For the Love of Goats

For the Love of Goats

We are talking about everything goats! Whether you're an owner, a breeder, or just a fan of these wonderful creatures, we've got you covered. Join host and author Deborah Niemann as she interviews experts and goat lovers so we can all learn more about how to improve the health and production of our goats, improve our relationships, and possibly even start a goat business.

Episodes

September 27, 2023 18 mins

If you want to view everything we know about individual ADGA-registered dairy goats in one place, check out ADGA Genetics. It's the brainchild of Gene Dershewitz, who created the database and website. He also responds to questions from goat owners or wanna-be goat owners.

Gene says that most people are simply using the site as a pedigree viewer, but it has so much more to offer. In addition to a planned breeding funct...

Mark as Played

What do you do when your doe gets bred but doesn't get pregnant? There are a number of reasons why this can happen, and Dr. Jamie Stewart, Assistant Professor in Production Management Medicine at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, joins us in this episode to discuss five of the possibilities.

We are talking about the causes and treatments for cystic ovaries and false pregnancy (pseudo-pregnancy), as...

Mark as Played
August 30, 2023 16 mins

Whether you are interested in finding buck service or renting out your bucks, you don't want to miss today's episode with Dr. Jamie Stewart, Assistant Professor in Production Management Medicine at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.

Although it is important to be sure that all goats have tested negative for CAE, CL, and Johnes, that is only the beginning. Dr. Stewart is talking about a variety ...

Mark as Played
August 9, 2023 43 mins

Losing an animal to a predator is every goat owner's worst nightmare. When it does happen, you want to know who did it and stop them from doing it again. But figuring out whodunnit can often be a challenge.

It this episode, we are talking to Gowan Batist, co-existence programs manager of the Mountain Lion Foundation. She is also a regenerative sheep rancher, hand-shearer, wool spinner, writer, and dog enthusiast who ...

Mark as Played

A couple of months ago, we had a Facebook post that elicited a lot of very passionate responses and also uncovered a lot of myths and misinformation about worms in goats.

In today's episode we are talking about many of the comments that were made on that post and explaining what current research says specifically about goat worms, which are different from worms in other species like dogs, cats, horses, pigs, and even ...

Mark as Played

Rotational grazing is the key to parasite control. After all, if you limit infection of your goats, you limit the potential for them to become severely parasitized. But there is more to rotational grazing than simply dividing up your pasture by a magic number.

Heather Glennon, Associate Professor of Animal Science at University of Mount Olive and goat owner, is talking about pasture management for parasite control in this ...

Mark as Played

New restrictions on over-the-counter antibiotics used in livestock will start in June 2023. Until now, anyone could walk into a farm store and buy penicillins, sulfa drugs, and other antibiotics without a prescription, but that's about to change.

In this episode, we talk to Kevin D. Pelzer, DVM, MPVM, a Professor, Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, ...

Mark as Played
May 17, 2023 18 mins

It can be scary for a goat owner to see something bulging from the vulva of a pregnant goat days or even weeks before the doe is due.

In today's episode, we are talking to Dr. Jamie Stewart, Assistant Professor at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, about what causes vaginal prolapses, the different levels of vaginal prolapse in goats, when to use a prolapse retainer, and when to call the vet.

D...

Mark as Played

If you are raising goats for meat or other products, marketing is a big part of a successful business.

In today's episode, we are talking to Leslie Svacina, owner of Cylon Rolling Acres, about what they do to market their goat meat.

Luckily Leslie had a background in marketing before they started their goat farm. She gives you a timeline of how they got started selling live animals and delivering them to the ...

Mark as Played

Whenever a goat dies, we always want to know why. But the only way to know for sure is to get a necropsy, and that's what we're talking about in this episode.

I was convinced of the importance of necropsies after owning goats for only five years when a seemingly healthy doe suddenly started screaming and was dead an hour later. Without the necropsy, we never would have known that she had died from Tyzzer's d...

Mark as Played
April 26, 2023 22 mins

All these years I thought we were just lucky to have never had a case of hoof rot in our goats, but in today's episode, I learned that luck has nothing to do with it.

Dr. Kevin Pelzer, Professor of Production Management Medicine at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, talks about the bacteria that cause hoof rot and hoof scald in goats, how you know your goat has one or the other, as well...

Mark as Played

Although it is a fairly common practice for goat owners to treat anemic animals with Red Cell after deworming, there had not been any research on whether it was helpful — until now.

Today's guest, Joan Burke, PhD, Research Animal Scientist at the USDA, ARS Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center, is one of the co-authors on a study that looked at whether using Red Cell could help an anemic goat or sheep recover more ...

Mark as Played

Almost everyone has a tetanus shot to protect us from a deadly disease that can be transmitted from an injury that breaks through the skin.

Although some animals are not as susceptible to tetanus, such as dogs and cats, goats can get tetanus. Like humans, which have been protected by the vaccine since the first world war, goats can also be protected from tetanus by a vaccine.

In this episode, which is sponsored by...

Mark as Played

Not only is a goat placenta very different from a human or horse placenta but how it functions is also different, as well as how it should be managed after birth.

In this episode, we are talking to Dr. Jamie Stewart, Assistant Professor at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, about what the placenta does and how it functions in goats. Like all ruminant placentas, it is actually a big blanket of membranes and cotyled...

Mark as Played
March 29, 2023 31 mins

If you only have a few does to breed each year, it might seem like a waste to own your buck. But even if you have a buck, who do you breed his daughters to? One option is artificial insemination, but another option is to co-own a buck.

Although I had heard of two people co-owning a goat before, I had never heard of four until I met today's guests when we were recording last week's episode on Pygmy goats.

Mark as Played
March 22, 2023 28 mins

As a Nigerian dwarf breeder myself, I am acutely aware of how many people think that "pygmy" is a size, not a breed of goat. In this episode, we are talking to four National Champion Pygmy breeders about what exactly makes a Pygmy goat.

Pygmy breeders Karole and Gary Miller of Fox Haven Pygmy Goats, Andrea Pursley of High Caliber Pygmy Goats and Diane Keith of Fair View and Shasta View, talk about the breed stand...

Mark as Played
March 8, 2023 35 mins

At one time or another, every goat owner will probably be faced with external parasites on their goats, which usually means lice or mites.

Dr. Michael Pesato, Assistant Clinical Professor of Food Animal Medicine and Surgery at Mississippi State University, joins us to talk about the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of mites and lice in goats.

While lice in goats are very common, and can be seen with the naked ey...

Mark as Played
March 1, 2023 18 mins

If you think a Nigerian dwarf goat is too small and standard sized dairy goats are too big, then mini dairy goats will meet your needs perfectly.

Miniature dairy goats are a hybrid that starts with a Nigerian dwarf buck and a standard size dairy goat, such as a Nubian, LaMancha, Saanen, or any of the standard dairy goat breeds.

In today's episode, Dee Daniels, president of the Miniature Dairy Goat Associati...

Mark as Played
February 22, 2023 36 mins

If you don't have a veterinarian in your area who sees goats, you can take them to a veterinary teaching hospital. Many people don't realize they are open to the public and even have emergency services 24/7.

In this episode, goat breeder Tammy Gallagher and I talk about our experiences utilizing veterinary teaching hospitals at Texas A&M and University of Illinois. Even though we both went there initially be...

Mark as Played
February 15, 2023 26 mins

If you had a doe with mastitis, a kid with stiff joints, and another kid with pneumonia, would you ever assume that all three were infected with the same disease? If mycoplasma is in your herd, it could cause all of these seemingly unrelated illnesses.

In this episode, Dr. Claire Burbick of the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory talks about this fascinating disease that can cause a wide variety of symptoms, is...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.

    Crime Junkie

    If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.

    Around the NFL

    NFL.com's "Around the NFL" crew (Gregg Rosenthal, Dan Hanzus and Marc Sessler) break down the latest football news, with a dash of mirth.

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    The Bobby Bones Show

    Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.

Advertise With Us

For You

    Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

    Connect

    © 2023 iHeartMedia, Inc.