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How To Take Care of Baby Goats

If you are breeding your goats, then you are probably excited for all the bouncy babies you will have soon. However, before they get here, you will need to ensure you know how to take care of baby goats so that you have the most successful kidding season possible.

Learning how to take care of baby goats is not difficult. You need to know how to do their health check and provide any assistance right at birth. Additionally, baby goats will need to be fed milk either via nursing on their dam or via bottle for at least the first 8 weeks of their lives. Finally, there are some routine health procedures you will need to know such as banding, disbudding and CDT vaccinations.

Proper baby goat care is essential to making sure that your kids are healthy and happy. You have likely spent time learning about goat heat cycles so that you can breed your goats. You also have probably learned about kidding supplies and goat labor signs as well. So, make sure to review all the details below on baby goat care so that you are ready for everything when your kids finally arrive.

Baby Goat Care

Proper care starts right at birth with a newborn check and a few other essential items. You must also decide how to feed your baby goats (leave them with their dam or put them on a bottle). Finally, there are several things you will need to know how to do such as banding (for wethers), disbudding, tattooing and giving CDT vaccinations.

All of this is fairly easy as long as you know ahead of time what you need to do and when you need to do it. That way you are well prepared at each step and aren’t surprised or miss anything along the way.

What to do At Birth

During kidding, if at all possible, you should be there with your doe. This will allow you to provide any assistance that she may need (for example, if she has a kid stuck).

Additionally, being there at kidding will allow you to perform a quick check on each kid and give it any help that it may need such as getting warmed up or getting latched on to nurse.

Clean and Dry

Kidding season is typically late winter/early spring and often times it can be cold or a bit chilly out. Even if the weather is warmer, kids can still get chilled if they don’t get dried off quickly enough.

It is important to make sure that any birthing goo is quickly removed from the kids face – eyes, nose, mouth. You don’t want them to inhale any of that as it can cause respiratory issues.

After their face is cleaned, you can allow their dam to do most of the rest of the cleaning – this helps her bond with her new kid. However, if she is having multiple kids, or if the kid seems to be getting chilled then you may want to jump in to help her clean them up.

If a kid does get chilled (temp should be 101.3 – 103.5), then you should act quickly to warm them to normal temp. You can do this with a blow dryer, putting them under a heat lamp or putting them in a plastic bag and submerging (not their head) in a warm water bath.

They cannot eat until their temperature is normal or they will be unable to digest their food.

Make sure to keep a check on them especially during the first few days to ensure that they are still staying warm. Chilled kids will be lethargic, can shiver, look hunched and have their heads hanging. (Though these can also be signs of other issues such as low blood sugar).

Newborn Check

As the kid is getting cleaned off, you want to do a quick check on them and make sure everything appears normal. You can check for sex (make sure boys have both testicles).

Also check to make sure everything looks formed correctly, breathing appears normal and that they seem healthy in general. We have had issues such as bowed legs, feet that don’t go flat on the ground and eyelashes that curved into their eyeballs to name a few.

Dip Umbilical Cord

You should have iodine and dental floss ready to take care of their umbilical cord. If the cord doesn’t break on it’s own, then you will tie it off with dental floss and break it.

Then dip the babies cord into the iodine to help prevent any bacteria from getting into it before it dries and seals off.

Colostrum

Making sure that newborn baby goats get colostrum quickly is absolutely essential. They should ideally have colostrum within 1 – 2 hours of birth.

Over their initial first 24hrs they should get approximately 10% of their body weight in colostrum. If they are nursing from their dam, then you won’t know the exact amount. But if they are up and active, they they should be good to go.

You can help them find their dams teat and get latched if they are having difficulty. We always make sure to see every single kid latch on their own before we leave them alone with their dam.

If they can’t seem to easily latch – make sure their is milk coming out of the teats (sometimes they get clogged). If they still can’t latch with some assistance, we usually syringe or bottle some colostrum to get them going.

Feeding Baby Goats

There are two main ways to feed baby goats – via their dam or via a bottle. Both ways have definite pros and cons, so you should weigh each option to decide what is best both for you, the doe and the kid.

Bottle fed kids tend to be more friendly (but this isn’t 100% of the time). They are also WAY more work as you have to feed them round the clock. And, you will have to milk their dam right away. However, sometime bottle kids are easier to handle. Also, if you have a dam who isn’t making enough milk, had too many kids, isn’t a great mom, or had a stressful kidding then bottle feeding might be a great choice.

Dam raised kids do tend to be a little less friendly overall – but this can be remedied by lots of handling. The dam gets to keep and raise her kids for a while and for most does this makes them happy.

Dam Raised

To feed dam raised kids, you really don’t need to do much. Make sure they figure out how to latch directly after birth.

Also, check in regularly to ensure that they are getting enough milk from their mom. They should have full bellies and be active.

Bottle Fed

Bottle feeding is a full time job at first. Depending how their size and how much milk they can take at once, you will be feeding them every few hours around the clock at first. After a few weeks, you can decrease the frequency.

Weaning

Kids can be weaned around 8 weeks of age. They will start nibbling on hay and grain when their rumen starts to develop – typically the 3 week range or so. And by 8 weeks they should be able to eat enough roughage to be taken off milk.

However, if they are staying in a herd with their dam, then you can let her wean them when she is ready. Some does will kill them off sooner and others will let them continue to nurse for quite a while.

If you are bottle feeding, you want to slowly wean them off their milk. So, we usually by 8 weeks are at two 16oz bottles per day, we may cut one to 8oz for a week. Then cut both to 8oz for a week. Then one to 4oz for a week and so on. Weaning doesn’t have to go that long necessarily, but the longer they are on milk they tend to have better growth in their first year.

What Do They Need – Baby Goat Supplies

You don’t need a ton of extra supplies to take care of your baby goats. However, it is important to have some things on hand to ensure they are easy to access if you do need them.

Dry, Warm Shelter

Your goat kids will need a dry, warm and draft free shelter to ensure that they are able to stay warm. We usually keep our does and kids in their kidding pen for the first few days. They are then allowed into the kid goat fenced area to explore and play.

Milk

As you already know from the feeding information, your goat babies will need access to milk for a minimum of 8 weeks. Goats milk is the best thing to feed.

If you don’t have access to goats milk, and are bottle feeding, then you can use goat formula replacer or whole cow’s milk.

Other Food Supplies

Once they are a few weeks old, they will need access to the same food that the adults do. They will need a high quality hay (though they won’t do more than nibble it for a while). They will also need water, baking soda and minerals.

So, their food needs are basically the same as when raising any adult goats, just at a much smaller rate and add that milk in.

Medical Supplies

It is good to have some general medical supplies on hand also in case you need them. Things like Probiotics, Nutridrench, Coccidia treatment and antibiotics.

Banding – wethers

If you aren’t familiar with goat terminology, a wether is a male goat who is fixed and therefore cannot reproduce. Wethers make good pets and can be kept with bucklings or doelings.

If you are not keeping your boys in tact, they should be banded around 8 – 12 weeks of age.

Disbudded vs Polled vs Horned

Most goats are born horned. However, some are born polled – this is when they are naturally hornless. At least one parent must be polled in order for kids to be polled.

If your goat kids aren’t polled then you will need to decide whether or not you will disbud (burn the horn buds so horns don’t grow) them. Typically they will need to be disbudded anywhere from a week to three weeks of age depending on goat breed, sex and size of the kids.

Tattoos

If you will be selling your kids (or retaining them) as registered goats, then most registries require them to be tattooed.

Typically tattooing can be done in their ears (like for Nigerian Dwarf goats) or tail webs (for other dairy goats like LaManchas).

Vaccinations

Baby Goats don’t really need many vaccines. The most standard one is the CDT shot. They will typically get this at around 4 weeks and then 8 weeks (exact timing can vary a bit depending on what brand etc you use).

Health Issues

Of course there are a wide variety of potential health issues that you need to be aware of when caring for baby goats. This is not an exhaustive list, but some of the more common ones are:

Coccidia

Coccidiosis is an internal parasite that is quite common in goats, especially kids. It is something that is normal to have, however, they can quickly get an overload which will make them sick.

It is important to watch out for this as it can be treated, but if left untreated can kill kids rather easily.

Worms

While worms are a large issue for adult goats, they are not as big of an issue for kids. But, they certainly can cause an issue for them. So, it is important to keep a Famancha check on kids to make sure they look good.

Respiratory issues

Respiratory issues are common in baby goats. This can be caused from temperature changes or aspiration of birthing fluids or being bottle syringe fed.

Common symptoms are heavy, rapid breathing. As well as a fever and congestion.

Under or Over Eating

Kids that are not eating enough, especially young ones, can experience blood sugar drops. This is usually shown by lethargy, hanging head and standing in a hunched position. Make sure that kids stay active and have full feeling bellies to avoid this.

Kids can actually also over eat – typically with dams who have a single or make a ton of milk or bottle kids. Overeating can cause tummy issues and diarrhea.

FAQ

Why do baby goats wear pajamas?

Mostly, people put pajamas on their baby goats because it is cute. However, sometimes pajamas are used to help keep the goat kids warm.

Do baby goats need a heat lamp?

No, they do not need a heat lamp. Occasionally, especially if they are born when it is particularly cold or if they are having issues keeping their temperatures up they may need some supplemental heat from a heat lamp.

Do baby goats drink water?

Yes, baby goats do drink water. However, they mostly consume milk in their first several weeks. So, you should provide them with water, but you won’t see them drinking a ton of it when they are super young.

When can baby goats go outside?

Baby goats can really go outside anytime. However, make sure that it is not super cold. Also, they are small and can fit through typical fencing, so you might want to keep an eye on that. Their size can also make them more prone to getting caught by predators. So, it might be good to use a livestock guard dog like a Karakachan.

Do baby goats like to be held?

This will vary from goat to goat. Most baby goats like being held especially if they are bottle kids or have been given a lot of human attention from a young age.

How Much Do Chickens Cost?

By MrAnimal Farm Leave a Comment

Whether you are just getting started raising chickens or if you have had your backyard flock for a while, you will want to know the answer to how much do chickens cost. Without knowing what your chicken expenses are, you won’t be able to budget appropriately.

How Much do Chickens Cost? Although the exact amount can vary greatly based on size of flock and your flock management a general average for 5 adult chickens per year is $255. The first year will cost a bit more due to one time purchases such as a coop and run and can total around $825 for a flock of 5 chickens. Of course, some of these costs can be cut by making some of your own supplies.

In order to accurately calculate how much your chickens cost, you will need to know both your fixed (one time) costs as well as your ongoing (monthly) costs. Of course, the exact amounts you will spend will vary based on your area, your set up and your flock management. However, we will discuss below some general averages to give you a good idea of where to start and also give you the calculations you need so that you can input your exact costs.

How Much Do Chickens Cost?

Below we will break down costs by several different cateogories. And, will provide much more detail on how these costs may fluctuate depending on your flock and your situation.

However, before the deep dive, lets look at an estimation for how much chickens cost assuming a flock of 5 common breed birds purchased as day olds.

Item	Cost
5 Day Old Common Breed Female Chicks	$20
Brooding supplies	$100
Coop	$250
Run	$150
Metal Feeder & Waterer	$50
Non-Organic Feed for one year	$135
Bedding Material	$60
Medical Supplies	$60
TOTAL FOR INITIAL PURCHASE & FIRST YEAR TOTAL PER YEAR AFTER INITIAL PURCHASES	$825 $255

How Much Are Chickens to Buy?

The upfront cost of your chickens will vary dependent on several factors: what chicken breeds you choose, what age they are and if you get hens or roosters.

Chicken Breeds

The price to purchase your initial chickens will vary greatly dependent on what breed or breeds you decide to get. If you are getting more common chickens like Black Australorps, Wyandottes, Amberlinks, Sussex, or Rhode Island Reds you won’t pay a high or premium price (with the exception of if you are getting a high quality show stock from a popular breeder. But, even in that instance, they will not be nearly as pricey as other fancy or less common breeds.)

If you are getting breeds that are fancy, used for pets or show or a little less common such as Marans, Silkies, Salmon Faverolles then you are going to be paying a mid-price range for your initial stock purchase of birds.

And, if you are getting a breed that is rare or highly sought after such as Ayam Cemani then you are going to be paying a high end, top dollar price even for unsexed day old chicks.

One additional thing to keep in mind in terms of breeds and pricing. Some breeds, such as Orpingtons, will have a wide range or price based on colors. For example, buff Orpingtons will fall in the low tier price range as they are a common color. However, more rare colors such as chocolate cuckoo or gold laced will fall in the mid to high price range.

Age

Age is also a large factor in how much you will pay for your initial chicken stock. You can expect to see ranges based first on what breed as mentioned above and then, generally, these age ranges will affect prices: hatching eggs, day olds (or otherwise young), 8 week to 4 months, adults.

Hatching eggs will generally be the lower of these price ranges. Again, depending on the breed of course, but you can be looking at anywhere from $1 per egg up to $10+ per egg for fancy or rare breeds.

Day olds tend to be slightly more expensive than hatching eggs. Low cost breeds such as Rhode Island Reds, you can usually purchase for just a few dollars $2-$4 per chick. Fancier breeds such as Silkies may be more in the $10-$15 range. And rare breeds or colors will be $15 and up. For example, young Ayam Cemani chicks can be $100 or more.

Hens or Roosters

Pullets or Hens (if you aren’t up on your chicken terminology, these are the girls) will be more costly than a Rooster (male).

Pullets (so, girls that aren’t quite at point of lay yet) will be in the $10-20 range for general low cost breeds. Price, of course will increase with breed type and age. Point of Lay hen will tend to be more in the $20 – $30 range (again, more expensive breeds would be a higher price at this age and sex).

Roosters, in general, will be less than hens or pullets. For example a rooster of the same breed and age that a female would go for $15, the rooster may only be in the $5 range or less. Roosters have less of a demand, some people aren’t even allowed to have them in their zoning areas, hence the cheaper costs.

How Much Are One Time Chicken Costs?

When you first start your flock, you will have several one time chicken costs. Of course, if you have your flock for a very long time you may have to make repairs or replacements to some of these items due to long term wear and tear. However, it won’t be something that is a regular cost.

Depending on what age of birds you get, you may be able to cut some of these costs out. On average, if purchasing your coop and building a permanent run for around 5 birds, you can expect to spent about $550 in start up costs. Of course, more elaborate coops or larger flocks may cost more and making your own coop, and feeder could really decrease this price point as well.

Coop

Chicken coops can be super elaborate, premade structures that you purchase, or you can make your own with supplies that you already have. Therefore, the cost can really range from free or almost free way on up to several hundred dollars.

The price of your coop will also depend on how many chickens you need to house and therefore how large of a coop you need. Of course, the bigger the coop, the more you will spend.

If you are a good builder, or are handy then it might be worth trying your hand at building your own coop so that you can save some serious cash.

In general, if you are purchasing a premade coop for around 5 chickens, you can expect to spend in the $200-$300 range.

Run

If you will be free ranging your flock at all times, then you won’t need to worry about building a chicken run. However, most flocks will need a run for at least some times during the day.

Again, the cost of your run will depend on the size of your flock, if they will have free range access at other times and if it is moveable or a permanent, predator proofed structure.

We make small, moveable runs for our breeding pens of about 5 – 8 bantam chickens for around $20 – $30.

You can purchase a premade chicken run for a few hundred dollars (depending on the size you need). Or you can buy a coop with an attached run – this will usually increase the coop price by at least an extra hundred dollars.

You can also make a permanent chicken run with chicken wire and some t-posts and/or other wooden posts. The price will vary greatly depending on how much run space your chickens need. So, you will just take the price of the roll of chicken wire and multiply out by how many rolls you need to cover the feet you are enclosing. You can usually get 150 feet for around $80.

Feeders

There are also a wide variety of chicken feeder options. You can make a DIY chicken feeder for relatively cheap (sometimes free to $5). You can purchase a plastic chicken feeder for about $10 or you can purchase a metal chicken feeder for around $20.

After raising literally hundreds of birds and trying out various feeder setups. We would highly recommend investing in a large metal chicken feeder. Yes, they are a bit more expensive right out of the gate, but not outrageously priced. And, quite frankly, they hold up A LOT longer than some of the other plastic options.

Waterers

Chicken waterers, like feeders can be a DIY project for relatively cheap. Or, you have a choice of plastic or metal waterers.

Prices will be about the same, $10 – $20 for plastic and $20 – $30 for metal. Again, we would highly recommend metal as they last a lot longer.

One additional thing to think about when making your waterer purchase is your weather. If it gets cold enough to freeze waterers where you live you may want to also invest in a heated base to keep your waters from freezing.

Brooding Supplies

If you will be raising baby chicks then you will need brooder supplies such as an actual chicken brooder, heat lamp, pine shavings, chick feeder, chick waterer and thermometer. All of these items together you can generally get for $100 or less.

Incubating Supplies

Incubating eggs would not be the recommended thing to start with when starting your flock. First, the supplies can be a little costly especially if you are only using them once. And, second, learning how to incubate can take a little time.

However, if you are wanting to hatching your own eggs, you will need an incubator – they can range from $50 – over a thousand. So, make sure to assess your situation and pick the best egg incubator for your needs.

The only other supplies you will need is an egg candler and egg cartons/holders.

How Much Are Ongoing Chicken Costs

In addition to the above fixed or one time costs for your flock, you will also have ongoing chicken costs that you will have to front monthly. These include costs for feed, medical supplies and bedding materials.

On average, for a flock of 5 adult birds, you can expect about $22 per month or $245 per year.

How Much Does it Cost to Feed Chickens?

If you are feeding adult, full grown chickens a non-organic feed, it will cost around $2.25 per month per bird. Organically fed will cost around $4.50 per month per bird.

Of course, your exact costs may vary based on the cost of feed in your area. Chickens eat about .25lbs per day. So you can take the actual cost of your bag of feed and plug that in to get an exact amount. Want a automatic calculator for that? Gotcha covered here with the Organized Chicken Keeper.

Medical Supplies

This will vary based on how fast you use your supplies up. It is good to have things like chicken electrolytes and vitamins, e vitamin, bluekote, vet wrap, and an antibiotic on hand at all times. Different chicken health issues will call for different medical supplies.

If you allot $5 per month, you are probably covered here. Just keeping in mind that some months you may buy some supplies and others none. Also, if you have any major things hit your flock, it may increase your costs here. We are basing that $5/month off of our actual medical expenses average for our flock from the last several years.

Bedding Supplies

Unless you have a super large coop, then generally one bag of pine shavings or one bale of straw (whatever your preferred bedding material is) should keep you covered for a month. Generally you can get either for $5 – $8.

How to Decrease Costs & Make Money with Chickens

There are a multitude of ways that you can get your chickens to either cost a little less or make you a little money to offset their costs.

First, you can decrease your chicken feed bill by doing things like fermenting your feed and using no waste feeders.

Second, you can DIY your supplies. One of the most expensive start up costs will be your coop and run. By making them on your own, or doing a non-standard coop like a hoop coop, you can really cut down on the cost drastically.

Third, you can make money with your chickens by selling their eating eggs or even breeding and selling your own chicks.

FAQ

Is it cheaper to buy eggs or raise chickens?

It can be cheaper to buy eggs, unless you have worked to decrease your feed costs and have made sure to choose breeds which are heavy egg layers.

How much do chickens cost monthly?

This will depend on your flock management, but on average, a flock of 5 adult birds costs about $25 a month.

How many chickens do you need to make a profit?

Unfortunately, there is not a cut and dry answer for this. It will depend on what your are selling from your chickens and how much you are spending to keep them. Using these Profitable Homesteading Worksheets will allow you to plug your actual numbers in so you can get an exact answer.

Are chickens expensive to keep?

At just $2.25 per month per bird in feed and then minimal supply costs, no, they are not very expensive to keep.

How do you feed chickens for free?

Though it is not recommended to go completely free on their food (you should always offer some actual chicken feed to ensure balanced diet). You can really decrease your feed bill significantly by free ranging, fermenting feed and offering scraps from your kitchen and garden.

Do chicken farmers make money?

When managed properly, yes, chicken farmers can make money. It is important to understand your expenses and revenue and plan accordingly.

Raising Goats: All You Need to Know

By MrAnimal Farm Leave a Comment

Raising goats can be such a fun and rewarding experience. I mean, other than the fact that they are adorable jumping machines. They are also intelligent and personable animals that can serve many different purposes on your homestead.

If you are interested in raising goats, it is important for you to understand their basic needs for shelter, pasture and general supplies. You should also understand what you want them for (pets, show, milk, meat etc) and be aware of their potential health issues. Additionally, you will want to know how much they will cost you to care for.

When I first decided I wanted goats (because, well, they are SO cute!), I didn’t really know all the ways they might help out around the homestead. As I did my research, I realized that getting goats might be more beneficial than just a new source of animal love 🙂 However, there are also a lot of things you need to know about them so that you can keep a happy and healthy herd.

Raising Goats

If you want to be successful with your goat herd, then it is important to understand what your goats will need to stay healthy. You should also assess why you want goats so that you can make the right goat purchase decisions.

Before you get started, make sure that you fully understand common goat terminology as that will make it a lot easier to understand what your goats need.

When you know how to take care of your goats and you have purchased the right goats for your needs, wants and situation, then you will have a thriving herd that is very rewarding.

What are Goats Good for?

There are a variety of different things that goats can be used for. Though some goat breeds will be better suited for some things than others.

In general, goats are owned for one (or a few) of the following six reasons: Pets, Milk, Meat, Show, Hair, Brush Clearing.

Pets

Many, many people have goats as pets – as their only reason or alongside one of the other things goats are used for. Goats are intelligent and also are attached to their owners. Although some goats are friendlier than others. They do make excellent pets.

Often times, goats will come over to be pet or just get attention in general from their humans. They have their own individual personalities as well.

Milk

If you have dairy goats, then you will be able to get milk from them. Milking goats is relatively easy and though you won’t get as much as a cow gives they do produce well. Especially larger breeds like Saanens.

You can of course use the milk yourself, either raw or pasteurized. But you can also use the milk to feed to your other homestead animals or to make value added products such as goats milk soap. It is a good way to really use everything on your homestead.

Meat

If you have meat goats, then they are (pretty obviously) used for meat products. Breeds such as Boers are very large and produce a good amount of meat for consumption.

Show

Goats can be taught to lead on a collar and leash. And, many people like to show their goats in 4h and also in other goat shows.

Hair

If you have a hair breed like a Cashmere goat, then you can sheer them and used their hair/fiber for value added products like making clothing.

Brush Clearing

Goats love to eat and they are foragers more than grazers. This means that although they will eat grass in a flat pasture, they much prefer to eat brush, trees, leaves and other types of browse.

Due to this, they are often used to clear brush since they can plow through thorns and vines and thick foliage quite quickly and easily.

How to Buy a Goat

The first and most important thing you need to know about buying a goat is that (like Pringle’s) you can’t have just one. Goats are herd animals and a single goat will get very lonely. They can actually get sick from being lonely.

When you are deciding what goat to get, you should decide what you are getting your goats for so that you can easily decide what goat breed will be best for you.

One other thing to consider is what sex goat(s) to get. It is important to note that bucks and does should not really be kept together at all times as they can breed constantly that way. So, if you are just starting your herd, you should start with two does, a doe and a wether (fixed male), two wethers. Or, if you have separate areas for them you can do any of those combinations together and add two bucks or a buck and weather in another area.

Goat Supplies

Goats don’t need a whole ton of supplies. However, there will be some one time start up things you need for your herd and then some regular every day supplies to have on hand.

Shelter

Goats hate to get wet. They also need some protection from predators and other weather conditions like wind, snow and heat.

There are a large variety of goat pens or shelters that you can use for your herd. The space your goats need will depend on their breed (size) and also how much time they will spend in the shelter Generally, they need anywhere from 10 – 20 sq feet of space per goat in their shelter.

Pasture & Fencing

Goats will also need some outdoor space. It is important to use proper goat fencing so that it holds your goats in and they don’t escape.

The more outside space they have the better. It will help keep down on health issues such as worms and will also help cut down on feed costs the more browse they have access to.

It is also important to ensure that there aren’t any poisonous plants in their pasture area for them to get into.

General Goat Supplies

In addition to shelter and pasture, you’ll need some general goat supplies for the daily care of your goats. Things like hay feeders, waterers, hoof trimmers.

As your herd grows and you have had your goats for a longer time, your list of supplies will probably keep increasing. However, you don’t really need too much when you are just getting started for the bare essentials.

Breed Specific Supplies

You will also need some supplies that are specific to whatever breed you have chosen. For example, if you have dairy goats, you will need to get milking supplies. If you have fiber goats you will need supplies to sheer them.

Medical Supplies

You will also need medical supplies for you goats. Some basic ones that are good to have on hand are:

Needles and Syringes
Antibiotic (such as LA-200)
Dewormers
Copper Bolus
Probiotics
Albon or other Coccidiosis treatment

Feeding Goats

As mentioned earlier, goats are foragers not grazers. So, they much prefer brush, vines, bushes, leaves and the like to eat during the day. But, of course, they will eat grass on pasture if that’s what you have to offer.

You will also need to offer them feed regularly as they are unlikely to get everything they need without you giving them food also.

Hay and Chaffhaye

They need a high quality hay to eat free choice (available at all times). Grass hay such as orchard or alfalfa is a good choice.

You can also offer a product like Chaffhaye which is a good hay substitute.

Baking Soda & Minerals

Your goats will also need free choice (always available) baking soda and minerals. The baking soda is something they will eat when they need it – it helps prevent bloating issues.

The minerals should be goat specific and should be a loose mineral not a mineral block. They will also eat those as they need them.

Grain and treats

Feeding your goats grain and other treats is not a necessity. It is important to know what goats eat as there are some treats that are not good for them.

It is OK to give your goats grain or other treats in moderation, but be aware that too much of either can cause severe health issues like bloat. But as a daily treat, or for goats who need to add a little body weight it is totally fine to do in moderation.

Cost to feed

The cost to feed your goats will vary drastically based on your cost of hay, how much hay your goats needs (more browse will be less hay consumption) and whether or not you give them additional feed.

As a VERY general idea, we spend about $250 on feed per goat per year. We have smaller Nigerian Dwarf goats and our hay costs about $7 per bale.

General Cost of Goats

The cost of raising goats can vary much like the cost to feed them.

Your initial goat purchase cost will depend greatly on what type of goats you get, what sex, what quality, if they are registered and what area you are in. So, it can vary anywhere from $50 to thousands.

Just for some very general cost ideas, we spend about $350 per year on each goat. But, again, that will vary from herd to herd. So, it is a good idea to price hay in your area and vet costs as those will be your major costs. That way you can get a better, more specific estimate for your situation.

Daily Goat Care

Goats don’t actually take too much time when talking about their daily care. They will need fresh hay and clean water everyday. But with hay feeders, you probably won’t even be filling hay every single day.

It is also important to get eyes and hands on each goat regularly to ensure they are not dealing with any health issues.

Otherwise, they will need regular hoof trimming. Milk goats will need to be milked daily when they are in milk.

Everyone should get a CDT shot annually.

And, then, during kidding season if you breed your goats, you will have additional things to do.

Goat Health Issues

Although goats can cruise along just fine most of the time, there is a whole slew of health issues that they can face. It is essential that as a goat owner, you know some of the most common health issues they can experience so that you can help keep them as healthy as possible.

Worms

Heavy worm loads may be one of the most critical and common health issues that goats can face. There are a wide variety of worms they can have: barber pole, liver fluke, tapeworms.

Barber pole is the most common and can be deadly. They cause severe anemia and can cause death if not treated properly and promptly. You should do regular Famancha Checks on your herd so that you can catch them before they are too big of an issue.

There is a lot of wormer resistance and so, you should always run a fecal (or have your vet run one) before you use chemical medications.

Coccidia

Coccidiosis is another internal parasite (like worms are). This is most common in kids, however, adults can occasionally have an issue with it also. This is something that is usually present in all fecals, but should only have a few.

The issue for coccidiosis happens when the goat has an overload of them. The best way to determine if this is the health issue is to run a fecal. Your goat may present with poor Famancha score, lethargy and/or diarrhea.

Pneumonia

Just like humans can get pneumonia (respiratory infection), goats can get this also. This is a common health issue for them especially during weather changes. So, if you have a lot of hot, cold, hot weather (or cold, hot, cold) you may want to keep an eye out for this.

Kids can also get aspiration pneumonia from inhaling birthing fluids or aspirating milk when they are bottle fed.

Fever, rapid and raspy breathing and eye and nasal discharge can all be signs of pneumonia in goats.

Bloat

If goats eat too much grain they can bloat where essentially they have a build up of gas in their rumen. This can be deadly if not addressed promptly.

Meningeal Worm

Meningeal worm is a parasitic worm that is typically carried in deer. The worm can be transmitted to goats via slugs – their mucous on pasture that is then consumed by goats.

Once ingested, the worm can then travel through the goats nerves and it lodges in their spinal cord. Once in the spinal cord it causes inflammation which can lead to issues from a slight limp to paralysis.

Listeriosis

This is a bacterial infection that is most commonly caused by eating moldy hay or feed. It can cause neurological issues such as being uncoordinated, walking in circles and paralysis of their face.

Treatment of listeriosis can be difficult, but is possible. It is essential to treat it as quickly as possible.

Breeding Goats

If you are planning to breed your goats, then you should make sure to choose the best quality buck and does you can find for your intended purposes.

Once you have made your breeding plans, you will need to understand how goat heat cycles work. Some breeds only go into heat in some seasons while others can breed year round.

Once, you have a pregnant goat, it is important to know the gestation period of goats (around 145 – 150 days) so that youy know when to expect kids.

Then, you should also understand kidding signs, and know what to have in your goat birthing kit so that you are well prepared for when the kids will come.

Raising Goats For Profit

Once you have a good handle on your herd, you may be interested in seeing if you can have them at least pay for themselves. Or, perhaps, even make a profit for your homestead.

There are several revenue streams that you can use such as selling babies, selling milk, selling meat products and even goat yoga.

Can You Freeze Spaghetti Squash? A Food Preservation Guide

By MrAnimal Farm 6 Comments

Perhaps you are growing spaghetti squash, or maybe you found it on a banging sale. Either way, if you have more than you can eat before it goes bad, you may wonder can you freeze spaghetti squash?

Yes, you can freeze spaghetti squash. You can freeze it raw, but it is best to blanch it or cook it before freezing to kill the enzymes that keep it aging. Like most frozen vegetables it is best quality within 6 – 8 months, but is safe to eat indefinitely as long as it has been kept in proper temperatures.

If you can freeze mashed potatoes, and can freeze sweet potatoes then surely you can freeze spaghetti squash too! In fact, freezing spaghetti squash is super easy.

Can you freeze spaghetti squash?

Like so many times before, you may notice a theme here, we found a fantastic sale on organic spaghetti squash at our local market. So, as per usual, we loaded our cart with enough spaghetti squash to garner the standard “What are you going to do with ALL of that spaghetti squash?” from curious onlookers.

Afterall, creating a stockpile is a FANTASTIC way to save money and time.

Preparation, Cooking & Freezing

The first thing you need to get is get all of your spaghetti squashes ready for cooking.

several Spaghetti Squash on a butcher block

If you are using organic or pesticide free spaghetti squash you don’t really need to wash the outside husk since it’s so thick and you won’t be eating it. So you really just need you have plenty of space to work with since they are so large.

Spaghetti Squash sitting on a cutting board

Things you will need:

– spaghetti squash (duh)

– cutting board

– large knife

– measuring cup

– large mixing bowl

– freezer bags

– Sharpie

Optional:

– deep freezer (in case you decide to go food preservation crazy and freeze all of these vegetables)

Preparing Spaghetti Squash

Once your preparation area is ready, you will need to start cutting your squash. Please, be super careful when doing this part. The husks are really thick and take a good deal of effort to break through.

As you can see in the picture, I use the biggest and sharpest knife we have. Sometimes, I can cut straight through the squash with no problems.

However, most times, I end up sticking the knife in the middle of the spaghetti squash all the way through, holding the blade in place, and then slamming the bottom of the spaghetti squash down.

Again, please be EXTREMELY careful during this part. Slamming a blade down through a spaghetti squash is a great way to injure yourself if you’re not paying close enough attention.

At any rate, however you end up cutting your spaghetti squash, you should end up with two equal halves.

Now you will want to start cleaning the seeds from your spaghetti squash. Don’t throw them away. We like to use everything on our homestead.

You can roast them yourself for a nice snack, use them in your own garden, or feed them to any animals you may have around your farm. They are a great natural parasite deterrent.

You can use a fork or a spoon for this part. Gently, scrape the seed from inside of the spaghetti squash. You don’t have to be too careful, you just don’t want to scrape out too much of the actual squash.

Want to use those seeds too? You can roast them like zucchini seeds.

How To Cook It

You may be wondering why you need to cook your squash. Can’t you just freeze it raw? Squash contains an enzyme that will let it still go through the “aging” process even when frozen. The reason we cook it first is to destroy those enzymes and halt the decomposition process.

Once your spaghetti squash are cut and clean, you will want to start cooking them. Place each half of spaghetti squash cut side down on the oven rack. We can fit about 3-4 full spaghetti squash or 6-8 halves per batch. Cook at 400 degrees for around 45 minutes, give or take a few depending on the oven.

When the timer is up, carefully pull your spaghetti squash out of the oven and place it open side up on a clean surface. You may want to wait a few minutes for the outside husk to cool before handling.

When you are ready, pick up the squash or put it on a plate and begin to scrape the “spaghetti” from inside the squash. It should come out pretty easily. If the noodles do not come out easily, you may need to cook for a little bit longer.

You will now have yourself a nice big bowl of noodles.

You can either eat this fresh (throw some spaghetti sauce on it) or you can save it for later.

What’s the best way to freeze spaghetti squash?

We will take a measuring cup and put 2 cups of noodles in a freezer safe quart bag. 2 cups will make about 1 full meal serving or 2 side servings.

Freezing spaghetti squash is actually pretty simple. Just put them into a ziplock bag, squeeze out the air, flatten (to save space), and toss them into your freezer!

It’s super easy to do and, best of all, now you have a super tasty and healthy meal for any occasion! Make sure you date and label the ziplock bags. Your spaghetti squash will stay good for up to a year.

When your ready to eat it, all you have to do is thaw it out. You can do this by sticking it in the fridge over night, reheat it in the oven (if your patient), in the microwave (if your are less patient), or in your Instant Pot.

Want an idea to get you started down the spaghetti squash recipe path? Here is one of our favorites!

Do you have any Spaghetti squash recipes you love? Share them with us in the comments below.

For more great recipes and food preservation tips…

closeup of finished pumpkin bread loaf in pan

Can You Make Money Raising Goats?

By MrAnimal Farm 12 Comments

We got our goats initially because we thought they were absolutely adorable and couldn’t imagine a world without them. But they can be expensive to care for, so shortly after we started to wonder, “Can you make money raising goats?”

The short answer is yes, raising goats for profit is totally possible. However, you need to be very clear in your goals, plan well, and understand where your revenue and expenses will be. Additionally, in order to turn an actual profit with goats, you should make sure to diversify your revenue streams in case one thing has a down turn for the year.

So, let’s go through a whole host of ideas that can help you make money with your goats so that you can turn them into more than just a hobby.

Raising Goats for Profit

Surely, it’s a possibility. I mean, other people raise goats and seem to be doing just fine. So, you should be able to also. You need to make some general decisions like which goat breed you want. And also need to figure out the cost to purchase more goats, and the costs to feed your goats and cost for goat supplies.

You can make your own homestead profitable with these Profitable Homesteading Worksheets.

There are a lot of start up costs when raising goats and also a lot of daily care needs and expenses. So, do make sure that you are aware of what those are first.

Then, you can start brainstorming and figuring out the exact ways you want to use for your revenue streams. It is important to have more than one revenue stream. It all comes down to one simple word: Diversification.

If you bet the farm (pun intended) on just one revenue stream, then a single miscalculation can throw off your entire budget for the year. But if you set into motion several sources of income, then a single miscalculation becomes a bump in the road but isn’t catastrophic.

For example, in one of our past kidding seasons, we had estimated a certain amount of income based on a 50/50 split of baby boys and baby girls. The girls sell for about double (sometimes 3 times or more!!!) the cost of a baby boy, especially if the boy is going to be a wether and not a buck.

Well, in that particular season, the split was more 80/20 than 50/50 and we were overrun with baby boy goats. While it is an adorable problem to have, it could still have been a serious problem. Luckily (actually, strategically) we were able to avoid a financial catastrophe through the diversification of our income streams.

Okay, okay. I know you came here for some numbers While I can’t give you your specific numbers (that would be creepy if I knew that information), I can give you several ideas that are proven money makers!

Ideas to Make Money Goat Farming

So, as you can see from the above example, raising goats for profit may not always be super easy, but with careful planning it is possible.

The best way to diversify your revenue streams is to find things that work together. For instance, if you are raising dairy goats and selling milk, also use some of that milk you already have to make value added products like goat milk soap.

This way, while you are diversifying your profit areas, you aren’t having to branch into things that are totally different like raising hair goats and meat goats and dealing with completely different products and breeds.

1. Sell baby goats.

As I mentioned earlier, you can sell baby goats and make a decent amount of money but you can’t control nature. Sometimes, you end up with too many boys or you are growing your herd and you retain too many girls (this is a very real problem. You’ll see).

Not sure all the details involved with breeding goats? Check out the Ultimate Planner for Breeding Goats which will help you get started!

The price you can get for baby goats will depend on their sex, breed, quality, if they are registered and your area. Unregistered mixed breed kids may start at $50 in most places. Whereas registered high quality doelings may start at $500 and increase into the thousands based on quality.

For this reason, it is good to figure out how to buy the best goats when you are getting started. Yes, they cost more up front, but will also allow you to command a more premium price moving forward.

3. Sell Adult Goats.

If you are trying to work on your herd genetics, it is important to retain doelings (plus they are super cute to raise from birth). But because no one has infinite space, you can sell adult goats for a profit and to free up some herd space.

The nice part of selling adult goats is they have a chance to prove themselves as having good genetics and thus can increase the selling price. Sometimes you can make some more extra cash if you sell a pregnant doe. Then the buyer is getting a doe, the promise of baby goats, AND a doe that will be in milk!

The price you can sell adult goats will vary wildly. It will depend on the breed, their quality, if they are registered and your area. As an example, ADGA registered Nigerian Dwarf Goat adults can go anywhere from $500 – over $2000 in our area based on their quality and genetics.

3. Sell a doe in milk

Maybe you want to sell the doe but want to keep the babies. If that’s the case, you can sell a doe that has recently kidded to anyone looking for a milking goat. They get a goat, the goat is in milk (added value), and you can charge a little extra! It’s win/win.

Same pricing for does in milk apply as for adult goats and kids – but does in milk usually can command a slightly higher price (in comparison to what she would be worth) than an adult that is not bred or in milk.

4. Charge a stud fee

I know what you’re thinking. No, this is not a Magic Mike reference.

Not everyone has the space (or desire) to have a buck of their own (let’s face it, they can get a little stinky). But these people still want to breed their does. Since this is the case, why not let them use your buck?

If you have a buck with quality genetics you can put the word out that you have an available stud. The buyer simply brings their doe to your farm, you meet them in your driveway with your buck and let nature take it’s course. In the goat farming business we call this “driveway breeding” (I know, not very creative).

This isn’t usually super lucrative, but it can help pay for the cost of your bucks feed for the year. Again, depending on breed, quality etc these stud fees usually start in the $50-75 range and increase from there.

buck goat in backseat of car — *He knows where he’s going.*

5. Lease your buck

For the same reasons mentioned above (no space or aversion to stinkiness), some people are willing to lease a buck. This is usually when the breeder is not able to pay close enough attention to catch their does in heat. When they lease a buck they will likely put him in with their does for a specified period of time and he can breed any doe that comes into heat.

This can be pretty lucrative, I just caution that you are picky about where you let your buck go and make sure the leasing farm is up to date on their disease testing.

6. Brush goats

Sounds like a dream job, but this does not mean charging people to brush your goats (although you are welcome to give that revenue stream a try). A brush goat is one that someone will lease for a period of time to clear an area of overgrown brush.

Often times, this is someone who works a lot or is no longer physically capable of clearing land themselves. In these cases, a goat can be a great solution.

The same warning from buck leasing applies though it’s not as dangerous since the leaser likely won’t have goats to pass on any sicknesses. Additionally, they will need to lease at least two goats so they won’t get lonely and sick.

7. Start a petting zoo

Maybe not a full blown petting zoo (unless you want to do that, of course). But there are plenty of kids out there who would L-O-V-E – LOVE to have some goats at their birthday party. Bonus points if you can take some bottle babies for them to feed.

8. Goat Photos

For the benefit of those with flash photography (or just a phone camera) you can charge to have pictures taken with your goats. Who wouldn’t want to make their own calendar with 12 months of cute baby goats?

Another option is to rent your goats out to photographers to use as props in their photo shoots.

9. Goat Education/Classes

Since you are an expert on how you raise your goats, you can offer your advice and experience to others that want to follow in your footsteps. You can do this through on farm education classes.

Plan a few things you would like to teach (basic goat care, herd maintenance, how to milk, how to trim goat hooves, etc) and put the word out. You can hang flyers at your local farm store or announce it online (Facebook groups are great for this sort of thing).

You can’t teach hoof trimming classes without a good set of hoof trimmers and picks.

10. Milk Shares

One way that a lot of goat farmers earn extra income is through something called herd sharing. Essentially, a herd share is when someone makes a monthly payment and purchases a share of your herd. The size of the share they purchase then entitles them to a specified amount of the goat’s milk.

This is a way that some people are able to sell raw milk without being a registered dairy. You will want to check your local laws for any restrictions.

11. Sell Goat Milk Soap

If you have excess milk you can use it for hobby type projects. A great idea for the artistic crowd is soap making. You can get creative with the designs and have a wonderful, natural soap product to use yourself or sell for profit.

12. Goat Milk Soap Classes

If you happen to have a flair for soap making, take one of the options above and teach classes on soap making. You can even sell milk for soap making purposes (again, check local laws for milk selling restrictions).

13. Sell Milk for Feed

If you sell goat babies, you usually have to wait until their mother weens them. But if you sell bottle babies, they can go as early as two weeks old (but only to experienced goat farmers, for the baby’s safety).

Since the baby will need milk and the buyer will have to buy milk, why not sell it directly to them? The baby will be happier because it will be milk, likely from it’s own mother. The customer will be happy because it is way more convenient than buying and mixing formula. And you will be happy because you are making the money!

You can also get licensed to sell goat milk for other animal consumption like pigs, puppies and kittens.

14. Meat Goats

If you have meet goats, in addition to selling kids, you obviously can also sell their meat. You will need to raise them to butchering age and then can either sell them live weight or you can take the to the butcher and sell the prepared cuts of meat.

15. Wool

If you are raising goats for profit and have hair goats, you can sell their hair or you can do value added products and sell clothes, blankets and other woven items.

The possibilities are seemingly endless

These are just a couple of the ways on how to make money from goats. I’m sure there are many other ways I didn’t mention (goat yoga anyone). What revenue streams are you using? Let us know in the comments below.

For more goat information…

Goat Kidding Supplies – The Kidding Kit to Make Kidding Season Smooth

By MrAnimal Farm 2 Comments

Breeding Goats can be so much fun, but you should also be prepared! Kidding time can be exciting, but also stressful. So, it is important you know exactly what to have in your goat birthing kit so you will be completely prepared.

A goat birthing kit is basically just a collection of all the supplies you need for during and right after kidding. It is important to have things like towels, iodine and lubricant for the actual birth. And to have things like colostrum, bottles and medications for right after birth in case there are any issues.

Goats gestation period is about 145-150 days, you will want to make sure you know the goat kidding signs, so you know exactly when to expect kids! And also, make sure that you have a complete goat kidding kit put together so that you have everything you could possibly need – that way if any issues arise, you will be ready to deal with them.

Here is the list of essential goat kidding supplies:

With the right goat supplies, goat medical supplies, and preparation, the excitement of baby goats can definitely outweigh any stress. Having the following supplies in your goat birthing kit will make your life easier regardless of what breed of goats your raise.

1) Towels

Lots and lots of towels! Kidding is not a clean thing. It is gooey and messy. And those babies will need to be dried off. (We clean their face and airways, and let their mom clean them the rest of the way for bonding time.)

You can get these pretty cheap at a yard sale or your local thrift store. Our local Goodwill had large towels for around $1 each and smaller towels for .50 each.

You can also use disposable puppy pads or paper towels if you don’t want to be washing towels after kidding.

2) Gloves

This is a personal preference and I guess isn’t absolutely required but, trust me, you will want these. Things will be much cleaner and you don’t have to worry about anything nasty getting in a micro cut you didn’t know you had on your hand. Plus, sometimes you will need to assist a doe and pull a baby or two.

3) Water-Based Lubrication Gel

As we mentioned above, sometimes kidding doesn’t go as easily as we would like and the doe needs some assistance. Since you already have your gloves, you will also need to use a lubrication to make things go a little more smoothly. Your doe will appreciate this item very, very much.

4) Hair Dryer

Our kidding season generally takes place during the coldest months of the year. Because of this, it is really easy for a baby’s temperature to drop minutes after being born. They are soaking wet from the birthing sack and their mom is often trying to deliver multiple kids.

We have now made it a habit of practice to immediately start blow drying a baby as soon as we have as much of the birthing goo off as we can. This ensures the baby doesn’t become hypothermic and won’t be wasting precious pre-colostrum calories on maintaining their temperature.

You may also want to add a heat lamp to your kidding kit. You shouldn’t leave a heat lamp on unattended as they are a fire hazard. However, sometimes it is good to have one for the kids if they are having issues with keeping their temperatures up. And if you have kids born early, sometimes you need one to use for a few days with a kid in the house.

5) Small container

Something such as a film canister or medicine cups works great for this. You will use it to fill with the iodine.

6) Iodine

You will want to have this on hand to dip navels in after kids are born. This helps to prevent any yucky bacteria from getting into the opening on their umbilical cord before it seals and dries off.

7) Colostrum and syringes

It is always good to have these on hand in case the babies have trouble latching on and nursing. You can either have powdered colostrum or frozen colostrum from a previous kidding. We usually start kids that are having difficulty latching on with either 1 lm or 3ml syringes and warmed colostrum. Typically after an ounce or so they are strong enough to get eating on their own.

It is really important that they get colostrum right away, so having some on hand or being able to milk some from mom and syringe it to them is important.

8) Thermometer and Petroleum Jelly

We like to keep these on hand in case we think a baby is in danger of becoming hypothermic. If we have used the blow dryer and it doesn’t seem to be helping, we get a quick read and can then decide if we need to take more advanced steps in care.

After they are a few days old, you may also need to do temperature checks for various reasons, so good to keep on hand.

9) BOSE or Nutridrench

Depending on where you live, you may have a herd that is prone to selenium (or some other mineral/nutrient) deficiencies. Sometimes this is critical for a new baby goat to have. We always keep a bottle of BOSE (call your vet for availability) on hand and inject .25/cc IMMEDIATELY after the baby is dry enough to stay warm.

Babies can also experience a drop in their blood sugar. This is typically signaled by wobbly balance (not the cute kind, the scary kind) and a drooping head. If caught early, a quick dose of Nutridrench can help an ailing baby out immensely.

You can also use Karo syrup or molasses for a blood sugar drop. Dams will also appreciate some Karo syrup or molasses in warm water after kidding to get a boost in energy.

10) Feeding Tube

A feeding tube can be used in two ways. One, as a feeding tube for weak kids that do not have a suck reflex.

Secondly, occasionally kids will have bloating and constipation issues and it is good to have on hand to use to give enemas. That way they can get their fecal matter out and moving again.

11) Bottles & Pritchard Nipples

If you are going to bottle feed your kids, you will definitely need bottles and Pritchard Nipples. But, even if you plan to dam raise, you may have kids that end up needing to be bottled for various reasons. Therefore, you should always have some on hand.

It is also a good idea to have formula or frozen milk on hand in case you end up bottle feeding.

12) Dental Floss

Dental floss is important to have in case you need to break the umbilical cord. Sometimes it will break on it’s own during birth or right after. Sometimes the kid or dam will stand or move and break it.

However, it it’s still in tact, you may need to break it. Tying dental floss to the umbilical cord and then breaking on the side closest to the dam helps to ensure it isn’t too short and also that the kid doesn’t bleed much.

13) Milking Supplies

These will be important especially if you have dairy goats and plan to milk your goats. However, it’s good to have a milk pail at least on hand in any situation in case you need to milk colostrum from the dam at first.

14) Various Medications

Medications will be a necessary addition to any goat birthing kit. There are a variety of issues that can arise for both dams and kids during and right after kidding.

So, it is always good to have things like antibiotics (LA-200 is a good all around to have on hand), probiotics (good for tummy issues and a stress pick me up), Albon (or other treatment of coccidiosis, Cylence (for treatment of mites), CDT, needles and syringes.

You might not need all of these in one kidding season, but it is a big relief to have what you need already on hand so that you can address issues quickly.

15) Scale

This isn’t a 100% MUST have for your goat birthing kit. However, it is certainly a nice to have. Especially if you end up having to give any medications (those are usually given by weight). Or, if you have a kid that is particularly small or not eating a ton, it is good to be able to make sure that they are gaining appropriately.

16) Vet Number

It is always good to have your vets phone number on hand in case of an emergency. Although the majority of kiddings will go smoothly, there is always a chance of something unexpected happening.

Knowing that you have a vet just a phone call a way can be peace of mind and can also help speed up getting help if an issue arises.

17) Large Weatherproof Tote

We use a large plastic tote to keep all of our kidding supplies in. It is weatherproof and stays in our hay loft all year long. Then when we need it, it is right there!

18) Patience

This is probably the most important thing to have with your goat birthing kit (for us at least). Kidding time is sometimes a waiting game. So, having a good amount of patience while waiting to see those sweet new babies is always helpful 🙂

What goat kidding supplies do you always keep on hand?