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.

Chinese geese are known to be active foragers and are sometimes called “weeder geese” for this talent. If you have a pond, they can help keep algae under control. Learn more about them in our post - Homesteader’s Guide to Chinese Geese.​

Although most people seem excited to learn about our self-reliant lifestyle, now and then, someone doesn’t get it. Or they may think that we do this simply to save money. But the reality is that there are a lot of benefits to growing your own food. Here are 8 reasons we grow our own food!

Red Cell for Goats Although it is a fairly common practice for goat owners to treat anemic animals with Red Cell after deworming, there had not been any research on whether it was helpful — until now. This episode's guest, Joan Burke, PhD, Research Animal Scientist at the USDA, ARS Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center, is one of the co-authors on a study that looked at whether using Red Cell could help an anemic goat or sheep recover more quickly after being treated with a dewormer. Listen in

Your Goat is Not a Dog I received an application from a potential goat buyer who is already keeping a couple of pet goats in a dog crate! So, I'm discussing how goats differ from dogs (like four stomaches!) and need different housing, medication, and care. Watch video

Caramel Coffee Creamer If you love flavored coffee, you'll love this simple and delicious caramel coffee creamer. Once we moved to our homestead and started making everything from scratch, I figured out this recipe pretty quickly. This also makes a tasty cup of chai. Since this recipe requires a lot of boiling, you'll want to make this on a day when you can have your windows open. Try this recipe!

On the homestead and in my life...

We had nine baby goats from April 2 to 9, with three does and six bucklings. Turns out that weighing your doe at breeding and then close to her due date can give you an idea of how many kids she is carrying. The doe that gained 27.5 pounds had quads. The doe that gained 25.5 pounds had triplet bucks that all weighed about 5 pounds, so they could have or should have been normal-sized quads! And the doe that gained 16.5 pounds had two big boys. The doe due this week had gained 14.5 pounds by March 30, but it looks like she could be carrying three, so I’m excited to see what she has! She has undoubtedly gained more in the last two weeks because both Plume and Jennifer gained 3 pounds in their last week of pregnancy, and Liz gained 2 pounds.

You can read more about Jennifer‘s birth on my Substack newsletter here.

Happy homesteading!

​
Deborah
and the ThriftyHomesteader Team

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