Raising Dairy Goats

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Dairy goats offer many benefits to the homestead farmer, including a good source of milk and entertainment, quality meat, and manure for compost or fertilizer. Learn the benefits and skills of raising dairy goats from an organic farmer in this free dairy farming video series.

There are 17 videos in this series:

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1.

Benefits of Raising Dairy Goats
Dairy goats offer many benefits to the homestead farmer, including a good source of milk and entertainment. Learn the benefits of raising dairy goats from an organic farmer in this free dairy farming video.

Views: 873
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2.

Bottle Feeding Baby Goats
If mother goats die, baby kids need to be bottle fed by careful dairy farmers to raise them docile and handleable. Learn to raise newborn dairy goats from an organic farmer in this free dairy farming video.

Views: 797
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3.

Breeding Dairy Goats
Choose a buck goat for breeding based on his family history of milk or meat, and decide if your buck will stay on the farm with the does. Learn to breed dairy goats from an organic farmer in this free dairy farming video.

Views: 711
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4.

Caring For Goat Kids
Newborn goats need colostrum, fresh, yellowy milk, to build antibodies that will last all their lives. Learn to raise newborn dairy goats from an organic farmer in this free dairy farming video.

Views: 1,061
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5.

Dairy Goats & Healthy Pregnancies
Pregnant dairy goats should lead a cushy life with lots of leafy greens, rich hay, and grain supplements. Learn to raise pregnant dairy goats from an organic farmer in this free dairy farming video.

Views: 516
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6.

Dairy Goats & Parasite Prevention
Dairy goats can get stomach parasites like worms, but rotating pasture land helps stop the worm life-cycle. Learn to raise dairy goats parasite-free from an organic farmer in this free dairy farming video.

Views: 1,026
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7.

Goat Culling for Herd Health
Home butchering dairy goats to cull the herd can be a sad thought, but dairy farmers must control numbers. Learn to raise goats for meat from an organic farmer in this free dairy farming video.

Views: 506
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8.

Hoof Trimming Goats
Trim goat hooves to a flat surface, cutting away dead hoof matter, manure, and debris. Learn to trim dairy goat hooves from an organic farmer in this free dairy farming video.

Views: 681
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9.

Hoof Trimming Goats: Part 2
Trim dairy goat hooves to flat surfaces on which they can build strong, stable hooves. Learn to trim dairy goat hooves from an organic farmer in this free dairy farming video.

Views: 586
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10.

How to Milk a Dairy Goat
Dairy goats should be milked whenever they are full, and goat milk can be digestible for some lactose intolerant people. Learn to milk dairy goats from an organic farmer in this free dairy farming video.

Views: 770
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11.

Keeping Goats for Entertainment
Dairy goats are useful for milk, meat, and compost, but entertainment is a key reason people enjoy goats. Learn to raise fun dairy goats from an organic farmer in this free dairy farming video.

Views: 562
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12.

Kinds of Goats for Dairy Farming
Nubians and Alpines are great dairy goats, and Boer goats are known for meat. Learn to what kinds of goats to raise from an organic farmer in this free dairy farming video.

Views: 1,540
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13.

Labor Complications in Goats
If you must help dairy goats give birth, use sterile gloves and hold the shoulders of the newborn goat. Learn to deliver dairy goats from an organic farmer in this free dairy farming video.

Views: 503
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14.

Raising Dairy Goats: Housing & Space
It takes space and pasture land to raise dairy goats or goats for meat. Learn how to set up space to raise dairy goats from an organic farmer in this free dairy farming video.

Views: 639
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15.

Raising Goats: Fencing & Escape Prevention
Goats are nimble animals that need a fence at least five feet high to stay secure and in place. Learn how to fence in dairy goats from an organic farmer in this free dairy farming video.

Views: 573
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16.

Raising Goats: Food & Water
It is said goats eat anything, but really your goats do well with kitchen leftovers and hay. Learn to raise dairy goats with proper feed from an organic farmer in this free dairy farming video.

Views: 618
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17.

Raising Goats: Labor & Birth
Use a baby monitor with pregnant goats, who often give birth in the middle of the night safely. Learn to raise newborn dairy goats from an organic farmer in this free dairy farming video.

Views: 598
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Views: 12,542 Videos in Series: 17

Tags: raising, goats, farming, caring, dairy

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Summary: Organic farming: more than just a hobby. Today we know that many of the pesticides, fertilizers, and treatments used in commercial and home agriculture are hazardous to the environment. Whereas at one point in history it was ‘okay’ to drain all the nutrients from the soil and poison any insects living there, rendering the land dead and stagnant, and then simply move on to fresher pastures, today people are concerned with their ecological ‘footprint’ and recognizing the damage our framing products (like hormones and feed) have on the environment and human health. Cattle are often treated with hormones to produce more milk or larger muscles, and many of them are bombarded by pesticides and chemicals from the grass and feed they eat regularly. Organic farming is part of the counter-movement, a small step in the right direction that teaches people to trust nature and the natural ways food, flowers, and herbs are produced.

In this free organic farming video series, organic farmer and small business owner Daniel Botkin teaches you how to raise dairy goats and their many benefits. Daniel covers how to choose the type of goat for your homestead, fencing in the goat yard, how to feed and water your goats, and what makes goats such good dairy animals. Daniel will also teach you how to trim goat hooves, take care of pregnant goads and young kids, and all about common labor complications in dairy goats. Daniel gives you what you need to start a safe, healthy alternative goat farm.

About the Expert

Expert: Daniel Botkin is an avid organic gardener, micro-farmer and permaculture advocate who recognizes the timeliness of backyard agriculture and permaculture-style food gardens everywhere in our future food equation. Having left a 25-year career in schools, teaching and counseling, Botkin has for the last decade stewarded and farmed a micro-intensive five-acre plot, Laughing Dog Farm, on a hilltop in Western Massachusetts. With the help of seasonal volunteers, Botkin and his family operate a small CSA and sell gourmet vegetables, herbs and flowers at their local farmers market. He also teaches classes and workshops on permaculture-style food farming, goats, hoop house design, winter gardening and much more.