Need a good "goat" book for beginners

[LFRJ]

We've been lurking and learning for quite a while now - scared stiff reading all the birthing stories this past month - but we're forging ahead and 'expecting' goats this August. Total greenhorns.

DP has a birthday in a week or so and I'm wondering if there might be a good book out there which would help us along. WE'LL NEED ONE! Hopeful topics to include feeding, housing, handling, milking, medicine/worming/vitamin regimes etc. Maybe breeding/birthing - just looking for some suggestions to an all around good reference source we could refer to cuz - she'll come with some friends to keep her company, but probably without an instructions manual.

I did a search, but came up with a discussion from 2005. Wow! Goes back that far! Some good titles came up, but I'm thinking there might be some new ones?

Have read every page on Fiasco Farm - great info - something akin to that, me thinks???

Thanks in advance.

[copperpennykids]

The best book, IMO, is actually for Boer goats. If you leave out the milking aspect (and that's okay, because the dairy goat books don't tell you much better internet stuff out there) - this is much better.

Great birthing advice and pictures. Nifty chart for bottle feeding. Good section on animal/goat diseases.

Raising Meat Goats for Profit.

Only book I ever recommend.... Oh, Goat Medicine. But that is a vet type of book - a bit more advanced, LOL.

[Wonderland]

I really enjoyed reading Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats. Pretty thorough, but not confusing. I'm a general fan of Storey's Guide books.

I have read a couple of others, but one was dated and had some old fashioned advice (like drowning unwanted kids- I think not! Even if they were culls, that's a cruel and wasteful way to go about it, imo.) The other one was alright, but just very basic. I can't seem to remember the names of those two, though. The latter was a Hobby Farm book authored by Sue Weaver.

Just a warning, though - Goats are HIGHLY addictive, and it's very hard to find a goat rehab around.

[LomahAcres]

I like this one for beginners:

Your Goats - A kids guide to raising and showing by Gail Damerow

Yes, it's written for kids, but it's not your typical child care book. This is one of the first books I read on goats, and still think it very useful - 8 years down the road. Covers a lot of basic info without being too overwhelming, a good place to start.

I tried to read the Storey's Guide, but never could get all the way through it as a beginner, and now that I know some things, I don't really agree with all the info in it.

Whatever you read, keep in mind everyone does it differently. Try to read as many different ones as you can to get different view points and ideas on ways of doing things. Figure out the goals for 'your' herd, and look for advice based on similar goals.

[shiandpete.1]

I like the book Kristen is talking about. I have an old one I use, it is called Goat Husbandry by David McKenzie. It might be in reprint. This book goes through a lot of different things, and includes meat, packing and cart goats, milking, kidding etc. It is old and ape info is a bit silly and old fashioned but generally good information.

[JoannaCW]

I've found Gail Luttmann's book *Raising Milk Goats Successfully* quite helpful and quite readable. Also got some good health care and hoof trimming tips from the info pages in the back of the Hoegger Goat Supply catalog.

[desertshi]

I LOVE this book. It covers meat, milk, pet goats. Tells you about breeding, kidding, feeding, health. Has tons of references and other websites and books that will help you are listed at the end of the book....like I said, awesome.
Hobby Farms: Goats Small-scale herding for pleasure and profit.