Goat Wise | Meat Goats, Feeding Goats, Goat Fencing, Livestock Management
Ranked in the top 2% of podcasts globally.
Are you serious about raising goats but tired of advice that doesn't hold up in real life? Are you adding goats to your ranch or homestead and realizing they require different infrastructure, nutrition, and management than other livestock? Do you want fencing, feeding, and production systems that work under pressure?
You're in the right place.
I'm Millie Bradshaw, Animal Scientist and rancher. I grew up in the commercial cattle world, earned a Master's Degree in Animal Science, and now run a forage-based meat goat operation integrated with cattle in the high desert. We've built the infrastructure, refined the genetics, managed the forage, and learned firsthand what works — and what fails — when you're responsible for animals in a demanding environment.
On Goat Wise, we talk fencing that actually contains goats, feeding and mineral strategies that make sense for your operation, genetics that match your environment and your goals, and the kind of steady decision-making that holds up when conditions aren't ideal. Production-minded livestock management for people who are in this for real.
If you're ready to build systems that last, welcome to Goat Wise.
Episodes
6 days ago
6 days ago
20 min
Today I'm giving you the 2026 commercial meat goat kidding report. We'll go through the numbers, how they're calculated, how they compare to previous years and to industry benchmarks, what the death loss stories are, and what eight years of culling toward a self-sufficient, low-input herd looks like when it all comes together in one season. I’ve been sitting on these numbers for a little while because I’m still amazed at where the numbers settled. Let's get to it.
Episode Mentions:
16 | The Results Are In! Our 2024 Kidding Season Numbers for the Meat Goat Herd, and What You Should Be Keeping Track of in Your Herd
72 | Did We Reach Our Goal? 2025 Kidding Season Report Is Here!
113 | Kidding Season Week One: Forty Does, No Assists
127 | Iodine, Navel Dipping, Goiter, and Mineral: What Happened When I Didn't Follow My Own Advice
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart
Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join
Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com
Instagram: @drycreekpastures
More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.
Sep 14, 2026
Sep 14, 2026
12 min
This year we stopped routine iodine navel dipping on newborn kids, something we'd been testing for a couple seasons and finally committed to fully. And then at about five to six weeks of age, some of the kids showed up with goiters. My first thought was that we'd possibly caused it by stopping the iodine on the navels. I went and looked it up. What I found was more interesting than I expected, and the actual cause turned out to be something I already knew and just didn't do. Let's get to it.
Related Episodes:
17 | Do My Goats Need Mineral? How to Meet Their Micronutrient Needs and Keep the Herd Healthy
65 | We Made It Through Kidding, Now What? The 6 Biggest Health Risks to Your Goat Kids Until Weaning Time
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart
Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join
Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com
Instagram: @drycreekpastures
More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.
Sep 7, 2026
Sep 7, 2026
14 min
Two weeks ago, I gave you the field report on what we're seeing in the sagebrush with the virtual fence. Last week I covered the biology, why goats eat brush, how the MFO enzyme system builds tolerance, what Cedar Eater genetics tells us about browse as a heritable trait. Today I want to talk about what all of it means for winter feeding strategy, land improvement, and why reducing purchased feed costs might be the single most important thing any livestock producer can do for their operation's long-term profitability. Let's get to it.
Mentions:
124 | Virtual Fence in Action: A NoFence Progress Report from the Sagebrush
125 | Why Goats Eat Brush: The Biology Behind What We're Seeing in the Sagebrush
NoFence affiliate code: BradshawGraze10 (capitalization matters) for 10% off your NoFence order. Here’s the link.*
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart
Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join
Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com
Instagram: @drycreekpastures
More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.
*Some links and codes in these notes are affiliate — I earn a small commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting Goat Wise.
Aug 31, 2026
Aug 31, 2026
12 min
Last week I gave you the field report on what we're seeing with the virtual fence in the sagebrush. Today I want to answer the question I get asked all the time: When will goats eat brush, and does season matter? What I've learned is that for goats, that question has a very different answer than most people expect. And the biology behind it is more interesting than I anticipated. Let's get to it.
Mentions:
124 | Virtual Fence in Action: A NoFence Progress Report from the Sagebrush
NoFence affiliate code: BradshawGraze10 (capitalization matters) for 10% off your NoFence order. Here’s the link.*
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart
Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join
Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com
Instagram: @drycreekpastures
More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.
*Some links and codes in these notes are affiliate — I earn a small commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting Goat Wise.
Aug 24, 2026
Aug 24, 2026
15 min
Back in Episode 114, I told you our NoFence collars had arrived and what we were hoping they'd open up. Today I want to give you the first real field report: What's working, what we had to work through, what the sagebrush looks like after the goats have been in it, and why this tool is changing what's possible on this ranch. This is a progress report, not a verdict. But so far, it's better than we imagined. Let's get to it.
Mentions:
114 | Drought, Hay Prices, and Why We Bought Virtual Fence
NoFence affiliate code: BradshawGraze10 (capitalization matters) for 10% off your NoFence order. Here’s the link.*
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart
Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join
Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com
Instagram: @drycreekpastures
More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.
*Some links and codes in these notes are affiliate — I earn a small commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting Goat Wise.
Aug 17, 2026
Aug 17, 2026
15 min
Last week in Episode 122 I gave you the framework: The two phases every goat herd goes through and the three strategies for building toward what you actually want. Today is the story behind why that framework matters. The show goat era, the Montana doe kids that survived a brutal winter, and the contrast that finally made everything clear. And I’ll also tell you what our replacement criteria look like today, because that might help you set your replacement criteria and help you reach your herd goals faster. Let's get to it.
Episode Mentions:
122 | Building a Goat Herd Strategically: Two Phases, Three Strategies, and Why Herd Growth Projections Are Almost Always Wrong
105 | Two Reasons Why People Quit Goats: Fence and Genetics
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart
Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join
Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com
Instagram: @drycreekpastures
More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.
Aug 10, 2026
Aug 10, 2026
15 min
Back in Episode 105 I talked about why people quit goats, and genetics was one of the two big reasons. Today is the follow-up: not why genetics matter, but what to actually do about it. I want to walk through the two phases nearly every goat herd goes through, three different strategies depending on your situation and goals, and why the math people use to project herd growth is almost never realistic. Let's get to it.
Episode Mentions:
105 | Two Reasons Why People Quit Goats: Fence and Genetics
11 | Should I Tag My Goats? What You Need to Know About Government Requirements and How to Use Tagging to Benefit Your Herd
50 | Get Ready for Kidding: Order Your Tags in 4 Easy Steps
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart
Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join
Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com
Instagram: @drycreekpastures
More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.
Aug 3, 2026
Aug 3, 2026
18 min
I know this is a goat podcast. But I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't tell you what we're doing with our cattle herd, because it's part of the same system, and the philosophy behind the decision is exactly the same philosophy that shaped our goat herd. Today I want to talk about why we're switching to Dexter cattle, how we got here, what we were actually evaluating when we looked at breeds, and why multispecies grazing is central to what we're building at Dry Creek. Let's get to it.
Episode Mentions:
107 | Goats vs. Cattle: The Financial Comparison Nobody's Doing
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart
Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join
Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com
Instagram: @drycreekpastures
More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.
Jul 27, 2026
Jul 27, 2026
13 min
Yesterday I was watering the goats in town, put fresh water in the trough, one of the does took a drink, and right after she drank, she did the flehmen response. That funny lip curl. No bucks around. Middle of July. Not breeding season. And I realized I didn't actually know what was going on. I thought I did. So, I looked it up. Today I want to tell you what the flehmen response actually is, because it turns out it's a lot more interesting than most of us think. Let's get to it.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart
Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join
Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com
Instagram: @drycreekpastures
More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.
Jul 20, 2026
Jul 20, 2026
16 min
A couple of weeks ago in Episode 117 I talked about how our market evolved away from the sale barn. Today I want to talk about why the auction can be a great place for meat goat producers to start selling their goats, and for a lot of producers it's the right long-term market. Today I want to talk about how to use the sale barn well, the research, the timing, the relationship building, what to do when you pull in, and what I learned over several years selling this way. Let's get to it.
Episode Mentions: 117 | Selling Meat Goats: From Sale Barn Auctions to a Waitlist11 | Should I Tag My Goats? What You Need to Know About Government Requirements and How to Use Tagging to Benefit Your Herd50 | Get Ready for Kidding: Order Your Tags in 4 Easy StepsLeave a review on Apple Podcasts + grab your free Kidding Due Date Chart: https://www.goatwise.com/kidding-chart
Join the insider email list: https://www.goatwise.com/join
Email: millie@drycreekpastures.com
Instagram: @drycreekpastures
More from the ranch: https://www.drycreekpastures.com
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary advice.