Deborah Niemann - Raising Goats Naturally: The Complete Guide to Milk, Meat and More

Praise for

Raising GOATS

Naturally

With endearing personal stories and laymans scientific explanations, Raising Goats Naturally lays an enjoyable and empowering foundation for goat-rearing success on the self-reliant farmstead. Deborah Niemann exemplifies the best spirit and action in homestead animal care. What a great contribution to self-reliance.

Joel Salatin, Polyface Farm

Deborah Niemanns book is an inspiring and useful guide for anyone thinking about raising goats. Her research is exhaustive and her personal stories give real depth and dimension to the experience, preparing the prospective goat owner not only for the technical challenges, but also for the rich emotional experience of sharing your life with a herd.

Bryan Welch, Publisher & Editorial Director, Mother Earth News, GRIT Magazine, Mother Earth Living, and author, Beautiful and Abundant: Building the World We Want

Deborah Neimann has done it again! She has created another practical and educational book for beginners interested in trying something new. Raising Goats Naturally is an excellent starting point and guide for anyone about to dive into the world of goats. The book does a marvelous job in covering practical approaches to husbandry and how to avoid the pitfalls that novices often encounter.

Jeannette Beranger, Research & Technical Programs Manager, American Livestock Breeds Conservancy

In Raising Goats Naturally, Deborah Neimann cuts through the formulaic and often inflexible so-called expert advice and encourages us to get to know our animals and listen to what they tell us. Drawing on vast experience, Neimann offers an upbeat, authentic glimpse of what life with dairy goats is really like. This book is important because it brings animal husbandry back to the fore and delivers the goods in a highly integrated manner thats every bit as enjoyable to read as it is important for goatherds of all experience levels.

Oscar H. Hank Will III, Editor-in-Chief, GRIT Magazine and author, Plowing with Pigs

Deborah Niemanns conversational style and storytelling make this more than a book about goats, its a look into a life shared with these amazing animals and how it is bettered by their presence. A wonderful guide for novices and the seasoned alike!

Jenna Woginrich, author, homesteader and blogger

Today, more than ever before,

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Across the countryside and in our cities, New Society Publishers

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Deborah Niemann

Copyright 2013 by Deborah Niemann Boehle. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Diane McIntosh.

Cover images: Goats courtesy of Katherine Boehle; Cheese Deborah Niemann

Interior goat illustrations Melissa Kruger, www.melissakruger.com.

First printing September 2013

Paperback ISBN: 978-0-86571-745-9 eISBN: 978-1-55092-543-2

Disclaimer

The information contained in this book is not intended to replace veterinary advice. It is based on the experience of the author and named contributors in raising goats and as such is anecdotal. All information about drugs, use, extra-label use, dosage, method of administration, and any other specific drug use, is anecdotal and is presented for discussion only. It should not be construed as veterinary advice, nor does it replace advice of a licensed veterinarian.

Inquiries regarding requests to reprint all or part of Raising Goats Naturally 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

Niemann, Deborah, author

Raising goats naturally : the complete guide to milk,

meat and more / Deborah Niemann.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN 978-0-86571-745-9 (pbk.)

1. Goats. I. Title.

SF383.N53 2013 636.3'9 C2013-904397-7

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. We are committed to doing this not just through education, but through action. The interior pages of our bound books are printed on Forest Stewardship Council-registered acid-free paper that is 100% post-consumer recycled (100% old growth forest-free), processed chlorine free, and printed with vegetable-based, low-VOC inks, with covers produced using FSC-registered stock. New Society also works to reduce its carbon footprint, and purchases carbon offsets based on an annual audit to ensure a carbon neutral footprint. For further information, or to browse our full list of books and purchase securely, visit our website at: www.newsociety.com

Contents

It was a happy day when Ingrid Witvoet of New Society Publishers asked me if Id ever thought about writing a book about goats. It is always a blessing when one can combine two great passions in a single project, and there are few things in this world that I love more than writing and goats. I will forever be grateful to the wonderful people at New Society for making this book possible. And as always, many thanks to my editor Janice Logan for her invaluable insight and expertise.

One of the best things about writing this book was the opportunity to tap the brains of experts, who know far more than I do on various aspects of goat care. Ive been reading the research of goat extension specialist Steve Hart, PhD, of Langston University for years, and it was an honor to have him provide feedback on the parasite section of this book. I also want to offer a big thank-you to Sandra G. Solaiman, PhD, PAS, Professor Emeritus and Adjunct Professor at Tuskegee University and Affiliated Professor at Auburn University for sharing her knowledge of goat nutrition.