Recommend a book about goats, please?

[CountryFried]

Hi everyone,

I'm ready to get goats, and I'm looking for a good book to read and have on hand. I'm looking to get Nubians for milk, not so interested in meat at this time. I LOVE Storey's pig book, and I'd like something similar for goats. (I'm sure Storey's has a goat book, but I want to see if there is a better one before I order anything)

Thanks for any recommendations!

 

[ChickenPotPie]

We have found these three books very useful.

- Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats by Jerry Belanger
- How to Build Animal Housing by Carol Ekarius
- Home Cheese Making by Ricki Carroll

All are Storey's books. You can find them here:

http://www.amazon.com/Storeys-Guide-Raising-Dairy-Goats/dp/1603425802
http://www.amazon.com/How-Build-Animal-Housing-Stanchions/dp/1580175279
http://www.amazon.com/Home-Cheese-Making-Recipes-Delicious/dp/1580174647

 

[Squirrelgirl88]

Don't buy anything til you check out your library. I checked out everything I could get my hands on, then bought on Amazon what I though I should own. Our library has a computerized catalog and I was able to search for books and request copies from other libraries in the state if the local branch did not have a specific book. I also search on Amazon for titles and then checked with the library to see if they had them.

Storey's book is great. They have specific volumes for Dairy Goats and Meat goats.

Also look at;

Raising Goats for Dummies.
The Backyard Homestead
The Backyard Homestead Guide to Livestock
Natural Goat Care
The Backyard Goat

Forgive me if I don't have the titles EXACTLY right. I've read alot in the past few months preparing for our first goats.

Good Luck

 

[Island Creek Farm]

The New Goat Handbook is a good overall book too...

also, if you want copies (I usually buy them), use half.com instead! Some of these can be found for as little as 75 cents!

Where in SE AL are you? We're just outside Phenix City...in Seale...thought you were here too, but saw you meant SOUTHEAST Alabama...lol

 

[CountryFried]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I ended up buying Storey's Dairy Goat last night via Kindle. I do own The Backyard Homestead and a book by the USDA about homesteading on an acre or something like that. I've read those cover to cover multiple times!

I will look into the others you guys recommended, I'm sure I'll have a whole library of them soon!

(We live near Dothan, on the other side from you, Island, been to Phenix several times while traveling to Benning.)

 

[rittert3]

Both storeys goat books... Meat Goats by Maggie Sayer, and Milk Goats by Jerry Belanger, and also Hobby Farms Goats by Sue Weaver (basically a compressed version of storey guide to raising meat goats but lots of resouces listed in the back). It's good to learn about milk goats even if your aiming at raising for meat or another reason IMO.

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

I wouldn't be without "Goat Medicine."