Watch this before getting Dairy Goats: A Beginner's Guide to Maximizing Your Herd's Potential

We cover the lessons learnt since getting our fantastic Saanen dairy goats. They give us abundant milk and have become part of the family. If you would like to have dairy goats of your own, this episode is for you! A list of all topics covered is contained in the chapter breakdown below.

#dairygoats #homestead #foodsecurity

Chapters
00:00 Our Saanen Dairy Goats and brief introduction
01:05 Breeding you goats
01:57 Kid birthing and our experiences.
03:37 Our favourite resources on kidding and goat health/nutrition
04:56 Leaving the does with their kids
05:48 Morning milking routine
06:14 Their morning feed including the minerals we add and why we add them
07:39 How to see copper deficiency in a black goat
08:24 Morning milking routine continued
08:48 Our milking stand
10:19 Hygiene procedure before milking
11:35 Goat milking techniques. Tips and tricks from us both.
14:21 After milking hygiene procedure
15:41 Dealing with the milk
17:42 Hoof maintenance
20:05 Goat grooming
20:26 Mental health needs
20:48 Our goat shelters
21:46 Our goat feeders for hay and browse
22:50 Keeping your goats entertained
23:42 Pros and Cons of keeping dairy goats
23:48 Goats are hard to fence! Their enclosure and electric fence set up.
27:16 Proximity. They want to be close to you all the time.
28:17 They will eat anything.
29:04 Good for blackberry management and other feral species
30:02 What to do with baby bucks (bucklings) and our experiences with elastration.
33:42 Fantastic manure for the garden and our experiences with deep bedding.
35:24 The kids are incredibly CUTE. They bond with you strongly.
36:43 Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis. A brief overview.
38:27 Hardy and easy to maintain.
39:19 They are a big responsibility and you need to spend time with them to form a strong bond for easy management.
40:29 Thank you and wrap up (with a very cute sleepy Hugo our baby wether)

RESOURCES
Fias Co Farm website by Molly Nolte
https://fiascofarm.com/

Natural Goat Care by Pat Coleby
https://www.agriculturalsolutions.com.au/shop/books/animal-health/natural-goat-care/

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FREE PROVISIONING GUIDE
Pascale has put together a FREE 40 page Provisioning Guide. The Guide explains and provides examples of how we can travel eating a variety of healthy and delicious meals for up to 6 months at a time on our tiny boat with no resupply. There has never been a better time to start learning how to increase the food storage potential of your home. I hope this guide will inspire you to make more informed long term provisioning choices for the future! For more information visit the Provisioning Page on our website ( www.freerangesailing.com/boat-provisioning ) or to grab a copy directly by clicking on the link below.

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Music Credits
Our theme tune (outro and/or intro song) Aquarium by TEVO. You can listen to his music here: https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/4MAfa

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