Goats

What’s the best part of bringing home new animals? If you ask me, it’s thinking up a fun name for them. For most of us, whether we’ve got pets or actual livestock, we’ll be spending a lot of time with our furry friends, and that means they deserve a name. Besides, it’s a lot easier … Read more

Goats are just like every other kind of livestock: they have specific dietary needs that must be met. They need the right kinds of foods that will supply the right amount of calories and all of the vitamins and minerals for them to thrive. But goats are fairly unique among mammals in that they need … Read more

If you want goats on the homestead, pygmy goats can be a surprisingly inspired choice. They produce a lot of milk for their size, are very space-efficient, and easy to handle. They also have great personalities and tend to like people, meaning they’re perfect if you want to play with your herd. If you’re ready … Read more

If you live out in the country on a farm or homestead and keep animals, you know that flies are an unfortunate, constant, and maddening part of life. In the end, you and your animals, goats in our case, will always have to put up with them to a degree, but your goats will be … Read more

When it comes to milk production, there are few dairy goat breeds that can rival the legendary Alpine. These large, graceful, and beautiful goats are known for producing gallons of milk a day and also for extraordinarily long lactation periods. Even a couple of healthy does can keep a large family, and all of your … Read more

Goats are herbivores, and that means they eat all kinds of plant matter, fruits and vegetables included. However, some vegetables, despite an excellent nutritional profile, may be harmful for goats or are generally disagreeable to them. How about asparagus? Can goats have it? Yes, goats may eat asparagus safely, though truly excessive amounts might be … Read more

I guarantee that if you’ve been on the internet for any length of time, you’ve seen myotonic goats before… I’m talking about these: Myotonic goats, also known as fainting goats, live up to the name: when they get startled, these goats go stiff-legged and then topple over hilariously. Most folks can’t help but try to … Read more

If you want to go to great lengths of time, you know how downright ornery they can be, especially the bucks. They can be so recalcitrant it’s hard to believe any other animal would even want to be near them, but the reality is that goats have quite a few predators you’ll need to contend … Read more

Have you ever wanted a goat of your own? I’m not talking about a big herd, but just one or maybe two? Doesn’t that seem fun? It turns out you aren’t alone. There are plenty of people who have started to get goats as pets… Even though goats are entirely common, in a way they’re … Read more

With the sharp rise in people moving away from urban and suburban living, and heading back to a more sustainable and agrarian lifestyle, permaculture practices are fast becoming a trending topic. Most folks that want to head out into the country and set up a homestead to call their own get animals of one kind … Read more

If you were going to associate one behavior with goats, what would it be? Eating, yeah, you’re right—that’s on me. But the second behavior most likely to be associated with would probably be headbutting. Goats headbutt for all sorts of reasons, and at the end of the day, it’s an entirely natural and instinctive behavior. … Read more

You know that old saying, “familiarity breeds contempt”? When it comes to animals in our everyday lives, familiarity might not breed contempt but it does breed boredom. And when you look at common livestock animals like goats, it’s easy to forget that they are as amazing, interesting, and in many ways, surprising, as any exotic … Read more

If you want to do anything with your goats besides keep a couple around as pets, you’ve got to understand breeding. Sometimes confusing, rarely straightforward, and occasionally harrowing, breeding any livestock is a skillset unto itself, and goats particularly have a reputation as being unruly when it comes to making babies. The bottom line is … Read more

Ask anyone who has kept goats for any length of time, and they will tell you: keeping your goats in place and on your property is a lot easier said than done. The fact of the matter is that goats are excellent escape artists, or jailbreakers as I like to call them, and as a … Read more

If you decided to embark on a lifestyle of keeping livestock, one of the most important things to figure out is what size of animals you are comfortable with. Different species can run the gamut from truly tiny, like chickens, to humongous like horses. The size of an animal affects how much room it needs, … Read more

If you’ve owned goats for any length of time, you already know how mischievous, and destructive, they can be if they aren’t kept engaged and entertained. I would go so far as to say that 90% of breakouts are due to boredom and boredom alone. It might seem like an impossible task trying to keep … Read more