How Should You "Do" Your Goat Farm?

If I have learned anything since I started raising goats, it's that people have VERY strong opinions about how goats should be raised. And they are very vocal about them. It can be a little overwhelming to the new goat owner trying to learn and to do the right things.

It's important to have a few trusted goat mentors and friends. No one knows everything, but sometimes we can help each other learn a little more. I have a friend who I love geeking out with. We have about the same level of knowledge and experience, but we've been able to help each other at different points. I have a friend who is extremely knowledgeable about goat health, so I often pick her brain when I have a problem health-wise. There are a few breeders I know I can chat with because they have a lot of experience in general and are happy to share how they handle different situations.

I really value someone who says, "This is how I do it. Or you could try this." Unfortunately, I've found a lot of people are more likely to say, "This is the only way to do this." Most of the time, there are multiple ways. I will always try to share information I have as an OPTION. I can tell you the pros and cons of choices you might make.

The best advice I was ever given was "Do what you want. Breed what you like." That's really really important. At the bottom of all of this, we raise goats because we LIKE them. If you don't like them, you probably shouldn't have them. If you find yourself doing a bunch of stuff you don't enjoy in order to "do goats right", you're getting lost. We can say loftily that we care about the "betterment of the breed"...but really, we just enjoy goats. Make sure that stays at the center of all your practices. If "betterment of the breed" is at the center, I feel a lot of the joy would be lost.

I'm a very busy woman. I own and am the sole instructor for a dance studio. I have four children. I homeschool. My goats are kind of "my thing". It's the one thing I do that's just mine, and just because I want to. So I never want it to feel like a job or an obligation. I'm constantly reassessing what I do and how much I do. There are things I'd like to do (like go to shows) but I simply don't have time. And when I try to do things I don't have time for, I end up resenting something. So for now, I don't go to shows. Maybe that will change when my kids are a little older, or maybe I'll be able to go to some local shows next year.

This is my first year doing performance programs, and boy is it a weird year for it. We still have no idea when LA will be, and most people are getting about a week's notice. I was stressing about it, but I just decided that it is what it is. If I decide to dry up some does, I will. If that means they get a weird score this year, that's ok. If I have to opt out because the dates won't work, that's also ok. Milk test is also harder than I expected, and my does are not producing as much as I'd like or expect. I have more to learn. But the experience is still really good for me, and my family has decided we never want to be without fresh goat's milk, so we will keep on milking!

I plan to do a series of posts with options for common situations, and I hope you find it helpful! My advice is always given in a "Do what you want" basket. :)