If you are kidding in a cold climate, a warming barrel can help keep your baby goats from getting hypothermia when they are very young. By cutting holes in a 55-gallon drum, you can make a place for baby goats to come warm up at their leisure. Securing a heat lamp in the warming barrel reduces fire hazard risk because the dam cannot access it.
If you have a box stall in your barn and are pressed for space during kidding time, transform it into two kidding jugs for your pregnant goats with these simple steps. This versatile, temporary arrangement will reduce the number of hay feeders, water buckets, and heat lamps you need to supply.
How to Convert a Box Stall to Two Temporary Kidding Jugs for Goats Read More »
If you want to have a successful kidding season, planning and preparation for breeding your does should start well in advance of exposing them to a buck. Provided here is a checklist of calendar items for the care for your does in the months before and after being bred. An example management calendar is provided to help ensure a healthy pregnancy and healthy kids.
Mark your Calendar! How to Make a Management Schedule for Breeding Goats Read More »
Before you bring home new livestock, there are a few housekeeping tasks you should have completed. If you follow this checklist, you will ensure the safety of your new animals and minimize the likelihood of them contracting pathogens from the animals housed there previously.
Help your goats beat boredom and live their best lives with these fun ideas. Transform their enclosure into a goat playground with a few inexpensive additions. Something to climb on, rub on, or a change of scenery is all a goat needs to stay occupied and out of trouble.
How to Keep Happy Goats: 6 Goat Enrichment Ideas Read More »
Some horses have long, luscious locks and others don’t. If you want your horse to have some extra fringe for show day, here is an easy and affordable way to make your own forelock extension. Make this ahead of time, band in on show day, and use it again and again!
Every summer, as we prepare for horse show season, we make a stop at the Dollar Store to stock up on some supplies. Showing can get expensive, so save here so you can splurge elsewhere! This list is geared toward western showmen, but you will find many of the items are useful in any discipline.
In their first few weeks of life, it is imperative that chicks have a warm, safe area to call home. Learn how to set up a brooder and what to include to keep your hatchlings clean, dry, fed, watered, comfortable, and healthy.
With proper training, milking can be an enjoyable experience for both you and your goat. Here are some tips to get your goat used to being in the stanchion, handled, and milked with minimal stress.
Banding is an effective method of castration for male goat kids. Learn how to use an elastration tool for banding goats. Provided are the equipment and steps needed to complete this procedure on your own farm.
How to Band Buck Kids: One Method for Castration Read More »