Laura Childs - The joy of keeping farm animals : raising chickens, goats, pigs, sheep, and cows

AS ALWAYS, THE credit for content herein goes to my daughter Veronica. She carried me to this land and worked at my side to explore the joys, hard work, and wonders of raising farm animals and growing our own food. If it were not for her eagerness to try something new and emerge victorious, we would never have brought Nanny home from that country auction to nurse back to health. Nannys lieben (the word for love in Switzerlandthe origin of her breed) and appreciation paved the way and opened our hearts for many more goats.

Neither the writing of a book nor the education of its author are solitary events. This book would not have been possible without the co-creation and collaboration of ideals and understanding from a long list of supportive friends, neighbors, and personal resources.

Special thanks go to Michael Foster for being the quintessential country boy in my life. From the time he was just two years old, he has taught me, through actions and deeds, to care for farm animals with an equal balance of compassion and common sense.

Personal thanks for the unending support during the writing of this book go to: Eric Kleinoder, David and Diane Peck, the Birds Creek Feed and Seed, Ashlies Book Store, Joy Morren, Chris Elsworth, Brad Burke, Molly Cox, Scott and Lucille Kyle, many of my Facebook friends and fans, and the thousands of subscribers who have e-mailed their own accounts of raising goats since the start of GoodByeCityLife.com

To Ann Treistman, who repeatedly challenged and graciously assisted me in the personal adventure of writing a second book for print publication. Thanks also to the rest of the team at Skyhorse Publishing: Tony Lyons, Bill Wolfsthal, Kristin Kulsavage, and last but not least, designer LeAnna Weller Smith.

American Boer Goat Association

1207 S. Bryant Blvd., Suite C
San Angelo, TX 76903
325-486-2242
http://www.abga.org

American Dairy Goat Association

PO Box 865U.S. Mail
161 West Main StreetFedExUPS
Spindale, NC 28160
828-286-3801
http://www.adga.org

American Kiko Goat Association

http://www.kikogoats.com

Candian Goat Society

2417 Holly Lane,
Ottawa, ON K1V 0M7
Phone: 613-713-9894
Fax: 631-731-0704
http://www.goats.ca

Canadian Livestock Records Corporation

2417 Holly Lane
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1V 0M7
Phone: 1-613-731-7110
Fax: 1-613-731-0704
e-mail: clrc@clrc.ca
http://www.clrc.ca

Canadian Meat Goat Association

http://canadianmeatgoat.com

International Boer Goat Association

P.O. Box 1045 or 2750 State
Highway 160
Whitewright, TX 75491
903-364-5735
http://www.intlboergoat.org

International Kiko Goat Association

Registrations and Transfers
IKGAc/o Jennifer Sparks
2623 W. 200 N.
Greenfield, IN 46140
888-538-4279
http://www.theikga.org

Miniature Dairy Goat Association

PO Box 7244
Kennewick, WA 99336
509-591-4256
http://www.miniaturedairygoats.com

National Pygmy Goat Association

1932 149th Ave. SE
Snohomish, WA. 98290
phone: (425) 334-6506
http://www.npga-pygmy.com

Nigerian Dwarf Goat Association

8370 W. Abbey Lane
Wilhoit, AZ 86332
928-445-3423
http://www.ndga.org

Getting Your Goat: The Gourmet Guide
Patricia A. Moore
Paperback: 164 pages
Publisher: Evertype (May 1, 2009)
ISBN-10: 1904808255
ISBN-13: 978-1904808251

Goat Medicine
Smith & Sherman
888 pages
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 2 edition (July 21, 2009)
ISBN-10: 0781796431
ISBN-13: 978-0781796439

Home Cheese Making: Recipes for 75 Delicious Cheeses
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC; 3 edition (October 14, 2002)
ISBN-10: 1580174647
ISBN-13: 978-1580174640

The Merck Veterinary Manual
Cynthia M. Kahn
2,945 pages
Publisher: Merck; 10 edition (October 19, 2010)
ISBN-10: 091191093X
ISBN-13: 978-0911910933

Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages
Anne Mendelson
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Knopf (October 7, 2008)
ISBN-10: 1400044103
ISBN-13: 978-1400044108

Ruminant Nutrition: Recommended Allowances and Feed Tables
R. Jarrige (Editor)
Paperback: 389 pages
Publisher: John Libbey & Co Ltd (January 1, 1990)
ISBN-10: 0861962478
ISBN-13: 978-0861962471

Veterinary Guide for Animal Owners
C. E. Spaulding
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Rodale Books; Revised edition (February 24, 2001)
ISBN-10: 0875964044
ISBN-13: 978-0875964041

Photo and Illustration Credits

Goat Anatomy: Veronica Childs: 18;

Purebred French Alpine Doe, Popular Hill Muscat Champion, Photo Courtesy of Popular Hill Dairy Goat Farm: 39;

Purebred LaMancha Doe, Dancing Diane, Photo Courtesy of Pam Elbert, Agape Oaks: 40;

Purebred Nubian Doe, Poplar Hill Fairfax Ruby, Photo Courtesy of Poplar Hill Dairy Goat Farm: 41;

Purebred Saanen, Violet Vale Age of Discovery, Photo Courtesy of Sara Dzimianski, Violet Vale Dairy Goats: 43;

Purebred Toggenburg Doe, GCH Poplar Hill Boulder Crystal, Photo Courtesy of Poplar Hill Dairy Goat Farm: 44;

Purebred Boer Buck, CSB Ruger Reloaded Ennobled, Photo Courtesy of Circle Star Boers, circlestarboers.com : 46;

Purebred Kiko Buck, Penn Acres Huckleberry, Randy and Cheryl Penn, Penn Acres.com : 47;

PurebredNigerian Dwarf, Hidden Hollow Wysteria, Michael and Keary Mariannio, Southpaw Acres, southpawacres.net.com : 51;

Purebred African Pygmy, Madaline Mastroianni from Monterey Bay Equestrian Center, montereybayesquestrian.com : 52;

Goat Eating Denim, Thomas de Florie: 96;

Goatlings and Grain, Micghael Richert: 106;

Goat Cheese Calzone, Knut Pettersen: 218;

Rebel Ridge Boer Goats: 159;

Scott Dawson: 185, 186, 199;

Laura Childs: 73, 76, 201;

Unless otherwise indicated, photographs are licensed by Shutterstock.com .

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.