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Currently Happening on the Farm
Hello all! This week, I want to take y’all back a few years. Some of you may know from social media that we don’t have as many animals right now, and before you march me out of town, let me explain why.

Back in 2019, we made one of the hardest decisions we’ve ever had to make on the farm. After owning our Nubian dairy goats for many years, we decided it was time to sell them. We wanted to travel more, and it is not exactly easy to do that with a herd of goats. And when I say herd, I mean HERD.

Here’s a video from 2016, a few years before we sold them, just to give you an idea of what our place looked like back then. Those were some of the best years of the farm, full of energy, noise, and a lot of lessons learned.

What We Should Have Done Differently
Looking back, there are a few things I wish I had known earlier. One big one was understanding the balance between keeping goats as pets and managing them as livestock.

Our goats were family to us. That is the honest truth. We bottle-fed them, named them, and they followed us around like dogs. But that made one thing a lot harder: culling.

Culling is not something people talk about much, but it is part of raising healthy herds. When a goat is constantly sick or weak, especially from parasites, it is usually a sign that they should not stay in the breeding pool. But because we treated them like pets, we could not bring ourselves to make that decision.

The Parasite Problem
If you have ever raised goats in Texas, you already know. The humidity here is something else. We like to joke that living just north of Houston is like living in someone’s mouth. The moisture never quits, and that means parasite levels are through the roof.

We did everything we could with herbal wormers, rotational grazing, and natural methods, and they worked really well for a while. But there were always a few goats that just could not bounce back. Parasites took a toll, and no matter how much we loved those animals, the truth is that keeping them in the herd only made things harder.

Lesson Learned
What I learned through all of that is that good management is not about loving animals less. It is about loving them enough to make the hard calls. Strong genetics, steady rotation, and smart culling build a healthier herd and save you from a lot of heartbreak down the road.

If I could go back, I would still raise goats, but I would do it with a clearer balance between heart and herd health.

Fun Fact
Goats are one of the oldest domesticated animals on Earth. They have been providing milk, meat, and companionship for hundreds of years.

Tool I Recommend
If you are just getting started with goats, one simple thing that makes life easier is a good collar. It helps with training, health checks, and leading them where you need them to go.

Here is the one I recommend:
Weaver Leather Chain Goat Collar with Rubber Grip

It has a comfortable grip, is easy to clean, and it lasts. We have used collars like this for years, and they hold up to even the rowdiest goats. Buying through this link is the best way to support the newsletter if you find it helpful.

Closing Thoughts
That is where our goat story started and ended, for a while. But this series is going to dive into everything we learned over those years and what I would do differently today. From fencing to feed, parasites to profit, we are going to cover it all.

-Tim Parker
Start My Homestead