Goat Nutrition

Feed and Supplements for a Healthier Herd

In this course, you'll learn to:

Understand the essentials of pasture, browse, hay, goat feed, and mineral mixes to support optimal goat health.

Recognize and treat common mineral deficiencies, including selenium, copper, zinc, iodine, and more—plus vitamins.

Choose and use the right mineral and hay feeders, manage water quality, and make informed decisions when buying hay.

Supplement with individual minerals when you spot a deficiency.

Is Poor Nutrition the Root of Your Goat Health Problems?

Do you have bucks foaming at the mouth? 

Does it seem that coccidia in your kids is inevitable? 

Do your does have sluggish labors or retained placentas? 

Do newborns have trouble holding a teat in their mouth and nursing effectively? 

Do your goats always seem to have parasite problems, even though you are rotating pastures?

A possible explanation for all of these problems is simply a nutritional deficiency!

Confused About Goat Nutrition? You're Not Alone!

Are you confused about which goat mineral is best for your goats?

Do you know the difference between a good diet for a buck, a doe, and a wether?

Do you know how much zinc should be in your goat minerals -- and the ratio of the zinc to copper -- so that you can avoid zinc deficiency?

Are you unsure of the difference between baled hay and hay pellets and when you should feed each one?

Do you know how to avoid vitamin A deficiency?

The answers to these questions are not complicated or expensive! 


For example, you can avoid vitamin A deficiency by simply ensuring that your goats are getting plenty of green grass or browse or green hay.

Stop Wasting Money on the Wrong Supplements

You do not need to spend a small fortune on a variety of supplements or herbs.

You simply need to figure out exactly which minerals and vitamins your goats need to thrive on your farm. 


You can't just copy someone else's feeding plan and expect it to work because they have different soil, different forage, different water, and different genetics on their farm -- even if they are nearby!


For 20 years, a friend four miles away from me had a herd of goats that had a completely different set of nutritional issues than my herd. 


Her goats were on a dry lot drinking city water while mine were on pasture drinking well water. 


She had vitamin E deficiency from a lack of fresh pasture, and mine had copper deficiency from well water that was high in sulfur and iron. 


Had she supplemented her goats with copper like I did, she could have wound up with dead goats from copper toxicity!

There is no one-size-fits-all feeding plan for goats!

But that doesn't mean that it's hard or expensive. 


You simply need to know what goats need, and you need to be able to identify the symptoms of different deficiencies, in case you ever see them.

I learned this one simple truth about 15 years ago ...

If you get nutrition right, goats are extremely healthy animals, and you will seldom need to call the vet. 


If you get the nutrition wrong, you will be in for a world of heartache, dealing with a variety of illnesses, and calling the vet constantly.

What students say ...

"The information in this course is invaluable! I’m so grateful to have found such a great resource early on in order to avoid so many nutritional issues with my goats!"

Rachel from Illinois

“I attended some of Deborah's homesteading conferences way back when and participated in some classes at her house. I also read all of her books and more recently took her online courses in kidding and nutrition among other things. This is my third kidding season and last night my does gave birth to 6 kids!!! They are all alive and seem to be doing well. We pulled three to bottle feed. Just feeling grateful...”

Ellen from Wisconsin

"Thank you so much Deborah! This has been quite a learning experience and I feel like now I don't have to guess going forward when I can ask you the premier expert! I'll check for lice again more carefully and if they do have lice I have signed up for your course on parasites and will be going through that as soon as I finish the Nutrition course. I have a wonderful caretaker for when we travel to our Montana home and have to leave the goats (I hate leaving them!). She is also going to take some of your courses later this fall to learn as much as she can. I will be telling anyone I encounter with goats about your amazing courses! Thank you so much :-)"

Ann from Wisconsin

Your Instructor

Deborah Niemann

In 2002, Deborah and her family moved to 32 acres on a creek in the middle of nowhere to grow their own food organically. With the help of goats, sheep, pigs, and poultry, they produce 100% of their meat, eggs, and dairy products, as well as a large percentage of their vegetables, fruit, and herbs. They sold chickens and turkeys for more than 10 years, and are currently a licensed egg producer in Illinois and sell eggs to a grocery store and through a CSA. 


Deborah is the author of six books, including Homegrown and Handmade, Ecothrifty, and Raising Goats Naturally, as well as her latest book, Goats Giving Birth. She also teaches sustainable agriculture courses online for the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. She has been teaching Raising Dairy Goats Sustainably since 2013 and Pastured Poultry since 2015. In 2022, Deborah got certified as a FAMACHA instructor so that she and her students could feel confident that she was providing the most up-to-date information on parasite research and management.

Course Curriculum

New Addition: Goat Nutrition Podcast Library!


We’ve now included 10+ goat nutrition-related podcast episodes in the course—and we’re continuously adding more!

Frequently Asked Questions

  • When does the course start and finish?
    The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
  • How long do I have access to the course?
    How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
  • What if I am unhappy with the course?
    We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.
  • Are you selling minerals, supplements, herbs, or anything else and using this course as a sales pitch?
    No way! I don’t sell any products for goats, and I’m not a brand ambassador for any companies that make any supplements for goats, although I have been asked by some. The course does not recommend routine supplements other than a good loose goat mineral. In fact, I’ve helped a lot of people reduce the supplements they’ve been buying, which has more than covered the cost of the course within a month or two. It’s all about knowing what your goats need and only buying what they need rather than all the things that someone said “worked wonders” for their goats. When it comes to supplements, sometimes too many can cause deficiencies of other minerals.
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Goat NutritionFeed and Supplements for a Healthier Herd$97
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