Guest Contributor: Lilli Valdez

Inroduction - What's Needed to Raise Goats

So you’ve decided to become a crazy goat person like me – you know, the kind of person who wears T-shirts with slogans like “Relax, I’ve Goat This” and posts countless Instagram shots of their goats doing AWESOME goat things. Ok, well maybe that’s just me... but when it comes to farm animals, goats truly are the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time for those scratching their heads). They’re relatively small, easy to handle, and full of personality. Then again, they are also inquisitive and independent – so there will be some inevitable goat shenanigans! But don’t worry, this startup guide will equip you with some basic knowledge to confidently raise happy, healthy goats.

Choosing a Breed

First, let’s figure out your goals in raising goats. Are you primarily looking for milk, meat, or fiber? Are you in search of a friendly, loveable pet? Or are you looking...

Introduction: Why You Need a Goat Breeding Strategy

Without a smart goat breeding strategy, things can go horribly wrong. On the other hand, with a proper goat breeding strategy in place, you can reap the awesome benefits of a healthy, happy and more valuable herd of goats. Goat breeding is a subject you definitely need to understand if you're new to raising goats. In this guide, we're going to cover 11 goat breeding questions that new goat owners ask about the most. Okay, lets jump right into answering those common goat breeding questions and helping you get ready for your goat's breeding season.  

GOAT BREEDING VIDEO - When To Breed Your Goats

Video Credit: MyHomesteadingProject

1. What Breed of Goat is Best?

Proper goat breeding starts with picking the right goats. Beginning with the proper type of goats will save you lots of future headaches. When choosing goats for breeding, your decisions will depend on what your purposes are for your herd. The...

Introduction – Raising Boer Goats for Show

If you've got a desire to get involved in raising Boer goats for show, there's plenty of opportunity to make some money while having a lot of fun at the same time. You may want to consider breeding show goats and selling them to others who want to show them. Or you may also want to get involved in showing goats yourself. Either way, this guide to raising Boer goats for show can help you learn some of the basics you'll need to be familiar with to get off to a great start. You need to begin by understanding some of the factors that make meat goats so valuable. After that, we'll go deeper into the details of raising Boer goats for show and showing your goats. On a related note, if you're exploring the possibilities of getting involved with goats for the first time, and you'd also like to learn about dairy goats as well, you can read through our guide, "How to Raise Dairy Goats for Milk: The Ultimate Guide."  

Demand for Goat Meat in...

Introduction - Raising Goats for Meat

  Are you interested in adding a profitable source of income to your small farm or homestead? A great opportunity to consider is raising goats for meat. Demand for goat meat is exploding and seems to keep going up every year. Part of the demand is from ethnic communities which have considered goat meat as a staple for many traditional dishes. Goat meat is also in demand for many religious holiday celebrations. On top of that, lots of upscale restaurants and chefs now use goat meat as part of many gourmet dishes served at some of the finest restaurants. With all of this demand, the supply in the U.S. can't keep up and much of that demand is met with goat meat imported from other countries like Australia. . This is a huge opportunity for anyone thinking about starting their own business raising goats for meat. Meat goats can be the foundation of a profitable business for small farms and homesteads, as well as larger commercial...

Introduction - How to Raise Dairy Goats for Milk

By Sereena Liess

Dairy goats are raised on farms and homesteads around the world for their rich, sweet milk and friendly personality. It's on the homestead that most of us learned how to raise dairy goats for milk. Years ago, when my family had a mini-farm of our own, the goats were definitely a favorite, for several reasons. For one thing, they were just so fun! Watching those kids play was almost as fun as playing with them yourself! Another big plus was the milk: nutrient-rich, creamy, and pure white. Let’s explore the basics about how to raise dairy goats for milk and all the benefits that come with it.  

Health Benefits of Goat Milk

Goat milk is actually the most commonly consumed milk in the world. Chock full of vitamins and minerals, it is a nourishing and rich food source. Producing your own goat milk for you and your family to use is one of the greatest benefits when you're learning how to raise dairy goats for...

Introduction

It's a shame when you're too afraid to get some goats because you've heard so much about goat health care problems. Well, don't worry any longer. It's time to get some goats.

By studying and following this guide, you will become a confident goat farmer who can manage your goat's health care needs and do the following:

• Select a qualified goat veterinarian;
• Identify and treat common goat diseases and goat health care problems;
• Test your goats to make sure they're disease-free;
• Take your goat's temperature and know what to do if it's not normal;
• Understand different goat parasites and know how to test for and treat them;
• Take proactive preventive steps to avoid goat health problems before they happen.

It's easy to fall in love with a goat. They've got cute faces, some have big floppy ears, and all have mouths that always seem to be chewing something.

You think to yourself, "I've got to have one! How hard can it be to raise a goat?" Next thing you know you've got a...

Introduction - What Do You Feed Goats?

What to feed goats? You probably know the old story that goats will eat anything. Cartoons depict them eating tin cans, and there are even songs about goats eating peoples' shirts. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. Goats are very picky eaters, only going for whatever is the most nutritious option. If you put some generic, low nutrition feed in their feeders, they'll simply play with it. Why do they grab at your shirt when you go into the goat pen? They're not trying to eat it. It's because they're curious, playful creatures. If you see a goat with a tin can, he's probably trying to get something tasty out of it, or possibly eating off the paper label, not eating the can itself. So, how do you avoid buying something that your goats won't eat? How do you know what to feed goats? Answer: By understanding how their digestive system works, how they eat, and what works best. After studying this article, you will be able to do...

When you start raising goats for the first time on your small farm, homestead. or backyard, a goat shelter is a necessity, especially a cheap easy goat shelter. Even though goats are equipped to live outdoors, they still need protection from rain, snow, wind and extreme temperatures.

Exposing Your Goats to the Weather

Goats hate to get wet. They can handle hot weather pretty well, as long as they have some shade. They can also live in extremely cold conditions (no heaters necessary), as long as they have protection from rain, snow and wind, and they have a deep pile of hay or straw they can snuggle into with other goats to share body heat. A cheap easy goat shelter can provide plenty of protection, regardless of the season.

Keep Your Goat Shelter Simple

Many new goat keepers make the mistake of thinking their new goat shelter needs to be elaborate or expensive. Not true. In fact, some of the simplest and least expensive shelters turn out to actually be the best shelters for your...

Afraid to get goats because they might escape and run off, due to a lack of proper goat fencing? Or maybe you have goats and it's a constant fight to keep them in the pasture? You're not alone. All of us goat farmers have the same struggle. These little critters seem destined to escape. The solution is to understand the 3 most popular types of goat fencing. Then, you can determine the best way to provide secure fencing for your own goats. Before we jump into the 3 most popular types of goat fencing, one more thing. I want to let you hear from one of our fellow goat farmers, Jamie. Here's her story about goat fences and some things that don't work so well...

My Personal Struggle With Goat Fencing

(Learning the Hard Way)

"Having goats myself, I have seen the many tricks they conjure up. At one point, I owned a cross-bred billy goat named Sonny. He could escape through every single type of goat fencing we placed around him. The only thing he couldn't escape from was a large dog kennel....

Do you love the idea of getting some goats, but have no idea how to move forward? This Beginners Guide to Raising Goats will help. I know how you feel. I was in that same place years ago, just before we got our first goats. We stumbled through and gradually figured things out along the way. Because of that, I can save you a lot of wasted time, energy and money by sharing with you this 9-Step Essential Beginners Guide to Raising Goats. This is stuff we learned by experience , and from other people who helped us over the years, and I wish someone had shared this with us back when we first got started with goats.

Benefits of Raising Goats

Before we start the 9-Step Essential Beginners Guide to Raising Goats (below) it's important to take a moment here and focus on the benefits of raising goats. This is the stuff that motivates us goat farmers to do the things we do. There’s a reason why people have been farming goats for centuries: they are incredibly versatile and have many...