Laura Childs - The Joy of Keeping Goats: The Ultimate Guide to Dairy and Meat Goats

Copyright 2011, 2017 by Laura Childs

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. The information in this book is true and complete to the best of the author's knowledge. This book is not intended to be a substitute for veterinary care, and all the recipes and instructions for food preparation are to be used at your own risk. The author and publisher make all recommendations without guarantee, and disclaim any liability arising in connection with this information. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

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

Cover design by Jane Sheppard

Cover photos: iStockphoto

First Edition ISBN: 978-1-61608-300-7

ISBN: 978-1-5107-1652-0

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-62636-942-9

Printed in China

To my first true love, Veronica. You are the phoenix.

CONTENTS

Preface

LIFE IN THE country. The place to raise children. To get back to the land. To learn that the soul of life is nothing more than lessons of decisions made and the personalities youve met along the way.

The young girl I handed my life over to some sixteen years ago will be leaving the farm. Off to college. Off to the city. I can barely breathe thinking of her returning to the very place I carried her from as a baby. I have secretly made plans to leave my haven, sustenance, and animals so that I may follow closely should she need me. It is a mothers prerogative.

I know myself too well thoughin my heart I may follow, but my body will stay where the air is clean, and the animals I have come to rely on are right outside my door. Spoiled by country living for too long now, I can no longer hunt for my food in the concrete jungle.

Raising animals and living off the land prepares a person for these situations in life. There is a season for everything.

As one season passes, another will begin. I know it, but I am not quite ready to say good-bye to the summer storm that is my beloved Veronica.

Weve learned so much here. Weve learned of other people, of ourselves, and of what matters in life. For a while we thought we were pretty darn smart, until we learned that we know so very little indeed.

Introduction

ARE YOU DREAMING of becoming a goat farmer? When you picture that life in your mind, what does it look like?

I ask because there are varying visions regarding raising goats. Some of us dream of wandering lush green pastures bordered by snow-topped mountains with a herd of pristine dairy goats. Entrepreneurial spirits gaze over vacant land and dream in dollar signs after reading the research on the market demand for meat goats. Connoisseurs envision stainless steel pails of freshly gathered milk and all the potential cheese varieties theyll craft.

Those are just three of over ten ideals I hear regularly.

These diverse dreams of raising goats is not a human flaw. It is the fault of the goat! If goats werent so incredibly well suited to perform so many tasks, we humans could get together and help each other discover the peaceful, rich, or creatively delicious life we yearn for.

In the meantime, we have joy. Joy in keeping them, in learning about their care, and in discovering their individual personalities.

And for your adventure into keeping goats, I wish you practicality as every farm animal you tend will require some knowledge, some common sense, and some compassion to successfully keep.

The content within the pages of this book will give you a good head start on turning your goat farming dream into a reality. Your goats will teach you the rest.

Discovering the Joys of Keeping Goats

WHATS NOT TO love about goats? They will feed you, clean up the overgrown mess in the fields, and take long hikes with you while carrying your supplies. They will make you laugh when youre sad, provide extra income for even the smallest farm, carry you to town and back in a little cart, and perhaps best of all, they will gaze upon your face with earnest adoration.

Most of us though, are excited about the prospect of keeping goats for their deliciously sweet milk and low-fat, nutritious meat.

Goats milk is consumed in larger quantities by more people, than cows milk. A staggering 65 percent or more of the worlds population choose goat over cows milk for reasons other than availability or economics. Perhaps even more surprising, over 60 percent of all red meat consumed worldwide is goat meat. Goat meat has substantially less than half the fat of chicken, beef, pork, or lamb.