This recipe is more of a guide to cooking goat stew meat with a pressure cooker like the Instant Pot. You'll find that after you follow the directions, you may make adjustments on when you add ingredients and other seasonings (before the pressure cook or after), as well as how much cooking liquid to remove.  

By using the pressure cooker, this is a no fail way to easily cook your goat meat so it's tender and flavorful without spending hours in the kitchen. It allows you to use your favorite goat recipe or keep it simple with a seasoning kit or a jar of sauce from the grocery store. 

Ingredients 
1 lb. – Stew goat meat or roast or shanks chopped into cubes – order here
1 tbs. – Butter or your favorite fat/oil for sautéing 
1-2 cups – Bone broth – goat or beef, bullion/water mix or water
 
Your choice of sauce, curry or scratch sauce recipe 
Your choice of veggies
Your choice of side rice, noodles, flat bread, tortillas 
 
Directions

1. Thaw goat meat if frozen. Lightly salt and other seasonings to the meat, if desired.
2. In the pressure cooker’s inner pot with the lid off, sauté the meat on medium heat in butter or your favorite fat or oil to brown the meat. It does not need to be fully cooked.
3. Add any chopped vegetables for the purpose of adding flavor to the meat during the cooking process. I added chopped onion. You can sauté them with the meat, or just add with the next step. This is optional. If you’d like vegetables in your dish as a side, wait to add them after the pressure cooking is complete. 
4. Add any sauces or seasonings, pre-made or scratch recipe. If the sauce includes any cream/milk (dairy or coconut) or yogurt, wait to add them until after the pressure cooking. After following this recipe, you may find it more ideal to add your seasonings or sauce afterwards or before. 
5. Add 1-2 cups of bone broth (bullion/water or water) to the mix. If you’re not adding a sauce until after the cooking is complete, add 2 cups of broth to make sure the meat is completely submerged. Mix ingredients in the inner pot until everything is combined.
6. Put the lid on and properly secure it. Set it for 45 minutes, high pressure, with a natural release (let it slowly release the pressure on its own).
7. Once the natural release is complete
   1. Your dish is ready if it’s already seasoned and no vegetables need to be added. You may wish remove half of the liquid, but it is not necessary. 
   2. If your recipe calls for cream/milk/yogurt, remove at least half of the liquid (about 1 cup), then mix in the cream/milk/yogurt and any other ingredients and vegetables. Set to the simmer setting at medium with the cover off. Cook for about 15 minutes. Stir frequently to make sure it doesn’t stick. Turn down temperature if needed. 
   3. If you want to just add vegetables, remove about half of the liquid (about 1 cup), then mix in the vegetables. Set to the simmer setting at medium with the cover off. Cook for about 10-15 minutes. Stir frequently to make sure it doesn’t stick. Turn down temperature if needed.
8. You’re ready to serve your dish with your other sides of choice, such as rice, noodles, flat bread or tortillas, depending on your type of recipe. 

Other tips:

• If you want an easy, no fuss option, you can opt for a sauce in jar. When I made this recipe last, I used a Tikka Masala Curry that I bought off the shelf at the grocery store. 
• This works well with curries or for Mexican or other Latin American dishes as goat barbacoa for tacos or birria. There are a lot of options.

Not all pastures are created equal and that goes for pastures for goats as well. When I looked to find the best combination of pasture diversity for our farm and species of livestock, it was hard to find examples specifically for meat goats. I found some university extension resources on what works for goats, but it was pretty limited. 
 
My overarching decisions have been based on goats’ dietary preference for about 20% forages (grasses/legumes), 20% weeds, and 60% browse (brush/trees/woody plants), according to the Pastures for Profit: A Guide to Rotational Grazing (Undersander, D. et al., 2002).
 
As a result, my approach for our goat pasture has been to use what works with our climate, as well as:

• Plant species native to the prairies long ago in our area
• Plant preferences for goats: forbs (weeds), legumes vs. grasses
• Potential antiparasitic properties
• Pasture diversity

 
Pasture establishment, renovation and enhancement
Overtime our goats have helped us renovate our pastures, which were in CRP and then never farmed after that point.  With grazing, we’ve reduced the scrub brush and helped bring back new plants from the existing seed bed. We’ve done some interseeding to add more diversity in grasses, legumes and forbs.
 
After that first season of grazing, it was impressive to see the goat’s work and the existing seed bed start to come back. The following year in areas that needed a little more work or were too bumpy from gopher mounds, we lightly tilled select areas of the pasture and planted seed with our grain drill. With light tillage, we were able to also maintain the existing species since the plants weren’t fully terminated with the light tillage.
 
Another year we were unable to rent a no-till drill, so I took a “no-till” approach to our grain drill. With the drill placed as low as possible, we planted into select areas of the pasture that was grazed low or areas we cut low for hay. Two seasons ago we rented a no-till drill from a friend to interseed into our pastures and hayfields. Surprisingly the modified “no-till” approach worked better in our pastures. Some time we’ll get our own no-till drill, but knowing that we have a good approach with the equipment we have makes it less of a priority.
 
We also work to enhance our pasture each winter with out-wintering our herd of goats. We strategically place round bales of hay on the pasture. Goats will eat all winter outside, rather than in the barn. The hay residue offers additional seed and the goats help fertilize the pasture. It’s pretty amazing to see how our north pasture has continued to improve simply based on out-winter feeding. A bonus is that we need to clean the barn less in the winter.
 
Pasture mix
While I like to have a diverse mix of species, I’ve paid more attention to the legumes and forbs since the goats have a greater interest in those plants. 
 
I’ve observed that goats tend to eat more legumes over grasses, based on both in the pasture and hay consumption. They’ll still eat grass, but we’ve focused on adding more alfalfa and clover to both our hay fields and pastures. Since our goats are always growing babies, lactating or growing for meat, they’re never in “maintenance mode.” More of a grass mix may work for goats with less demands on the performance of their bodies. 
 
We’ve planted or I’ve observed these species in our pastures: white clover, red clover, sweet clover, alfalfa, chicory, plantain, birdsfoot trefoil, tall fescue, meadow fescue, Italian ryegrass, perennial ryegrass, Alaskan brome, meadow brome, Timothy, festulolium, orchard grass and more.
 
About special plant species 
Chicory
Since goats prefer forbs, as in weeds, chicory was an obvious choice to incorporate into our pastures. As a high-quality forage, it has good feed value for our goats on pasture. It’s also drought tolerant, we see it thrive mid-July to August, as the rest of our pasture species start to slow down in growth. 
 
Chicory also contains tannins, which have the potential to have an antiparastic effect on parasites. An Ohio State University study with lambs suggests there might be evidence to support this idea (McCutcheon, J. et al., 2012).
 
As a bonus, its pretty purple flowers add to the overall aesthetics of our pasture.
 
Birdsfoot Trefoil
It’s taken a while, but this little plant is starting to take hold in our pastures after seeding 3-4 years ago and naturally occurring in other areas.
 
While hard to establish, birdsfoot trefoil is a great legume to add to your pastures since it doesn’t cause bloat and has good feed value, according to a North Central Regional Extension publication.
 
Research is also being done to study the anti-parasitic effects of birdsfoot trefoil with the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) Project, “Forage-Based Parasite Control in Sheep and Goats in the Northeast U.S.” 
 
Preliminary studies show improved resilience to barber pole worm for sheet and goats, but no effect on decreasing fecal egg counts. Those leading the study indicate more research needs to be done. 
 
Plantain
I chose to add plantain into our mix based on its ability to provide a number of mineral, including calcium, sodium, copper and selenium. Our soils are low in selenium and goats tend to need more copper than their small ruminant counterparts, sheep. This plant is one way to address these nutrient needs. 
 
Why pasture diversity?
We aim to have a diverse pasture to balance out the forage availability throughout the entire growing season, from spring to late fall. Additionally, the diversity also helps maintain feed for our goats even when we are especially wet or a dry stretch. And, what if there are weeds in the pasture? I don’t care! The goats will eat them. That’s the same with trees and brush I don’t want to keep long term (some of the trees will stay for cover). 
 
Sourcing seed
We have had good success with Prairie Creek Seed’s Diversemaster mix and blending in their Forage Feast (Chicory) and Tonic (Plantain). We’ve also used Forage First’s Alfalfa Hay and Pasture mix and Orion XL ladino clover (from La Crosse Seed), sourced through our local co-op, Countryside Cooperative.

Whether you’ve been farming for a while, just getting started or looking to branch off a new part of the farm business, you might be wondering about what you “need to do” to get your farm business formalized. 
 
1. Taxpayer ID number or known as an EIN (Employer Identification Number):  If you’re a sole proprietor, you can use your social security number. But you can still opt to request an EIN to use instead. This number is often used with tax forms (W9, 1099, etc.) if you’re receiving a payment from a customer or renter, opening a bank account, and even applying for business licenses. 
 
Here’s where you can apply for your EIN from the IRS.
 
2. Business Structure 
Determine what your business structure should be. 
 
Sole Proprietor is by default what one would be with no formal formation of a business. It's just you doing business. You can still use a business name, which formally would be Your Name dba (doing business as) Your Farm Name. 
 
LLC (Limited Liability Company) or as an S corporation helps limit your risk in your business by protecting your personal assets from business liabilities, debts, or judgments (lawsuits) brought on by the business (Farm Commons., 2018).
 
Other legal resources at Farm Commons, free once you create an online account
Farms Guide to Choosing a Business Entity, Farmer’s Guide to LLCs, Farmer’s Guide to S Corps and Farmer’s Guide to C Corps
 
3. Financials Records
Use a program like QuickBooks to record your farm’s income and expenses. Set up the accounting system’s chart of accounts (or categories) to correspond with the IRS Schedule F tax form, then break it down into other categories to use for business making decisions.
 
By corresponding your chart of accounts with the Schedule F tax form, it’ll be much easier to complete your tax returns for you or for your accountant (saving you money on the time they spend going through your financial records for the year).

As a current QuickBooks user I'm able to offer an online code for 50% the first 6 months of your subscription.
 
4. Separate business checking account: Even if you’re operating as a sole proprietor, it’s also important to keep your finances separate. This way you can have a true account of your profit and loss for your farm and know where you can make adjustments in how you’re running your operation.
 
This is also important if you’re just starting out and want to “invest” personal funds into your business as a way to get started. You can transfer your investment, owner’s equity (money), into your account (also recording it in QuickBooks) and then use the funds for the purpose of your business.
 
5. Business Email: Once you have your farm website domain purchased (see below), then you can set up your official business email (name@yourfarm.com) with G Suite. You do not need to have your website designed. You just need ownership of your domain, such as www.yourfarm.com. 
 
Not only does this add further legitimacy to your business, but it is also important for once you set up your email list/newsletter provider for your farm. Using an email with a verified domain (such as name@yourfarm.com vs. name@gmail.com or name@yahoo.com) will help increase the delivery of your email marketing messages into your customers' email boxes. 
 
Create your business email here.
 
6. Wisconsin Farm Premise ID: This system allows for faster tracing if there is an outbreak of an animal disease or an animal-born human disease. This ID number is specific to a farm location and isn’t a unique animal identification. 
 
This is mandatory if you’re in Wisconsin and includes the following livestock: cattle, swine, poultry, sheep, goats horses, farm-raised deer and other cervids, gamebirds, bison, llamas and other camelids, ratites such as emus and ostriches and fish. The premise or location includes farms, hobby farms, veterinary clinics, stables, animal markets, and any other location where livestock are kept or congregated. 
 
More information and how to register here. 
 
If you live in another state, contact your Extension office or Department of Agriculture to determine if there are similar requirements.
 
This premise/farm ID is the same farm number that’s listed on your scrapie tags, if you raise sheep or goats.
 
7. Scrapies tags. If you raise goats or sheep, you can find more information on the scrapie eradication program and requirements by state: http://www.eradicatescrapie.org. These tags are required by law in most situations when selling goats and sheep.
 
Marketing Basics
Think of your marketing approach as a wheel, with your website as the hub and your strategies as the spokes (email marketing, social media, markets, events, etc.). 
 
8. Website: all your content, what you offer your customers, your products, where/how to purchase lives here. Think of this as the “hub” of your marketing. All of this information lives on this site. Your social media posts are redirected to this site or mention this site. In conversation, you refer folks to this site. Your email marketing will tie back to this site. I think you get the point! Unlike social media, you own your site. It cannot be taken down or hidden from viewers.
 
You’ll need to purchase the domain (www.yourfarm.com) and decide on a service where it will be hosted and you can design/manage it. You can purchase these in the same place, or separately. 
 
When you go to purchase your domain, be ready to buy it as soon as you do the search. There are bots watching repeat searches and they’ll buy up those domains and then try to resell them for a much higher fee. 

• Website domain options: name.com, google.com, and many website editing service providers will also offer the option to purchase a domain. 
• Website Hosting/Design/Management Services: This is the tool that allows you to create your website. With today’s technology, most of these services are “drag and drop” so it is something that most people can do on their own. I currently use Weebly but have heard great things about Squarespace. 
• Ecommerce options: If you choose to sell online, there are several options to look at including SquareSpace, Shopify, Barn2Door, GrazeCart, and others. We use GrazeCart. Depending on where you are at with your business this may be a feature to add on at a later time.

 
9. Email List: Use email as your main tool for doing formal business (sales) with your customers. Using an email newsletter service provider like MailChimp is a good way to make sure you are following legal rules for email marketing, such as allowing your subscribers to opt-out at any time. BCC emails for marketing are illegal, are more likely to end up in a junk folder, and will eventually get shut down. 
 
MailChimp is a good service to start since it has a free option. 
 
Once you have it set up, add the sign-up form to your website, and look for ways to encourage others to sign up for your list. Then, set up a regular schedule for your email communication with customers. Monthly is a good place to start.
 
Just like your website, you own your email list. This is yours. It is not “rented ground” like social media. Your email ends up in an inbox for your customers to see and read at their choosing, vs maybe never seeing with social media.
 
10. Social Media presence: This is at the bottom of the marketing list because, yes it is important, but it shouldn’t be the center of the marketing work. 
 
Which platform should you use? To start, pick one and do it well. It’s an unoffical expectation to be on Facebook, but Instagram is one of the fastest-growing platforms. 
 
Use social media appropriately, applying the 80/20 rule. 80% relationship building and inspiration with 20% sales. It can seem natural to want to post market updates, promotions, and other sales posts, but it can actually be a turnoff and many social platforms will hide your posts if your content is sales focused. They want you to pay-to-play. But, with your followers, most people come to social media for inspiration and a break from life, not to be sold too. Use it as a relationship marking tool and you’ll find that prospective customers will come to you when they are ready OR will be more receptive to your occasional sales pitches. 
 
For more of my favorite marketing and business, resources click here.

​If you’re interested in learning more about what we do on our farm raising goats for meat, join our online community here.  ​

References: 
FAQ: Building the Right Business Structure for Your Farm. Farm Commons. (February 2018). Retrieved from: 
https://farmcommons.org/sites/default/files/FC_FAQ_Business_Structures_Final.pdf

Leslie Svacina of Cylon Rolling Acres was recently featured on Shark Farmer Radio on Sirius XM radio. Hosts Rob and Emily Sharkey interviewed Leslie about raising meat goats, selling goat meat and rotational grazing. You can listen to the archived show here.

This is the second blog post in a four-part Grazing Goats Article Series. The first article, Pasture Fencing for Goats, can be read here.

Electric fence is a great fencing option for goats. However, it is only as good as the training the goats receive. If there's no training, there's a greater chance, or even better chance, that your goats will get out. With the proper training, the goats should respect the fence and not escape. 

Each spring our goats are given a "refresher" training, and new goats to the farm, kids or purchased goats, are also trained on how to use the electric fence. Between having good perimeter fencing (see part I) and fence training with portable electric fence, we have little to no issues with our goats staying in the pasture. On occasion kids may get outside a paddock with portable fencing or out of the perimeter fencing since they are smaller, but they always come back to their moms. Once they get older it's not a habit that continues. 

Here's how we fence train our goats:

The prep work:

• Set up the temporary electric fence in a small loop or square, so there's enough room for the goats being trained to comfortably move around and eat grass
• This should be inside of a permanent fence, or put up a second temporary fence as a "back up" fence, giving some extra space in between fences
• Make sure you can quickly and easily turn off the fence. For us, that's unclipping the alligator clips from the temporary fence to the permanent fence, which is how we access the electricity from our energizer.
• The first time training the goats on the fence, there are usually two of us. That makes it easier to turn off the fence if a goat gets out (or to chase that goat!).
• Before turning the goats out, we will make sure they have eaten some hay for the day. So we usually, will start training in the afternoon. The goats love the lush grass, so this helps prevent them from overeating and causing bloat. It also helps their rumen adjust from dry matter to fresh forage. 
• If it's a larger group, I may split the group up into smaller groups.

The actual fence training:

• Turn out the goats into the training space and watch. I will usually pull up a lawn chair and take notes on the goats that touch the fence. I like to make sure all the goats touch the electric fence at least once, if not twice. It doesn't take long for them to remember how it works. 
• I also pay more attention to the younger goats who haven't been on pasture before. The older does usually remember quickly how the fence works. 
• The first day, I leave them out for maybe an hour, making sure all the animals experience the fence. Then I close off access to the pasture. 
• The second day, I'll wait until the afternoon again, making sure they've eaten some hay. I'll then let them out for a longer period. I'll watch again, but this time I might do some other work around the barn.
• Repeat for another day, possibly more depending on how the goats are taking to the fence. 
• The goal is to have the goats respect the fence. They may be busy eating grass and touch their nose. They may yelp in surprise and jump back. That's ok. We don't want the animals charging through the fence or getting tangled. 

After training: 

• The goats should be ready for rotation grazing with temporary fencing. 
• I always keep an extra eye on them for the first week or so as they continue to get adjusted to the fence, especially with younger kids. 

Tips for success all season

• Make sure the fence is always ON, HOT and not grounding out. A fence tester is a handy tool to help monitor how the fence is working.
• Always make sure they have enough to eat. If they don't, they will want to go where the food is outside of the fence. It's important to watch pasture levels and rotate the herd into new paddocks. 
• GET RID OF THE JUMPERS. I will usually give them one chance. But you can tell quickly with goats, who the naughty, instigators are. They will teach other goat's bad habits. 

If you raise goats, what has worked for you for training goats to respect electric fence?

In the video below you'll see an example of how we fence train our goats to portable electric fence.

Watch for the next blog post on the basics of rotational goats in this grazing goat series. Sign up for our online community here so you don’t miss the next post and to learn more about what we do on our farm raising goats for meat. 

If you missed the first article in this Grazing Goats Series, you can find it here: Pasture Fencing for Goats.

This blog was original published 9/6/2019, and was updated on 6/5/20.

Legal disclaimer: All information provided is based on personal experience and is provided for educational and information use only. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless our website, company and owner for any direct or indirect loss or conduct incurred as a result of your use of our website and any related communications. This applies to, but is not limited to, business operational information and consulting, as well as farm and goat management practices.
Any animal health information provided on this website is based on personal experience or information provided by others whose treatments and practices have been discussed with a veterinarian. In all situations, it is the responsibility of the livestock owner to consult with a veterinarian before using any animal health practices shared on this website or by this company and its owner. See the full legal disclaimer here.

We use Sweeter Heaters, plug-in electric radiant heaters, in our warming boxes for our goat kids. The warming boxes sit in the creep pen to encourage kids to stay in their safe space and offer extra warmth at night or during a cold snap in our Wisconsin spring weather.

We do have the Prima Heat lamps from Premier One Fencing, but I prefer using these Sweeter heaters since the prevent a much lower risk of fire.

Making bone broth is quite simple to do and is way more beneficial for your health than those hard bouillon cubes or even a simple stock. Since the bones are simmered for a longer time with bone broth, it allows for more time to release more collagen, bone marrow, amino acids, and minerals, such as calcium, zinc and magnesium (Cleveland Clinic, 2018). It’s also more economical than the alternative.
 
You can drink it like a cup of tea. Or, I typically will I freeze or can it, and then use it in recipes that call for broth or stock, such as soups, gravies and other dishes. When I made this recipe recently, I used a combination of goat and beef bones.

Nutrient-Dense Bone Broth – Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
Ingredients

• Enough bones to fill the bottom of your slow cooker or Instant Pot – recently I used a mix of beef and goat bones
• 2 tbs. apple cider vinegar 
• Vegetables, such as onion and celery, if you wish
• 1 tbs. refrigerated minced garlic
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• Fresh herbs, if you wish
• Water

 
Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 F degrees.
2. Rinse bones, layer on sheet pan to roast in oven.  Include veggies, if you wish. I usually will add the onions, but not other veggies at this point. Roast for 1.5-2 hours until the bones are browned, even a little crispy looking. Time may vary on the type of bones you are using.
3. Remove the bones and place in your slow cooker or Instant Pot. If there’s any extra fat or brown crispiness left on the pan, scrape it off and add it to the cooking pot.
4. Add apple cider vinegar, vegetables, garlic, herbs, and sea salt. Fill the cooking pot with water to the top, covering all the ingredients. In the Instant Pot, be sure to keep the water below the max line. I like to fill a cup below this line.
5. Cooking Instructions: Slow cooker: Cook on low for 48 hours. Instant Pot: Set on low pressure, cook for 30 minutes.
6. After cooking is complete, remove bones, vegetables and herbs. You can strain any other residue at the surface. I prefer to keep the extra fat on the top, but some may want to take it off. 
7. Prepare for storage: Freeze in mason jars or zip top bags (leave room for expansion, or they’ll pop). If I have enough time, I’ll can the bone broth so I can store it in my pantry and keep my freezer space for other items. 

 
Uses:

• Drink hot, like tea for an extra daily immunity boost 
• Ingredient for recipes, such as soups, gravies or other dishes. I also like to swap bone broth for the water when cooking rice

 
Tips:

• Keep a gallon size zip top bag in your freezer to add veggie scraps and bones when cooking other meals. Use these items as future broth ingredients. I save chicken bones, bones from steaks, onion ends, veggies that start to go soft, etc. 
• You don’t have to roast your bones. It just adds an extra depth of flavor. If the bones are from another meal where the meat/bones are already cooked, I usually don’t roast the bones.
• If we have a whole chicken for dinner, I’ll debone it after and then put the whole carcass with some of our frozen veggie scraps into a slow cooker to start a batch of bone broth.
• If you order whole/halves/quarters of meat from a farmer through a butcher, ask for the bones. Sometimes they’re aren’t on the cut sheet, but typically you can still get them.

Order your goat bones from our Farm Store. For more goat meat recipes, cooking tips, promotions, and to know when goat meat is available, sign up for our email list here.

Kidding is just getting underway on our farm. A lot has to get done to before the baby goats arrive. It includes herd health work, preparing the barn and organizing my supplies 
 
Preparing the does
About a month before the does are scheduled to kid, we will do a herd health day so they are ready for kidding. This includes:

• Hoof trimming, if needed
• Deworming, if needed. We make the decision by assessing each doe individually, based on body condition, FAMACHA and behavior. If a doe needs to be dewormed, we will typically deworm with two or three dewormers, with each from a different class of dewormer. This practice is based on a research article published on the American Consortium for Small Ruminants website: Combination Dewormers: The Time is Now by Dr. Ray Kaplan, Professor of Parasitology, University of Georgia, College of Veterinary Medicine  
• Assessing body condition to determine if any supplemental feeding is needed
• Vaccinating with CDT for clostridial enterotoximia protection (over-eating disease) and tetanus, and Pasturella for pneumonia since our spring weather can have big swings in temperatures, which can lead to respiratory issues. By vaccinating a month in advance of kidding, we are able to pass on immunity protection from the does to the kids, which is especially important during the kids’ first month of life. 

 
As we work through each doe, we will enter notes on what we did into our herd health system, Easy Keeper, making extra notes on areas of concern to help us better monitor the health of each goat and manage our herd overall. 
 
Much like our other herd health days, we will set up our workspace in the barn to work efficiently as possible. Each of our helpers has specific tasks to keep everything moving along, while I visually assess each goat and enter notes into my record keeping program on my iPad. Along the top of the pen wall, we set up several 5 quart rectangular fence line feeders to hold supplies, including vaccinations, dewormers, hoof trimmers and drenchers. Here are some of the supplies I use:

• Fence line feeder 
• Drencher (feeding syringes) 20 ml and 50 ml
• Automatic bottle top syringe 
• Serrated hoof trimmer
• Stand for hoof trimming and herd health work

 
Preparing the barn
In the weeks leading up to kidding, we start to transition the barn from winter housing to kidding:

• Bucks will be moved to a separate pen, if not already. We often leave them with the whole herd most of the winter for ease of feeding.
• Yearlings, last year’s doe kids kept for breeding stock, move to a new pen. In the area where they were originally, the barn bedding is cleaned out to allow for set up of 8x8 pens for kidding. 
• Warming boxes for the postpartum pen are pulled out, each box has two radient Sweeter Heaters inside for warmth and a safe space for new kids
• Infrared heaters are checked to make sure they’re working and we have enough propane, if we have a cold snap during kidding 
• Pull out tote of heat lamps for back up. We don’t use these often, but they are good to have on hand.
• Set up barn cameras about a week in advance
• Make sure extra bedding is on hand

 
Supplies mentioned:

• Sweeter heater 
• Prima Heat lamps  

 
Preparing supplies
About 1-2 months in advance I like to assess my veterinary supplies for kidding to allow for enough time to order or purchase supplies locally. This includes ordering enough vaccines for the does, as well as for their kids (they require boosters with most vaccinations). 
 
Here are the supplies I like to have on hand for kidding. Some of them are used, and some are for emergency situations:

• Plastic gloves – I wear them anytime I might encounter bodily fluid or administer any type of supplements or medication. There are a number of zoonotic diseases that can be passed between goats and humans. It’s a good preventative measure to follow.
• Artificial insemination gloves – these are great if you have to do a rectal exam or assist with pulling a kid
• Selenium and Vitamin E Supplement – this is only used if a kid is weak and showing signs of a vitamin deficiency. Consult your veterinarian for supplements and dosages, if needed.
• Lubricant to aid with rectal exams or assisting with pulling kids 
• Betadine surgical scrub – If I have to internally assist to pull kids, it is a quick disinfectant
• Flashlight 
• Iodine for dipping umbilical cords
• Small plastic cups (condiment size or smaller) for iodine for dipping umbilical cords – I get these at the dollar store
• Dedicated, clean and sharp scissors for trimming umbilical cords
• Small scale to weigh kids – I use this one with a bucket 
• Ear tags for farm identification and USDA scrappies requirement
• Probiotic gel – give to kids and does for an extra boost 
• Vitamin B gel – give to does if they need an extra immunity boost after kidding, or have had a rough delivery 
• BlueLite – goat electrolyte mix – use in the doe’s water after kidding 
• Digital thermometer 
• Lots of old towels for drying off kids
• Marking pen or ink 
• Kid tube feeder 
• LA 200 – To prevent any infections if the doe has complications during birth or you have to assist with the birth. Consult your veterinarian on best practices and dosages. 
• Bag of a quality goat milk replacer, or a Jersey milk replacer (it has similar fat and protein content as needed for goats)
• Colostrum supplement – powdered or tube
• Dog jackets – only for weak kids or really cold dips for brand new kids. Only use these in extreme situations
• Hair dryer – to help dry off new kids, especially when it is cold or if they weren’t cleaned off right away by their mom
• Pet heating pad – used with kids that need to revived or extra warmth for new kids when there’s a cold dip
• Handful of bottler for bottle feeding. I prefer Pritchard nipples on Fiji water bottles (they are more durable for rewashing). 

 
Kidding process and protocols 
When a doe kids, I will let her do most, if not all of the work herself. The only thing I will do is help clean off kids with an old towel to so they dry fast as possible and help clean airways. The does will typically still continue to clean their kids afterwards. By helping dry the kids, this helps reduce any chances of pneumonia or hypothermia, especially if it’s cold out. 
 
After the doe is done kidding, I’ll bring her and the kids into a separate pen for 24-28 hours to allow for bonding and recovery. I’ll observe the kids to make sure they nurse. If a kid had a rough or slow start, I’ll help them with their first feeding. 
 
When it comes to processing the kids, we will take weights, ear tag, and trim umbilical cords and dip them in iodine. Then the kds are placed back into the pen with their mother. This information and anything else relevant about the birth or kids behavior is entered into our animal health record system, Easy Keeper. 
 
After 24-48 hours, the doe and kids will move to a “postpartum” group pen with other doe/kid pairs. The kids will have access to a creep/safe space, typically with some source of heat to keep them safe from other mothers and prevent them from accidently being sat on by their own mothers. 
 
Kids are vaccinated a month after they born and then followed up with a booster based on the vaccinations given.
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If you’re interested in learning more about what we do on our farm raising goats for meat, join our online community here.  ​

Thank you Katelyn at the Wild Rose Farmer for having me as a guest on her Rural Woman Podcast. I’ve been a listener since the start and an avid podcast junkie for along time. It is an honor to be coming into your earbuds as a podcast guest, instead of my usual role as just the listener!

For those who often ask about how I got started raising goats and the meat goat industry and market, here it is!

You can find the podcast episode here, listen to it anywhere you listen to podcasts, or stream it on ‪WildRoseFarmer.com‬

P.S. If you’re new to this podcast or Katelyn, she also raises goats for meat!

You don’t know how many times this winter (now spring) I’ve been asked, “How’s kidding going?” Each time I explain that we don’t have any babies yet since we’ve moved kidding to later in the season.  We’re set to kid in late April and then have the last batch of kids in May.

We’ve kidded and worked with baby goats in January through April, with both babies born on our farm and bottle babies we’ve raised since they were only a few days old.  The first few years raising goats we didn’t own a buck and our breeding schedule worked around the farm where we rented a buck.  We’ve also bred for earlier in the season (anytime between January and March) because that seems to be what most farms do in our area. So why not do the same? And, with raising bottle babies, we of course were on the schedule of the dairy farms we worked with.

There are many reasons farms kid earlier: raising for the show/fair kid market, having kids be at market weight in the fall, renting bucks like we have done, seasonal milking, and so on.

Here are three reasons why we’ve moved to late season kidding:

1. Be in sync with nature. There’s probably a reason why deer have their fawns in the spring time.  Wisconsin winters can be downright frigid cold. Kidding later in the season gives new kids a greater chance of thriving rather than being a “kid-sicle,” potentially leading to pneumonia or even losing a kid.  It also gives new moms a little extra time to let their maternal instincts kick in or time for the shepherd to assist (my preference is the first option).  Shortly after kidding we’re able to get the does and kids out on pasture rotationally grazing, taking advantage of the higher quality pasture earlier in the grazing season.
2. Reduce shepherd’s fatigue. Kidding or lambing can really be wearing on the farmer. Whether it’s a set schedule of late-night barn checks in person or by barn camera, it can get exhausting. That part isn’t going to change with warmer weather (as in not subzero temps). However, the increased effort, and even stress at times, to dry off and warm up new kids is reduced. I also tend to have a little more patience letting does clean up their newly born kids. Last season we also had a new baby (as in human kid) and it was harder to get out to the barn as regularly as I like to do so. Kidding later in the season gives us a little bit of flexibility on being able to bring my kids (again, human) down the to barn and a little more give and take on timing if I can’t get to check on a new set of kids immediately. 
3. Reduce the need for heaters. Mother Nature permitting, kidding later also allows us to reduce the use of heat lamps and infrared heaters to keep kids warm in their safe areas in the kidding pens and in the creep area in the main pen. If spring comes earlier, we might even be lucky enough to not need the heaters at all. Reducing use not only cuts down on our electrical and propane (we also have propane infrared heaters) bills, it also reduces the risk for fire by not using the heat lamps or using them minimally. When do use the heat lamps we use the ones from Premier 1 Fencing, which have more safety features built in than the standard metal heat lamp. We also like using infrared heaters (we have both propane and electric powered ones - the electric are from Sweater Heater).

Even with our later kidding season, we can still run into Mother Nature’s seasonal mood disorder. Last season we kidded a week earlier than this year and ended up having kids during the spring cold snap (single digit temps). We can try our best to work with the flow of our seasons in the Upper Midwest.  Kidding later works well for our farm and family.
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If you’re interested in learning more about what we do on our farm raising goats for meat, join our online community here.