All Episodes

February 16, 2021 49 mins

Send us a text - we love hearing from you! Just a heads-up: this is a one-way inbox, so we can’t respond here!

Selenium is a very important mineral in a goat's diet. However, since most soil in the U.S. is deficient in selenium, and the U.S. government limits the amount of selenium that can be added to goat feeds and minerals, it's not that easy to make sure your goats get enough selenium.

In this episode, I'm talking to veterinary and ruminant nutritionist, Dr. Robert Van Saun, a professor of veterinary science at Pennsylvania State University. He talks about the notorious history of selenium, as well as symptoms of deficiency. You'll learn how much selenium goats need in their diet and how to make sure they are getting it.  We also talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly in terms of selenium supplements. (Spoiler alert: So-called "selenium gel" does not actually have enough selenium in it to be helpful for a goat that is actually deficient in selenium.)

If you are listening to this episode while driving or milking goats, and you have an urge to start taking notes, remember that the transcript is on the Thrifty Homesteader website, so you can review all of the numbers that Dr. Van Saun shares.

Full show notes here --- https://thriftyhomesteader.com/selenium-deficiency-and-toxicity-in-goats/

To see the most recent episodes, visit FortheLoveofGoats.com

Want to support the content you love?
Head over to -- https://thrifty-homesteader.ck.page/products/love-goats-tip-jar

Thanks for tuning in!

No one ever said raising goats was easy, but it doesn't have to cost a fortune or drive you crazy! You just need the right information.

🔹 Check out Goats 365 membership

🔹 Or explore The Goat Academy

Happy goat-keeping! 🐐

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

24/7 News: The Latest

24/7 News: The Latest

The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

Therapy Gecko

Therapy Gecko

An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.

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

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.