challenges Australian goat owners face, such as finding knowledgeable vets and good minerals.

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See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/raising-goats-in-australia/

To see the most recent episodes, visit ForTheLoveOfGoats.com

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Head over to -- https://thrifty-homesteader.ck.page/products/love-goats-tip-jar

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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. Click here to learn more about our Goats 365 membership.

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There have been instances where a goat owner watched a severely parasitized, anemic goat die because they did not realize that a life-saving blood transfusion was an option for their animal. Surprising as it may be, it is!

In this episode, Dr. Ryan Breuer, Assistant Clinical Professor of Large Animal Internal Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-School of Veterinary Medicine and Diagnostic Case and Outreach Coordinator at the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, discusses blood transfusions in small ruminants. He covers when a transfusion may be needed, whole blood vs plasma transfusions, potential risks, and whether or not goats are always crossmatched with their donors.

Dr. Breuer also talks about his research on the practice of xenotransfusions, which is transferring blood from one species to another–from cow to goat in his study. He discusses why they chose a cow as the donor and whether or not xenotransfusions can be successful in emergency situations when a same-species donor is not available.

See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/blood-transfusion-in-goats/
To see the most recent episodes, visit ForTheLoveOfGoats.com

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Head over to -- https://thrifty-homesteader.ck.page/products/love-goats-tip-jar

Thanks for listening!

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. Click here to learn more about our Goats 365 membership.

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The Nigerian Dwarf goat has become a staple breed in the American Dairy Goat Association, and it has only grown in popularity since first arriving in the US from Africa in the 20th century. But how did these wonderful goats climb the ladder from relative obscurity to high demand?

In today’s episode, we are talking to Karyl Dronen, an ADGA Pioneer who worked tirelessly beginning in the late ‘90s to get Nigerian Dwarfs accepted into the American Dairy Goat Association. Karyl relays the story of how she, along with several others who were equally as passionate, lobbied to have the breed accepted into ADGA as a dairy goat breed. She also touches on how the induction of the breed into ADGA in 2005 has gone on to support the organization into the present day.

Though Nigerian Dwarfs are so well-known today, there was a time when they were little known and out of favor against the bigger dairy breeds. Karyl’s story of how a group of people saw their potential and worked relentlessly to bring them into the limelight is truly inspiring and one that any lover of the breed should hear.

See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/nigerian-dwarf-goats-in-adga/

To see the most recent episodes, visit ForTheLoveOfGoats.com

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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. Click here to learn more about our Goats 365 membership.

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Show goats are held to strict conformational standards, but we often overlook the fact that our own herds would benefit from those same conformational standards. Extra teats, bad legs, weak pasterns, and crooked faces may sound as though they aren’t that big of a deal outside of the show ring, but those standards have practical reasoning behind them. Ultimately, they produce a strong, sound specimen that can live a long, productive life. Don’t we all want that for our goats, even those that will never see a show ring?

In this episode, we’re talking to Emily Thompson who has been an ADGA judge for 24 years, co-chaired several committees, served on the Linear Appraisal Committee, and raises Alpines and Toggenburgs with her family under the Kara Kahl Alpines and the Legendairy Toggenburg herd names. Emily offers clarification on breed standards in the ADGA Guidebook, the two areas that award the most points in the show ring and why, and the importance of a good mammary system.

She also covers what to look for regarding good conformation when purchasing a new goat, defects that will never go away (and some surprising ones that may), as well as some serious defects that should immediately land a goat into either the non-breeding pet or freezer category.

See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/goat-conformation/

To see the most recent episodes, visit ForTheLoveOfGoats.com

Want to support the content you love?

Head over to -- https://thrifty-homesteader.ck.page/products/love-goats-tip-jar

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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. Click here to learn more about our Goats 365 membership.

Send us a text

Delve into the business of goat landscaping, also known as targeted grazing, goatscaping, and even rent-a-goat. In this business, your herd is hired by a landowner to clear off an overgrown plot of land. This has the potential to create a triple win as the goats could get some great browse, the landowner is able to clear land in a holistic way, and you can pocket some extra cash.

Today, Margaret Chamas, the affiliate network support person for Goats on the Go, is joining us to cover the ins and outs of this intriguing and potentially lucrative market. She discusses the number of goats you need to get started, startup costs, overhead costs that may surprise you, and what you can expect to charge for your services.

She also covers potential pitfalls such as seeing your herd’s body condition slip when the available browse is lower in quality, dealing with escaping goats, and the most difficult part of the job.

See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/rent-a-goat/

To see the most recent episodes, visit ForTheLoveOfGoats.com

Want to support the content you love?

Head over to -- https://thrifty-homesteader.ck.page/products/love-goats-tip-jar

Thanks for listening!

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. Click here to learn more about our Goats 365 membership.