Janet Garman - 50 Do-It-Yourself Projects for Keeping Goats: Fencing, Milking Stands, First Aid Kit, Play Structures, and More!

Copyright 2020 by Janet Garman

All photos belong to the author, unless otherwise credited or submitted with a recipe or project. All drawings in this book are by Jacqui Papi Shreve.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Abigail Gehring

Cover image by Janet Garman

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-5012-8

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-5013-5

Printed in the United States of America

Get a goat, they said. Goats are easy!

Before you take that advice, ask your adviser if they have ever kept goats. Chances are, they havent, and theyre repeating what theyve heard from other people who have never kept goats.

Goats can eat anything, they say.

Goats pretty much care for themselves, they say.

Before you buy that first goat, read up on what goats specifically need, because the truth is that they can die from eating too much of the healthiest goat food in the world.

Longtime goat owners will attest to how goats have specific fencing needs and feed requirements. Theyll tell you how goats must have certain minerals, which may not be available in your local soil to transfer through forage. Or that a female nubian will scream all night as if shes in mortal danger, when all she wants is to meet a nice buck.

This isnt to discourage you from buying that goat (or goats, because they should never be kept alone), but to encourage you to educate yourself first. Or, if youve recently found yourself the first-time owner of a goat, educate yourself fast. Start with feed and shelter, then go from there.

Janet Garman, a longtime farmer and goat-owner, has written for internationally recognized agricultural magazines for years. With followers in the tens-of-thousands, she provides valuable information and advice through her Facebook page, blog, books, and the articles she writes for outside publications. In these pages, Janet goes over and beyond dairy goats to talk about fiber goats like pygoras, raising goats for meat, and even goat milk and cheese.

Do-it-yourself projects are a must for self-sufficiency, and Janet has a wealth of them to share. What do you do when a doe rejects her baby, and the feed store is a hundred miles away... and closed for the weekend? How can you prevent worms and handle bloat with no access to an on-call veterinarian? And do you have to pay someone to trim your goats hooves, or can you do it yourself?

I recommend Janets book to all new goat owners. Within a few chapters, you will feel more confident about keeping your goats healthy and will be excited to create projects such as goat milking stands, hay racks, feed supplements, and even goat playgrounds for health and mental enrichment.

Congratulations on goat ownership, and good luck with all things goat!

Marissa Ames

Editor, Goat Journal magazine

While working on the projects in this book, we made certain variations based on our stalls and available materials. If you possess a basic knowledge of how to build framed structures, that will be helpful, but I have tried to make the instructions clear enough that anyone can complete the projects, even with no prior building experience. I have made every effort to give clear, detailed instructions, but we also believe in using what we have on hand rather than buying new materials for projects, and we encourage you to do the same. Look around your property. Do you have building materials that you can repurpose? Make do and reuse, but keep in mind that using different materials than are specified in the instructions may affect the final measurements. Please remember to always wear safety eye protection, gloves, and dust masks when appropriate.

Kinder goats. Photo by Dillon Irwin.

No advice or idea stated in this work is meant to take the place of a licensed veterinarian caring for your goats. Before holistically treating any illness or injury, be aware that the supplemental care and first aid described in this book is in no way intended to take the place of veterinarian care.

Goats were among the first animals that humans domesticated. For over ten thousand years, goats have contributed to rural living and provided specialty and luxury products to the general population. Goats provide meat, milk, labor, and fiber. They are excellent companion animals, too, and add a certain element of fun to any backyard farm. Although they are considered livestock (and if you have more than a few, thats how you will run your operation), they are also a lot like outdoor pets.

Its hard to name another animal species that provides as much as goats can... all while keeping us guessing about the next adventure they have planned. You may end the goat-owning journey feeling as baffled by goats as you were on day one. They are mischievous and capricious creatures, but chances are, you will quickly start to file away important and practical caretaking info and methods as you live and learn together with your goats. There will be times you feel like throwing in the towel. Goats do that to a person. I encourage you at those points to keep going. Those disappointments will build your skills and knowledge if you let them.