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For the Love of Goats
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For the Love of Goats

Author: Deborah Niemann

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We are talking about everything goats! Whether you're an owner, a breeder, or just a fan of these wonderful creatures, we've got you covered. Join host and author Deborah Niemann as she interviews experts and goat lovers so we can all learn more about how to improve the health and production of our goats, improve our relationships, and possibly even start a goat business.
139 Episodes
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Send us a textDoes attempting to select the right minerals for your herd make your head spin? Do you know which three minerals are the primary keys to your herd’s health? How about the proper levels that should be included in a good mineral? Is there an easy way to know that the mineral you selected is appropriate and worth your money?In this episode, I cover the nutrients that goats are most likely to become deficient in and what you should look for when shopping for a great loose mineral. I...
Send us a textWelcome to the world of showing goats! Have you ever dreamed of picking the perfect breeding pair that produces such a successful combination of genetics that you wind up with a doe that wins the title of Grand Champion at the National Show? It is likely that more than a few of us have, and the reality is, with the right education on goat conformation and breed standards coupled with an exacting eye, it is possible to produce that winning goat.In today’s episode, we are talking ...
Send us a textIf you’ve ever wondered about the importance of forage and hay testing to ensure your herd is receiving maximum nutrition, today’s episode will provide you with lots of valuable information. We are talking to Cassy Streeter, an expert in near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIR) who directs Dairy One’s NIR affiliate network of more than 30 members in 16 countries. She also holds both Bachelors and Masters degrees in animal science from Cornell University. Understanding hay qu...
Send us a textIn this bonus episode with Dr. Woody Lane, a livestock nutritionist and forage specialist and consultant, who's the owner of Lane Livestock Services and the author of three books on forages, grazing, soils, and livestock nutrition, we are tackling some great questions submitted by several Goats 365 members. Dr. Lane addresses warm season grasses–great for warmer climates–and the unique biochemical makeup that differentiates them from cool season grasses. He also gives important ...
Send us a textIt can be a seemingly insurmountable challenge to balance the grazing needs of your herd with the necessity to maintain pasture and forage growth. If only there was a formula to strike that perfect balance between allowing your goats to get the nutrition they need while sustaining plant growth for future grazing. We have good news! There is a clear path to harmony when it comes to grazing. Today, we’re talking to Dr. Woody Lane, a livestock nutritionist and forage speciali...
Send us a textHerd shares are often considered to be a sneaky way to circumvent state laws prohibiting the sale of raw milk. But did you know that herd shares themselves are not legal in all 50 states? In addition, there is far more nuance to the endeavor than simply selling shares in your herd–both in terms of legalities and liabilities.Today, we’re talking to Alexia Kulwiec, an attorney and Executive Director of the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund. In this episode, Alexia discusses how ...
Listeriosis in Goats

Listeriosis in Goats

2024-07-1744:01

Send us a textListeriosis can strike fear into the hearts of goats owners, not only because it needs prompt treatment to increase the odds of survival, and because it can be difficult to diagnose due to the fact that it shares symptoms with several other serious illnesses, but also because Listeria bacteria exist everywhere. Today, Dr. Melissa Holahan, a postdoctoral researcher from the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, is joining us to talk about listeriosis and how we c...
Send us a textHave you ever thought about hosting guests on your farm for additional income, but were too unsure about the logistics to take the first step? Today’s podcast will offer clarity and may even inspire you to finally venture into the world of agritourism.We are talking to Scottie Jones, co-owner of Leaping Lamb Farm in Oregon and the founder of FarmStay USA, a national marketing and referral website for working farms that offer agritourism opportunities. Agritourism has been g...
Send us a textIf you ever wondered about the benefits of milk testing, today’s episode contains an abundance of valuable information. Today we are talking to Jeremy Leather, a field technician at Dairy One, a milk testing lab in New York State. While Dairy One offers multiple services, including forage and soil testing, we are focusing on their excellent milk testing services and how milk testing can have a major positive impact on the health of your herd. Jeremy discusses the basics of milk ...
Raw Milk Safety

Raw Milk Safety

2024-06-0537:22

Send us a textHave you ever wanted to try raw milk, lauded for its health benefits, but were concerned about the safety? Like all raw foods from lettuce to oysters, there is a risk of contamination, but there’s a lot we can do to be sure that all of our raw food, including milk, is as safe as possible.We are talking to Mark McAfee, the chairman of the Raw Milk Institute, which was founded in 2011 to help meet the growing demand for safe raw milk and to educate consumers on raw milk safety. He...
Anesthesia in Goats

Anesthesia in Goats

2024-05-2235:02

Send us a textEvery goat owner has heard that goats don't do well with anesthesia, so we are always understandably nervous when our goats need to be sedated. Dr. Kelly Chen, Veterinary Anesthesiology Resident at Cornell University, joins us in this episode to talk about why goats are so challenging when it comes to anesthesia.First, we discuss the difference between anesthesia and analgesia and then we talk about some of the common procedures where anesthesia is used.Dr. Chen talks about pain...
Send us a textNew goat breeders frequently ask where and how they can sell their goat kids. When I started with goats in 2002, I bought goats from breeders who had websites, so I assumed I would also need a website for selling my goats. That has been the only sales channel for my goats forever.In this episode, Emily Nyman and I discuss what information you need on your website, such as an about page, health history of your herd, photos of your breeding stock, pedigrees, and terms of sale.We a...
Send us a textIf you've ever thought about starting a business with your dairy goats, today's episode will give you a lot of valuable information. We are talking to PJ Jonas, founder of Goat Milk Stuff, which sells all sorts of products made from goat milk. Although they focus on soap and body care products today, they also sold cheese, yogurt, gelato, and caramels before the pandemic.PJ talks about why she started making soap and how it got turned into a business. She explains how she scaled...
Send us a textWho wouldn't love free food for your goats? But before you call your local brewer or distiller and ask if you can pick up their spent grain, listen to this episode with Dr. Robert VanSaun, vet professor and ruminant nutritionist at Pennsylvania State University.Spent brewers grain and distillers grain are popular feed for cattle, but are less commonly used to feed goats. We've used brew grain to feed our pigs and chickens for about ten years, but have shied away from feeding it ...
Send us a textIf you've been looking for a smaller breed of goat that's parasite resistant, has excellent mothering skills, and comes in a variety of colors, the Arapawa goat from New Zealand might be a good fit, especially if you are interested in conserving rare breeds.In this episode, we are joined by Emily Nyman, Arapawa Goat Breeders Association President and Livestock Coordinator at Conner Prairie in Indiana, a living history farm museum that has a herd of Arapawa.Their feral history me...
Send us a textCan goats threaten your health if you're a pregnant woman? If you are a woman, there are some specific precautions you should be taking with goats giving birth and also when using drugs for synchronization.Dr. Jamie Stewart, Assistant Professor at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and a reproductive specialist, is talking about zoonotic diseases that are of special concern to pregnant women, including toxoplasmosis, chlamydia, campylobacter, brucellosis, and q...
Send us a textIf you've ever had a goat with wonky knees, today's episode will shed some light on the problem. When a goat has carpal hyperextension, it means that the knees bend backwards rather than being straight.We are joined today by Dr. Erica McKenzie, Professor of Large Animal Medicine, Oregon State University and Dr. Leah Streb, 3rd year Laboratory Animal Medicine Resident, UC Davis, who are just putting the finishing touches on the first study ever to look at this disease. They are t...
Send us a textHave you ever had a goat get an udder even though you are 100% sure she has not been anywhere close to a buck so could not possibly be pregnant? Normally, goats have to go through pregnancy and have a baby before they produce milk, but it's not impossible for a doe to start making milk without getting pregnant.A precocious udder is one that fills up with milk even though the doe has not been bred. Most of these will just go away as mysteriously as they appeared with no intervent...
Send us a textMilk testing can provide you with a plethora of information about your does' milk production and the components of their milk, and they can even earn milk stars, but a lot of people never get started because they find the process daunting. Lisa Shepard, board member and former Performance Program Coordinator for the American Dairy Goat Association, joins us to talk about the different types of milk testing and how to get started. We talk about where to find a tester, as wel...
The Scoop on Poop

The Scoop on Poop

2023-12-1333:02

Send us a textSome of the most common questions I receive from new goat owners are on the topic of manure management. Many new goat owners think they need to clean out the barn weekly or even daily, so in this episode I'm talking about how our barn cleaning practices have evolved through the years.I am also joined by some of our Goats 365 Premium members so they can ask questions. We cover everything from the basics of mucking out stalls to deep bedding, stall mats, straw versus shavings, and...
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Comments (3)

Belinda Brookins

Could you do an episode on feeding Brewers Grain to goats? I have not found a lot of information on this topic.

Oct 20th
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k mb

I'll never get enough! I love listening to goat info on my trips to work!

Feb 24th
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Lamont Nelson

thank you for your show.

Feb 18th
Reply