Storeys Guide To Raising Dairy Goats

This best-selling handbook is packed with detailed information on housing, feeding, and fencing dairy goats. It’s been the trusted resource on the topic for farmers and homesteaders since it was originally published in 1975, and the new edition — completely updated and redesigned — makes Storey’s Guide to Raising Dairy Goats more comprehensive and accessible than ever. In-depth sections explain every aspect of milking, including necessary equipment, proper hand-milking techniques, and handling and storing the milk. New color illustrations show each stage of kidding, and substantial chapters on dairy goat health and breeding include the most up-to-date research and practices.

A great choice for the small or backyard farmer, dairy goats require a smaller investment than cows and produce milk that makes delicious yogurt and cheese. This fourth edition includes more on pygmy goats, health care, breeding, and making dairy products. You’ll have everything you need to you need to know to successfully raise your own dairy goats.

Discover how raising your own meat goats can be a fun and profitable endeavor. Offering plenty of tips for creating an economically viable operation and identifying niche markets for your products, Storey’s Guide to Raising Meat Goats shows you how to care for a thriving and productive herd full of healthy and happy animals.

Produce your own milk, cheese, meat, fiber, fertilizer, and more Incorporating dairy goats into a diversified homestead can be the key to greater self-sufficiency. Responding to questions and concerns from readers from all over North America and beyond, this fully revised and expanded edition of Raising Goats Naturally will help readers work with nature to raise dairy goats to produce milk, cheese, meat, fertilizer, leather, fiber, and soap – all without relying on drugs or following the factory farm model. By observing your own animals closely and educating yourself about their specific needs, you can create an individualized plan for keeping them healthy and maximizing their productivity. This unique, fully-illustrated guide will teach you to help your herd thrive with: Breed-specific descriptions to help you choose the right goats for your goals and lifestyle Detailed information on housing, fencing, breeding, health, milking, and nutrition Complete recipes and instructions for making your own cheese, dairy products, and soap, as well as cooking with goat meat. Packed with personal experiences and backed up by expert veterinary advice and scientific studies, Raising Goats Naturally brings together a wealth of practical information on raising goats for the love of it and using their milk and meat to become more self-reliant.

Raise a gaggle of geese, the unsung heroes of the small farm While chickens preen in the spotlight, geese are the historic unsung heroes of small farms and homesteads. Providing weed control, large eggs, and entertainment, and acting as "security" over other animals, geese are the ultimate modern homesteading companion. The Modern Homesteader's Guide to Keeping Geese covers everything you need to know to raise geese, including: Profiles of breeds and how to select the best one for your needs How to "imprint" goslings on a person Feeding, housing, animal health, and cold weather care Using geese for weed control, soil improvement, and as "watch-geese" Cooking with goose eggs and meat Additional coverage includes a look at the rich history of geese on farms in North America and Europe that will enhance any goose keeper's enjoyment of these intelligent and unique birds. This practical guide is a must-have essential for the kitchen table of homesteaders, small farmers, permaculturists, and professional farmers looking to add the power of geese to their land.

This rare manual provides information on the breeds, breeding and management of dairy goats, one of the oldest species of animal domesticated by humans. Suitable for the goat farmer, animal husbandry enthusiast or historian, this book provides a comprehensive guide with many details still of practical use today. Summary of contents: Breeds; Selection of Breeding Stock; Management of the Breeding Stock; Care of Doe at Kidding; Rearing the Kids; Horns and Polling; Feeding the Doe; Feeding the Buck; Minerals and Water; Lactation Period; Milking; Characteristics of Goats’ Milk; Housing for Goats; Diseases and Parasites of Goats; Methods of Making Cheese; Suggested Readings. Complete with a new introduction and the illustrations featured in the original, we are republishing this vintage work in a high quality, modern, and affordable edition.

The ideal reliable guide to goat-keeping for the new commercial enterprise or the small hobby farm. A city kid, Katie Normet discovered a fascination for large animals early in her life, one that led her to study animal sciences at one of Canada's most distinguished agricultural colleges. While there, Normet rubbed shoulders with fellow classmates from farming backgrounds and caught another bug: the urge to make a living raising animals. Today, she and her family run River's Edge Dairy in Central Ontario, where Katie oversees a herd of some 75 goats which produce more than 50,000 liters of milk a year. Much of this milk is transformed into delicious yogurt, cheeses and unique goat-butter tarts, as well as soaps and moisturizing creams, which Normet sells directly from the farm and at local markets. Raising and Keeping Dairy Goats is Normet's account of the daily challenges and rewards of life as a goat farmer, from her experience rehabilitating a farm from the ground up to learning firsthand the ins and outs of acquiring and caring for goats. Normet's central piece of advice runs through her book like a commandment: Know your goat. Keeping eyes on each goat and noting even subtle changes in behavior and demeanor are key to managing a problem quickly and keeping your goat healthy. Normet explores all the big-picture issues in goat husbandry, including: Purchasing Housing Feeding Breeding Kidding Milking Identifying and treating diseases and ailments. There are also chapters on cheese making and soap making with tips and recipes. While the author doesn't gloss over the responsibilities of early-morning milkings and late-night kidding dramas, she deftly communicates the innate appeal of one of nature's most charming and charismatic domesticated animals. For Normet, every inconvenience is a blessing in disguise, and whether readers are preparing to launch their own commercial enterprise or simply interested in providing goat milk for their family, her story will serve as a reliable guide.

Storey’s Guide to Raising Sheep is the best-selling, most trusted reference for farmers and backyard homesteaders with any size flock. The fifth edition is now updated with full-color illustrations and photographs throughout, including a gallery of the best breed choices for both meat and fiber. With their small size and gentle dispositions, sheep are one of the easier livestock species to raise and offer varied marketing opportunities, including meat, wool, and milk. Detailed instructions and graphics lead readers through every essential procedure, including shearing, building a lambing shed, breeding and lambing, butchering, and marketing.