Advanced Goat Care Workshop: Breeding & Kidding

This year, Prodigal Farm is excited to offer a specialized ADVANCED workshop centered around all things kidding, and to share our extensive knowledge, gained from kidding and raising more than 1,500 goats over the years. For this workshop, you should already be familiar with care of adult goats.

This half-day workshop is designed to provide a framework of knowledge and hands-on skills for getting you prepared for kidding – from doe care during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and kid raising. It will be a combination of hands on and “classroom” time, hopefully with a birth to witness! Topics we’ll cover:

how to care for a pregnant doe (vaccinations, feed, etc.)
deciding what setup to use for kidding
preparing your kidding kit
signs of labor, handling delivery (when/how to intervene)
assessing kid health post-delivery
bottle feeding vs dam raising
vaccinations, parasite control, and discussion of common health issues
how to given an injection
handy tools and treatments to have on hand
castration
disbudding
assessing body condition, health and illness
finding a good veterinarian and when to consult

We are entirely pasture-based. If it’s pouring rain that day, we’ll plan a rain date. If it is just sprinkling, the show will go on. Bring a lunch—we’ll have time for a break mid-workshop! We’ll have detailed handouts for you to take home, but also bring a notebook and a way to take pictures. And, of course, wear clothes and shoes that can get dirty. We’re scheduling 3-4 hours for this workshop, depending on how much action is happening in the field, so plan to be here from 11:00am-3:00pm!

Our farm is in Rougemont, in northern Durham County, about 25 minutes’ drive north of downtown Durham. To register, use the link above. We accept payment by credit card via our Square online store. The workshop cost is $80 per person, discounted to $75 per person if 2 or more register, and $70 per person if 3 or more register. We have a few more spots left. Looks like the weather will be great, too!