× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! I started out in 2008 doing everything the way the “experts” told me: vaccinating, copper bolusing, deworming with conventional dewormers, coccidiosis prevention, etc. etc. But my heart cried out for something different. As a new mother, I was looking to clean up my household with better quality ingredients, organic food, and so on, so going the other direction with the goats who were going to provide our milk was counterintuitive to me. I began then to take incremental steps toward my end goal, which was a herd that needed no conventional inputs. I wanted them to be healthy and organic, yes, but I also had in mind the idea that I Read More
Category: Holistic Goat Care Philosophies
A Year in the Life of a Goat
× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! While all the details may make it seem like goats are complicated to care for, in reality, they have simple needs and simple regular maintenance requirements. Let’s walk through a year in the life of a goat and see just how things look from the perspective of a “less is more” management system. While different climates will offer different challenges at different times of the year, you can use this example as a general guideline and apply it to your own unique environment. Spring Spring is a time of growth and renewal. Goats now are full of energy and enthusiasm, just as we are. They long for fresh greens and if Read More
What Does a Wormy Goat Look Like? Signs of Internal Parasites in Goats (With Photos)
× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! I was so excited in a geeky sort of way when this image came up in my FB group. I immediately asked the owner if I could use it because it is such a perfect representation of a wormy goat compared to a healthy goat. Images like this demonstrate far better than text could and I don’t often have subjects of my own to photograph, so I am very grateful to our Anonymous member for agreeing to let me use this photo! Let’s pick it apart and see what we can learn. Coat Condition: Healthy Goat vs. Wormy Goat The condition of the goat’s coat will tell us a lot about Read More
Trust Your Goats
× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! Goats have been being goats far longer than humans have decided they have to worry about it. When in doubt, trust Nature. We are not so wise as to know how to be a goat and in walking this journey for 15+ years, I’ve learned that the more I get myself and my imperfect knowledge out of the way and let goats do what goats do, the healthier and happier the goats–and me!–become. I would even venture to say that goats are smarter than we are, because they have not been formally educated on the “right” way to eat and balance minerals. It helps to remember that, while rare exceptions exist, Read More
Fireworks & Loud Noises
× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! Every year, I see the posts and comments from people who are angry about fireworks because it upsets their animals. While I completely understand that side too and the harm fear can cause, it seems to me the solution is to try to desensitize our animals, since it’s not possible to control what other people do at their own places. Loud noises ARE a part of life, and if your animals are reactive, you have some work to do in your shepherding. All our animals do fine with loud noises because of frequent exposure. We have shooting enthusiasts all around us and I’m so grateful for that fact, because even our Read More
Megan’s General Philosophies for Raising Goats
× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! These are the basic philosophies that guide my practices on the farm. They don’t have to also be yours to get use out of this website, but I want you to understand where I come from in my decisions so you can fully understand how they play out in real life. The Animal Usually Knows Best We’re taught in modern society that we cannot rely on ourselves, that we must turn to experts to know how to think, eat, act, be healthy, lose weight, etc. We have a tendency to apply this to our animals as well. I’d venture that in both cases, the self knows best. While this isn’t universal, Read More