Goat Wise | Meat Goats, Feeding Goats, Goat Fencing, Livestock Management

Goat Wise | Meat Goats, Feeding Goats, Goat Fencing, Livestock Management

By Millie Bradshaw, MS – Animal Scientist & RancherScienceEducationHow ToNature
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Goat Wise | Meat Goats, Feeding Goats, Goat Fencing, Livestock Management episodes

  • 130 | How Goats See the World: The Biology of Goat Vision

    Today we're talking about how goats actually see the world. Horizontal pupils, panoramic field of view, a reflective layer in the eye that makes them glow at night, and color vision that runs closer to red-green colorblind than to anything like ours. We'll also get into what all of it explains about behavior in the pasture and in the working facility, including a few things that used to look like stubbornness and now just look like physics. Let's get to it.

     

    Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

     

    Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

    Instagram: @drycreekpastures

    More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com

     

    This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

    14 min
  • 129 | Electric Netting in Winter: Why We Still Need It and How We Set It Up

    Today we're talking about electric netting in winter. Why we use it, which fence types we use and why, the setup details that actually matter when the ground is frozen, and whether virtual fence is going to replace it. The short answer on that last one: not entirely, and I'll explain why. Let's get to it.

     

    Episode Mentions:

    109 | Electric Netting in Freeze Country: The Afternoon Teardown Fix

    124 | Virtual Fence in Action: A NoFence Progress Report from the Sagebrush

    125 | Why Goats Eat Brush: The Biology Behind What We're Seeing in the Sagebrush

    126 | Wintering Goats on Brush: The Feed Cost Strategy We're About to Test

     

    NoFence affiliate code: BradshawGraze10 (capitalization matters) for 10% off your NoFence order. Here’s the link.*

     

    Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

     

    Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

    Instagram: @drycreekpastures

    More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com

     

    This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

    *Some links and codes in these notes are affiliate — I earn a small commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting Goat Wise.

    17 min
  • 128 | The 2026 Meat Goat Kidding Report: Numbers Are In and They're Good

    Today I'm giving you the 2026 commercial meat goat kidding report. We'll go through the numbers, how they're calculated, how they compare to previous years and to industry benchmarks, what the death loss stories are, and what eight years of culling toward a self-sufficient, low-input herd looks like when it all comes together in one season. I’ve been sitting on these numbers for a little while because I’m still amazed at where the numbers settled. Let's get to it.

     

    Episode Mentions:

    16 | The Results Are In! Our 2024 Kidding Season Numbers for the Meat Goat Herd, and What You Should Be Keeping Track of in Your Herd

    72 | Did We Reach Our Goal? 2025 Kidding Season Report Is Here!

    113 | Kidding Season Week One: Forty Does, No Assists

    127 | Iodine, Navel Dipping, Goiter, and Mineral: What Happened When I Didn't Follow My Own Advice

     

    Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

     

    Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

    Instagram: @drycreekpastures

    More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com

     

    This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

    21 min
  • 127 | Iodine, Navel Dipping, Goiter, and Mineral: What Happened When I Didn't Follow My Own Advice

    This year we stopped routine iodine navel dipping on newborn kids, something we'd been testing for a couple seasons and finally committed to fully. And then at about five to six weeks of age, some of the kids showed up with goiters. My first thought was that we'd possibly caused it by stopping the iodine on the navels. I went and looked it up. What I found was more interesting than I expected, and the actual cause turned out to be something I already knew and just didn't do. Let's get to it.

     

    Related Episodes:

    17 | Do My Goats Need Mineral? How to Meet Their Micronutrient Needs and Keep the Herd Healthy

    65 | We Made It Through Kidding, Now What? The 6 Biggest Health Risks to Your Goat Kids Until Weaning Time

     

    Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

     

    Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

    Instagram: @drycreekpastures

    More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com

     

    This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

    13 min
  • 126 | Wintering Goats on Brush: The Feed Cost Strategy We're About to Test

    Two weeks ago, I gave you the field report on what we're seeing in the sagebrush with the virtual fence. Last week I covered the biology, why goats eat brush, how the MFO enzyme system builds tolerance, what Cedar Eater genetics tells us about browse as a heritable trait. Today I want to talk about what all of it means for winter feeding strategy, land improvement, and why reducing purchased feed costs might be the single most important thing any livestock producer can do for their operation's long-term profitability. Let's get to it.

     

    Mentions:

    124 | Virtual Fence in Action: A NoFence Progress Report from the Sagebrush

    125 | Why Goats Eat Brush: The Biology Behind What We're Seeing in the Sagebrush

    NoFence affiliate code: BradshawGraze10 (capitalization matters) for 10% off your NoFence order. Here’s the link.*

     

    Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

     

    Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

    Instagram: @drycreekpastures

    More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com

     

    This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

    *Some links and codes in these notes are affiliate — I earn a small commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting Goat Wise.

    15 min
  • 125 | Why Goats Eat Brush: The Biology Behind What We're Seeing in the Sagebrush

    Last week I gave you the field report on what we're seeing with the virtual fence in the sagebrush. Today I want to answer the question I get asked all the time: When will goats eat brush, and does season matter? What I've learned is that for goats, that question has a very different answer than most people expect. And the biology behind it is more interesting than I anticipated. Let's get to it.

     

    Mentions:

    124 | Virtual Fence in Action: A NoFence Progress Report from the Sagebrush

    NoFence affiliate code: BradshawGraze10 (capitalization matters) for 10% off your NoFence order. Here’s the link.*

     

    Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

     

    Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

    Instagram: @drycreekpastures

    More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com

     

    This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

    *Some links and codes in these notes are affiliate — I earn a small commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting Goat Wise.

    13 min
  • 124 | Virtual Fence in Action: A NoFence Progress Report from the Sagebrush

    Back in Episode 114, I told you our NoFence collars had arrived and what we were hoping they'd open up. Today I want to give you the first real field report: What's working, what we had to work through, what the sagebrush looks like after the goats have been in it, and why this tool is changing what's possible on this ranch. This is a progress report, not a verdict. But so far, it's better than we imagined. Let's get to it.

     

    Mentions:

    114 | Drought, Hay Prices, and Why We Bought Virtual Fence

    NoFence affiliate code: BradshawGraze10 (capitalization matters) for 10% off your NoFence order. Here’s the link.*

     

    Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

     

    Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

    Instagram: @drycreekpastures

    More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com

     

    This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

    *Some links and codes in these notes are affiliate — I earn a small commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting Goat Wise.

    16 min
  • 123 | Goats Don't Have to Be So Hard; Smoke Ridge Goats Proved It

    Last week in Episode 122 I gave you the framework: The two phases every goat herd goes through and the three strategies for building toward what you actually want. Today is the story behind why that framework matters. The show goat era, the Montana doe kids that survived a brutal winter, and the contrast that finally made everything clear. And I’ll also tell you what our replacement criteria look like today, because that might help you set your replacement criteria and help you reach your herd goals faster. Let's get to it.

     

    Episode Mentions:

    122 | Building a Goat Herd Strategically: Two Phases, Three Strategies, and Why Herd Growth Projections Are Almost Always Wrong

    105 | Two Reasons Why People Quit Goats: Fence and Genetics

     

    Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

     

    Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

    Instagram: @drycreekpastures

    More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com

     

    This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

    16 min
  • 122 | Building a Goat Herd Strategically: Two Phases, Three Strategies, and Why Herd Growth Projections Are Almost Always Wrong

    Back in Episode 105 I talked about why people quit goats, and genetics was one of the two big reasons. Today is the follow-up: not why genetics matter, but what to actually do about it. I want to walk through the two phases nearly every goat herd goes through, three different strategies depending on your situation and goals, and why the math people use to project herd growth is almost never realistic. Let's get to it.

     

    Episode Mentions:

    105 | Two Reasons Why People Quit Goats: Fence and Genetics

    11 | Should I Tag My Goats? What You Need to Know About Government Requirements and How to Use Tagging to Benefit Your Herd

    50 | Get Ready for Kidding: Order Your Tags in 4 Easy Steps

     

    Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

     

    Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

    Instagram: @drycreekpastures

    More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com

     

    This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

    16 min
  • 121 | We Sold Our Cows and Started Over with Dexters: Improving Our Multi-Species Grazing System

    I know this is a goat podcast. But I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't tell you what we're doing with our cattle herd, because it's part of the same system, and the philosophy behind the decision is exactly the same philosophy that shaped our goat herd. Today I want to talk about why we're switching to Dexter cattle, how we got here, what we were actually evaluating when we looked at breeds, and why multispecies grazing is central to what we're building at Dry Creek. Let's get to it.

     

    Episode Mentions:

    107 | Goats vs. Cattle: The Financial Comparison Nobody's Doing

     

    Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

     

    Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

    Instagram: @drycreekpastures

    More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com

     

    This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

    19 min

About Goat Wise | Meat Goats, Feeding Goats, Goat Fencing, Livestock Management

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