Goat Wise | Meat Goats, Feeding Goats, Goat Fencing, Livestock Management

Today we're talking about goat record keeping. Not just for seedstock producers, for everyone. If you want your herd to get better, you need to know what actually happened, not the way you think you remember it. We'll cover where to start, what goes in the notebook, and how a simple steno notebook eventually becomes lifetime doe records that drive your best selection decisions. Let's get to it.

Related Episodes:

122 | Building a Goat Herd Strategically: Two Phases, Three Strategies, and Why Herd Growth Projections Are Almost Always Wrong

123 | Goats Don't Have to Be So Hard; Smoke Ridge Goats Proved It

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Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com

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This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

Today we're talking about how to plan a complex livestock working day. The kind where you've got multiple groups of animals that all need to move somewhere specific, and if you lose track of a step, things end up in the wrong pen or without a place to go. We'll cover why big working days pile up in the first place, the actual system I stumbled onto that made our most recent one the smoothest we've ever had, and why getting it all on paper before you move a single animal changes everything about the day. Let's get to it.

Related Episodes:

91 | Seasonal Planning for Livestock: How We Plan a Ranch Year Without Burning Out

97 | How to Create an Efficient Livestock Chore Routine (Step-by-Step)

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Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com

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More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com/

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

Today we're talking about how goats eat what they eat. We'll cover the anatomy of their mouth, how they select forage, what they do to a pasture that cattle and sheep simply can't replicate, and what all of that means for weed control, irrigation ditch banks, and vegetation management on a working ranch. The biology and the practical application are the same story. Let's get to it.

Related Episodes:
131 | Adding Goats to a Cattle Ranch: The Behavior Realities

130 | How Goats See the World: The Biology of Goat Vision

125 | Why Goats Eat Brush: The Biology Behind What We're Seeing in the Sagebrush

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com

Instagram: @drycreekpastures

More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com/

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

Last week we talked about how goats see the world. Today we're talking about what that means when you have goats on a cattle ranch. The behavior realities, what you can actually control, what to cull for, and how to set yourself up to succeed instead of selling them in frustration. Let's get to it.

Related Episodes:
130 | How Goats See the World: The Biology of Goat Vision

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com

Instagram: @drycreekpastures

More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com/

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

Today we're talking about how goats actually see the world. Horizontal pupils, panoramic field of view, a reflective layer in the eye that makes them glow at night, and color vision that runs closer to red-green colorblind than to anything like ours. We'll also get into what all of it explains about behavior in the pasture and in the working facility, including a few things that used to look like stubbornness and now just look like physics. Let's get to it.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

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Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com

Instagram: @drycreekpastures

More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com/

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

Today we're talking about electric netting in winter. Why we use it, which fence types we use and why, the setup details that actually matter when the ground is frozen, and whether virtual fence is going to replace it. The short answer on that last one: not entirely, and I'll explain why. Let's get to it.

Episode Mentions:

109 | Electric Netting in Freeze Country: The Afternoon Teardown Fix

124 | Virtual Fence in Action: A NoFence Progress Report from the Sagebrush

125 | Why Goats Eat Brush: The Biology Behind What We're Seeing in the Sagebrush

126 | Wintering Goats on Brush: The Feed Cost Strategy We're About to Test

NoFence affiliate code: BradshawGraze10 (capitalization matters) for 10% off your NoFence order. Here’s the link.*

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com

Instagram: @drycreekpastures

More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com/

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

*Some links and codes in these notes are affiliate — I earn a small commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting Goat Wise.

Today I'm giving you the 2026 commercial meat goat kidding report. We'll go through the numbers, how they're calculated, how they compare to previous years and to industry benchmarks, what the death loss stories are, and what eight years of culling toward a self-sufficient, low-input herd looks like when it all comes together in one season. I’ve been sitting on these numbers for a little while because I’m still amazed at where the numbers settled. Let's get to it.

Episode Mentions:

16 | The Results Are In! Our 2024 Kidding Season Numbers for the Meat Goat Herd, and What You Should Be Keeping Track of in Your Herd

72 | Did We Reach Our Goal? 2025 Kidding Season Report Is Here!

113 | Kidding Season Week One: Forty Does, No Assists

127 | Iodine, Navel Dipping, Goiter, and Mineral: What Happened When I Didn't Follow My Own Advice

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com

Instagram: @drycreekpastures

More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com/

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

This year we stopped routine iodine navel dipping on newborn kids, something we'd been testing for a couple seasons and finally committed to fully. And then at about five to six weeks of age, some of the kids showed up with goiters. My first thought was that we'd possibly caused it by stopping the iodine on the navels. I went and looked it up. What I found was more interesting than I expected, and the actual cause turned out to be something I already knew and just didn't do. Let's get to it.

Related Episodes:

17 | Do My Goats Need Mineral? How to Meet Their Micronutrient Needs and Keep the Herd Healthy

65 | We Made It Through Kidding, Now What? The 6 Biggest Health Risks to Your Goat Kids Until Weaning Time

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com

Instagram: @drycreekpastures

More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com/

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

Two weeks ago, I gave you the field report on what we're seeing in the sagebrush with the virtual fence. Last week I covered the biology, why goats eat brush, how the MFO enzyme system builds tolerance, what Cedar Eater genetics tells us about browse as a heritable trait. Today I want to talk about what all of it means for winter feeding strategy, land improvement, and why reducing purchased feed costs might be the single most important thing any livestock producer can do for their operation's long-term profitability. Let's get to it.

Mentions:

124 | Virtual Fence in Action: A NoFence Progress Report from the Sagebrush

125 | Why Goats Eat Brush: The Biology Behind What We're Seeing in the Sagebrush

NoFence affiliate code: BradshawGraze10 (capitalization matters) for 10% off your NoFence order. Here’s the link.*

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com

Instagram: @drycreekpastures

More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com/

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

*Some links and codes in these notes are affiliate — I earn a small commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting Goat Wise.

Last week I gave you the field report on what we're seeing with the virtual fence in the sagebrush. Today I want to answer the question I get asked all the time: When will goats eat brush, and does season matter? What I've learned is that for goats, that question has a very different answer than most people expect. And the biology behind it is more interesting than I anticipated. Let's get to it.

Mentions:

124 | Virtual Fence in Action: A NoFence Progress Report from the Sagebrush

NoFence affiliate code: BradshawGraze10 (capitalization matters) for 10% off your NoFence order. Here’s the link.*

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com

Instagram: @drycreekpastures

More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com/

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

*Some links and codes in these notes are affiliate — I earn a small commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting Goat Wise.

Back in Episode 114, I told you our NoFence collars had arrived and what we were hoping they'd open up. Today I want to give you the first real field report: What's working, what we had to work through, what the sagebrush looks like after the goats have been in it, and why this tool is changing what's possible on this ranch. This is a progress report, not a verdict. But so far, it's better than we imagined. Let's get to it.

Mentions:

114 | Drought, Hay Prices, and Why We Bought Virtual Fence

NoFence affiliate code: BradshawGraze10 (capitalization matters) for 10% off your NoFence order. Here’s the link.*

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com

Instagram: @drycreekpastures

More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com/

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

*Some links and codes in these notes are affiliate — I earn a small commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting Goat Wise.

Last week in Episode 122 I gave you the framework: The two phases every goat herd goes through and the three strategies for building toward what you actually want. Today is the story behind why that framework matters. The show goat era, the Montana doe kids that survived a brutal winter, and the contrast that finally made everything clear. And I’ll also tell you what our replacement criteria look like today, because that might help you set your replacement criteria and help you reach your herd goals faster. Let's get to it.

Episode Mentions:

122 | Building a Goat Herd Strategically: Two Phases, Three Strategies, and Why Herd Growth Projections Are Almost Always Wrong

105 | Two Reasons Why People Quit Goats: Fence and Genetics

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com

Instagram: @drycreekpastures

More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com/

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

Back in Episode 105 I talked about why people quit goats, and genetics was one of the two big reasons. Today is the follow-up: not why genetics matter, but what to actually do about it. I want to walk through the two phases nearly every goat herd goes through, three different strategies depending on your situation and goals, and why the math people use to project herd growth is almost never realistic. Let's get to it.

Episode Mentions:

105 | Two Reasons Why People Quit Goats: Fence and Genetics

11 | Should I Tag My Goats? What You Need to Know About Government Requirements and How to Use Tagging to Benefit Your Herd

50 | Get Ready for Kidding: Order Your Tags in 4 Easy Steps

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com

Instagram: @drycreekpastures

More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com/

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

I know this is a goat podcast. But I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't tell you what we're doing with our cattle herd, because it's part of the same system, and the philosophy behind the decision is exactly the same philosophy that shaped our goat herd. Today I want to talk about why we're switching to Dexter cattle, how we got here, what we were actually evaluating when we looked at breeds, and why multispecies grazing is central to what we're building at Dry Creek. Let's get to it.

Episode Mentions:

107 | Goats vs. Cattle: The Financial Comparison Nobody's Doing

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

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Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com

Instagram: @drycreekpastures

More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com/

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

Yesterday I was watering the goats in town, put fresh water in the trough, one of the does took a drink, and right after she drank, she did the flehmen response. That funny lip curl. No bucks around. Middle of July. Not breeding season. And I realized I didn't actually know what was going on. I thought I did. So, I looked it up. Today I want to tell you what the flehmen response actually is, because it turns out it's a lot more interesting than most of us think. Let's get to it.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com

Instagram: @drycreekpastures

More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com/

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

A couple of weeks ago in Episode 117 I talked about how our market evolved away from the sale barn. Today I want to talk about why the auction can be a great place for meat goat producers to start selling their goats, and for a lot of producers it's the right long-term market. Today I want to talk about how to use the sale barn well, the research, the timing, the relationship building, what to do when you pull in, and what I learned over several years selling this way. Let's get to it.

Episode Mentions:

117 | Selling Meat Goats: From Sale Barn Auctions to a Waitlist

11 | Should I Tag My Goats? What You Need to Know About Government Requirements and How to Use Tagging to Benefit Your Herd

50 | Get Ready for Kidding: Order Your Tags in 4 Easy Steps

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com

Instagram: @drycreekpastures

More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com/

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

Today we're talking about heat management in goats, the basics that actually matter, what I learned during one brutal kidding season, some coat science that surprised me, and a practical tool I wish I'd had sooner. I’m also going to tell you about the time I dunked a kid in a water trough. Let's get to it.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com

Instagram: @drycreekpastures

More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com/

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

Today I want to tell you how our goat market evolved from sale barn auctions to direct-to-consumer meat sales to something I stumbled into sort of by accident that turned out to be a much better fit for the goats we've been raising. There's a mental block I had to work through in there too, and I think a lot of producers run into the same one. Let's get to it.

Mentions:
Idaho Goat Grazers (Zak)
VS Goat Grazing (Virgil)

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Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com

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More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com/

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

Back in Episode 46, I talked about early versus late banding of buck kids. We went through the full debate, the urinary calculi argument, the research, all of it, and I reported on a small test group we'd banded at birth. I said I'd follow up when we did it at scale. We've now done it at scale, and this is that follow-up. Let's get to it.

Episode Mentions:
46 | Early Banding vs Late Banding in Buck Kids: Will Your Goats Be Healthy if You Band Them Early?

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

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Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com

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More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com/

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.

This is a question I get asked a lot, and honestly, one I've wondered about myself for a long time. Freemartinism is something every cattle producer knows about, a female born twin to a male that ends up sterile. But you almost never hear about it in goats. Today I want to get to the bottom of why that is, because the answer isn't that goats are immune to it. It comes down to anatomy, and it's actually pretty interesting once you understand what's happening. Let's get to it.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart

Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join

Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com

Instagram: @drycreekpastures

More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com/

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.