Deborah Niemann

This is another book I requested to read from netgalley on a whim - I honestly saw "goats" and translated that to "fiber" in my head, so I thought it was a book about raising fiber animals. That being said, this wasn't exactly the book I thought it was going to be, but I agreed to read the book, and so I read the book. It was more interesting than I thought it would be, even though I'm not going to be raising a goat anytime soon.

The book begins on explaining how to buy a goat, what to look for, what things to consider, the different breeds of goats. Niemann explains why raising a goat for a dairy animal is easier, simpler, and smarter than buying a dairy cow. There is a small section about fiber producing animals, but the bulk of the book is on the milk and meat products.

Every aspect of care is discussed, from parasites, to housing / shelter, bedding, fencing, food, companionship (goats like to be with other goats, not just other animals), protecting from other animals, and so on. There's lots of photos to help you on your journey of goat ownership.

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"Complete self-sufficiency may seem out of reach, but for more and more of us, increasing our self-reliance as much as possible is the order of the day. Incorporating dairy goats as the centerpiece of a diversified homestead can be the key to achieving this goal, and Raising Goats Naturally will show you how.

By working with nature, you can raise dairy goats and produce your own 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 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." (newsociety.com)… (mehr)

This is an excellent and detailed book full of the relevant information that one would like to have to hand before embarking on such a venture.
It covers all aspects of goat husbandry and scotches some myths while providing an easily accessible and interesting personalyaccount of the authors own experience of the topic.
This book is well researched with reference made to leading experts in the field of animal welfare.
It also gives you a full array of options for use of the goat's milk in such things as cheeses and soaps as well as the goat's meat and an index of recipes.
However a general index was missing from my kindle mobi format of the book provided via the netgalley site for review. This index would be most useful to quickly reference a particular ailment or problem. But I'm sure that this will have been rectified in the final print version.
There is also plenty of scope for a follow-up book, to close the circle as it were, which might include such things as the sale of the animals' heat treated pelletised clean mature dung as a garden / horticulture fertilizer and some further tannery information to preserve the full hides for use as rugs or even better patterns to make basic wind proof jerkins.… (mehr)