Steel Raven Farms

Where muck boots meet ground.

Goats

Meet The New Goats

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I’m here to tell you, goats are addicting. What started as “long term lawn mowers” has turned into so much more. Goats are seriously the most entertaining critter on our homestead. They jump, play, and get into trouble. While they are not beginner livestock, they are totally worth it. On Sunday we brought 3 more new goats to the homestead.

goat kidding

Before we get too far into this, I have a great course on the basics of goat care. I call it Goat Crash Course: Goat 101. In this course, I explain things like types of shelter, types of feeds and hays, basic assessments and so much more! Check it out!

Buy Now

Bringing New Goats To The Homestead

Bringing new goats the homestead can be a stressful event. It’s not just getting them and bringing them home that can be an undertaking. In fact, getting them loaded up and to the homestead is sometimes the easiest part. Bonding with them, quarantine, and learning them is up there with the hardest parts.

The New Goats

We are slowly but surely working our way into the dairy goat business. In the mean time, we are building our herd with genetics that will make us successful. Crooked Oak Farm of SC hooked us up with two gorgeous doelings and a BIG buck.

Of course within 24 hours of them being on the homestead, they ended up ingesting mountain laurel and we had to bring them into the living room to nurse them through it. I swear, if it’s not one thing it’s another with these animals. But we got them through it and they are in their respective pens.

Spike is our new buck. We decided that we wanted to have the ability to retain doelings that caught our fancy. The problem is that I can’t breed the doe back to her father. I mean I could, but the chances of there being problems is high and I don’t want that.

Jade and Sapphire are our 8 week old, blue eyed doelings. They are adorable and full of piss and vinegar which I love. The first night we had them, they screamed the entire night because they wanted their momma back. The second night they were in my living room fighting off toxemia. The third night they were back to screaming their heads off. My poor neighbors must hate us.

The best part of the last four days is that Champ had her baby! So I ran a pool for how many she would have. I got guesses all over as well as different dates. Since she decided it kid a full week after her due date, the dates didn’t matter. But I guessed that she would have three babies and she did! Unfortunately, only one of them lived. We are not 100% the cause but we have our suspicions. But Stella was born and started screaming at me within about 10 seconds.

Champ is seriously the best momma. I was concerned at first because Champ didn’t seem to want anything to do with Stella, but over the last several days she has really become an awesome momma. Stella has blue eyes like her momma and I am absolutely thrilled to have her.

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We are still on baby watch for Bella but she isn’t showing any signs of having those babies so I guess we’ll see what she does over the next week or so. We also think that Bailey and Oakley may be pregnant which would be awesome since they are just now big enough that I’m not super worried about the kidding.

So that brings our count to nine goats…. I think.

Update: Bella had her baby

Bella gave us a cute little buckling that we named BeBe (Bella’s Baby). He was retained for meat. Over the last couple years since the original post, she has given us a total of 4 gorgeous babies that all look exactly like her… Except Maverick, he doesn’t look much like her but he’s equally adorable.

Stella is doing amazing and has grown into a really beautiful goat and good mama too. She gave us two doelings that were absolutely adorable! Unfortunately, the were born in June and didn’t make it through our summer and parasite loads, despite throwing everything we had at them.

Bringing New Goats To The Homestead

This year, 2024, we had plans to bring new meat goats to the homestead. But we decided to switch gears and work on our pastures instead. That means that we are potentially holding off on new goats until our pastures are better equipped to handle them.

My hope is that by the end of 2024, we will have a flourishing herd of hardy, milk and meat goats.

If you like the content I put out, feel free to buy us a coffee! It helps keep this site running, marketing and the goats in grain!

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How To Set Homestead Goals

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We all know the saying “A goal is a dream with a deadline.” — Napoleon Hill. We also know that when you break that goal down into steps it becomes a plan. Then when you take action, you can make those dreams come true. You can think it’s a load of goat shit but it really is true. We had a dream of owning a homestead, we added a deadline, made a plan, and when we followed through. Our dream became reality. If your goal is similar to ours, or if you already have a homestead and you are trying to figure out your next steps, this is how to set homestead goals.

The Ultimate Homesteader’s Starter Bundle – Only $47!

Get the tools you need to stay organized, track profits, and manage your homestead with ease!

Includes:
✅ Schedule F Tracker – Simplify tax prep
✅ Profit Calculator – Track earnings
✅ Hay Calculator – Plan livestock feed
✅ Garden Journal – Digital & printable
✅ Herd Health Tracker – Monitor animal care
✅ Simple Budget – Manage finances
✅ Backyard Homestead eBook – Essential tips

$99 value – now just $47! Start your homesteading journey today!

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First Step For How To Set Homestead Goals

The first thing you need to do is dream. If you’re anything like me, that’s absolutely not a problem. I am a daydreamer at heart. But thankfully, I’m also a planner so getting down to the nitty gritty is also easy. But if you struggle with dream, I’ve got an exercise for you.

Daydreaming Exercise

Go out into nature. It can be a park, your yard, whatever. Take your shoes off and put your feet on the ground. This is called grounding. Take a couple of big, deep breaths. Close your eyes (as long as it’s safe!) and allow your mind to wander. Don’t think of all the responsibilities you have, allow yourself to dream.

Flush out that dream in your meditative state. Do you see animals? A huge garden? A greenhouse? What is the finished product of your goal?

Write it down

Our dream is to make the homestead as self sustaining and self funding as possible. We want to be able to pay off our mortgage in 15 years. We want our animals to not only provide food for us, but also an income. Lastly, we want the land to produce enough food and firewood that we decrease our dependency on outside sources by 75% in 5 years.

That’s a large order, right? But it’s really not when you add a deadline like 15 years for the mortgage or 5 years for independence. It is overwhelming when you stop and consider how much work, money, and time it’s going to take. But again, bite size steps or actions can really make a difference.

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Setting Your Homestead Goals

These are the big goals inside our dream

  • Pay off mortgage in 15 years
  • Self sustaining and self funding
  • Animals provide food and income
  • Land produces enough food, and water and firewood to decrease dependency by 75% in 5 years.

Be sure to list out those big goals from your daydreaming. These high point/ big goals are your starting point.

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By having clear and measurable goals you can then start brainstorming on what you can do to hit those goals. But the goals listed above are long term goals. And while maintaining a big picture is always a good thing, small steps are what we are after.

My list of 2022 homestead goals are:

  • Garden/ orchard
  • Goat breeding program/ goat dairy
  • Poultry
  • Remodel master bedroom/bathroom/ hall
  • Water Collection system

These small goals will help us reduce dependency, and start making a dent in our budget to allow us to put more money towards the mortgage or back into the farm.

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Brainstorming or Brain Dumping

I like to list out all the possible things we can do to hit these goals. No matter how big or small, ridiculous, or crazy, I want to know what I can do to make sure we can get achieve our dreams. Get creative here.

  • Pick up extra shifts at work
  • Sell ducklings
  • Sell goat butter
  • Buy/plant fruit trees
  • Pay extra on mortgage
  • Stud out buck
  • Sell Goat Pages
  • Sell cut flowers
  • Sell eggs
  • Sell goat kids
  • Buy/ plant nut trees
  • Sell goat milk
  • Set up roach colony for dragons
  • Farmers Market
  • Stop spending so much money at Lowes
  • Sell chicks
  • Sell goat cheese
  • Plant extra in the gardens
  • Bigger salad bar for dragons
  • Sell the actual kids
  • Sell bearded dragons
  • Goat Ultrasound
goat kidding

Before we get too far into this, I have a great course on the basics of goat care. I call it Goat Crash Course: Goat 101. In this course, I explain things like types of shelter, types of feeds and hays, basic assessments and so much more! Check it out!

Buy Now

Setting The Goals With A Deadline

Setting a deadline puts your brain in motion. Your brain is going to start thinking of ways to hit those goals. And each time you mark off one of those goals, your brain releases a small hit of dopamine and serotonin which are the happy chemicals that will keep you going when you are struggling through that extra shift.

Some examples of goals with a deadline is:

  • I will install our kitchen garden by March of 2023.
  • The greenhouse will be finished by January 2024.
  • We will get and be proficient with an ultrasound machine by 2025.

Keeping goals simple will make them easier to achieve. If you have never run a marathon, it may not be the most attainable to say you are going to run a marathon in three months. Could you do it? Sure, but the chances are that you are not going to be successful without a lot of hard work.

Just because this says for a homestead, doesn’t mean it’s only for a homestead. This same theory can be used for absolutely anything.

Understanding Homestead Flexibility

There is a fine line between homestead flexibility and abandoning your goals because they are too hard or you lose interest.

At the end of the day, you have to remember that all of your goals may be amazing, achievable, S.M.A.R.T, etc. But if you don’t have the flexibility to understand that life is going to pop up and change things? Your homestead could come to a grinding halt. So make sure you are allowing for plenty of time to achieve your goals. I wrote an entire post about homestead flexibility that you can find here.

The flip side is that you have to make sure that you are staying the course. You don’t want to get distracted and end up spending more time and money on projects that aren’t worth your time and money. So make sure that while you’re dreaming, you are also keeping in mind what your definition of success is.

If you like the content I put out, feel free to buy us a coffee! It helps keep this site running, marketing and the goats in grain!

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Can Goats Eat….Yellow Squash?

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Yes, along with many other things. But they can’t eat everything. There is a huge myth out there that goats can eat anything and they can’t. In fact goats are incredibly picky eaters and they can/will eat a lot of different types of food. They have a type of sixth sense that tells them not to eat certain foods. However, if it’s in the pasture and they are hungry, they will eat it. Can goats eat yellow squash? Yup, and they love it.

can goats eat yellow squash

Before we get too far into this, I have a great course on the basics of goat care. I call it Goat Crash Course: Goat 101. In this course, I explain things like types of shelter, types of feeds and hays, basic assessments and so much more! Check it out!

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Before We Get Into What Goats Can Eat

This is not a complete list of every single thing they can eat. Nor should it take the place of your vets advise. When it doubt, contact your vet. Also, when introducing a new food to your goat, keep an eye on them for allergic reactions, choking, etc. Midas absolutely loves cantaloupe rinds but I didn’t chop them small enough, he almost choked in his gusto to eat them before everyone else could.

So when it comes to the question; can a goat eat…. the answer is maybe.

What Grasses Can Goats Eat

Alfalfa

Clover

Timothy

Bahiagrass

Fescue

Bermuda

Bromegrass

Millet

Ryegrass

Orchard

Goats will eat grass, but when given an option between grass and weeds, they will go to the weed. That is because they are browsers and not so much grazers. Our pastures are mostly grasses with a ton of briars, poke berries, and other weeds that they love.

I’ve been hearing more and more that goats are “growse-rs”. Basically what that means is that they will browse on weeds and woody stemmed plants but also graze grasses and other low laying plants. And it’s true, they are “growse-rs but I don’t think it’s because they are supposed to be. I think because they have been in human care for so long they have adapted to grasses and hays.

Our herd health bundle helps you keep track of your herd’s health. Includes the goat assessment, herd check sheets AND Herd Health Tracker!

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Which Fruits Are Safe

Apples

Banana and peels

Cantaloupe and rinds

Honey Dew and rinds

Plum- no pits

Grapefruit and peel

Kiwi

Mango

Oranges

Peaches- No Pits

Pineapple and rinds

Blueberries

Raspberries

Watermelon and rinds

Grapes

Apricots

Fruit should be fed in small quantities as well as in small pieces. Don’t let your goats gorge on it. That being said, goats can eat apples, cantaloupe, and really any fruit. But make sure you cut it small enough and remove any pits or seeds.

To expand a little further on whether a goat can eat fruit, I would say that for the most part goats can eat just about any of them. My concern is more the pits and seeds. If the pit or seed is too big, they probably shouldn’t eat it.

Veggies They Can Eat

Turnip- They like the greens vs the actual turnip

Green Beans

Zucchini

Carrots

Pumpkin

Summer Squash

Corn

Squash

Garlic- small amounts. Can also help with worms

My goats get about 20% of the garden waste when the garden is in full production. Usually they end up with the scraps from squash, cucumbers, etc. But at the end of the season, we will usually let the goats into the gardens for a couple of days for them to nom nom anything that is left over. They save us a ton of labor tearing out plants and money because we don’t have to feed them.

I will say that the only thing we have noticed when it comes to potato leaves is they will get loose stool occasionally. It could be from the potato leaves or because the sky was a weird shade of blue. Goats can be very finicky health wise so it’s always good to err on the side of caution. So we don’t intentionally feed them potato leaves anymore.

But that doesn’t mean that they don’t get into them.

goat kidding

Before we get too far into this, I have a great course on the basics of goat care. I call it Goat Crash Course: Goat 101. In this course, I explain things like types of shelter, types of feeds and hays, basic assessments and so much more! Check it out!

Buy Now

Horse Quality Hay

Alfalfa

Timothy

Orchard

Bermuda

Tall Fescue

When purchasing hay for goats, they can eat the same as the grasses above. But we really want to make sure that it’s good quality hay. Some people do not get quality hay for their goats and instead get cheap hay. Don’t do this.

Goats can get really sick from moldy hay. When you see “last year’s hay, good for mulch, bedding or goats” run for the hills. You will have more headache from that hay then it is worth.

Also, understand that when it comes to hay, your goat may absolutely love Brome but hate Orchard. Our girls loved Timothy but refused Brome. Or my personal favorite, they will eat Orchard grass but refuse Orchard hay… Go figure.

The Ultimate Homesteader’s Starter Bundle – Only $47!

Get the tools you need to stay organized, track profits, and manage your homestead with ease!

Includes:
✅ Schedule F Tracker – Simplify tax prep
✅ Profit Calculator – Track earnings
✅ Hay Calculator – Plan livestock feed
✅ Garden Journal – Digital & printable
✅ Herd Health Tracker – Monitor animal care
✅ Simple Budget – Manage finances
✅ Backyard Homestead eBook – Essential tips

$99 value – now just $47! Start your homesteading journey today!

Buy Now

Can Goats Have Grain

Grain is great for pregnant or lactating goats. I’ve written up an entire post about grain and it’s place in your goats diet.

Another thing is that grain should only make up maybe 5-10% of their diet. In fact, goats don’t need grain at all. The only time we feed them grain is when they are pregnant, lactating, or we need to hold them still for hoof trims and to give medications.

can goats eat yellow squash

We exclusively feed Tucker Mill Dairy Goat. It’s in the pink bag and we have seen an incredible turn around in the condition of our thinner goats. We also will give grain to our boys when in full rut. The reason is because some boys will stop eating when they go into rut. And our bucks definitely will. We want to make sure that they have access to as much food as possible.

Weeds To Plant Or Protect

Briars- I am the crazy lady that went and replanted all the briars from the property and replanted them in the goat pastures.

Poke Berries

Multiflora Rose

Ragweed

Crabgrass

Chicory

Kudzu

Sericea Lespedeza- If you can get your hands on this seed do it! Seriously, this has been studied extensively had has been proven to be a natural dewormer.

Goats are technically browsers and they will eat themselves out of a job if you let them. Now, I am not saying that you need to plant weeds in your pasture. But I am saying that if you end up falling in love with your goat ***raises hand****, you will end up planting weeds in your pasture.

Our herd health bundle helps you keep track of your herd’s health. Includes the goat assessment, herd check sheets AND Herd Health Tracker!

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Supplements

Loose minerals

BOSS- Black Oil Sunflower Seeds

Nutridrench

Baking Soda

Goat Probiotics

Salt

Electrolytes

Copper Bolus– We take them out of the capsules to prevent choke

Can Goats Eat… Yellow Squash?

At the end of the day, you have to figure out what is best for your goats. We feed our goats scraps from the garden based off this list. When the green beans come in and we start processing, they get a pile of ends and dropped pieces. Same with our chickens.

I would say that a goat can eat a ton of different foods, but there are a lot of foods that can make them very sick. The best thing you can do is make sure that you give small amounts and see.

If you are concerned about what your goats are eating or what they can have, contact your small rumen vet and see what they say.

If you like the content I put out, feel free to buy us a coffee! It helps keep this site running, marketing and the goats in grain!

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Our Goats Are Pregnant

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Well, Midas isn’t because he’s a buck. Oakley and Bailey are possibly pregnant but Champ and Bella sure are! I guess I could reword the title to say Champ and Bella are pregnant. Meh. Either way, I am ridiculously excited for some goat kids on the homestead!

goat kidding

Before we get too far into this, I have a great course on the basics of goat care. I call it Goat Crash Course: Goat 101. In this course, I explain things like types of shelter, types of feeds and hays, basic assessments and so much more! Check it out!

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Let’s Go Back

In October, I watched Midas do his business with his girls. At the time we only had Champ and Bella. About a month later we had the vet come out to do a herd check and see if the girls were pregnant. The vet did an ultrasound both girls and didn’t find anything. She said that Midas was too young to get the job done. Well, someone forgot to tell Midas that.

Over the next several months we noticed that both girls were getting heavier and were excited because they were pretty thin going into winter despite how much we fed them and negative fecals.

They’re Not Fat… They’re Pregnant!

One day I went out to hang out with my goats and bam! Champ’s udders had gotten huge and her vulva was pretty swollen. If you don’t know anything about goats, these are pretty solid indicators that they are pregnant and close to delivery. I posted a picture on one of the pages I’m apart of on Facebook, and every single person came back and said, she’s pregnant. They also said we probably only had a few weeks before delivery.

Instant panic! I had no idea they were even pregnant and now we are weeks from birthing. So we have been prepping for the birthing and Jared has been building kidding pens. Constantly checking ligaments and making sure they get enough grain. Midas was not impressed that he is not allowed to have all the grain.

Our herd health bundle helps you keep track of your herd’s health. Includes the goat assessment, herd check sheets AND Herd Health Tracker!

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With all the panic, the wonderful lady I am buying our two new doelings from has been amazing and answering all the questions I have. She has talked me off the ledge a couple of times without her even realizing she did. She’s also been very helpful when Oakley (brown and white goat) got really sick.

Today, March 20th, starts our baby watch for Champ and Bella. We are hoping for a safe delivery for both girls. As for the kids? We don’t care if they are boys or girls, as long as they are healthy and thrive.

Oakley and Bailey are possibly pregnant but it’s hard to tell because it’s so soon for them. We may have the vet do an ultrasound on them when they come out to disbud the new babies, but we shall see.

We will follow with an update when they are born and everyone pulls through *fingers crossed*

The Long Awaited Update

So this post was written on 3/20/21…. As of this update, the original post is 3 years old. Man, time flies! A lot has changed with our goat herd and both life and death has occurred on the farm.

I am pleased to say that all four girls, Bella, Champ, Oakley and Baily were pregnant. Bella gave us a healthy buckling named Be Be (or Bella’s Baby). Champ gave us three doelings but only Stella was born alive. Oakley and Bailey both gave us beautiful bucklings.

Unfortunately, we lost Oakley and Bailey’s bucklings due to worms that fall. BeBe was sent to freezer camp this past January. And Champ died this past winter at the ripe “old” age of 9 years old. While we know that death is a part of life, especially on the homestead, it still hurts.

However, Bella has given us 3 more babies over the years, as have Oakley and Bailey. Our herd has grown from 5 to 14, healthy, happy bouncing goats. We have learned a ton about goats, raising babies, and cooking goat meat.

goat kidding

Before we get too far into this, I have a great course on the basics of goat care. I call it Goat Crash Course: Goat 101. In this course, I explain things like types of shelter, types of feeds and hays, basic assessments and so much more! Check it out!

Buy Now

Maintaining Flexiblity

I mentioned homestead flexibility in this post, and it is a skill that is absolutely necessary when you are learning how to grow food, raise animals and be good stewards. Our original plan for the goat herd was to sell registered goats. But as time has gone on, we shifted our focus from breeding registered goat stock, to breeding for hardiness and milk.

We have learned when to breed and when to hold back. We’ve learned more tried and true methods to tracking pregnancy and how to raise bottle babies.

I think the most important shift that we have come to accept is that we just can’t keep all the goats. That sometimes, they will need to go to freezer camp (slaughter) and that’s okay. And yes, it’s hard. I’ve got three kids that we are raising for that purpose right now. We can’t keep all of them because our livestock are not pets.

If you like the content I put out, feel free to buy us a coffee! It helps keep this site running, marketing and the goats in grain!

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Homesteading With A Job

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Wouldn’t it be nice to not have to go to work anymore? No matter how much you love your job, the idea of staying on your homestead is very appealing. I would love to be in a situation where I no longer have to work outside of my homestead. But homesteading doesn’t save you money, at least initially. So if you are like most of us, you are interested in homesteading with a job and you’ve come to the right place.

The Ultimate Homesteader’s Starter Bundle – Only $47!

Get the tools you need to stay organized, track profits, and manage your homestead with ease!

Includes:
✅ Schedule F Tracker – Simplify tax prep
✅ Profit Calculator – Track earnings
✅ Hay Calculator – Plan livestock feed
✅ Garden Journal – Digital & printable
✅ Herd Health Tracker – Monitor animal care
✅ Simple Budget – Manage finances
✅ Backyard Homestead eBook – Essential tips

$99 value – now just $47! Start your homesteading journey today!

Buy Now

Social Media Would Have You Believe

If you are browsing YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, or other blogs, you will see a ton of stories about how they only work their homestead. Their home is insta-worthy and never once will they show last nights dishes in the sink.

Jealous? Maybe a little.

But a lot of people have been shown through various social media platforms that the only way to homestead is by not having a job. For a long time, I thought that too. But I figured with our schedule, we could make something work. And we have.

So how do I homestead with a job?

First and foremost, we have divided the chores between the four of us. Jaxson takes care of the chickens. Chase has the goats. I handle most of the garden, canning and project research. Jared handles butchering, building and many other tasks.

When it comes to the house split those chores as well. That sounds very homestead-y, right? But what about working? How is it with a job?

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Well, between Jared and I, we work a ton. I work about 48 hours a week at one job, another 8-12 hours at another, and then spend another 20 hours a week on the blog. Not to mention that we homeschool the boys. Jared will usually pick up one or two extra shifts a week and he also works on the homestead.

We are always busy with something and come 8PM, we are exhausted. With our schedule though, that actually only looks like 3-5 days of work off the homestead. Both of us average about 65 hours of non homestead related jobs.

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We are lucky enough that we have jobs that allow us to fit homesteading and homeschooling around our work life. But sometimes it just doesn’t seem like there are enough hours in the day. Especially for Jared since he is the master of projects around the property.

But Leigh, I work 9-5 Monday through Friday

Start small. If you start off thinking that you need to do everything all at once, you are not going to succeed. But if you start small and slowly build up, you will find that it’s not too bad. I did a blog post about saving your sanity with chores, and this is really no different.

The best thing you can do is start with a couple chickens, then add more. Or start with a small garden, then add to it. You do not have to start everything the day you move in.

I would set up your homestead goals and make sure you prioritize them. It takes a lot of time to get where you want to be, so don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get everything done in one year or five years.

When we started homesteading, we started small-ish. We started with chickens but then jumped to goats and all bets were off. The last six months “catching up” with the goats. We were also still trying to fix up the house, property, and all the other things starting a from scratch homestead entails.

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Our schedule isn’t five days a week, but it is extremely long hours. But if you are working five days a week, it may be difficult to start at all. You probably only have the weekends off or two random days a week. So how can you do it?

Figure out what you CAN do then Level Up

Figure out what you can do during the week. Can you work the garden in the evenings when it’s cool? Do you have an instapot or crockpot for dinners? What about milking the goats in the morning before you go to work? Can you do anything early, the night before, or when you get back from work?

On the days that I am working at the college, I throw one of my favorite slow cooker recipes in before I leave for work. PS This one is great for winter! If I get home a little early, I will throw one of these awesome recipes in my Instapot. I could, and sometimes will grab a pizza on the way home but I really prefer to not spend extra cash that I don’t have on things I can make at home.

The Ultimate Homesteader’s Starter Bundle – Only $47!

Get the tools you need to stay organized, track profits, and manage your homestead with ease!

Includes:
✅ Schedule F Tracker – Simplify tax prep
✅ Profit Calculator – Track earnings
✅ Hay Calculator – Plan livestock feed
✅ Garden Journal – Digital & printable
✅ Herd Health Tracker – Monitor animal care
✅ Simple Budget – Manage finances
✅ Backyard Homestead eBook – Essential tips

$99 value – now just $47! Start your homesteading journey today!

Buy Now

My friend over at the 104 Homestead has some great recipes for slow cookers and Instapots. Seriously, if you don’t have an instapot by now, you really should get one!

My other friend at The Farmer’s Lamp has some really awesome Instapot recipes to look at here.

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Some of the other things that can work out great for you is don’t touch the garden until it’s in the shade. For us, that is usually around 5pm. That allows us to get other chores done in the mean time. We also have our hoses set on a timer so if we aren’t there, the garden still gets water.

Our goats and chickens can be let out in less than 5 minutes. We will also plan ahead and “pre-bucket” their feed, if we know that we have an early morning. Our does get a scoop of grain (about a quart per bucket) and two scoops of alfalfa pellets (four quarts) per bucket. That way come morning we grab buckets and let them out. This really helps cut down on wasted time in the mornings.

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If you can work around your work schedule, then you can absolutely homestead with a job. It just takes some time, patience, creativity, and a ton of hard work. But you can absolutely do it.

If you like the content I put out, feel free to buy us a coffee! It helps keep this site running, marketing and the goats in grain!

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Should You Deworm Your Goats?

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There is no simple answer to this. Some farmers will deworm monthly. Others, like me, only deworm when there is a positive fecal or other significant signs or symptoms of needing dewormer. Answering the question should you deworm your goats, isn’t one that is easy to answer. Instead, I’ll tell you what we do and some options that you can use for your goats and farm.

goat kidding

Before we get too far into this, I have a great course on the basics of goat care. I call it Goat Crash Course: Goat 101. In this course, I explain things like types of shelter, types of feeds and hays, basic assessments and so much more! Check it out!

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Does Your Goat Have Worms?

Every goat has worms. Period. It is not necessarily a bad thing for goats to have them. The issue is when the goat becomes stressed like with labor, travel or when you are in a high parasite area. Georgia has an insane parasite load, especially in the summer and worms will kill your goat. So then you have to deworm and the vicious cycle starts all over.

Our Main Parasites

The main parasites in my area, and we deal with commonly, are Barber Pole, Coccidia, and lung worms. What happens is that the worm or eggs are shed when the goat poops. It then attaches to grass and when the goat eats the grass, they get re-infected with worms.

Goats will naturally not eat grass or browse that is too short unless there is no other option. They usually eat down to about 4-6 inches and then will move on. This will expose the worm larvae and the sun should kill it.

Unfortunately, if you are not rotating your pastures often enough or feeding on the ground, you will get your goats sick. The sun will not have enough time to kill the larvae or worms themselves and you will end up back in the same boat you were in before.

So the best way to stop this cycle is to allow 90 days between each pasture to allow the grass or browse to get tall enough for the goats to eat it. Sometimes this isn’t possible but do the best you can, even if it’s just between two pastures.

Why you shouldn’t deworm your goats every month

Just like with antibiotics, you should only use dewormers if necessary. The more you use antibiotics, whether for yourself or your livestock, the less likely they are to work. Every sniffle doesn’t require antibiotics. It’s the same way with dewormers.

If you over use a dewormer, the dewormer simply will not work as effectively as before… And they aren’t making new dewormers! Since so many goat farmers have overused dewormer, we are already at the point where dewormers aren’t working. Now, we have to use two different dewormers over the course of several days or weeks to get the same results.

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We use cydectin and safe guard at the same time, and have had good results. But again, I will treat for worms with a positive fecal. Or whenever their FAMACHA is low, poor body condition, or other sign that the goats need dewormer. But I try really hard to only do deworm with fecals.

There will come a time when those dewormers are no longer effective. I’ve actually talked to some goat people in other parts of the country that have said that those dewormers are not longer effective for them either.

Holistic Care VS Deworming Your Goat

There are quite a few other things that can be done to help manage parasite loads. The first is pasture management. We touched on pasture rotation above, but it goes far beyond that. Pasture management is also making sure that your pasture isn’t being used by too many animals for too long, or not being taken care of between rotations. Only you will know if you have too many animals for too long on YOUR pasture. But if you are not rotating your pasture at all, expect to have issues with parasites.

Another way to help control parasites holistically is to feed or plant things that are known to kill parasites. Pumpkin seeds are high in tannins which are a natural dewormer. Same with garlic, oregano, clove, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and copper bolus.

If you can get your hands on it, seeding your pastures with some Sericea Lespedeza. This is a natural dewormer that has been studied extensively by Fort Valley State University. They have found that goats that ingest this plant regularly have virtually zero parasites…. Which is amazing!

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✅ Profit Calculator – Track earnings
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✅ Herd Health Tracker – Monitor animal care
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Breeding For Hardiness

I’m going to step up on my soap box for a minute here…. As someone who screwed up myself.

Another thing that you should be doing is breeding for hardiness. Especially in high parasite areas like the southeast. Sure, that blue eyed beauty is great, but if you are having to deworm her constantly, is she really that great?

I know this is a sore subject for a lot of goat owners, and probably not something that you want to hear…. BUT. Breeding for hardiness is what will save the future of these goats.

Before you think I’m being preach-y, I did it too! I wanted beautiful, blue eyed mini Nubians throughout my herd… Until I noticed that I was having to deworm those goats constantly. Every summer. But those mutt goats? Thrived! I have never HAD to deworm those mutts. Why? Because they were genetically hardy.

So really think about what you are purchasing, breeding and allowing to keep breeding. Because at the end of the day, livestock are not pets and should not always be treated that way.

***Steps off the soapbox****

So What Do We Do?

The best thing that we could possibly do is stop the unnecessary use of dewormers. Stop deworming every single month and start running fecals to see if your herd truly needs to be dewormed. Our fecals run us $22 for a herd fecal through the vet.

If your comfortable with a microscope, eager to learn, or got some cash to burn you can get a microscope, mcmaster slides, solution, and 1cc syringes for about $220 depending on where you are. There is also a really in depth video on YouTube that is pretty informative.

Also, learn how to do herd checks and FAMACHA tests to make sure they are healthy. When you are used to seeing them “normal” it is very easy to tell when they are sick. We have a book that we keep updated with any treatments done, fecals and results and more.

goat kidding

Before we get too far into this, I have a great course on the basics of goat care. I call it Goat Crash Course: Goat 101. In this course, I explain things like types of shelter, types of feeds and hays, basic assessments and so much more! Check it out!

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You can see the pages that we use here on our product page. This really helps us keep up with who is gaining/losing weight, when vaccines are due, and so much more. We keep it in our livestock binder to keep everything on hand.

At the end of the day, you have to choose what is right for your animal. I am not here to tell you otherwise. I just want to tell you what we do and why we do it. I strongly disagree with the overuse of medication of any form, however, I am not afraid to use it when necessary. Necessary being the key and most important word.

If you like the content I put out, feel free to buy us a coffee! It helps keep this site running, marketing and the goats in grain!

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How To Keep Your Livestock Cool In Summer

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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 summer?

Before we get too far into this, I have a great course on the basics of goat care. I call it Goat Crash Course: Goat 101. In this course, I explain things like types of shelter, types of feeds and hays, basic assessments and so much more! Check it out!

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Keeping Your Livestock Cool In Summer

It doesn’t really matter if you have cattle, sheep, goats, chickens or just dogs and cats. There are universal truths about how to keep your livestock cool in summer that can actually keep them alive. Some are basic “Duh’s” but some of these may be new to you.

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 Coats 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.

    Be careful when using water to cool your animals! I know they seem hot, but when you get their coats wet, it will trap all that body heat to them.

    Also, unless your animals needs to be sheared, do not shave your animal! It doesn’t matter if it is a dog, cat, cattle, etc I have found it does more harm than good. I’ve got dogs with double coats and yes, I see them panting, but I know that the minute they get shaved, they have lost the ability to regulate their temperatures.

      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.

      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. We do this mostly for chickens but the goats love them too.

      Make sure whatever you are giving you animal, they are allowed to eat!

        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, lethargic, high temperature, etc.

        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.

        FAMACHA Card

        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.

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        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 the content I put out, feel free to buy us a coffee! It helps keep this site running, marketing and the goats in grain!

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        Avoiding Homestead Burnout

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        As I was writing about our 2022 goals and planning our 2023 goals, I realized something. I’ve hit burnout. As a medic, I am very, very familiar with burnout. But maybe you don’t know the signs and symptoms of burnout and you may not know how to fix it. Or you didn’t think you could burnout doing something you enjoy and are passionate about, but you’re ready to throw in the towel. Before you do that, let me see if I can help in avoiding homestead burnout.

        Avoiding Homestead Burnout

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        Includes:
        ✅ Schedule F Tracker – Simplify tax prep
        ✅ Profit Calculator – Track earnings
        ✅ Hay Calculator – Plan livestock feed
        ✅ Garden Journal – Digital & printable
        ✅ Herd Health Tracker – Monitor animal care
        ✅ Simple Budget – Manage finances
        ✅ Backyard Homestead eBook – Essential tips

        $99 value – now just $47! Start your homesteading journey today!

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        What Is Burnout?

        Burnout is, at it’s core, being overly stressed. The powers that be (psychiatrists) believe that it is work related. While I don’t disagree, I feel like it is more encompassing than that.

        Your children can burn you out. That job you love, can burn you out. Those animals you love? Can burn you out. Your beautiful homestead? WILL burn you out. Why? Because burnout is stress and even the things we love most in the world, stress us out.

        If you don’t know how to identify burnout, then you will never be able to cope with it.

        But What Is Homestead Burnout?

        Homestead burnout is no different than work burnout. It’s feeling overwhelmed with all the things that need to be done. Apathy when it comes to chores, projects or other upgrades to the homestead. A lack of empathy with those around you. It’s also a kind of depression, not wanting to get out of bed/house to take care of your farm, life, etc. Homestead burnout can also be trying to push through and failing miserably. Or, lastly, anxiety.

        Identifying Burnout

        Do your animals no longer bring you joy, or not as much?

        Everything you touch seems to turn to shit?

        The thought of planning your garden causes so much anxiety that you avoid it at all costs?

        The last thing you want to do is start another project?

        You and your spouse are not on the same page?

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        You are staying in your house more and more instead of working your property?

        Constant fatigue?

        Pain?

        Congratulations, if you’ve answered yes to literally any of these, you are courting with burnout. If you answered yes to the majority of these, you are burned out.

        I can’t talk for any other career field, but as a medic, I know more about burnout then I care to admit. Not only because I’ve had it, but because I’ve watched great medics and EMT’s lose the battle with burnout. In an effort of full disclosure, my homestead is my exit strategy for burnout. BUT I’ve put everything I have into my homestead, and guess what? It’s burned me out too.

        Coping With Homestead Burnout

        The crappy part is that even if you are burned out because of your homestead, there really isn’t much you can do about it, right? The animals, gardens, children, etc don’t just go away when you say, “That’s it! I’m stressed and I can’t function with this anymore.” Because guess what? You still have to slog out to feed and water the animals. There’s still weeds to pick and eggs to collect. There’s nothing we can do about it….

        Or is there something you can do about it?

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        Things That “They” Say To Try

        These think tanks that like to tell us how to minimize stress, reduce burn out, etc are obviously upper management and don’t get their hands dirty. For those of us in healthcare, it’s like them saying “I know you asked for increase staffing, higher pay and better equipment, but here’s a pizza party instead.”

        I say this because “They” are saying things like “Have a support system” or “Get some sleep”…. and in the real world that doesn’t happen. I can’t just get more sleep. Trust me, I’ve tried. I have a support system. But guess what? They’re burned out too. So what are some ACTUAL ways to help relieve burnout?

        If you are struggling with burnout and not sure where to start, there are several really good books out there to help identify and cope with burnout. I found this one and this one to be pretty helpful. Buuuuuttttttt. When I’m burned out the last thing I want to do is read books about burnout.

        Identify What Is Causing Your Stress

        Identify the things that are stressing you out. Really think about what is happening in your life that is causing your stress levels to be so high. There may not be much you can do about those stresses, but at least by identifying what they are, you can start looking at ways to reduce those. The first step in fixing a problem is realizing you have one, right? Same thing here.

        If you are struggling to figure out what is stressing you out, simply look at the things you are avoiding. This may not look like active avoidance, “I refuse to weed the garden.” Instead, it could look something like, “I’m too busy to weed the garden, I’ll do it later.” Lately, I have been avoiding my goats. Not purposefully, but avoiding all the same. I just don’t hang out with them like I used to because I feel this all consuming drive to get all the things done. This resulted in not realizing that they are all covered in chewing lice and now I’m behind the eight ball on treatment.

        Reduce Stress

        Now, that you know what is causing your stress, you can start to take steps to reduce it. Unlike normal burnout, it may not be as simple as walking away from that job or cutting back hours. Again, you can’t just stop homeschooling the kids. You can’t just stop being a farmer. But there are things you can do and the first is ask for help.

        When you reach out for help, you need to be willing to accept that help in whatever form it comes in. This is really hard for us women. We want it done THIS way. But when you are at your wits end, sometimes done is better than not done, even if it’s not the way you would do it. You can always fix it your way later.

        You can put off that project until you’re ready to tackle it. It’ll still be there.

        You can spend an extra 10 minutes playing with your goats. Everything else can wait.

        You can make that homemade bread. If it sucks? The pigs can eat it.

        Reducing stress doesn’t include doing nothing. Sometimes it’s as easy as doing something you WANT to do, instead of HAVE to do. But if doing nothing works, then do nothing for a short time every day and call it your meditation time.

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        Understand that it doesn’t all need to be done right now

        For the last twenty years or so, we have had it crammed into our head that tomorrow is never promised. So we have been killing ourselves trying to get everything done. Go see that play, hang out with friends, get the garden in, homeschool the kids, work more, save more. More, More, More.

        But trust me, there’s always tomorrow. Yes, I understand that tomorrow is never guaranteed. But would you rather die stressed with almost everything done, or happy with a million unfinished projects. Personally, I want both. But I also understand that by stressing myself out getting everything done, I am not happy. Jared isn’t happy. And the farm suffers.

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        Learn Something New

        This may seem counter productive because we are trying to reduce stress, but learning something new or different can help ease stress. How? Because when we are learning, we tend to give ourselves grace. We’re just learning, right? It’s okay to get it wrong because you understand that you can’t be an expert in something you are just learning.

        Whenever I’m burned out, I pick a new craft, book, baking technique and start to learn it. This really helps pull my focus off the things that are burning me out, and pulls me back to learning which is something I love.

        Are you getting overwhelmed in the garden? Stressed? Or just not enjoying the garden like you used to? Check out our garden prompts! We send out weekly emails that get you back in the garden and out of your head! Turn the garden back into a place of love and joy instead of frustration and headache!

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        Work On An Easy Project

        When you have the anti-Midas touch, sometimes it’s really easy to get even more stressed and burned out. No matter what you are doing, everything turns to crap. But find a project that doesn’t require a lot of brain power from you. Or something you’ve done a million times and probably won’t screw up. Then go do it.

        Part of burnout is depression. You just don’t care about whatever it is that you’re doing. But by working on a project that is easy, you are doing something. Even if it’s just taking out the trash or cleaning off your desk. That alone will help you beat back that depression. And if you just can’t, that’s okay too. At least you tried.

        How I Deal With Homestead Burnout

        I’m not going to lie, usually I step back and punt. That means that I just don’t do the chores or I fall back on planning, cleaning, organizing, or my Finish Line Goals. I am beyond blessed that I have that option, and I know it. There are times when I simply cannot gather up the gumption to build a fence, work on the gardens, or literally anything else. So I ask for help, and do something else.

        If that’s not an option and I have to do the things that are burning me out, I do it carefully and slowly. There’s nothing more frustrating that things not going how you want or need them to go.

        Lastly, I go play in the dirt. For some reason, that is my reset. It doesn’t have to be anything major, either. Simply watering my plants or spreading grass seed is enough to remember that not everything has to be done the way I want it or think it should be. And that’s okay.

        How Can You Deal With Burnout?

        The reality is that you will burn out at sometime. Probably multiple times. That’s okay! You are normal. Identify that you are burned out, figure out (if possible) what is specifically burning you out, and then step back or go slower. Or don’t do it at all. Remember, at the end of the day, it’ll get done or it won’t. And both of those answers are just fine.

        If you like the content I put out, feel free to buy us a coffee! It helps keep this site running, marketing and the goats in grain!

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        If you like this post, feel free to share it and follow us below on our social media accounts!

        Welcome to The Homestead

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        We are excited to bring you along for the journey. On this blog you will find a ton of posts about goats, gardening and homesteading. We wanted to let other people know that you don’t have to have hundreds of acres, tons of livestock or even generations of knowledge. We wanted our blog to be different. So welcome to the homestead!

        The Ultimate Homesteader’s Starter Bundle – Only $47!

        Get the tools you need to stay organized, track profits, and manage your homestead with ease!

        Includes:
        ✅ Schedule F Tracker – Simplify tax prep
        ✅ Profit Calculator – Track earnings
        ✅ Hay Calculator – Plan livestock feed
        ✅ Garden Journal – Digital & printable
        ✅ Herd Health Tracker – Monitor animal care
        ✅ Simple Budget – Manage finances
        ✅ Backyard Homestead eBook – Essential tips

        $99 value – now just $47! Start your homesteading journey today!

        Buy Now

        Welcome To The Homestead

        Both Jared and I grew up as city kids. The hustle and bustle something that we never really wanted. As time went on and we got older, we realized that city life is not what we wanted. It is not what we want for our boys. So we decided to do something about it. We were breaking our back trying to save as much money as possible to get our homestead. Since we are both paramedics and after working 36-60 hour straight shifts for two years, we finally did it. We purchased our homestead.

        We just celebrated 15 years of marriage

        Shortly after buying the homestead, we got our first chickens.  They are pretty cool little critters and really, what homestead is complete without a couple chickens. We started with 15 and lost a couple. Now we are in the ballpark of 50. But I wanted something a little different. So I started looking into other critters that would be low maintenance while also being semi profitable.

        George and His Ladies

        Enter the goats

        I’m not going to lie, I didn’t want goats. I had heard the horror stories. They are escape artists, they die easily, they can’t actually eat everything, and so on. They are pretty much everything BUT low maintenance and semi profitable. But Jared wanted goats, so we got the goats. Man, I was so wrong! I love those critters! They are seriously the best. Bella is a challenge and I am going to make her love me. But Champ? The girl below? She is the best girl. She is actually going to be giving us babies soon!

        Champ

        After adding our first couple goats, we wanted even more. So we added more goats, then some goats had babies and now we are at 12. We are hoping to have a few more and that will allow us to start milking regularly. That milk will then help us reduce our dependence on the grocery store.

        Since owning goats for several years now, we have decided to, temporarily, move away from registered lines and start working on building a resistant herd with great milk lines. We have also learned to deal with the question of what to do with boys.

        Sending bucks to processing has been a hard choice but definitely one that needed to be made. Unfortunately, when you breed animals, you have to face the hard reality of what to do with them if you can sell them. Livestock are not companion animals, although there are some exceptions, and treating them like pets will only break your heart.

        We have also created a Goat Crash Course for those that were in our same position. Brand new and with no mentor.

        goat kidding

        Before we get too far into this, I have a great course on the basics of goat care. I call it Goat Crash Course: Goat 101. In this course, I explain things like types of shelter, types of feeds and hays, basic assessments and so much more! Check it out!

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        On To The Ducks

        Ever since I was a kid, I have loved ducks. They are such cool creatures. Jared finally okayed a few ducks and meat ducks. While they are messy and their pool stinks to high heaven, no matter how often we drain it, I love those guys. We also gained our neighbors guinea. Apparently she was unhappy living with them.

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        Since owning the chickens and the ducks, we have come to realized a couple things. One, chickens get into EVERYTHING when they are not contained in some fashion. So free ranging chickens isn’t really a great idea. Two, ducks free range beautifully and don’t get into as much trouble as the chickens.

        While I am not a huge fan of duck eggs, their antics and meat keep them around the homestead.

        The Garden

        We have also been working hard on our gardens and general clean up of the property. Our property was not set up for homesteading before we bought it. So we have been slowly but surely working through the property and clearing out old debris, trash, and other things. We are hoping to have it safe enough soon to let the goats roam bigger areas to keep the brush in line.

        The Ultimate Homesteader’s Starter Bundle – Only $47!

        Get the tools you need to stay organized, track profits, and manage your homestead with ease!

        Includes:
        ✅ Schedule F Tracker – Simplify tax prep
        ✅ Profit Calculator – Track earnings
        ✅ Hay Calculator – Plan livestock feed
        ✅ Garden Journal – Digital & printable
        ✅ Herd Health Tracker – Monitor animal care
        ✅ Simple Budget – Manage finances
        ✅ Backyard Homestead eBook – Essential tips

        $99 value – now just $47! Start your homesteading journey today!

        Buy Now

        The garden has been a huge pain in the backside as well. Between not being able to get all my seedlings started and then the ducks eating what I managed to plant, the garden is finally in. I was also able to harvest our first cucumbers!

        We are gearing up to start our fall garden and I am ridiculously excited! Our summer harvest has been good, considering it’s our first garden here, but I’m hoping the fall garden will be even better. Our second garden was a bit better but not at all what we thought it was going to be. We have learned a ton about gardening in this area.

        One of the biggest things I learned about the garden is protecting the soil! I never really put much thought into the soil and how to build it. I just thought you put things in the ground and they grew. I didn’t realize that building healthy soil, naturally, helped to bring in better harvests. Who knew!?

        Our garden this year (2024) is set to be our best yet!

        Building A Greenhouse

        Last year, the major project was building a greenhouse. Jared absolutely nailed it and I love my greenhouse. It has become my sanctuary when things get hard. Jared poured so much love into that greenhouse and I can feel it every time I walk into it.

        Not everyone can build a greenhouse, or really need one. But I do highly recommend at least entertaining the subject if it is possible for you.

        Welcome To The Homestead

        We will be adding to our homestead as this blog progresses and we want you to be along for the ride. So share and follow us on social media and welcome to the Homestead!

        Are you getting overwhelmed in the garden? Stressed? Or just not enjoying the garden like you used to? Check out our garden prompts! We send out weekly emails that get you back in the garden and out of your head! Turn the garden back into a place of love and joy instead of frustration and headache!

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        Can You Start A Homestead With No Money?

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        The short answer is no. You do need some money but it might surprise you that you don’t need a ton of money to start a homestead. Ingenuity, hard work and a lot of sweat goes a long way. But at the end of the day, no, you can’t start a homestead with no money.

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        ✅ Garden Journal – Digital & printable
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        When we started our homestead, we had about $2,000. Considering the amount of work we needed to do? It was not a lot of money and I was panicking. I thought we needed all the things to get everything done, RIGHT NOW. Thankfully, after working a ton of overtime we have been able to slowly grow our homestead over the next year. Keyword is slowly.

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        How much do you need?

        I would say a good rule of thumb to moderately build your homestead is $1,000 per acre to start. That doesn’t mean if you don’t have that $1,000 you can’t buy a homestead. But $1,000 is a good way to get started on a fair amount of projects without freaking out when you have to go back to the hardware store for the 15x in two days.

        Replacing the water heater only took 7 trips in two days.

        Also, depending on the state of your homestead, you may need to do a lot of manual labor before you can even get to work on any big projects. When we first moved in, we had to pull tons of debris from the homestead. Fencing, barbed wire, posts, random pieces of wood with nails sticking out of them, etc. Even a burned out freezer was just hanging out.

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        Can You Homestead With No Money: Animals

        It took us a month and a half before we brought goats to the homestead to help clear land. Even though you can get goats pretty cheap, it’s not ideal. Cheap goats tend to be problem goats. Even mix breed goats can be expensive. Then there’s medication, feed, hay, shelters, and basic supplies.

        Shelter

        Before bringing home new animals, make sure that you have shelter already figured out. When we brought home Bella and V, we thought one of those plastic dog crates would be fine…. Well, we live in the rainiest parts of Georgia and every summer afternoon we have a pop up shower. Which is great for the garden, but not so great for goats. Depending on your weather, a good, cheap option is a dog igloo.

        Fencing

        I will say is this, before you bring bigger livestock (goats, pigs, donkey, etc) to the homestead, make sure you have plenty of money set aside because your first fence probably sucks. Especially if you have never built fences for livestock. I’m not knocking your fence building skills, but those animals will find the weak points. We spent two hours chasing Bella between our property and our neighbors. So make sure you either have extra money on hand or someone who actually knows how to build livestock fencing.

        goat kidding

        Before we get too far into this, I have a great course on the basics of goat care. I call it Goat Crash Course: Goat 101. In this course, I explain things like types of shelter, types of feeds and hays, basic assessments and so much more! Check it out!

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        Can You Homestead With No Money: Gardening

        Gardening doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive. In fact, you could have an amazing garden on a shoestring budget. You really just need time, dirt, seed and some manual labor.

        This year we put in our kitchen garden beds. While I absolutely LOVE them and I’m so glad we did it, the reality is that it cost us around $2,000 between soil, materials, trellising, etc. And we’re not even done yet. We still have to add more trellising and a better fence.

        Are you getting overwhelmed in the garden? Stressed? Or just not enjoying the garden like you used to? Check out our garden prompts! We send out weekly emails that get you back in the garden and out of your head! Turn the garden back into a place of love and joy instead of frustration and headache!

        Subscribe Now!

        Putting in gardens is going to be hard work. You can do a lot of work by hand instead of relying on a tractor. I feel like it’s worth it to learn how to do it manually so you know how to till (if that’s what you’re doing), amend the beds, see the soil structure, etc. However, it would be really nice to have a tractor for pulling stumps and not spending two weeks working the soil.

        Can You Homestead With No Money: Get Creative

        If you can get creative with what is already on your property, you don’t need a ton of money to start a homestead. We had a ton of old material from various projects we did at our old house. We made sure to bring all of that with us. Since our new garage wasn’t big enough for the 2 sets of storage shelves we had in the old garage, we used the wood for something else.

        New Kidding Pens

        Some of the debris on the property has yielded us a couple of goat shacks, a chicken coop, plenty of roosting bars, and much more all without spending a penny. And while it’s not pretty, it works really well. The goat shack above has about $2 worth of screws invested in it. Since it has been converted into a kidding pen it has another $10 worth of hinges and wood.

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        There have also been instances of numerous projects that need to be done, and we only have $1,000 to all of them. Things get really creative then but when I look around at all the things we have gotten done around here, I’m pretty impressed.

        Don’t be afraid of buying a property because you don’t have a ton of money to get started. It takes time to get a homestead up and running, not money. Hard work goes a lot further than a dollar so please don’t get hung up on that part.

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        It Doesn’t Have To Be Insta-Worthy

        With the rise of homesteading, I see tons and tons of Instagram or Pinterest boards of these perfectly curated gardens, chicken coops, barns, homes, etc. Please, please, please don’t fall into that trap! Those of us that have been homesteading for more than 5 minutes fully understand the reality of homesteading.

        You will wear yourself out trying to keep everything perfect.

        There was chicken poop all over our back deck before we got our chicken run set up. Before we renovated the living room, we had goat vomit on the ceiling. I have a trash pile that is almost as wide as my driveway. I have flies in my kitchen no matter what I do to get rid of them.

        Is my house dirty? No. It’s a working homestead. Syringes by the sink, coffee mugs on the deck, measuring tape on the picnic table, and boxes of garden harvest on every flat surface.

        It’s this life, I love so much.

        Sure, you could spend your entire day chasing after kids trying to keep those baseboards white….. Or you could enjoy the laughter as that child snuggles with a baby goat.

        You could spend 2 hours every day making sure the chicken coop is spotless. Or you could spend those same 2 hours playing in the garden.

        You could spend your day pulling every weed from the garden. Or you could cover it with some mulch and plant new things.

        It’s all a matter of perspective. I don’t need a perfectly clean house, coop/barn, or weed free garden. My happiness means more to me than an insta-worthy picture.

        If you like the content I put out, feel free to buy us a coffee! It helps keep this site running, marketing and the goats in grain!

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        If you like this post, feel free to share it and follow us below on our social media accounts!