When it comes to dairy animals, it seems that most people are either cow people or goat people. I wanted to be both. When we moved to the country in 2002, I wanted to have goats for “goat cheese,” which is more correctly called chévre, and I wanted cows for milk and butter. We started… [read more]
To Keep Goat Bucks or Not to Keep Goat Bucks?
That is the question! When you have a goat herd for the purpose of milking, you will need kids. Without kids, your does will not produce milk. Simple as that. In order to get kids, you’ll need to breed your does. A decision will need to be made of whether or not to keep your… [read more]
Why You Should Consider Dis-budding Your Goats
Goats can fall into two categories: those that are polled and those that are not. A polled goat is naturally born without horns, a recessive trait. These babies have a soft spot on their heads where the horns would otherwise be. When your kids are born with horns you need to consider dis-budding. Usually, it’s best to dis-bud… [read more]
What I Wish I Had Known Before Getting Goats
We jumped in without even looking, really. We spent nearly 20 minutes on research, and asked just a few questions and felt we were ready. We just knew we wanted goats. I mean, we became parents without any prior knowledge or experience, and our kids turned out okay, right? Well, turns out that goats just… [read more]
Backyard Urban Homesteading With Small Farm Animals
Urban homesteading is very popular right now. It is best defined as “living off the land you have”. There are a lot of people turning to the self-sufficient lifestyle. They are taking a small space of property and turning it into something special. If you look in some backyards, you will see gardens, fruit trees,… [read more]
Making a Milking Stand for a Goat
We had a make shift milking stand for our goat until my hubby decided that was enough. It took 3 of us to milk her, one to hold her head, one to hold her grain, and one to actually do the milking. And for a little Nigerian Dwarf goat, that’s a lot of manpower. Our… [read more]
How to Get Started With Goats
Are you wondering how to get started with goats on your homestead? Well, you’re not the only one – after chickens, goats are the fastest growing livestock animal in the US today. They’re becoming very popular on homesteads because they’re easy to care for and useful. They don’t require pastures, are easily handled and housed,… [read more]
Sephira
Meet our newest family member, Sephira. How could you NOT love this face??? She is currently pregnant, and due within the next 3 weeks, and then we will be bringing her home. I can’t wait!!! I am so looking forward to fresh milk each day, along with making yogurt and trying out my new cheese… [read more]