Tag: goat feeding

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Beet Pulp for Your Animals

I belong to a few goat and hobby farm groups on Facebook and really enjoy seeing all the new baby goats coming into the world. It’s also pretty cool to see new farmers and goat owners come on the horizon, whether it’s because people want to become more self-sufficient, teach the kids, fulfill a lifelong dream, or just because! Unfortunately, along with a lot of the learning comes some misinformation. As of late, I have seen some questions regarding the use of beet pulp in animals’ diets and some myths regarding its use.

Bag of shredded beet pulp
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Bottle Feeding Your Baby Goat

There are several reasons why you might want or need to bottle feed your baby goat. We have a doe who after kidding refused to feed her babies. The young ones seemed to scare her to death! She was very good at watching over them from a safe distance, but if they came near her, she would bolt! We would milk the doe then bottle feed the babies. You might have a doe who just doesn’t have the milk supply to adequately nourish all her little ones. You might want to supplement the kiddo’s milk with a bottle just to increase their socialization and encourage them to be more people friendly. You might be taking on some kids from another farm who had been nursing off their mom but are not quite old enough to be weaned. Whatever your circumstance, bottle feeding your baby goat should not be a difficult or dreaded process. It should be fairly simple and enjoyed as much by you as the babies.

Young boy trying to bottle feed goat kid
Bottle feeding provides the perfect bonding opportunity for you and your baby goat.
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Roses Are Safe for Farm Animals

I really enjoy spring. It signals not only the end of cold weather and snow, but also new life. It’s the time of year when we see animals come out of hibernation, bees and butterflies make their appearance once again and all sorts of baby farm animals take to the stage! There is not much that is cuter than a baby anything with their pure innocence and clumsy antics. Spring is also the time for planting and realizing new growth on our perennial plants. I always get excited when I see new shoots on my rose bushes. There are so many varieties, colors and smells of roses and they are a plant with many benefits, even for our chickens and other farm animals.

yellow and pink rose
Roses are edible for our farm animals and provide health benefits.
Read about why: Roses Are Safe for Farm Animals
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A Hobbyist’s Introduction to: Goats

Goats are a fun addition to any farm. Not only do they make great pets, but they can also be a productive, useful animal to have around. There are basically three types of goats: meat goats, dairy goats and goats that are used primarily for their wool. Before adding to your menagerie of farm animals, it’s a good idea to think about your purpose for raising goats. Knowing your purpose and goals for keeping goats will help you in determining what breed of goat is best for your farm. After all, there are in excess of 200 different goat breeds, and a goat can live upwards of 15 years or more, so it is a long term commitment.

(Left) Adult female goat, (Right) Young child with goat kid
Rose turned 14 years old in August.
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Going on Vacation!

I struggle leaving home to go on a vacation. Seems like nobody takes care of my animals like I do…except my sister-in-law. She gets 5 stars for her efforts‼  When we go away, even if it’s only for a few days, I worry that something might go wrong. I consider my substitute caregiver successful if all my animals survive, whether the caregiver does all the right things…or not. 

chicken standing on bird house
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