For a homesteader or small land owner, goats make an excellent livestock option. And maybe you’re wondering, how to raise goats?
As a beginner with keeping goats, there can be so much information to take in.
What do you need to get started with raising goats? And what type of shelter and food do goats need?
And what types of plants do they need to avoid when grazing?
Want more beginner homesteader posts? Check out this guide to Homesteading for Beginners.
How to Raise Goats on a Homestead or Small Farm
We have been raising goats for several years. And my husband has a lifetime of experience with raising cattle and various other livestock.
My husband grew up on his family’s cattle ranch where he learned the needs of livestock. And he learned from his father who also had a lifetime experience from growing up on his family’s farm.
I’m sharing a roundup of posts that I’ve put together over the years with our experiences.
I’d like to consider this as a one stop place filled with all of the information to help you on your journey with raising goats.
Save this list and refer to it whenever you need some guidance when learning how to raise goats.
Goats can serve so many awesome purposes. Whether you want to raise them for dairy, meat, fiber, or use them for brush clean up. They even make excellent pets!
They are wildly entertaining! Just look up baby goat videos on social media. Goats are also master escape artists. It really is quite impressive to watch them learn how to get into places they’re not supposed to be in!
I’ve watched our goats climb a tree just to jump over the fencing. Smart animals!
What You’ll Find in this Goat Raising Guide:
- Best breeds of goats for various purposes
- Tips for fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum in goats
- Baby goat care
- How to DIY your own goat feeder
- Build a simple goat shelter
- And more!
Goat Health Tips
As with raising any animal or livestock, regular health care is necessary. Those with experience know how to spot the signs of certain conditions or administer vaccines.
And there are other times where it is necessary to call a professional. Personally, I always prefer and recommend that anyone should consult with a veterinarian for guidance.
This will help in proper treatment options and to prevent a misdiagnoses.
How to Raise Goats
Raising Goats for Beginners
Raising goats can be quite rewarding and pretty entertaining. There are a few things that are necessary for keeping goats healthy and happy.
Whether your intentions are to raise goats for dairy, meat, fiber, or to raise goats as pets, this post will help you get started.
Pregnancy and Postpartum Goat Care
New to raising goats? Or maybe you’re looking for info on how to care for pregnant goats.
I’m sharing some lessons I’ve learned over the years in postpartum goat care and fertility basics.
Guide to Baby Goat Care
From kidding to care for a newborn goat kid. What do you need to do to prepare for the kidding and what about feeding a newborn goat?
Are Goats Browsers or Grazers?
Goats are different from other types of livestock. Goats naturally love to eat and clear up weeds and brush before they eat grass.
This makes a huge difference in saving time and money when it comes to running things around our homestead.
Using Goats for Grazing & Land Clean Up
We have been raising goats for several years now. And they have been one of the best resources on our homestead.
One of the best uses has been using goats for grazing and land clean up.
The Best Goats for Brush Clearing
When choosing the best goat for the needs of your homestead or small farm, there are really a lot of different factors to consider.
And the same goes for choosing the best goats for brush clearing and land clean up. Which are the best options?
Keeping Livestock Safe from Poisonous Plants
How do we ensure we are keeping all of our livestock safe from poisonous plants while they are out grazing around the ranch and in pastures?
10 Best Dairy Goats for Beginners
Goats are a great animal of choice for most homesteaders or small farm owners. If you have a small amount of land to work with, they take up a lot less space than a dairy cow.
But how do you decide on what the best dairy goats are? I’ve included 10 of the most common dairy goat breeds for beginners.
5 Best Breeds of Goats to Keep as Pets
What are the best goats for pets? Well honestly, this can vary a bit depending on who you ask.
I’ll share our top five favorite goat breeds that we keep on our homestead.
Raising a Pygmy Goat as a Pet
Pygmy goats may just be my most favorite breed of goats. In our experience, keeping a Pygmy goat pet is a great option for a small farm or homestead.
Why You Should Consider Adding Alpine Goats to Your Homestead
Over the years, I have come to favor a few very special goat breeds. One of which are the Alpine goats.
They are some of the sweetest, craziest, and most entertaining.
How to Build a Simple Goat Feeder
When we first started with goats, we only had a handful and feeding them was a breeze. But before long, and as our herd grew, we realized that they were making a huge mess and wasting feed & hay.
My ever so crafty, handy man of a husband planned a simple solution, he came up with plans on how to build a goat feeder.
How to Build a Super Frugal Goat Shelter
This year, we needed to expand our goat shelter but stay within our end of the year budget.
So my skilled husband put a plan together on how to build a super frugal goat shelter.
Why Every Homestead Needs Goats (10 reasons why goats are awesome)
Goats are just plain awesome. And there are a ton of benefits to owning goats.
I’m going to share my reasons why we find them so fascinating and why every homestead needs goats.
Rhea Mae Grosswiler-Dixon says
i need plans on how to make a wooden pack saddle for a goat.