Deborah Niemann - Goats Giving Birth

Anyone new to goats should read this book! Deborah Niemann explains the process of goat birthing with clarity through many examples of what can go right or wrong. She teaches us to, above all, keep a level head.

Rebecca Sanderson, lifetime country girl, writer,
Goat Journal, Backyard Chickens, and Countryside & Small Stock Journal

This book is as engrossing as it is invaluable to anyone anticipating goat births. Deborah Niemanns practical guide describes real-life experiences to complement any textbook knowledgebecause so many births are not textbook cases. Instructive and sometimes poignant stories are accompanied by helpful photographs and enlightened advice.

Tamsin Cooper, goatwriter.com

A delightfully excellent and informative kidding resource complete with great photos for new and experienced goat owners alike!

Katherine Drovdahl, MH CA CR CEIT DipHIr QTP,
and author, The Accessible Pet, Equine and Livestock Herbal

Its the most wonderful (and frightening) time of the year! From normal births to problem deliveries, all new goat owners could use an experienced mentor during kidding season. Goats Giving Birth is like having a long-time goat-owning friend waiting at your fingertips.

Marissa Ames, editor, Goat Journal magazine

If you are starting out keeping goats and forming a breeding program, you need this book. Its full of wisdom, practical experience, and reality. Be ready with advice from a long-time goat keeper. There is no sugar coating between the covers, although there are plenty of great photos to add to the written word. Niemann tells it like it is, the good, the bad, and the heartbreaking, but with good reason. As a goat owner interested in breeding, you need to know this important information. Grab a copy and settle in for a well-crafted read that travels through the years of a respected goat keepers life.

Janet Garman, TimberCreekFarmer.com,
author, 50 Do-It-Yourself Projects for Keeping Goats and
The Good Life Guide to Keeping Sheep and Other Fiber Animals

Birth: both thrilling and terrifying to novice and experienced herdsmen. So much can go wrongand right! Through actual accounts of goat births from normal to difficult, Goats Giving Birth prepares readers for the many ways that goats bring life into the world. Highly recommended.

Karen Kopf, Kopf Canyon Ranch

Goats Giving Birth is such a useful book for anyone who plans to raise goats and wants to be prepared for labor and delivery. But its also useful for those of us who have been tending to goat births for many years! The pictures are high quality and extremely educational. The vast experience held in these pages will prepare you for just about any possibility you might encounter as your does midwife. Even though Ive helped bring well over 100 goat kids into the world and have nurtured my share of weak babies, I learned so many new tips and sage pieces of advice from this book.

Kate Johnson, author, Tiny Goat, Big Cheese, and writer for Goat Journal

Goats Giving Birth

Goats

giving birth

what to expect during

kidding season

Deborah Niemann

Copyright 2020 by Deborah Niemann. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Diane McIntosh.

Cover images iStock.

Photo credits: Katerine Boehle pp. 413, 4756.

Printed in Canada. First printing June, 2020.

This book is intended to be educational and informative. It is not intended to serve as a guide. The author and publisher disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk that may be associated with the application of any of the contents of this book.

Inquiries regarding requests to reprint all or part of Goats Giving Birth should be addressed to New Society Publishers at the address below. To order directly from the publishers, please call toll-free (North America) 1-800-567-6772, or order online at www.newsociety.com

Any other inquiries can be directed by mail to

New Society Publishers

P.O. Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0, Canada

(250) 247-9737

LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION

Title: Goats giving birth : what to expect during kidding season / Deborah Niemann.

Names: Niemann, Deborah, author.

Description: Includes index.

Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20200211870 | Canadiana (ebook) 20200211889 | ISBN 9780865719422 (softcover) | ISBN 9781550927344 (PDF) | ISBN 9781771423311 (EPUB)

Subjects: LCSH: GoatsParturitionPopular works. | LCSH: GoatsParturition Anecdotes. | LCSH: Goat farmingAnecdotes. | LCSH: Kids (Goats)Anecdotes.

Classification: LCC SF383.N52 2020 | DDC 636.089/82dc23

New Society Publishers mission is to publish books that contribute in fundamental ways to building an ecologically sustainable and just society, and to do so with the least possible impact on the environment, in a manner that models this vision.

There is nothing about goat ownership that creates more anticipation, excitement, frustration, and fear than birthing. Its wonderful to walk into the barn one morning and see a couple of kids bouncing around and nursing. But it feels like youve been punched in the stomach when you walk in and see a distressed doe or a dead or malformed kid. If youve never seen a goat give birth before, you dont really know if something is normal or not. As a former childbirth educator and doula, I knew all about human birth, but I soon learned that goats are very different.

Only three months after I brought home my first goats in 2002, I became a member of several goat groups on Yahoo. Because I knew no goat owners, other than the woman who sold me the goats, the Yahoo groups filled the role that a knowledgeable neighbor or parent would have filled a century ago. Whenever something happened that worried me, Id sign on and ask for help. There were always other goat owners out there in cyberspace who offered advice and encouragement.

Today there are also Google groups, Facebook groups, and a host of other groups. In 2009, I started my own group on Ning for owners of Nigerian dwarf goats (nigeriandwarfgoats.ning.com). Through the years, I have seen thousands of posts from goat owners all over the world, and Ive noticed that kidding is the event that causes more anxiety than anything else.

So many people join an online group and post something like this:

Were new goat owners and awaiting the birth of our first kids! Anything we need to do or know? How do we know everything is going okay? What do we do if we have to help? Any advice is appreciated! Thanks!

They may also sign on and post something like this:

Our first goat has been in labor for two days, and were worried! What should we do?

This book is part of the answer to those questions, but because every birth is different, it is also useful for those who are not new to kidding. In my book Raising Goats Naturally: The Complete Guide to Milk, Meat, and More