GOAT EXPERIENCE

Are you interested in raising goats? If you are, we have two levels of intensive goat care workshops that might be right for you. Check them out and let us know if you are interested in scheduling a workshop. Contact us if you have any more questions.

1 DAY WORKSHOP

Are you interested in getting goats and are curious about what it takes? This 1 day workshop is an introductory course designed to give you some insight into what is required to care for goats. This workshop will give you a basic and broad overview. Depending on the time of year, there will be different learning points of this workshop which may include, milking, kid rearing, bottle feeding, etc. All workshops will include information on basic needs, health and nutrition, and general maintenance.

Class Time: 7am - 12pm

Schedule: A May or June Date is TBD soon

Cost: $225 per person

3 DAY WORKSHOP

The 3 day workshop is a very intensive and thorough goat care workshop. This course is designed for individuals ready to get their first goats or current goat owners looking for a better understanding of their goats’ needs. In this class, we will learn all the basics (nutrition, feeding, general maintenance) plus more skills such as drawing blood, administering shots, etc. We will schedule these classes around our kidding schedule with the hope that you will be present for a birth. While there are no guarantees with mother nature, there is a good chance that it will happen during the workshop. Kidding is what we feel to be the scariest and most important time for you to be there and have knowledge of when and how to help. Also, brand new babies are adorable!

We will provide lunch for you during the course. Depending on availability, you will also have the option to stay on-farm in either a room of our guest wing or the private apartment for an additional cost.

Course Curriculum: In this course will go over as much as we can of the following: Feeding (adults and kids), health and nutrition, upkeep, hoof trimming, udder clipping, kidding, bottle training, disbudding/tattoos, breeding, anatomy, administering shots, drawing blood, and cheese making (if interest and schedule allows).

Class Time:

Each of the 3 days will run roughly 7am to 3pm, though you are welcome to join us for evening chores and if a birth falls outside the time window, we’ll text you (if you want!) so you can be present. Sometimes these things happen at 3am!

2024 Schedule

May 14th, 15th and 16th, 7am - 3pm each day.

Cost:

$1,000 per person for the course. We ask for a $250 non-refundable deposit towards the cost of the workshop to hold your spot. If you’d like to stay on the farm, you can book the Guest Wing through our Airbnb listing HERE. If we have enough single participants, we may divide the guest wing to accommodate everyone for a shared cost.

Requirements:

Obtain a copy of Holistic Goat Care by Gianaclis Caldwell (This allows you to have a great reference and a better understanding of things that we cover in the course as ongoing learning)

Be excited to spend time with goats and have a great attitude for learning!

milk maids

Eager to volunteer at Oats & Ivy Farm and spend some time with our sweet goats? This year, we are offering volunteer positions for once per week milking through the lactation season. Contact us directly for more information.

UPDATE: Morning milking slots are filled but we’ll be adding a couple of afternoon milking slots closer to April/May, when some of the babies start leaving for their forever homes.