Goats come with a learning curve though, and sometimes it can be steep. I've gathered all of my goat resources here in one place to hopefully straighten out the learning curve a bit for you. Scroll down to find them all by topic.
How I started with goats
Two years before we moved to Oak Hill, we added two weanling does to our one-acre suburban lot. I didn't have to think twice about which breed I wanted, those long Nubian ears won me over right away.A year later I bought Chloe, an Alpine doe. This time I was searching for a doe in milk rather than a certain breed. I had never milked a goat before, and I decided I'd better learn how on a goat who knew the drill instead of a first-timer. I'm so thankful I did that; it really helped me to be successful with my goats.
We moved - with our three goats - to Oklahoma in 2004. I built up my dairy herd to sixteen by keeping the most promising doe kids. After I lost my herd in a barn fire in 2012, sweet friends gave me doe kids from their own herds so I could start over. Those friends blessed me in so many ways, and I hope that I can pay it forward to you through my writing.
Small herd recordkeeping - free printables
Even if you only have one goat - but you should have at least two, because goats are herd animals and are much happier with a companion - you need to keep track of the last time she was dewormed and vaccinated and had her hooves trimmed and was bred. Multiply all that by the number of goats in your herd and oh my, there's a lot to keep track of.My set of goat printable forms will help you keep up with all the information about your small herd (or your bigger herd). And the forms are free when you subscribe to the Acorn, Oak Hill Homestead's weekly-ish newsletter.
Once you're subscribed, watch for my emails on Fridays. I'll share a bit of behind-the-scenes life at Oak Hill plus some tips on living life a little more simply and joyfully no matter where you live or what your circumstances. You'll also be able to share your suggestions for challenges, additional pages for the goat printables set, and so much more.
The articles below will help you keep happy, healthy goats, but if you have a question that isn't answered here, I hope you'll email me or leave a comment. Please include your email address with your comment so I can contact you directly.
The Benefits of Raising Goats on Your Homestead
Why You Should Have Goats on Your HomesteadRaising Livestock for Self-Sufficiency
The Basics of Goat Keeping
The Most Effective Fencing to Keep Goats In Their Pen10 Must-Have Basic Items for Goat Keepers
When to Breed Your Goat
Goats: Is That Behavior Normal? a guide to the sometimes-quirky behavior of goats
Goats: What ISN'T Normal Behavior
5 Consumable Items You Should Have on Hand for Your Goats
Kidding
The Subtle Signs that Your Goat is Ready to KidWhat to Keep in Your Kidding Kit
A Difficult Goat Kidding
Caring for Goat Kids
Goat Horns: to Disbud or Not to Disbud?How to Make No-Sew Kid Coats
Milking Your Goat
8 Tips to Train Your Goat to Behave on the Milk StandHow Changing My Milking Routine Changed My Life
The Hows and Whys of Once-A-Day Milking
6 Must-Have Items You Need to Milk Your Goat
How to Dry Off Your Dairy Goat; You Can't Just Walk Away
How to Store and Use Goat Milk
How Does Goat Milk Taste?8 Ways to Use Goat Milk
How to Store Goat Milk to Keep it Fresh
How to Make Yogurt at Home (and Save Money)
Lemon Cheese (National Goat Cheese Month)
How to Make Ricotta Cheese (National Goat Cheese Month)
How to Make Mozzarella Cheese from Goat Milk
How to Make Chevre Cheese with Goat Milk
Making Soap with Goat Milk: What You Need to Get Started
Goat Health
What to Keep in Your Livestock First Aid KitHow to Make Dosage Balls for Goats, the easy way to give medications and herbal preparations
Pinkeye in Goats - What It Is and How to Treat It
Controlling Parasites in Goats, Notes from a Workshop
Keeping Your Goats Cool in the Hot Summer Months
Small Herd Recordkeeping including free printables
If you have a question or a problem that isn't addressed here, feel free to contact me. Please include your email address so I can contact you directly.
Click here to get your free set of printable goat forms.
Related Posts
How We Baled Hay by Hand
Ten Tips to Prevent Summer Barn Fires
Growing or Foraging Hairy Vetch for Livestock Feed
How to Feed a Round Bale
Wow! So much great information! I hope to have goats again someday. They really are fun :)
ReplyDeleteThey are fun, Lisa. I hope someday it works out so you can have a couple again.
DeleteGoat are so fun! And this article is LOADED with info; pinning it now for future reference. :-) Thank you Kathi!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing, Michelle!
DeleteWow, this is great information that I'm bookmarking RIGHT NOW. I have two Nigerian Dwarfs and while I'm pretty familiar with raising them, I'm always looking for more info. BTW, I LOVE floppy Nubian ears too!
ReplyDeleteThose Nigerian kids are so tiny and cute!
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