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

Winter chores don’t have to take all day, but they do require good systems. In today’s episode, I’m sharing what a typical winter day on our ranch looks like, how we divide chores, manage water in freezing temperatures, and keep winter from turning into a constant crisis mode. If winter feels overwhelming, this episode will help you think through a simpler approach.

Episode Mentions:

09 | The Most Important Nutrient for All Livestock is WATER, Time-Saving Tips for Meeting Animal Requirements, and How We Do It Off-Grid

Related Episodes:

28 | Winter Feed for Livestock: Calculate How Much Hay You Need and a Strategy Save Money

35 | Winter Hay Feeding Evaluation: Meeting Nutritional Requirements of Goats and Reducing Hay Waste

40 | How to Help Your Goats Thrive in Winter

42 | Surviving Extreme Cold with Livestock When Your Animals Aren’t Adapted to Freezing Temperatures

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

Email: [email protected]

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.

Breeding season is underway here at Dry Creek, and this year our breeding decisions look a little different than they have in the past. Today, I’m walking you through why we made those changes, not just what we’re doing, but how we’re thinking through the genetics, mothering ability, and long-term herd direction. If you’re raising goats, planning to, or just trying to make better livestock decisions without boxing yourself into a corner, this episode is for you.

Related Episodes:

22 | What Is the Perfect Meat Goat? How to Choose the Right Breed for Your Farm or Homestead PART 1

23 | Boer vs Kiko, What Meat Goat Breed is the Best Fit for Your Farm or Homestead? PART 2

27 | Which Goats Should I Keep to Breed? How to Select Replacement Does and Plan Your Goat Breeding Season

37 | Replacement Doe Management: Later Selection to Choose the Best Does for Your Herd

76 | How to Choose Future Breeding Bucks for Your Goat Herd

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

Email: [email protected]

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.

This week on the podcast, I’m sharing what real-life planning looks like on a working ranch, mud, weather swings, breeding decisions, and all. We’re talking about seasonal rhythms, why rigid schedules don’t work for us, and how planning around your actual life can bring more steadiness and less frustration.

Related Episodes:

02 | Overwhelmed? 4 Steps to Create a Practical Plan for Adding Livestock to Your Homestead Successfully

06 | What Livestock Should I Get First? My Top Pick for Your First Homestead Animals

30 | Livestock Decision-Making: What to do When You Make a Wrong Decision and How to Use that Information to Make Progress

53 | Livestock and Land Management that Works WITH Your Environment and Resources, Not Against Them

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

Email: [email protected]

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.

Before you get goats, or if you already have them and things feel harder than you expected, this episode is for you.  Today I’m sharing five things I really wish I had understood before I got goats. These are lessons that would have saved me time, money, frustration, and a few hard-earned mistakes.  Let’s talk about what goats are actually like, not the myths, and how to set yourself up for success from the start.

Mentions:

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

10 | 5 Tips to Raise Bottle Goat Kids That Thrive

Related Episodes:

03 | Ready for Goats! 4 Steps to Help You Confidently Shop for and Purchase Your First Goats

07 | Should My Goats Have Horns or Not? Pros and Cons of Disbudding Goats

02 | Overwhelmed? 4 Steps to Create a Practical Plan for adding Livestock to Your Homestead Successfully

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

Email: [email protected]

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.

Breeding season success doesn’t start the day the buck goes in, it starts weeks earlier. In today’s episode, I’m walking through how we prepare our goat herd for breeding season, including our feeding strategy after weaning, what flushing actually is and when it works, why mineral intake matters more than most people think, and how winter water access quietly determines whether any of it works at all.

Related Episodes:

14 | When Should My Goats Kid? Timing Your Production Cycle to Optimize Goat Fertility and Forage Nutrition

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

09 | The Most Important Nutrient for All Livestock is WATER, Time-Saving Tips for Meeting Animal Requirements, and How We Do It Off-Grid

24 | What Is That Smell? The Bucks are In Rut! Should You Buy a Buck to Breed Your Does or Is Leasing a Better Option?

26 | Is My Goat Old Enough to Breed?  How To Decide When Your Does Are Ready to Have Their First Kids

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

Email: [email protected]

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.

Regenerative agriculture isn’t a checklist or a finish line. It’s a decision-making process you repeat over and over as you learn what your land can actually do. In this episode, I’m walking you through the framework we use on our high-desert ranch to turn regenerative principles into real-world management decisions with goats and cattle. We’ll talk about learning without copy-pasting, asking “how can this work here?” instead of “this will never work,” and how we break big, overwhelming goals, like reducing winter hay feeding and extending the grazing season, into practical tests we can evaluate and adjust.

Mentions:

Gabe Brown — Dirt to Soil

Related Episodes:

84 | The Messy Middle of Regenerative Ranching: Key Insights from “A Bold Return to Giving a Damn” by Will Harris

78 | Winter Grazing: Low Cost, Regenerative Strategies for Goats and Other Livestock

53 | Livestock and Land Management that Works WITH Your Environment and Resources, Not Against Them

21 | Seeking Sustainability?  How to Evaluate Options and Make Decisions with a Sustainability Mindset

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

Email: [email protected]

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.

Coccidiosis is one of the most common and most misunderstood health issues in goats. Some herds barely deal with it. Others lose kids every season. Today, I’m breaking down what coccidia actually is, how it functions, which strains are the most dangerous, how genetics and stress play into it, and the management shifts that finally broke our yearly cycle of coccidiosis. If you’ve ever dealt with diarrhea, weak kids, or unexplained losses, this episode will give you clarity.

Episode Mentions:

86 | Can Goats and Chickens Live Together? What’s Safe, What’s Not, and How to Do It Right

Related Episodes:

82 | Internal Parasites in Goats: Monitoring, Prevention, and Treatment for Barber Pole and Other Worms

68 | New to Raising Livestock?  Risk Management Strategies When the Learning Curve is Steep

08 | When Animals Aren’t Working Out on the Homestead: How to Evaluate Your Livestock Projects and Decide to Keep or Sell

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

Email: [email protected]

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.

Hi friends!  A lot of folks claim you have to keep goats and chickens separate. Others run them together year-round with no issues. So, which is actually right? Today we’re breaking down the real risks, the benefits, the newest research on coccidia, and the simple guidelines that make mixed housing work safely. And at the end, I’ll share a teaser for next week’s episode, where we’re talking all about coccidia—what it is, when it becomes deadly, and the management shifts that finally broke our yearly coccidiosis cycle.  Let’s get to it!

Related Episodes:

06 | What Livestock Should I Get First? My Top Pick for Your First Homestead Animals

20 | Lessons from Raising Livestock: 5 Problems That Can Be Avoided or Solved with a Good Mentor

21 | Seeking Sustainability?  How to Evaluate Options and Make Decisions with a Sustainability Mindset

31 | Are Winter Heat Lamps Bad for Chickens? How to Prepare Your Flock for a Comfortable Winter

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

Email: [email protected]

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.

Today we’re talking about the mindset that actually makes farming and homesteading sustainable. Not perfection and definitely not a life where everything is easy. We’re digging into gratitude, grit, and learning to find the good even in the messy parts of livestock and off-grid living. Let’s get to it!

Related Episodes:

02 | Overwhelmed? 4 Steps to Create a Practical Plan for adding Livestock to Your Homestead Successfully

15 | The Most Important Lesson We Learned Going Off-Grid, and How You Can Do the Same Thing to Simplify Your Off-Grid Plan

30 | Livestock Decision-Making: What to do When You Make a Wrong Decision and How to Use that Information to Make Progress

68 | New to Raising Livestock?  Risk Management Strategies When the Learning Curve is Steep

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

Email: [email protected]

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.

Hi friends!  Today I want to talk about the transition from conventional agriculture and livestock production to a regenerative or restorative system.  I spent two days in the truck, listening to Will Harris’ book, A Bold Return to Giving a Damn, and it gave me some great insights into the decades-long journey of White Oak Pastures, as well as a look into the future of our ranch.  If you’re considering a production system that is closer to nature’s design or if you’re in the messy middle like we are, this episode will help you see the possibilities, problems, and the beautiful potential.  Let’s get to it!

Related Episodes:

53 | Livestock and Land Management that Works WITH Your Environment and Resources, Not Against Them

45 | Health Benefits of Ruminant Red Meat, Grass-Fed vs Grain-Fed, and Special Characteristics of Goat Meat

21 | Seeking Sustainability?  How to Evaluate Options and Make Decisions with a Sustainability Mindset

08 | When Animals Aren’t Working Out on the Homestead: How to Evaluate Your Livestock Projects and Decide to Keep or Sell

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

Email: [email protected]

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.