× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! Welcome to Goat Keeper Weekly! Every so often, I like to share little snippets from inside our Holistic Goat Circle – the funny stories, practical tips, and seasonal reminders that come up when goat owners start swapping experiences. Think of it as a peek into a thriving community of holistic goat keepers helping each other learn and grow. November brings that mix of muddy boots and grateful hearts – a season for slowing down, tending what matters, and sharing a little warmth with one another. This week, we talked about selling goats, mineral balance, and keeping hooves healthy through the wet season. Selling Goats Locally: The Power of Real Connections Inside Read More
Category: Goats
Can Goats Breed Through a Fence? | Goat Keeper Weekly 10/25/25
× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! Welcome to Goat Keeper Weekly! Every so often, I like to share little snippets from inside our Holistic Goat Circle – the funny stories, practical tips, and seasonal reminders that come up when goat owners start swapping experiences. Think of it as a peek into a thriving community of holistic goat keepers helping each other learn and grow. This week’s question had us all shaking our heads (and laughing a little): Can Goats Breed Through a Fence? Earlier this month, one of our members, Gloria, posted a hilarious-but-totally-not-funny photo that had everyone wondering: “Can goats actually breed through a wooden fence?” It turns out… yes, it can happen. While it’s rare, Read More
Is My Goat Skinny/Fat/Getting Enough to Eat?
× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! A large belly doesn’t indicate body condition, but does usually indicate good rumen function. You’ll often see their bellies grow larger toward the end of the day as they store up food to ruminate on overnight. The most accurate way to assess whether your goat is fat or skinny is to learn how to do body condition scoring, which is basically just feeling for fat deposits on certain areas of the body. Body condition scoring is a great tool that can be used monthly to see how your goats are faring on your feeding program. Body condition along with goat behavior can tell you if your goats are satisfied or hungry Read More
Ever Refining the Path
× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! As some of you who have followed me for awhile know, I’ve really struggled with the concept of selling animals vs. not selling animals over the last couple of years. For those who don’t know, here are the two posts where I initially announced I would no longer sell animals and then backtracked that spring to say I was wrong and had regained my senses😅:
Oregano Essential Oil for Pregnant Goats
× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! As goat owners become more aware of the power of using essential oils in therapeutic practice for their goats, one of the common questions I hear is, “Is oregano essential oil safe for my pregnant goat?” I won’t give you a direct answer, but instead will provide you with the sources and research available to help you make your own decision. So much of what we’re taught in articles and other resources is based on opinion and conjecture. If we look at the actual facts, the studies themselves, and the finer details, we can be better informed to draw the conclusions that make sense in our own lives. It’s a good Read More
Mineral Buffet Consumption Totals Month by Month
× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! This page will track consumption each month and total it in pounds so we can get an idea of our herd’s consumption of the mineral buffet on a longer term basis. Unlike the monthly totals that display in ounces, this one shows totals in pounds. I have Nigerian Dwarf goats and standard sized sheep so to keep this consistent and easy to read, the total number of animals will count each sheep as 2 Nigerian Dwarf goats. For example, as I write this in July 2022, we have 11 adult ND does, 6 ND kids, 4 adult ND bucks, 6 adult sheep and 3 lambs. For simplicity, I will count this as Read More