I agree with all you’ve said about having goats. I will add that sometimes I wake up a tad grumpy. I trudge out to do my goat chores. That cannot last long with these girls! I find myself responding to their personalities and antics with laughter and joy. They’re so hysterical and engaging.
their manure is an awesome soil amendment for the garden ! high butterfat content in the milk and if kept in a relatively clean environment, doe's are relatively odorless giving a clean scented, sweet milk. also, their milk is more easily digested than cows milk. yes, we raise AGS dairy goats.
Love to watch you talking about your homestead.i live in a mobile park.i'm going to plant something's in a pot this spring and set them on my porch.thank you for your videos
I now have 5 goats! I don't have much room for a yard! I do have mountains in the back so I just let them explore and eat! They come right at my front door when they don't see me anymore! Oh and we don't have wolves bears or cayoties to worry about. Greetings from Bulgaria!
I used to work milking cows. I worked on a few farms over 20 or so years, all of these families drank the raw milk and I never heard of any problem. I also used to have a milk goat, I wish I could do it now.
great point about having milk and milk products, even if the shelves of the local walmart are bare. thats why I keep a couple of goats and chickens and rabbits and ducks and cows and pigs ( who are now taking up space in the freezer). also when you have excess milk, make ice cream !!! mmmmmm.
We had to get rid of our goat when my mom got sick. She had been bottle fed and was very attached to us. I think she ended up going to a school that was starting a petting zoo. Her name was Greta. I wanted to have goats named after each of the Von Trap family kids from Sound of Music.(high on a hill was a lonely goatherd) I saw one time that there was a lady that had a few goats that she would hire out to clear land. I thought that sounded like a good business idea. I guess if would require some fencing, but with yours being solar that might work. Might not even need the panels if just the possibility of getting shocked would keep them in.
Since you've a Petunia, how about continuing with...maybe a Lilly, Rose or Marigold? :) We don't have the room for goats or several sheep, but when was hoping we could some how 'make room' for them, remember reading, when they produced excess milk, one lady not only made cheeses, but also canned the milk, and used it later for either baked goods or in an oven baked casserole. Y'all have a really nice set up on your homestead. Gretchen
+Big Family Oooops! Maybe that's why the name popped into my thick skull! How about Miss Beavis and if one of her kids is a boy he can be named Butt Head!😊
Soap, yogurt, cashmire, lawn care and I have a question I had Alpine dairy goats a doe and a wether and I never noticed them producing any but do goats produce lanolin like sheep?
I would love to see how you make your cheese. Not sure what im doing wrong. It never stays together, time after time it comes out like cottage cheese. Which is still good but cheese would be nice. I know i like our butter, ive played with it and we like, garlic in our butter. We have our weathers turned into burger. And as with all our animals, they are like children which can be fun and a bit trying at times.
Well I take the common sense approach when it comes to raw goats milk. I strained it and did a low temp for a longer time I used the Canadian standards for 2006. With goats milk it destroys the flavor and the nutrition as well as the ability to make cheese with it if you use the USDA pasteurization standards.i have no doubt that in most cases you could consume it raw even however I had very small children with health issues and an infection of some kind would have been devistating.
My neighbor Akmed says goats make great dates, so the manure must be good for his fruit trees. How about naming the new goat Magnolia? I love the way it rolls off the tongue... Magnolia!
Here in the California Sierra mountains we get a reduction on our property insurance because they keep the brush down, especially in the rocky cliff areas where humans cannot get to. Some neighbors go in together and share the expensive and share the goats for brush/grass control.
Up in Canada, the unvaxxed were days away from being banned from grocery stores. Even if you can afford a product, what guarantees do you have that you will be allowed to purchase it?
+Lynn Dutt They don't do as good a job on the grass, trees, shrubs, and other stuff no problem. We use Diatomaceous Earth to keep the parasites at bay.
The problem with dairy goats are many but the biggest is the time you have to milk. You really need to milk twice a day, every day. Then there is the 305 day lactation cycle. Plus what to do with the kids when you are freshening. You were talking about store bought goat milk. I have yet to have store bought goat milk as good as from my dairy goats. My suspicion is that goat cheese being as popular as it is, commercial concerns are skimming cream for the the more profitble cheese products and putting the minimum amount of cream in their milk products. Another problem with goats are their personalities. Some people call them dogs with horns, and that is no lie. One of mine likes to walk next to me like a puppy dog. That's the problem with using them for meat, it can be like getting rid of a friend. I had three bucklings that I was going to make that decision about, but luckily I was able to get them adopted. You also need to stagger you breeding if you are going to be in milk. If all you kids show up at the same time, you are going to go from lots of milk to almost no milk. Realize you might have kidding twice a year, which means you may have to change your herd size twice a year. You also need no fewer than 3 to start with.
Brad, we're planning on acquiring a few goats. Will a 4' high chain link fence keep them...or can they jump that? We have an existing dog run that's about 50x50 and we're thinking this would be great for 3-4 goats. Ideas? As for a name...how about Mary (as in "...had a little lamb...") LOL
+ItsyFarm It depends on the goats. If they want out, they can get out. Make it so they don't want out. The size is fine, we use electric only with no issue, but I think our goats are pretty compliant...
She rememinds me of the unicorn Mia Farrow played in the last unicorn . Amalthea was the unicorns name when she was turned into a human temporarily but that name is a little long. I'd call her Mia.
How about Gardenia? My first thought when you mentioned her rather striking beard was the name Beardslea. But, Gardenia is probably better as a female name.
I'm just surprised the kids aren't demanding the right to name her. My son was the most creative name giver in the family. Looking forward to seeing the babies.
Tabitha would be a good name for your goat (if you watch The Walking Dead you'll get it and understand)...or Cucumber...she looks like a cool customer.
+Big Family Homestead thanks,about how much do you give each goat a day? Also do you test your goat before drinking their raw milk? My dairy goat tested positive for Johneys disease so my husband is paranoid about drinking it raw. I've read both,that it can pass and it can't pass to humans through milk. But I would love to drink raw milk for all the good stuff in it. :)
my wife maid the mistake of getting raw milk I drank the crap out of it but this week she bought a gal of milk from the store I didn't really look at it when I got a glass out I had the worst look on my face that gallon has hardly been touched this week
Shasta might be an even better name for a wether. Shasta was the name of the lost twin in a horse and his boy by c s Lewis. Wethers are perpetually youthful and shastas name gets changed back to Corin by the end of the book when everyone figures out who he is so it could be an homage to a classic story about an adventurous boy to name your wether that.
I have bought goat cheese in the grocery store .It tasted like the goats smell is that normal. I wanted to buy some milk but I'm afraid I'll be wasting my money
Do you lock them up in the shelter each night? I would love to have them but I worry about the predators. I work on a farm so I get my goat fix there for the time being.
Brad, my hubby says goats can be eating in the morning and dead in the evening. I have noticed your sweeties are doing quite well. I am glad, but I wish you would contact Bev Volfie, Our Half acre Homestead. She lost her goats within just a couple of days and almost lost the kids. I think it was a copper deficiency and had something to do with their feed. I would hate for you to have a loss like that.
When I name my animals (even my meat animals have names), I give them names that are more suited for people than animals. That way, when you're telling people about your animals, you can say something like, "Oh man. I was hanging out with Colleen the other day and she had me in stitches. For not having opposable thumbs, that girl can really climb trees."
Wow, yeah I could believe that! Milk is expensive, where I live anyways. Close to 5 bucks for a 2 litre carton. You're getting more than that from a single goat, per day! $$
I have to go with Margaret... Then, when you go to milk her, you can say, "it's me again Margaret!" (yeah my parents had Ray Stevens on vhs when I was a kid- that's one of the skits I remember!lol)
Although it may be best not to let me name her- reason being my naming of critters can be a bit out there-example... I named our ram 'Ramma-Lamma-Ding-Dong' and my husband let me cause it sort of stuck! :)
I have a big question. You seem to know so much. We are wanting to get 2 baby goat. Am I ok get two girls or a boy and a girl. If getting a boy we real don't want nuder the boy. We would prefer he was intact. So could I guess in asking am I ok to getting 2 females to raise to start off and later get a
Everyone's always saying "oh they're great fun!" And a couple sentences at the end about a couple things to be careful of. Those are the important things for people to know. Don't make them sound like Disney world so people run out and buy them just to find out they can't afford vet Bill's or medicine bills. That's my 2 cents.
Fleur......french for flower, they want to be milked, and if you let me in, you will not have to do laundry......I will eat all that chemical free cotton?????? LMAO!
I agree with all you’ve said about having goats. I will add that sometimes I wake up a tad grumpy. I trudge out to do my goat chores. That cannot last long with these girls! I find myself responding to their personalities and antics with laughter and joy. They’re so hysterical and engaging.
their manure is an awesome soil amendment for the garden ! high butterfat content in the milk and if kept in a relatively clean environment, doe's are relatively odorless giving a clean scented, sweet milk. also, their milk is more easily digested than cows milk. yes, we raise AGS dairy goats.
Haha 😆 love how you didn’t want to step on that raw/pasteurized debate.
Raw. All the way. Haha
Love to watch you talking about your homestead.i live in a mobile park.i'm going to plant something's in a pot this spring and set them on my porch.thank you for your videos
+Nancy Elswick new beginnings, I love it!
She is lovely! I like Buttercup too!
Another huge advantage is that we could have heaps of manure for the vegetable garden and is absolutely good for compost.
I now have 5 goats! I don't have much room for a yard! I do have mountains in the back so I just let them explore and eat! They come right at my front door when they don't see me anymore!
Oh and we don't have wolves bears or cayoties to worry about.
Greetings from Bulgaria!
I used to work milking cows. I worked on a few farms over 20 or so years, all of these families drank the raw milk and I never heard of any problem.
I also used to have a milk goat, I wish I could do it now.
Thanks Brad.. appreciate your time and knowledge..
great point about having milk and milk products, even if the shelves of the local walmart are bare. thats why I keep a couple of goats and chickens and rabbits and ducks and cows and pigs ( who are now taking up space in the freezer). also when you have excess milk, make ice cream !!! mmmmmm.
AMEN Brad, I agree with everything you said!!! :) Oh and I agree with Jeanne Miller I was going to say Daisy also!!!!
+Alicia Davidson :)
We had to get rid of our goat when my mom got sick. She had been bottle fed and was very attached to us. I think she ended up going to a school that was starting a petting zoo. Her name was Greta. I wanted to have goats named after each of the Von Trap family kids from Sound of Music.(high on a hill was a lonely goatherd) I saw one time that there was a lady that had a few goats that she would hire out to clear land. I thought that sounded like a good business idea. I guess if would require some fencing, but with yours being solar that might work. Might not even need the panels if just the possibility of getting shocked would keep them in.
Since you've a Petunia, how about continuing with...maybe a Lilly, Rose or Marigold? :) We don't have the room for goats or several sheep, but when was hoping we could some how 'make room' for them, remember reading, when they produced excess milk, one lady not only made cheeses, but also canned the milk, and used it later for either baked goods or in an oven baked casserole. Y'all have a really nice set up on your homestead. Gretchen
Wisteria is a nice name for her
I want to do all this stuff :( but i live in a townhouse with .01 land
+Maze+Lee You can still do container gardening ;)
Great video! The name ButterCup for the new addition popped into my head.
+fannygitchyurgun spiritwind We had a goat recently named ButterCup...
+Big Family Oooops! Maybe that's why the name popped into my thick skull! How about Miss Beavis and if one of her kids is a boy he can be named Butt Head!😊
How about naming her Aster, symbolizes patience. It also symbolizes elegance and daintiness. Blessings
Soap, yogurt, cashmire, lawn care and I have a question I had Alpine dairy goats a doe and a wether and I never noticed them producing any but do goats produce lanolin like sheep?
A wonderful new addition to your homestead! Keeping with the flower name.....Daisy, Lily, Rose?
+Nifty Thrifty Bits How about rosebud?
+Big Family Homestead yes...I like rosebud too.
I would love to see how you make your cheese. Not sure what im doing wrong. It never stays together, time after time it comes out like cottage cheese. Which is still good but cheese would be nice. I know i like our butter, ive played with it and we like, garlic in our butter. We have our weathers turned into burger. And as with all our animals, they are like children which can be fun and a bit trying at times.
Bell is what I'd name her.i love goats,also love your videos.keep up the good work
I think Willow would be a good name for your goat. She has a graceful way about her. I love your videos and do pass them on to family and friends
My daughter and I think that Maxine is a great name for your cool new goat ☺
Well I take the common sense approach when it comes to raw goats milk. I strained it and did a low temp for a longer time I used the Canadian standards for 2006. With goats milk it destroys the flavor and the nutrition as well as the ability to make cheese with it if you use the USDA pasteurization standards.i have no doubt that in most cases you could consume it raw even however I had very small children with health issues and an infection of some kind would have been devistating.
We bottle fed lambs on goat milk, poured a bucket in for the meat chickens & the hogs always got theirs. Makes for good, lean meat.
Video starts at 2:15
she looks like she should be named Persimmon. She's a beauty.
My neighbor Akmed says goats make great dates, so the manure must be good for his fruit trees. How about naming the new goat Magnolia? I love the way it rolls off the tongue... Magnolia!
How about the Gaelic word for goat which is "gabhar"
Thats my contribution Brad.
Great video
Here in the California Sierra mountains we get a reduction on our property insurance because they keep the brush down, especially in the rocky cliff areas where humans cannot get to. Some neighbors go in together and share the expensive and share the goats for brush/grass control.
Goats are on my list of must have's once I move out of town. Have you ever made goat milk butter?
Up in Canada, the unvaxxed were days away from being banned from grocery stores. Even if you can afford a product, what guarantees do you have that you will be allowed to purchase it?
How about naming her Pinky Tuscadaro? Do they 'cut' the grass? Also, can you get rid of parasites yourself, or are there huge vet bills?
+Lynn Dutt They don't do as good a job on the grass, trees, shrubs, and other stuff no problem. We use Diatomaceous Earth to keep the parasites at bay.
rosebud (Rosie), Myrtle, Mamie, Betty Lou .... oh, the list just goes on and on!!! She's a good looking girl!!!!
The problem with dairy goats are many but the biggest is the time you have to milk. You really need to milk twice a day, every day. Then there is the 305 day lactation cycle. Plus what to do with the kids when you are freshening.
You were talking about store bought goat milk. I have yet to have store bought goat milk as good as from my dairy goats. My suspicion is that goat cheese being as popular as it is, commercial concerns are skimming cream for the the more profitble cheese products and putting the minimum amount of cream in their milk products.
Another problem with goats are their personalities. Some people call them dogs with horns, and that is no lie. One of mine likes to walk next to me like a puppy dog. That's the problem with using them for meat, it can be like getting rid of a friend.
I had three bucklings that I was going to make that decision about, but luckily I was able to get them adopted.
You also need to stagger you breeding if you are going to be in milk. If all you kids show up at the same time, you are going to go from lots of milk to almost no milk.
Realize you might have kidding twice a year, which means you may have to change your herd size twice a year. You also need no fewer than 3 to start with.
What do you do to clean up the goat poop on the land? (if anything at all)
+sfbluestar nothing. We just move the pen around
I'm a new follower of your site.. What did you name her
Sticking with the flower names, how about Daisy,or Lily.
+brightredsilence1 ARRGH! Good names, but we have a dog named daisey, and a goat named lilly...
I puffer dairy sheep I get our milk butter cheese meet and wool. and they don't need grain. furthermore sheep only need De-warmed every 6 months.
+Appalachian Homesteader Does the milk taste "sheepy" like goats milk tastes "goaty"
Brad, we're planning on acquiring a few goats. Will a 4' high chain link fence keep them...or can they jump that? We have an existing dog run that's about 50x50 and we're thinking this would be great for 3-4 goats. Ideas?
As for a name...how about Mary (as in "...had a little lamb...") LOL
+ItsyFarm It depends on the goats. If they want out, they can get out. Make it so they don't want out. The size is fine, we use electric only with no issue, but I think our goats are pretty compliant...
Do you trim the hooves yourself? If so, can you show a video of it the next time you do it?
+Lucky Robin We do, and we actually have a video already ;) it's in our goats playlist...
Okay, great. I'll look for it.
my other daughter thinks it should be named Naomi because goats deserve to be named an awesome name
since you have petunia, how about blossom or clover, rosebud, daisy.
keep it in the flower family.
+Lynda Weidner rosebud is nice ;)
I think I would name her Daisy. When you make cheese, you can say, "It's a dollop of Daisy" :-)
+Wing Walker :)
Feta.. is a good name
She rememinds me of the unicorn Mia Farrow played in the last unicorn . Amalthea was the unicorns name when she was turned into a human temporarily but that name is a little long. I'd call her Mia.
Clover, Katrina, Bethany
+Katherine Murphy Clover is solid!
How about Gardenia? My first thought when you mentioned her rather striking beard was the name Beardslea. But, Gardenia is probably better as a female name.
+Jeannie S HA! good names ;)
what breed of dairy goats are they?
How about Nanny? Or if she is trouble, you could name her Rue(as in rue the day...)
I raised goats they are so smart and gentle they love BlackBerry bushes, as for a name how about gracie it just popped in my head for some reason
+Thomas Wylie That's funny- great name!
I'm just surprised the kids aren't demanding the right to name her. My son was the most creative name giver in the family. Looking forward to seeing the babies.
+Karen Coman Me too, thanks!
Tabitha would be a good name for your goat (if you watch The Walking Dead you'll get it and understand)...or Cucumber...she looks like a cool customer.
Do you feed your goats and feed except hay? When I had a milk goat the feed was so expensive. Thanks so much :)
+Jennifer Brown We do supplement with the sweet feed- I think it's like $13 for 50 pounds...
+Big Family Homestead thanks,about how much do you give each goat a day? Also do you test your goat before drinking their raw milk? My dairy goat tested positive for Johneys disease so my husband is paranoid about drinking it raw. I've read both,that it can pass and it can't pass to humans through milk. But I would love to drink raw milk for all the good stuff in it. :)
my wife maid the mistake of getting raw milk I drank the crap out of it but this week she bought a gal of milk from the store I didn't really look at it when I got a glass out I had the worst look on my face that gallon has hardly been touched this week
I don't know why. But, when you first showed her. The name that came to my mind was Shasta. (Like Shasta daisies)
Shasta might be an even better name for a wether. Shasta was the name of the lost twin in a horse and his boy by c s Lewis. Wethers are perpetually youthful and shastas name gets changed back to Corin by the end of the book when everyone figures out who he is so it could be an homage to a classic story about an adventurous boy to name your wether that.
Someone suggested Marigold, I like that one.
I have bought goat cheese in the grocery store .It tasted like the goats smell is that normal. I wanted to buy some milk but I'm afraid I'll be wasting my money
Do you lock them up in the shelter each night? I would love to have them but I worry about the predators. I work on a farm so I get my goat fix there for the time being.
+Workin On It We do lock them in...
I got a Great Pyrenees as a guardian and feel very safe with them in their pasture. He feels like they’re his herd. I recommend searching about that.
Don't know why, but the name Juneberry popped into my head. It's different :)
+Crochet Jones Great name!
I’m from Indiana and I raise Boer goats
ya it is a lactose free milk, so it taste the same as goats milk.
+Appalachian Homesteader I had hoped that you'd say it was a bit more like cow...
i think daisy would b a cute name for her...how many strands of wire do you have for your goats?
+jeanne miller Our dog is already named Daisy, love the name- 5.
yes i liked it too
Do goat milk and goat cheese have that weird odor?
+sfbluestar It is distinctly goat-y, which some folks don't like, but that is the flavor of the cheese
We raise bum lambs on our milk goats, they grow a lot faster and gain a lot more meat weight.
+dirtpatcheaven Good call DPH!
+dirtpatcheaven do they nurse on the goats or do you bottle feed? Great tip.
Stella is a good name
Brad, my hubby says goats can be eating in the morning and dead in the evening. I have noticed your sweeties are doing quite well. I am glad, but I wish you would contact Bev Volfie, Our Half acre Homestead. She lost her goats within just a couple of days and almost lost the kids. I think it was a copper deficiency and had something to do with their feed. I would hate for you to have a loss like that.
+Lisa Huther They get minerals and all the other supplements too...
Well you have a Petunia, and I see your dog is Daisy... how about Jasmine ???
How about naming her Penelope? Goes nicely with Petunia :)
+ellepeckwhite Nice suggestion!
you got her from Indiana, call her Hoosier
Great vid ! Tq !!!! 👍
When I name my animals (even my meat animals have names), I give them names that are more suited for people than animals. That way, when you're telling people about your animals, you can say something like, "Oh man. I was hanging out with Colleen the other day and she had me in stitches. For not having opposable thumbs, that girl can really climb trees."
Wow! I cant believe you get that much milk from a single goat! :-O Excellent!
+Weiderfan We usually have too much- even for a family of 9!
Wow, yeah I could believe that! Milk is expensive, where I live anyways. Close to 5 bucks for a 2 litre carton. You're getting more than that from a single goat, per day! $$
I have to go with Margaret... Then, when you go to milk her, you can say, "it's me again Margaret!" (yeah my parents had Ray Stevens on vhs when I was a kid- that's one of the skits I remember!lol)
Although it may be best not to let me name her- reason being my naming of critters can be a bit out there-example... I named our ram 'Ramma-Lamma-Ding-Dong' and my husband let me cause it sort of stuck! :)
+Duarte Valley Homestead My Dad loves Ray Stevens- The Streak!
+Big Family Homestead That was my dad's favorite too! Along with the squirrel in church and 'I ain't sitting up with the dead no more'! Good humor!
I know you have named the new goat by now. But you should have named her Magic. Because around 8:29 it looked like she walked out of that tree. HA
steve ruby Exactly. Thought that was awesome
What breed are your goat
Lobelia! Another flower name to match Petunia. Miss Lobelia ♥
I have a big question. You seem to know so much. We are wanting to get 2 baby goat. Am I ok get two girls or a boy and a girl. If getting a boy we real don't want nuder the boy. We would prefer he was intact. So could I guess in asking am I ok to getting 2 females to raise to start off and later get a
This video aged well. Considering whats happening to the price of food and other core goods these days.
I love your channel. Name her Dimples.
Goat name is:
Gerdi
Marna
Svanhilda
Freja
Kerstin
Emelie
+Gustav Snorkelson ...the third.
foo may chew is my pick for name
+Carlos Smith HA!
Everyone's always saying "oh they're great fun!" And a couple sentences at the end about a couple things to be careful of.
Those are the important things for people to know. Don't make them sound like Disney world so people run out and buy them just to find out they can't afford vet Bill's or medicine bills. That's my 2 cents.
How about Esther? That is a great name :)
+Living Weird Solid name, and a good one for this "more experienced" gal...
we used to have a goat just like her named buela :)
+Liz Limas Love it. I used to have a donkey named Gus. I miss Gus.
+Big Family Homestead love it. we had a Benny, buela, and my favorite pumpernickle (she was a Nubian) :)
Daphne, Valma, Meredith....
What breed are they?
Golden Comets.
awesome.. I want a goatie heee
+FindingMyHomestead Kristin Z (intentionallyinspired) It only takes a few weeks for your hubby to grow one ;)
+Big Family Homestead haaaa
I've heard they are escape artists but I guess that's not true in your case?
+LowlySteward I have been told that too, but no issues as of yet ;)
Given the goatee, I'd name her Harriette. :-)
+Jesse Hires We watch Little House on the Prairie all the time... was that the shop keeper's owner's wife??? she was nasty!
You could name her Bradalyce. She is sweet.
Rosie
or Gertrude
+Kristys account Love it!
Haven't read through all of the comments, but how about Gertrude, Gertrude Goat.
CALL HER PEARL
i think you should name her Adrian. that way you can do your Rocky impersonation when you call her. the wife & kids will really like that!
Patience should be the name of your new gal
Fleur......french for flower, they want to be milked, and if you let me in, you will not have to do laundry......I will eat all that chemical free cotton?????? LMAO!
you keep mentioning her epic goatee, maybe try to figure out a play of the fact that she's a goat with an awesome goatee?
Amen, I think her name should be Angel 😇, or yippee skippee ..kidding of course.😮