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Deborah Niemann @ Thrifty Homesteader

Hi! Are you ready to learn more about goats, chickens, and gardening? Check out the resources I offer below and sign up for my newsletter!

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Featured Post

Bins for composting, creating a goat website, and gjetost

Hello Reader, If you want to live a more sustainable lifestyle, composting can be a great way to reduce waste and nourish your garden at the same time. But with so many options, how do you choose the right compost bin? Our article, "Best Bins for Composting at Home," written by a Master Composter, is here to help. If you're captivated by brown chickens, a variety of breeds can fit any homestead. Whether you’re looking for an excellent egg layer or a meat producer, there is a brown chicken...

about 14 hours ago • 2 min read

Hello Reader, Are you interested in raising white chickens? The pros and cons of raising them are likely stronger than for any other color or pattern. Check out our blog post: '12 White Chicken Breeds to Add to Your Flock.' How about chicken feeders? Do you think they are just an unnecessary expense? Actually, they're superior to alternatives like an old tuna fish can or a discarded dog dish. These makeshift options often lead to wasted feed as chickens walk through them, flip over the dish,...

8 days ago • 2 min read

Hello Reader, I receive LOTS of questions about goat minerals. Do my goats need minerals? Why? What kind of minerals? How much? So, I wrote a post - Goat Minerals: Why, What, and How - to answer all of those questions and more. If you're wondering why your goats need minerals, what kind they need, and how to provide them, be sure to check it out. If you want to add lighter and brighter colors to your chicken yard, consider some yellow or buff chickens. Read this article about 12 yellow...

15 days ago • 1 min read

Hello Reader, I've received a few questions about the Parasites course and the FAMACHA training, and you know what they say ... for everyone who asks, there are probably ten more people with the same question who don't ask! So, here you go … Do you recommend routine use of any drugs, herbs, etc, in the course? No. Controlling parasites is about management, not routinely giving any drugs or herbs or anything else. What is FAMACHA training? It's a comprehensive parasite management program that...

16 days ago • 2 min read

Hello Reader, Did you know that FAMACHA training is included in the Parasites in Goats course because I am a certified FAMACHA instructor? Did you know that you can get a FAMACHA card? But the card is just one small piece of FAMACHA training. To get the card, you need to watch the FAMACHA training videos, pass the quiz with a score of 80%, and send me a quick 30-second video of you checking the eyelids of a goat, and I'll mail you a FAMACHA card so you can feel confident that you are not...

17 days ago • 1 min read

Hello Reader, The first two years we owned goats, I didn’t think parasites were a problem. In fact, I even said that goats had survived for centuries before the invention of dewormers, so obviously they didn’t need them. To buoy my confidence even more, a vet tech professor at the college where my husband teaches asked my husband if he’d bring in goat poop for his students to do fecal exams. We were excited to provide our goat poop for the students to practice, and we were so proud when the...

18 days ago • 3 min read

Hello Reader, During chore time in the middle of a freezing winter more than a decade ago, I saw Tennessee Williams, one of my bucks, fall down when another goat walked past him and barely touched him. That was obviously not good. I separated him from the other bucks so they wouldn’t bother him and so that he wouldn’t give them whatever was making him sick. I checked his eyelids, and they were white, so I did a fecal analysis. The slide was covered with roundworm eggs. I gave him a double...

21 days ago • 4 min read

Hello Reader, Have you ever wondered how a goat can wind up polled or with blue eyes? If you have blue-eyed or polled goats, want them, or are just curious, check out this post to learn why this happens and why polled goats are less common than horned. Eager to introduce some azure allure to your flock? Look no further than blue chickens. Their feathers span the spectrum from the most pale, powdery blue to a dark, slate gray. Get to know 17 of these stunning chicken breeds in our blog post....

22 days ago • 2 min read

Hello Reader, During the spring, I get a lot of questions about when to wean baby goats. And, as usual, the answer is…it depends. Still, I have a few guidelines that help me determine when it’s the best time to wean baby goats, and I share them with you in this post. If you’re looking for a stunning new addition to your flock, there’s no better choice than a black and white chicken breed. Whether they’re speckled, laced, barred, penciled, or spotted, these birds wear an incredible plumage...

29 days ago • 1 min read

Hello Reader, In this issue, let's explore the world of Arapawa Goats with Emily Nyman, President of the Arapawa Goat Breeders Association. Then, delve into crucial topics such as goat-related health risks for pregnant women with Dr. Jamie Stewart. Discover how to care for aging goats with Dr. Michael Pesato and master pasture management for parasite control with Heather Glennon. Arapawa Goats If you’ve been looking for a smaller breed of goat that’s parasite resistant, has excellent...

about 1 month ago • 2 min read
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