Top Ten Most-Read Blog Posts of 2018

It’s the beginning of the year and I thought it would be worthwhile to go back and take a look at your favorite posts from my blog for last year.

I wanted to get a better idea of what YOU, the reader, are interested in, and give me better direction for the coming year. Last year, the most popular posts were an interesting mix of topics, so I thought I would share the top ten most-read articles with you, in case you missed any along the way!

Let’s start from the bottom …at number ten…

10. Basic Goat Pregnancy Care

This ever-popular post from 2015 describes the 3 stages of goat pregnancy and the important things to do and consider at each stage. The arrival of baby goats is one of the highlights at our farm each year, so we hope this post is helpful in making it a highlight for other goat owners too.

9. Feeding Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats

This is a newer post (published late in 2017) on the somewhat confusing topic of what to feed goats or Nigerian Dwarf goats.

8. What Causes Double-Yolk Eggs?

Another favorite on why chickens produce double-yolk eggs. We typically raise a few day-old chicks each year and as they reach laying age, they often produce double-yolk eggs. It’s the same for those raising chickens everywhere, so this post is perennially popular.

7. Raising Day-Old Chicks

This is one of the earliest posts that ever appeared on Better Hens and Gardens. We tend to raise day-old chicks every year and they usually thrive. We try to take very good care of them and this describes how we do it.

6. Annual CDT Vaccination for Goats

It’s important for goats to get at least this one vaccination each year and this post describes why and how to do it. It has been popular since it was first published and comes in at number six in the list.

5. Wethering (neutering) Goats via Banding

Male goats can be rather smelly creatures with some habits that humans find atrocious, so many male goats are wethered (neutered). Wethered male goats make great pets because they have none of the hormonal issues of their male and female counterparts. This post describes the wethering process we use and how surprisingly simple and relatively pain-free it is for the goats.

4. 5 Reasons You Should Choose Nigerian Dwarf Goats For Milk

The Nigerian Dwarf goat breed is becoming very popular, ownership of these little goats is growing exponentially. In just 10 years, they have gone from being virtually unknown to the largest dairy goat breed in the United States! This post helps explain why they are so popular.

3. Goat Starter List

This is a list that has evolved over time as we have learned more about caring for goats and readers have made suggestions. It remains a favorite but yet again, you have made some terrific suggestions on how to improve it. Although it needs updating again based on your suggestions, it comes in at number 3.

2. The Intricacies of Keeping Goats & Chickens in the Same Yard

I seldom invite others to write for Better Hens and Gardens, but occasionally I do – this post by Liz Greene has done brilliantly.

1. Goats – How Much Cold Can They Take?

And finally in the number 1 spot, just how much cold can goats of different ages withstand? This was written because we were asked the question so often about the adorable goat kids that arrive on our farm each spring!