Jason Howard - Raising Goats: A Step-by-Step Guide to Raising Healthy Goats for Beginners

Introduction

T he breeding and selling of animals has gone on for many thousands of years. But, many modern people are unaware they can raise a farm animal at their house. Lately, however, the methods and manners governing the process have evolved. This book provides all the step-by-step information you will need to raise goats properly.

Like any other domesticated animal, a goat is a precious mammal that needs care and love from humans. They can, like many animals, share a sweet bond with their owner. However, there are also possible pitfalls. You may have a dog or a cat as a pet, but having a goat is very different. Goats can be tricky to handle. Many new breeders, companies or individuals, may face multiple issues when raising goats for the first time. If you, by any chance, are looking to buy and raise baby goats then please proceed to read this book.

The common problems, tricks and caring methods required to raise a baby goat into an adult will be given within the pages of this book. It will provide you with the knowledge and ideas to not only take care of them as individual creatures, but also about how to give them the best environment where they can thrive and grow to be healthy, fit and active. Whether you want to start up a business, set up a homestead or a farm, or if you just want an unusual pet, this book provides a detailed guide to every aspect of goat raising, caring, and handling. It also covers all the potential mistakes, common and uncommon, that new owners may make. Keep reading and all your questions, queries and confusions regarding these amazing animals will be answered.

I am sure you will find many things to surprise and delight you as we begin the journey of understanding these unusual creatures. Im delighted to have you with me as we begin our exploration of the remarkable, intriguing - and often downright hilarious - world of goats. Good luck!

Chapter One: Where to Start?

L ong before religions , races, and extremists divided the earth, men and women were few and healthy. They would work under the guidance of a higher power who, in return, would give them what they needed to live. This was a time when humans were given a chance to serve and be served. They asked the higher power to give them children of their own flesh and blood. The babies they pulled out of their wombs wouldnt always get on with their parents. They would cry and misbehave. They would become difficult toddlers with awkward mood swings. Humans found that their own flesh and blood would grow up to become rebellious teenagers, demanding things they never had themselves. Once grown into adults, they would find a spouse, and live on their own, leaving the old humans alone to die. The cycle was painful and soon the new humans realised how asking for more children would be an ungrateful wish. They thought of ways so that they wouldn't waste the chance to ask the higher power for something that would be of use.

When enough time had passed, the higher authority decided to help them. Humans asked that the one beyond them should give them something he alone would decide upon. This was humanitys way of asking for a different gift, since their last request didnt turn out quite as well as theyd hoped. As if he already knew, the higher power sensed what could be best for humankind. A quintessential man prefers to have an item of interest which would love, respect and benefit him. It doesnt have to necessarily be of human ancestry, since humans are prone to being treacherous and demanding. The higher power provided humans with a source to feed and benefit them. An animal that lacked the negative qualities that could be burdensome to humans. It was a goat.

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L ATER, WHEN HUMANS grew to esteem the positive qualities of goats, they asked for more. The authority handed them animals each century. However, humans later became more deeply obsessed with worldly issues, and the higher power had to let go of them. Humans developed a habit of mishandling every gift that was provided for them, except one. The first gift from the higher power - goats. These animals continued to serve mankind, and to gain his love. To date, this animal has proven to be a source of multiple benefits. An animal who so generously gives us meat and milk is little short of a miracle.

Goats have been the subject of scientific research for years. Goats are mammals, and belong to the genus Capra. They are closely related to sheep, but have some advantages over them. Male goats are called bucks or billys, and have a beard; female goats are called nannies. Goats can be pets, although they are more often regarded as farm animals. Whether you acquire them as pets or for commercial reasons, their friendly nature makes them fun, and a good companion for humans. Domestic goats mainly produce milk, and a large portion of this milk is used to make cheese.

History of Goats

It is hard to know when the first goat took its steps upon the earth. After all, it took science many years to form clear ideas about the first man. Discussing the advent of goats would likely take ten more centuries, and maybe with no definite result whatsoever. However, we believe the domestication of the first goat occurred about ten thousand years ago, in the Mesopotamian culture of the Tigris-Euphrate rivers. Researchers believe goats might well be the first herd animal to be widely domesticated, followed, some time later, by sheep. Domestic goats were usually found in mountains and forests, in Central Asia and the Middle East, particularly the areas from Turkmenistan to Turkey. The goat species is known as Capra hircus. Bezoar ibexes was one of the breeds of goats native to the Taurus mountains between ten and eleven thousand years ago in the Middle East. This was followed by the process of natural selection, in which the species became more suited to its new niche. These changes were adapted in the whole genome due to human selective mechanisms, but they still retained some of their wild properties. Neolithic farmers started keeping herds of ibex to get milk, meat, and materials for clothing. Later, goats became increasingly popular for their fiber, dairy products and meat. Today, nearly 300 breeds of goat exist in the world, and these resilient little animals can be found on all continents, including Antarctica.