Goats

Goat Milk Coffee Creamer

August 6, 2022 by Leigh 8 Comments

When life hands you lemons, you are supposed to make lemonade. Well, I did that yesterday. Today, well today there was a mishap in the freezer. Instead of letting it get the best of me, I decided to get a project done that I have been meaning to do, but never had the time…. Today was the day I was going to make a batch of goat milk coffee creamer, whether I planned to or not.

They say you shouldn’t cry over spilled milk

I don’t know who “They” are but I almost cried today when I went to put up two half gallon mason jars of fresh goat milk. When I looked in our freezer, I saw that two jars had burst and I felt tangible pain. I started checking over my other jars and sure enough twelve half gallon mason jars were broken. I had a decision to make, either leave them in there and deal with each jar as we pulled them out to use it. Or fix it now while I had the chance. I’m not one to kick the can down the road, so I grabbed a milk crate and brought all twelve jars upstairs.

Finally after almost six hours, I finally had all of the milk melted, jars thrown away, and all twelve jars triple strained. I wanted to cry every time I found a glass shard, but this is precious milk. This is the only milk I can drink without stomach issues. And the only way I can get more is by breeding goats, and then waiting six months.

After everything was all said and done, I had managed to salvage all the milk except a few drops, only to run out of freezer bags. **facepalm** This is my life.

Now, I am not 100% sure what caused the jar failure. I have frozen mason jars for years and never had an issue. If I had to guess, I would say either a head space problem or half gallon mason jars shouldn’t be frozen. It doesn’t really matter since I won’t do it again, but it would be nice to know for the future.

Anyways, the whole point is I have one and a half gallons of goat milk that I need to do something with. I could refreeze them, and I may still but for right now, I am making coffee creamer. I may even try my hand at making cheese so stay tuned.

How to make Goat Milk Coffee Creamer

I’m going to start this with saying this, you do NOT need goat milk to make your own creamer. Any milk will work. However, since I have goats and gut issues, I use goat milk.

Using a 1:1 ratio whisk your milk and condensed milk into a thick bottomed sauce pot.

Allow it to heat for a few minutes to mix really well. If you are going to use any flavorings now is the time to add them. I’ll go over my flavorings below.

Pour into your creamer vessel, I use these if it’s going in the fridge, or old creamer containers if going into the freezer.

Allow to cool. Then store in either fridge or freezer.

That’s it! You don’t have to be some wizard to make creamer. If you don’t like “Foo Foo” creamer, just whisk your milk an condensed milk together. Done.

When you are ready to drink it, make sure to shake really well first.

Peppermint Mocha on the Left and Cinnamon Cake on the right

Flavorings

All flavorings are based on a quart, so adjust your recipe as needed. Also start with small amounts and then add more if you want. It’s harder to take away than to add more.

Peppermint Mocha

1T cocoa powder 1t peppermint extract

Cinnamon Cake

1T cinnamon, 1t butter extract, 1t cake batter flavoring

Banana Nut Bread

1t cinnamon, 1t butter extract, 1t cake batter flavoring, 1t maple syrup flavor, 1t banana flavor

Pumpkin Spice

1T Pumpkin spice flavor on this one, you can add additional cinnamon or cake batter to give it a more cake-y taste but test it first with just the pumpkin and see how you like it.

While I’m still mad about the jars breaking, I am glad that I was able to finally get around to making creamer for us. I just hate that it had to be like that. Oh, well.

Goat Milk Coffee Creamer

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 5 mins

Servings 1 Quart

Equipment

1 Thick bottomed pot
1 Spatula
1 Whisk
1 Quart Container

Ingredients

14 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk
14 Oz Milk
Flavorings

Instructions

Pour milk into thick bottomed pot and start heating on low
Stir in condensed milk
Add any flavorings you want
Whisk together until combined. If using powdered flavorings this could take a while. Let sit for a few minutes and then whisk again. Repeat until most or all of the flavoring is dissolved
Add to quart container and allow to cool before refrigerating

Notes

You can absolutely freeze this if you have a freezer safe container.

Keyword Coffee Creamer

If you like this post feel free to share it on your social media and follow us on the social medial links below! And don’t forget to subscribe to stay up to date on all our posts!

How To Keep Your Livestock Cool In Summer

July 10, 2022 by Leigh 7 Comments

It’s hot, humid and over all icky to be outside in Georgia right now. I’m pretty sure it’s the same everywhere, but I feel like Georgia slowed down to pass the state trooper and decided to “open ‘er up” once it was clear. It went from comfortable mid to upper 70’s to devil’s armpit in less than 24 hours. Not to mention we came back from Yellowstone where it was a balmy 40*! We were a little climate shocked to say the lest. Oh, and our AC doesn’t work, so we are having to use fans and window units. But what do you do with the animals that can’t come inside? How do you keep your livestock cool in the summer? Check out my 5 tips below.

5 Tips to Keep Your Animals Cool In Summer

Clean Water- Every single day, multiple times a day, you need to be out there checking to make sure that they have plenty of cool water. Depending on your watering system this may just be a couple buckets in the shade. Or maybe a water trough that has a frozen gallon milk jug in it. Regardless, it needs to be clean and fresh every single day. We have these 5 gallon buckets for our goats and we have four of them throughout the pastures and fill them on average 3x a day. On the super hot or humid days we will fill the buckets part of the way with ice to help keep the water cool. We are also planning on getting a 50 gal stock tank once the current kids are a little bigger.

Shade– It is so important for any animal or human to have access to shade when they are outside. Nothing will dehydrate an animal (including humans) quicker than being stuck in the hot sun with no shade. If you don’t have access to shade for your animals, or their shelter is in the sun, you can grab a couple of shade canopies for less than $40 depending on the sizes you choose. We are lucky enough that all three pastures have a ton of shade so we don’t need the canopy but I would definitely look into it if you don’t.

Electrolytes– All animals require electrolytes, but in the summer it is especially important to have more on hand. We buy these, but have also bought Bounce Back, and Electrolytes Plus. Remember that not all electrolytes are equal. I use Bounce Back as my standard and as long as the other brands are close, I’ll buy it in a pinch. I will say, right now Bounce Back is expensive on Amazon but pretty affordable at Tractor Supply. Also, as a side note, Electrolyte Plus WILL FIZZ! You have been warned. I still have orange goat-r-aid on my ceiling. We usually will put a 5 gallon bucket out of electrolytes and then another with regular water. As we refill buckets throughout the day, we don’t add anymore electrolytes and let it get watered down. The next day we dump and refill
Keep their coat clean– Much like with dogs, if their coat is matted, clumped, or dirty, they will have a hard time staying cool. The breeze, if there is one, can not get through to their skin. That will trap heat and cause them to get or stay hot. We brush out their winter coats, if they haven’t already blown them, when the weather maintains 70*. We also give their hooves a good trimming as well. This is also the time that they get any meds, copper bolus’, and vaccines.

Air Flow– We all know that when it gets hot, we just want a breeze to blow through to cool us off. If you live in an area that doesn’t get a lot of wind or air movement, consider getting a solar powered fan. You can pick the size that you need but the end result is the same, get the air moving. If you’ve got electricity in your barn, then get a bigger fan. Your goats will thank you.
Bonus tip- Cold Treats!– We freeze fruit and veggies in muffin tins with water. This gives them a cold treat on hot days. We have also frozen whole watermelons, cantaloupes, etc.

But what if they get too hot?

Much like dogs, goats will pant when they get too hot. Unlike dogs, however, this is kind of a last ditch effort in cooling themselves down. If they are panting, you need to start working to get them cooled down, right now.

What are some signs and symptoms of a hot goat? Panting or labored breathing, poor FAMACHA,

In the post about what to have on hand for goats, you need to first get a rectal temperature. Their temps should be between 101-102ish. A little higher or lower is not a big deal but more than a degree in either direction needs to be monitored. More than 2 degrees and you need to start warming or cooling.

Then check their FAMACHA. The card below will show you how to do it and what the color is. The FAMACHA tells you if they are anemic or not. If they are anemic, they do not have the blood volume necessary to handle stress well. If they can’t handle stress, like a heat emergency, they are less likely to bounce back. There is MUCH more to a FAMACHA than this, but for the sake of this post, a score under 3 is going to require a lot more care to get them healthy.

Next, get bottoms of their legs in some cool (not cold) water. We don’t want to shock their system but we need to get them cooling down quickly. But do not lay them down in the water. The problem is that their fur will act like a wet blanket and keep all that heat inside. Instead, only put cool water on “bare” skin like the utters, belly, or behind their knees. All areas were their coat should be thinner.

I bring cold, hot, or otherwise sick goats in the house. My house is relatively comfortable, despite the lack of an HVAC system. This will passively cool them. You can also put them in your bath tub to ensure they are getting cool water in a place that is designed to get wet.

Also, try to get some cold water into them, if they won’t drink it then you need to drench them. Recheck their temperature every five minutes or so to make sure they are cooling down. We don’t want that temperature to go too low because then we have to start warming them back up.

Keep at it until their temperature comes down. And it should come down. Hot things will generally cool off when cold things are put on them. The most important thing is to move with a purpose but without shocking the goat.

If you like this post feel free to share it on your social media and follow us on the social medial links below! And don’t forget to subscribe to stay up to date on all our posts!

What To Have On Hand During Kidding Season

July 4, 2022 by Leigh Leave a Comment

If you have been on this blog for more than one article, you know how much we love our goats. Seriously, it’s ridiculous. But you may not have heard about the good bad and ugly that is kidding season. If you have never owned livestock or even had a family pet give birth, you are absolutely not prepared for what is going to happen when your animal gives birth. Even after getting a birth under your belt, you’re probably STILL not prepared. And if you’ve got goats? Well, nothing will go as planned during kidding season.

Let’s Start Before Labor

If you know your goat is pregnant, or at least your pretty positive, there are somethings you should do prior to her giving birth. If you don’t have these things on hand, I highly recommend you go and get them quickly. You can buy all of this on amazon, or you can get it at your local feed store or Tractor Supply. All the links here will be for TSC because most everyone has one around somewhere.

Selenium– If you live in a selenium depleted area, which is almost the entire US, your brand new goat kid is probably deficient. However, if you have been supplementing with high quality minerals, this shouldn’t be a huge problem. We use these minerals and when kids are born, give them the selenium gel that is linked. The selenium will help boost the development of their muscles, brain and more.
Chlorohexidine or Iodine– So there is some debate about dipping umbilical cords. I am not here to set the record straight or to tell you what to do or buy. I am here to tell you what we do and why. Here’s the thing. In 2007 the DEA said no more to 7% iodine. I don’t know why, nor do I care. What I do know is that unless you have a source, you are not getting the 7% which is what is the best for dipping umbilical cords. You can read all about it here or do your own research (which I highly recommend). But the jist is this: trim the cord to about 2-3 inches so that it does not touch the ground and introduce bacteria and other nasties to your goat kid. Then dip the cord in either of the products I listed. Keep an eye on your kid and make sure that they are nursing and definitely got that colostrum.
Tums or CMPK– If labor has stalled or milk fever, they need calcium. CMPK is what you should have on hand. But good luck finding it. Honestly, we start giving about 3-4 Tums, in the days leading up to labor and then continue to give them for a couple of days after. This to help keeps their calcium up. You do not have to by any means, but it is good to have on hand.
Ketone test strips- These can be found at your local pharmacy in the diabetic aisle. These will help you determine if you need to start treating for pregnancy toxemia. In order to keep it from happening in the first place, make sure you are feeding plenty of good quality hay and forage. If your doe is acting lethargic or otherwise off, try giving her a little molasse water and try to test her urine.
Lastly- Puppy pads, towels, exam gloves and lube. That’s really it.

I would also recommend watching as many videos on goat labor as possible.

It’s Go Time

Now, I’m pretty bougie with my goats. Unless my girls drop kids without me knowing (here’s looking at you, Bailey and Oakley), it’s a big production on my farm. I have a cheap 5 gallon bucket that has my iodine dip, towels, scissors, puppy pads, selenium and snacks for me. I will also make up some molasses water and bring them grain.

At night, our does get put in the smaller area of our barn to make sure that they have privacy from the other goats. We also have an outdoor camera in there to check in on them without disturbing them. During the day, they have free reign over the two pastures.

When it’s time for them to labor, I try to get them into the barn. I won’t force the subject, but I do prefer to have them in a protected area. Also, I will usually just hang back and watch. I get my gloves and lube ready so if I need to go in I’m not fumbling around. Then we wait.

Don’t Panic

The best thing you can do is not panic. I know it’s easier said than done, but seriously, don’t panic. Goats have been having kids for thousands of years. The chances that they or you are going to have a traumatic birth is slim. Unless you have a Bella, then all bets are off.

Once you have decided that you are not panicking, lay your towels down and get ready. Some goats want all of your attention while in labor. Others don’t want you anywhere near them. Both are fine. I have had extremely friendly goats completely freak out on me and I’ve had total terrors turn into lovebugs during labor. The biggest thing is to keep calm and keep them calm. If that means you watch from a distance or stay snuggled in, do it.

Be On Standby

A solid 90% of goats do not require any assistance during labor. That means that you are simply on standby until you are needed. They will start pushing and grunting. If you can, look at their vulva and make sure they are making progress. They should have their kid within about 30 minutes of pushing. If not, start getting prepared to go in. You may have a stuck kid.

Stuck Kid

If after 30 minutes of pushing, she has still not produced anything. Glove up and lube up, you’re going in. What you are checking for is that you have two hooves and a nose in the birth canal. If you don’t see or feel that, you need to get in there and find it. Out of the 10% of those times that you will need to assist, it’s usually either a big kid or the head is stuck back. You need to get your hand, and maybe arm in there and pull the head forward.

Remember to stay calm. When Champ went into labor, her first and last kids where stuck. I was able to get the first one out. Then Stella came. But the 3rd one was really stuck. I ended up phoning a friend to just talk to me and keep me calm. Unfortunately, Stella is the only kid that made it. That should not be the case with your stuck kids, but it does happen.

You can read about Champ’s labor here and the resulting cuteness that is Stella.

The Kid Is Out, What Now?

The absolute first thing you do is move them out of the way IF mom is still pushing. Be careful of the umbilical cord. It will disconnect on it’s own after a few seconds of pushing. But YOU do not want to rip it.

If the kid is not breathing well, lift the kid up by their back legs and let them dangle. Gently swing them from side to side to help get any fluid that is still in their lungs, mouth and nose out.

If mom is a little busy or not immediately cleaning the kid, go ahead and start drying off the baby with a towel. With Champ, she had zero interest in her babies. I think part of it was that once she went into labor, everything was quick but she was also tired.

After the kid is cleaned up, check the umbilical cord. If it has broken, make sure it is not profusely bleeding. A drop or two is fine, we are worried about massive bleeding here. Think about it this way. They are tiny, so they don’t have a ton of blood. If that blood is coming out, they don’t have much to circulate through their body. If the cord is still bleeding, pinch the cord with your fingers as hard as you can. We want to try and control the bleeding. Again, this is extremely rare and should not be a problem. Once it has stopped, you can let go and see if it start bleeding again.

Dip the cord with the solution listed in your buy list above.

If mama is still pushing, let her do her thing. You can “bump” her to see if you feel another kid in there. Bumping is putting your arms under her, right in front of her udders, and pulling up sharply. You are checking to see if you feel anything hard. If so, she’s got another baby. If not, she’s passing the placenta next. It’s time to nurse if she only has one. Get her up and see if you can get the baby to nurse.

Nursing

To do this, get mama up and place the baby with it’s head towards the udders. This may take a time or two to make sure that it latches but try. If the baby or mama refuses, try again in a few minutes. Rinse and repeat. Kids need that colostrum within the first hour or two.

After the kid has nursed, I will usually get a weight on it. This helps to make sure that they are gaining weight in the coming days. If the kid is not gaining, you may have to pull the kid and start bottle feeding it. It will also help you if the kid is drinking too much.

Closing

I hope this has helped you prepare for your goat to go into labor. It can be daunting and scary. But don’t let that stop you. It is awesome to see the birth and the maternal instinct of these creatures. Plus it is heart melting to hear those first cries and mama perk up.

If you like this post feel free to share it on your social media and follow us on the social medial links below! And don’t forget to subscribe to stay up to date on all our posts!

10 Questions To Ask Before Buying A Goat

June 19, 2022 by Leigh 9 Comments

There are a ton of ways to get a goat. You could go to your local livestock auction, look on different market places, or find a breeder local to you. Goats are not difficult to find, but what you see is not always what you get. At least with the goat itself. There are questions you need to ask about your prospective goats and if you are not well versed? You are probably going to get taken advantage of. Before you learn what to ask before buying a goat, you need to ask yourself some questions first. A goat health checklist if you will.

Ask Yourself

Why do you want goats? Is it for fiber? Land clearing? Diary? Breeding? Just because?

Do you have a secure area for them to be in? Is it safe from predators?

Are you willing to get and do all the things that they need to be healthy and happy?

Are you squeamish with blood, guts, poop, or birthing?

Now What Do You Ask A Breeder?

When I was thinking of all the questions I would ask a breeder, I struggled for two reasons. 1) There are a ton of questions that I ask. But they are based off of what my goals are for my herd. 2) A lot of people raise their goats in different ways and their philosophies with raising goats may not be the same as mine or yours. That being said, no matter what your philosophy is, these are some pretty standard questions to ask before buying a goat.

When was the goat born? How many kids did the doe have?

Any complications to the doe or kids during delivery?

Is the goat horned, polled or disbudded?

Are they registered or registerable?

Do you worm your entire herd or just those with a positive fecal? What were the results of the last fecal?

Are they up to date on any vaccines, bloodwork, or whatever is applicable in your area/ philosophy.

As A Breeder

I am pretty bougie when it comes to my goats. I would rather hold onto a kid or goat than see it go to someone who isn’t up to my standard. To be honest, my standard isn’t that high. There are just some foundational beliefs that I have. Beliefs that comes from a ton of research. That person could be a brand new goat owner or someone who’s been doing this for a hundred years. While I care about their experience level, what I actually care about is simple. Are my goats going to a home that I want them to live in? So what are the answers to those ten questions?

First, our goats started out as “long term lawn mowers” to quote Jared. The longer we had them, the more we fell in love. Now, we breed for dairy as well as land clearing.

Second, we do have a safe and secure area for our animals. We also have a barn that will be rebuilt over the summer/fall. Our barn protects our females from predators. Our bucks do not have a barn but do have predator lights and a clear line of sight. They are also huge and normally a coyote will not mess with them.

Third, it took us a second but we have pretty much everything they need. It’s not just having food and water for them. Though you can definitely get away with that for a while. You also need medications, syringes, and more. If you are going to get goats to have them “rot in a pasture”, I guess you don’t need those things. But you also won’t be getting one of my goats.

Fourth, when you have goats, you will have poop in your fridge. When they kid, you could have your arm elbow deep inside them, trying to reposition a kid. Giving an injection to a screaming goat is not for the faint of heart. Are you ready for all that?

Now, as a breeder I’m going to answer these questions. Because the answers are extremely important.

I know when every goat was brought or born on my homestead. I have a herd health sheet that tells me everything that has been done to those goats. If someone was to ask, I can tell them all about the parents genetics, polled/disbudded, last fecals, and more.

I’m also going to tell you that I think that if you want a breeder that will stand by their goats, you want registered goats. Usually, and yes this is a blanket statement, if someone takes the time, money and energy to register their herd, they are serious about their goats. I feel strongly that if I am going through a breeder that has a registered herd, I can all but guarantee the health of that goat. Especially if that breeder will also talk to me and answer any question I have.

When it comes to worming, vaccines, and bloodwork, I recommend doing your research first. I do not give dewormer as a preventative because it is causing resistance. I also do not deworm the entire herd unless there is a need. Goats have worms. They are supposed to, since it helps with their gut health. But by giving dewormer every month, you are creating more resistance. And they are not creating new or stronger wormers.

With bloodwork, I would strongly advise asking your vets or the goat owners in your area. Our vets are extremely knowledgeable goat owners. They said that there is not a need right now. We do not have issues with CL, CAE, or other diseases IN OUR AREA. If and or when that changes, we will start getting bloodwork done. We do vaccinate for tetanus but that’s about it.

Bonus Tip: No matter how well socialized your goat is at their farm. They will not be social at yours, at least at first. Our newest two girls and buck were extremely social while at their home farm. When they came to us, they wanted nothing to do with us. So be prepared to give them plenty of time to adjust and follow these tips on bonding with your goat.

Do What’s Right For You

At the end of the day, these are going to be your animals. You need to make sure that you are comfortable and happy with the care you are providing. These questions are just a checklist for brand new goat owners. But if you use common sense and don’t get suckered into buying a goat because they’re cute or in distress, you will be fine.

If you like this post feel free to share it on your social media and follow us on the social medial links below! And don’t forget to subscribe to stay up to date on all our posts!

Top 5 Misconceptions About Goats

June 10, 2022 by Leigh Leave a Comment

We all know that I love my goats. Probably more than most people. They are seriously the coolest creatures on our farm. But there are some very common misconceptions that I would love to clear up today. I’ve talked before about goats not being beginner livestock and I will say it again and again. Before you get into goats, lets learn somethings about them.

Here We Go

Goats Are Easy To Take Care Of– They are NOT the easiest thing to take care of. In fact, far from it! Out of all of my animals, the chickens are the easiest not the goats. We are constantly battling worms in the summer. Getting them through winter tends to be iffy if they had a ton of worms in the summer. Spring is kidding season. I think the only “safe” season is fall but we are still dealing with bucks in rut, worms, and feed.

We are currently battling coccidia with our kids and are trying like hell to get everyone healthy. But Unfortunately, summer in Georgia is a goat killer. Between the heat, worms, forage issues? It’s stressful. One of the ways that we combat the worms is by only worming when necessary. That includes coccidia. But summer is a scary time for us.

You Can Get One Goat– Goats are herd and prey animals. In order to feel safe and happy, they need other goats to hang out with. Without having a companion, they will get depressed, lonely, and will not thrive. Do yourself a favor and get two.

When we lost V and Bella was our only goat for two days, she literally Houdinied us every couple of hours. I don’t even remember how many times she took off. Finally, we had to tether her because she wouldn’t stay in the pin. As soon as we got Midas in with her? She never broke out again **knocks on all the wood**

Goats Can Eat Anything– No. Just no. I saw a post on Marketplace a couple days ago for last years hay. Good for mulching, raised beds, or goats…. Excuse me? I can promise you, if you feed that kind of hay to your goats, they will die. Period. Moldy, sprayed, old, dirty, hay will kill your goat. They really need horse quality hay because they can get sick so easily. Let’s not mention that they cannot eat a tin can.

When we got Oakley and Bailey, then Spike, Jade, and Sapphire, they got into mountain laurel. Thankfully, we were able to pull them through but it was touch and go for a minute. There are tons of toxic plants to them, and usually they are good about not eating it. But they are very curious creatures.

Goats Are Stupid– These creatures are more intelligent than dogs. They are also incredibly curious, which gets them into a ton of trouble. Champ knows how to get into pasture two, where she doesn’t belong. We have tried various ways to keep her out but none of them work. So she ends up in pasture two. A lot.

All of the goats know that if they scream loud enough, for long enough, they will get extra grain and alfalfa in the mornings. So no, they are not stupid.

No Fence Will Hold A Goat– This is borderline when it comes to goats. I have noticed that if they are kept fat and happy they will probably not try to escape. BUT if they want something on the other side of the fence? They are going to go get it. We manage to keep two bucks from the girls simply by making sure that the fence is secure and they have a buddy.

There are some goats that cannot be contained without resorting to tethering. While that is not ideal, especially if you have high predator loads. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. We had to tether Bella until she became more comfortable with us. We also had to tether Midas because he was so stressed out when we brought him home.

There are many, many more misconceptions about goats but those are the biggest ones that I feel need to be addressed. I know that I have a ton of different posts about goats and sound like a broken record, but these really are important.

If you like this post feel free to share it on your social media and follow us on the social medial links below! And don’t forget to subscribe to stay up to date on all our posts!

Why You Need The Herd Health Sheets

May 31, 2022 by Leigh Leave a Comment

I posted before about how goats are not beginner livestock. I’ve also posted about the basics you need to care for your goats. But how do you keep track of all of the things that you’ve done, need to do, or want to do? I have tried many different ways of trying to keep track of who has gotten what meds, who was breed by who, and who needs vaccines or boosters. But my herd health sheets have been fantastic over the last nine months and I wanted to share them with you.

Why Keeping Track Is Important

Unlike other livestock, goats can be pretty fragile creatures that require constant care and maintenance. If you don’t know who is who, or maybe forget that you dewormed your milk goat, you can have some pretty serious problems.

For example, if you are breeding your goats for milk, you need to know who bred them around what time. Then you need to know if they have had any issues with milking in the past, how often they have had to be dewormed, how many kids they throw, and if they have any contagious diseases.

Another reason to help keep track is breeding. We decided to keep Champ’s kid Stella. We CAN breed Stella back to her father but that’s not an awesome idea. Also, by knowing that Champ hates being milked, we know that we need to work with Stella a lot on the milking stand.

We also had an issue with Orf’s within the first few months of having Bella, Champ, Midas and Texas. So by keeping track of who had it, it helps keep us updated on who is likely to get it.

Obviously, if you only have two goats, you can probably remember these things clearer. But we have twelve and will definitely have more. Not to mention that we plan on breeding goats for a long time. It would be nice to be able to go back at a glance and see who has been healthy and who hasn’t. I am working towards breeding healthier genetics with less need for worming

Who Needs Herd Sheets

If you have livestock that you need to do treatments to or have on a breeding schedule, I would say that you need these herd sheets. Sure, if you only have one bull, buck, rooster, whatever, you probably don’t need the breeding part for them. But I’ve got two bucks and I do need to be careful about who gets bred to who. Midas can breed everyone but Stella. Spike can breed anyone this year. But I want to wait until the girls are at least eight months old.

While I can go down the rabbit hole of all the technicalities of this, I think it’s safe to say that it’s better to have all this information in one spot. If I’m having to flip pages or do mental gymnastics, someone could get left out and that is dangerous when dealing with creatures that are not so great at keeping themselves alive.

Sheets In Use

This is Champ’s sheet. Its important to note that before I created these sheets, I totally missed documenting fecals and other medications that were given. That can be life threatening when dealing with worms. Here in the south, worms are lethal. Sure, you can have a strong herd that rarely needs deworming. But we aren’t there yet. You can see at the bottom, that the last entry she was dewormed because the strongyles can back with a vengeance. Not to mention that her FAMACHA was a 4.

This sheet also helps keep me aware of weight loss, FAMACHA trends, and so on.

Where To Get These Sheets?

You can find them on our Etsy store as a digital download. They are an excel documented so they are super easy to fill out. The best thing to do is to make a copy of the first page, by right clicking and then click duplicate. Then rename the copy to your goat name. After that you can remove the information on there and replace it with your own.

I hope this sheet will help you as they have helped me. I strongly suggest either creating your own or picking up ours.

If you like this post feel free to share it on your social media and follow us on the social medial links below! And don’t forget to subscribe to stay up to date on all our posts!

What Is Predator Load

May 22, 2022 by Leigh 6 Comments

Up till recently, we have been very lucky when it comes to predators. In our immediate area, we have a couple coyote dens on the surrounding property and the typical skunks, opossum, fox and minx. We also have a couple of bears and bobcat, too. But what is a homestead predator, what is predator load and why is it important?

Let’s First Answer: What is a predator?

A predator is simply any creature that wishes, programmed and is able to do harm. That is a very broad definition right? But the reality is that anything could be a predator. The rabbit in your garden is a predator because it want’s to harm (eat) your plants. A chicken is a predator to plants and bugs, sometimes each other.

It’s natural to think that predators are only big animals with bigger teeth and claws. And while that is correct, you also have to broaden your definitions when you homestead or care for any kind of livestock. And, it’s not just other animals you have to be careful of. Humans are just as bad, if not worse predators.

What is Predator Load?

By definition, predator load is the amount of predators that come through your property or surrounding property. It could be high, moderate, or low and it can be seasonal as well. If you don’t know your predator load, I would start talking to your neighbors, local extension office, or Google. I would also do this prior to getting livestock.

Just by knowing our neighbors and having their phone numbers, we have successfully avoided several attacks. We alert our neighbors, or they alert us, and we get outside with our animals or put them up.

Why is knowing your predator load important?

Once you know what is going to actively try and kill your animals (besides your goats trying to kill themselves), you can start planning steps to fix problems before they arise. For example; I stated above that we have coyote, bear, bob cat, minx, skunk, and opossum as our homestead predators. This tells me that I need to make sure that I have secured my chicken coop at night. It also tells me that I need to put my goats up at night too. But my day time problems, shouldn’t be too bad.

Next, you need to start researching various predator deterrents. There are several non lethal methods but at the end of the day, you have to decide how you are going to protect the animals in your care. Whether that is trapping and releasing, SSS (Shoot, Shovel, Shut Up), or hoping that they decide to leave a free buffet alone. Otherwise, you’ll need to mark off a section of your property for your animal cemetery.

How We Handle Predator Load

One of the first things we did, when it started getting cooler, was to start working on our goat barn. We knew that the coyotes were going to start coming up into the yard to find food. I was not going to risk my goats lives because I didn’t want to build them a secure enclosure for night.

Another thing we did was order these. They are predator lights. We have them all over the property to help deter predators. It’s not foolproof but it does help. We’ve got them in the garden, the chicken coop, goat barn, etc.

We also have huge dogs that we have praised for alerting us since we got them. Bear is our smallest at 75# and Kodi is our biggest at a skinny 140#, we are working to put more weight on him. This helps because most predators are not going to come into the yard of dogs that are 2-3x the size of them. We also rotate dogs in and out of the house so there is always a dog outside, at least during the day.

Lastly, we practice SSS. I really struggle with this because I don’t want to harm another animal. Especially one that is doing what it is supposed to be doing. I struggle when we butcher meat chickens. But at the same time, when I bought animals, I took on the responsibility of keeping them safe. I take that very seriously. Not just in terms of predators but also educating myself on the best possible practices for their care.

I tell you all this because we have officially lost our first chicken to a fox. I was at work and Jared sent me a text saying that our favorite chicken was killed by a fox. When I was able to call him, I got the recap. Apparently, the fox was chasing our ducks and chickens around the house before he finally caught one. Jared was too far away from the rifle and by the time he got to it, the chicken was dead and the fox was enjoying his meal. We have since beefed up our protection measures and hopefully, won’t lose anymore chickens, ducks, or goats.

So before you get livestock, save yourself some heartache and do some research. Not just on the types of animals, breeds, and their care. Research the predator load in your area, how to handle it, and how you are going to deal with the predator that maims or kills your favorite chicken.

If you like this post feel free to share it on your social media and follow us on the social medial links below! And don’t forget to subscribe to stay up to date on all our posts!

Should I Get Goats

May 21, 2022 by Leigh Leave a Comment

Yes, yes you should. But be aware, goats are not beginner livestock. They actively try to kill themselves and will test your fences and patience. But they are by far my favorite livestock. Their antics, sweetness and desire to be around you, make them great pets. So I think you should get goats.

Before you go out and get a goat, I think there are some very important things you need to consider. Do you have the space? Are you going to milk? What is your predator load? Are you willing to put in the time to educate yourself?

Things To Consider

Let’s start with space. It is recommended that you have approximately 30 to 60 SQ Ft of space per goat of pasture. I disagree on both of those points. One, goats don’t need pasture, they need browse. That is, they need to have access to weeds, grass, trees, etc. Putting goats on grass only will end up giving you problems with worms, too rich of grass, and similar issues.

The second problem is that square footage. I’m here to tell you that even 60 sq ft per goat will not last you long, let alone for a year. We had four goats in 100ft x100ft area. The briars, trees, and other weeds were over 6ft high. This should have lasted them a long time. It lasted about a month. The 2nd pasture we put them in was a tiny bit smaller but crammed full of ruffage for them. They cleared it in a little over two months.

So if you only have 60 sq ft, you can absolutely still have goats, but you need to be prepared to supplement with hay, grain and pellets.

Milking Goats

Let me tell you, milking goats is not for the faint of heart. You don’t get to just buy a goat and milk her. I mean, yes, you could. I would not advise it though. You have to make sure she has plenty of space and feed, gets pregnant, delivers and is healthy. Then you have to make sure that she nurses her babies for about two weeks before you start “goat sharing”.

Then you have to be careful of a kicking goat that is going to knock over your milk bucket, jump off the milk stand, or produce so little milk, that it is not worth the effort. Some goats will not let you milk them, no matter how much grain, treats, and scratches you give them. Here’s looking at you, Champ.

If you are looking to sell raw goat milk, you need to check your state regulations. In Georgia, you cannot sell raw, unpasteurized goat milk for human consumption. So make sure you know what you are allowed to do in terms of selling that milk. As of right now, we are not looking to sell goat milk. That may change in the future.

Predator Load

What is your predator load? It’s not just about coyote, bears, etc. What about people? Are you in an area were your goats are safe from people who want to steal them or hurt them? We are lucky in that regard. While we don’t necessarily have a people problem, but we have a decent predator load.

What do we have? Coyotes, bears, fox, and minx. Since we have mini Nubians, the fox and minx shouldn’t give us many problems. But they could be drawn to the property because of the chicken and ducks. Then they could find the goat kids. So they are something we prepare for.

Some of the ways we have handled the predator load is with my .22 rifle and these. The idea of these boxes is to make it look like a bigger predator is standing there. So far *knock on wood* it has been working. It also is a great thing in the garden as well.

Education

I will say it again and again. Goats try to kill themselves every day. They are incredibly smart but curiosity will kill the goat. They cannot eat everything. No, they cannot eat a tin can. You know how babies put everything in their mouth? Goats are the same. They are exploring their environment with their mouth so yea, they will try to eat anything.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to study up on different blogs and figure out what your goats can eat, not eat. You need to make sure that you know what to do if they get ahold of something they shouldn’t. What happens when they get their horns stuck in a fence? They break a horn, a leg?

Should You Get Goats

Yes. You really should. Because they are amazing creatures that have filled my life with joy. When I’m having a bad day, I go out and sit with my goats. When I am frustrated, upset, or just feeling meh, I go and play with my babies. They are seriously the best.

Yes, they are hard work. Yes, they want to escape. But I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

Should You Disbud Your Goat

May 10, 2022 by Leigh Leave a Comment

To be honest, I can’t answer that. This is very much a question that you need to ask yourself and really understand the pros and cons. You have to understand what it means, what it entails and what that looks like for your farm. There are also financial implications depending on what your goals are for your farm and goats. So before you jump to your answer let’s ask some questions. After that, do your own research on disbudding, techniques, etc and make your own decision.

What Is Disbudding

Disbudding is simply removing the horn buds of a goat kid. There are several ways to do this but the two main ones are a disbudding iron and disbudding paste.

The iron works pretty similarly to a branding iron and cauterizes around the horn buds. This stops growth and seals off the area to help prevent infection. By doing this it kills the horn producing cells and prevents new horn growth. The procedure will generally look like this: shave the area around the buds, place the kid in a disbudding box, while holding their head/ears apply the iron and rock back and forth for 5 seconds. Scrape the cap away and apply blue-kote to the area. Bucks will generally require another application called a figure 8.

Disbudding paste is a caustic substance that slowly burns away at the horn and down to the skull. It will then destroy the horn creating cells. This can take 6 or more hours depending on the goat, horns, and more.

The general procedure looks something like clean the area and dry. Using gloves, apply paste to horns and place duct tape over the area. Monitor kid and be careful of letting him around other animals/ livestock. They could get this paste on them which could burn the other animal.

After 6 hours, check the site. If the tape comes off easily, wipe off left over paste and allow to dry completely before going back to mom. The biggest draw back is how the paste works. If you get this extremely caustic substance on you, you will have a chemical burn. Period. If this stuff gets on momma it will burn her.

With either process you can have scurs which is when not all the cells were killed and the goat grows a horn anyways. Most of the time it’s just a tiny piece of horn. Sometimes it continues to grow and can cause issues.

Pros of Disbudding

Less chances of injury to self, humans, or other goats. I recently got a goat horn to the mouth while attempting to get Bella onto the milking stand. I thought she knocked out a tooth. Instead, I walked away with a good size bruise on my top lip. Bella’s horns are also the reason why we only got one doeling from Champ instead of three.

Bella rammed, flipped, and rolled Champ while she was pregnant. Champ ended up going into labor the next day and the first and third babies where not in the proper position. After talking with another breeder and the vet, they also believe that is why the kids were stillborn.

I’ve also heard stories of breaking horns off with fighting, mating, and just general goat antics. When the horn gets broken off, a lot of times it will open into the sinus cavity. This invites all sorts of bacteria into the cavity which is really, really close to the brain.

Less chance of them getting their horns hung into fencing, trees, and other impossible things that goats shouldn’t get into but do anyways. Listen, goats try to off themselves daily. If you think I’m joking, ask any goat owner the amount of times they’ve had to rescue their goat from something stupid. When you add horns into the mix, it is just easier for them to die. Bella has gotten her horns hung up in the hay bag/net thing we have so many times, she has finally figured out how to get herself out. It took her two days to figure out how to get her head in and out of the fencing. But if a coyote was around when she actually got stuck in fencing, she would have been a sitting duck… well goat.

The biggest pro disbudding argument is this: Bella is our only horned goat. She has bullied and hurt almost every goat that we have. Which is why she is going to a new home in a few days. Horned goats know how to use their horns.

Cons of Disbudding

Bella is the easiest goat to catch because she has a collar AND handles. But like a bicycle, those handles will hurt when jammed into your face.

Goat horns are awesome looking. As a matter of fact, I have a goat skull on my wish list and it wouldn’t look nearly as cool without the horns.

Another big con is that the horns protect from predators. Well that and the has to have enough attitude to use those horns against a predator.

We Disbud Our Goats

We have made the decision to disbud our goats for safety reasons. I’m not going to lie, I was on the fence until I had to pull two beautiful stillborn babies out of my favorite goat. When we saw what Bella did to Champ on the cameras, it was game over. Had Bella not been pregnant she would have been sent to freezer camp.

I was still trying to wrap my head around this when I took Stella and BeeBee get disbudded. I don’t want to hurt my goats. And I want them to be able to protect themselves. But I remember all the times that Bella has hurt us, the goats, or herself and it made the decision an easy one.

At the end of the day, you have to make the right decision for you and your herd. There is no right or wrong answer here. I do think that disbudding paste is more dangerous than a disbudding iron but again the choice is yours. All I ask is that you make the decision based on facts. There are a ton of pros and cons to both sides and you have to live with those choices. The 104 Homestead has this to say when it comes to disbudding.

We will always disbud any goat kid on our farm. We will only buy goats that are disbudded. But that is our choice based on our experience.

If you like this post feel free to share it on your social media and follow us on the social medial links below! And don’t forget to subscribe to stay up to date on all our posts!

What Do You Need To Care For Your Goat

April 25, 2022 by Leigh 6 Comments

So you’re thinking about getting a goat. You’re doing your research and probably thinking, “Whoa, there’s a lot to learn.” You would be right. But don’t let that stop you. Just by having some basic supplies on hand and a willingness to learn, puts you ahead of the game.

When we first started looking into goats, I was extremely hesitant. I knew from research that they were a ton of work and hard to keep alive, but I didn’t realize how much more there was to learn. This post is about the basic necessities on how to care for your new goats.

This is by no means a comprehensive list or replacement for veterinarian advise or treatment.

Supplies Needed to Care For Your Goat

A thermometer is number one for a reason. Goats must stay around 101-103. This tells you a lot about what you could be dealing with. Too cold and you need to start actively rewarming them. Too warm and you may have an infection.

Vitamin B Complex is another necessity. When your goat isn’t acting 100%, sometimes it’s simple vitamin deficiency. Other times, their entire system is out of whack and you need to start working to get them back on track.

LA200, Tylan 200 or similar antibiotic. Sometimes your goat will have a cough, gunky eyes or nose, or other infection. Having antibiotics on hand helps save you from a vet visit.

syringes– Having a variety of different syringes is huge. I’ve got goats that range from 5# to 100# so having everything from 3cc-60cc syringes is extremely helpful. Also make sure that whatever size you get they are Luer Lock! Seriously, you do not want to be sprayed in the face with an antibiotic because the pressure shot off the needle. Yes, it’s happened.

Free choice baking soda is a mineral that goats will eat to help soothe their stomach. Goats can bloat or become acidotic and baking soda can help them help themselves.

Free choice minerals is very important in making sure that they have ample minerals that your area may be deficient in. We use these as the goats love them.

All the buckets. When you think you have enough, grab a couple more. We use a 5gal buckets for water and 3gal buckets for feeding. I attach the feed buckets to the fence with strong clips so they have plenty of space for everyone to have something. I also hang a couple of these on the fences to give even more options. It really helps to keep everyone from crowding on each other.

As long as you have plenty of ruffage, you shouldn’t need a lot of feed for them. Bucks, male goats, don’t get grain or at least not a lot. We fed our goats off the land for the first year to help get everything clear. Now we are bringing in pellets and grains to help supplement the hay until our pastures take hold. But really we could put them back in the briars and they would be very happy.

I would also recommend getting into a couple of different goat groups on Facebook. Most vets do not see livestock and if they do see livestock, they are probably not well versed in goats. That being said, these different groups on Facebook are people with years and years of experience. I have trusted them with my babies on multiple occasions and they have helped me pull my goats through when a vet was clueless.

Lastly, enjoy your goats. Seriously, they are some of the coolest critters and I am so glad that Jared talked me into getting them. When I am stressed to the max with work, the kids, or anything, I go out and sit with my babies. They make all of it go away. How can Midas’ antics not put a smile on your face?

If you like this post feel free to share it on your social media and follow us on the social medial links below! And don’t forget to subscribe to stay up to date on all our posts!

Goats

They say you shouldn’t cry over spilled milk

How to make Goat Milk Coffee Creamer

Flavorings

Goat Milk Coffee Creamer

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Share this:

5 Tips to Keep Your Animals Cool In Summer

But what if they get too hot?

Share this:

Let’s Start Before Labor

It’s Go Time

Don’t Panic

Be On Standby

Stuck Kid

The Kid Is Out, What Now?

Nursing

Closing

Share this:

Ask Yourself

Now What Do You Ask A Breeder?

As A Breeder

Do What’s Right For You

Share this:

Here We Go

Share this:

Why Keeping Track Is Important

Who Needs Herd Sheets

Sheets In Use

Where To Get These Sheets?

Share this:

Let’s First Answer: What is a predator?

What is Predator Load?

Why is knowing your predator load important?

How We Handle Predator Load

Share this:

Things To Consider

Milking Goats

Predator Load

Education

Should You Get Goats

Share this:

What Is Disbudding

Pros of Disbudding

Cons of Disbudding

We Disbud Our Goats

Share this:

Supplies Needed to Care For Your Goat

Share this: