My two favorite websites for goat health information; full of information for raising goats as pets as well as for income.
Please note that I am not a veterinarian, and my opinions come from personal experience. Please research diligently before making decisions for your goats! Always speak with a trusted vet when possible. Remember, there is a lot of information on the internet, and a lot of it is misleading. While I trust these resources, there may be some misleading information that they believe and I do not… Please use these as resources, but talk with a vet or someone else you trust before medicating or making any major decisions. Goats are delicate and shouldn’t be experimented on. Be 100% sure of your plan of action before doing anything! When in doubt, CALL YOUR VET!
Earlier this week I posted a video of Elderberry & Buckwheat eating baking soda – and I received a ton of questions about it. Many people reached out asking for more information, and also inquired about my favorite resources for goat keeping. While I’ve written about copper toxicity and Coccidia in goats, I haven’t written anything summarizing my go-to sites for goat health problems.
I think that many people purchase goats without any knowledge of how hard they are to keep. Myself being one of them! I had no idea what bloat was, nor coccidia. I didn’t know how important a proper (& monitored) diet is. I simply thought they were cute, and wanted to get a few to have as pets.
When Rosemary died, I was in for a rude awakening of the responsibility I had taken on. Since then, I have learned quite a bit about goat husbandry, but I am still a long ways away from being an expert. Whenever I have had problems arise with the boys, I have found myself consulting Fias Co Farm’s & Onion Creek Ranch’s websites. Both of these sites are a wealth of knowledge! While I am not including specific links regarding breeding, simply because I only have wethers, both sites are very informative about the subject – I think you will enjoy them very much!
More about Caring for Goats:
15 Things I wish I knew Before I got Goats
Raising Goats: Keeping the Barn Clean
Fias Co Farm:
Anything and everything you ever wanted to know about goats, you’re going to find it here. From vaccinations, to herbal medicines (although I disagree with herbal worming), and udder washing to neutering. I love Fias Co Farm because of how informative, and user friendly the site is. They have everything you never knew you needed to know, but are happy to have it one click away in a crisis. If you are a first time goat owner, you will enjoy learning from them – she doesn’t make you feel guilty for not knowing what bloat is ;).
Some of my favorite articles:
Medications (pretty extensive, but great!)
Feeding (This is great!!!)
Bloat (One of my very favorite articles about bloat!!!!!)
Poisonous Plants / Edible Plants (Did you know lilacs are poisonous!?)
Typical Goat Behavior (all ages, and genders)
Milk Neck (includes bottle jaw)
Now, if you couldn’t find what you needed to know at Fias Co Farm, try…
Onion Creek Ranch [Tennessee Meat Goats]:
The amount of time I imagine it took to compile the information on this site is comparable to building a bridge. The fact that it is free to access is incredible. This site is primarily written for those interested in goat ranching information (i.e.: meat goats). However, she has extensive articles about medication, illnesses, and feeding.
Some of my favorite articles:
Minerals & Vitamins (Deficiency & Toxicity)
Urinary Calculi in Bucks & Wethers
Internal & External Parasites (worms, lice, etc…)
Rumen (This is so good!)
She also lists everything you may need when raising goats. This list is pretty detailed, and will be useful for people raising a herd of goats. I find the ‘prescription’ portion of the list to be the most helpful!
There are a few other sites that I thought about including in this list, but really, every time I’ve needed information about a specific problem that I have encountered with Elderberry & Buckwheat, Fias Co Farm & Onion Creek Ranch have been my starting points.
I hope that you find these links helpful! If you have a favorite resource for goat care, please let me know in the comments!
Leaving your farm for a little vacation? Check out my tips for finding a farm sitter!
What a great list of resources :) we are planning on getting a pair of goats in the next year or two. We have a couple of acres and we have a lot of blackberries and poison oak that need to be managed. This stuff will definitely come in handy when we finally get them. Thanks for sharing!
Oh your goats are going to LOVE you for those blackberries! My boys would go bonkers!! These links have definitely saved me a time or two ;).
I know in the article you said you give them baking soda do you mix it with water if so how much?