Preparing dairy goats for winter weather
      Preparing for winter isn't generally something that can be done at the last minute. Preparation of barns, grounds, and goat feed supplies should be in place prior to the time of expected cold weather.
      Goats are rather hardy animals, however they are susceptible to...

Water & Warmth: Two Important Considerations for Winter Management
      No matter the location-be it polar regions, middle plains, or even coastlines-water and warmth are two of the most important management factors for goat owners to consider during the winter months of the year...

Cool weather grooming
      You know the story: the weather outside is frightful, but you've got someplace to go-the first goat show of the year. You're certain your goats could do well, if the judge could find them under that thick winter coat. Unfortunately, instead of seeing the sleek, elegant creatures you admire in the summer, you survey a herd of fuzz balls with legs. What to do?

Starting Kids Out Right
      To prepare a doeling for growth to meet the challenge of top performance in the milk room and the show ring, it is vitally important to start the kids out right. Record keeping is an important tool in herd management. It is important to know when the kids will be born and to make provisions for the birth to be monitored. Prolonged labor can mean...

"Goat Shares" Help Owners Sell Raw Milk Legally
      It's not unusual for goat milk customers of Rachel Hecker's Blue Moon Dairy, Wasilla, Alaska, to pick up their milk after midnight. After all it's still light and that's the time Hecker is out milking her goats during the summer. It's also not unusual for her customers to inquire about the goats they partially "own" on her farm; they have a vested interest...

Going "Green" with Dairy Goats
      "Going green" with goats takes thought, planning, physical energy, time and/or money, but getting on the bandwagon now could be a profitable long term investment. With energy costs rising almost daily, and more and more goods from afar in question; consumers are...

How to Tube Feed a Weak Kid
      The prospect of tubing a weak kid probably sounds pretty frightening if you have never tried it. Perhaps it's because I have been doing it for so long, but I find the procedure very comfortable. I'd like to share with you what I have found works simply and quickly for me.
      Having prepared in advance for the possibility that at some point I may need to tube a kid, I have on hand

Fencing From Experience...Make it strong and tight
      Goats are such intelligent and nimble creatures, more like deer than other domestic animals, that it's no wonder they are fairly difficult to fence in. But, in most parts of the country, it is necessary to fence the goats in, not only to keep them away from other agricultural crops, but also for their own safety...

Make Your Own Cheese: Plus Recipes
      Even when you start with the easiest, most basic recipes, it's important to keep your standards high. Practice consistency in taste and texture, making the best cheese you can, before moving on to more complex cheeses. Some cheesemakers spend all their time on taste and forget, or don't realize, the importance of...

Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats: History in the Making
      Like many breeds of domestic livestock, the history of the Nigerian Dwarf is incomplete. Through the years and stages of development, records were not always kept, or they were sketchy at best. Developing the history of the breed is much like putting together a jigsaw that is missing many of its pieces. To produce the present day Nigerian Dwarf, one has to use...

Dwarf Goat Milk Stand Plans
      I designed this milk stand when I realized just how short my little Nigerian Dwarf goat was. I realized that the higher she could get on a stand, the easier it would be for me to milk. (Not so much bending over anyway.) So the stand is made higher than "normal" and the step is what makes this possible. I encourage anyone making this stand...

Proper hand milking procedures
      Learning how to milk a goat by hand involves using the proper equipment and procedures. It also involves a personal love for animals, especially the dairy doe, who so willingly shares her bounty with those who care for her.
      Equipment needed to properly milk and care for the milking dairy goat includes...

Conditioning Young Goats for Show
      A good way to prepare for show season, or just to have a tame, gentle, easy-to-work dairy goat, is to train them for the show ring, even if they never actually show before a licensed judge. When training yearlings and younger doelings, it's a good idea to...

The NAIS Controversy
      By now most people who own farm animals have heard about the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) plan that's being pushed by USDA, but many of us are still finding out how this might affect us-with premises registration, individual animal ID and tracking requirements. In spite of the fact USDA has no legal authority to force this system on us, the agency has...