Cheryl K. Smith has raised a small herd of Nigerian Dwarf and Oberian dairy goats under the herd name Mystic Acres since 1998. She is the owner of karmadillo Press and is the author of Goat Health Care, Goat Midwifery, The Best of Ruminations Goat Milk and Cheese Recipes, and Raising Goats: Some Essentials.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

Beyond the Book 2

Icons Used in the Book 2

Where to Go from Here 3

Part 1: Getting Started with Goats 5

Chapter 1: Discovering the Joys of Raising Goats 7

Finding Goat Basics 8

Identifying the Benefits of Owning Goats 9

Becoming more self-sufficient 9

Using goats for companions or helpers 13

Raising goats as a 4-H project 14

Determining Whether Goats Are for You 15

Devoting time and effort 15

Deciding which goats are right for your situation 16

Finding out about local ordinances 17

Knowing your neighbors 18

Chapter 2: Glimpsing Vital Goat Statistics 19

Doe, a Goat, a Female Goat 19

Taking a Look at Goat Anatomy 20

Parts of the body 20

The digestive system 22

Hooves 23

Teeth 24

Beards 25

Wattles 25

Horns 26

Eyes 26

Signs of a Healthy Goat 27

Noticing posture 27

Identifying the meaning of goat cries 27

Determining normal temperature 28

Using ruminations as a health indicator 30

Taking a goat's pulse 30

Counting respirations 31

Recognizing life expectancy 31

Using a Goat Scorecard to Evaluate a Goat 31

Chapter 3: Knowing Your Capra Aegagrus Hircus (Goat, That Is) 33

Looking into Dairy Goats 34

Standard dairy goat breeds 34

Miniature breeds 38

Discovering Meat Goats 42

Boer goats 43

Myotonic goats 44

Kiko goats 45

Spanish goats 45

Texmaster goats 46

Moneymaker meat goats 46

Savanna goats 47

Investigating Fiber Goats 47

Angora 47

Cashmere 48

Miniature fiber goats 49

Chapter 4: Getting Your Property Ready for a Goat 51

Figuring Out How Many Goats You Can Support 51

Making Sure Fencing is Adequate 52

Running through types of fencing 53

Planning for gates 54

Protecting Your Plants 55

Considering which trees to protect 55

Making trees goat-proof 55

Protecting Your Herd 57

Putting hazards out of reach 57

Avoiding tethering 58

Providing a safe place to bunk down 59

Considering local predators 59

Using guardian animals for security 61

Removing poisonous plants 63

Building a Milk Stand 65

Cutting the lumber into parts and marking the pieces 67

Attaching the legs to the base 68

Attaching the side pieces to the base 68

Finishing the platform 68

Preparing the stanchion 68

Assembling the stanchion 69

Creating neck pieces 69

Adding the neck pieces to the stanchion 70

Adding the feeder attachment 70

Attaching the stanchion to the base 71

Making final adjustments 71

Part 2: Bringing Your Goats Home 73

Chapter 5: Home Sweet Homestead: Sheltering Your Goats 75

Outlining Shelter Types 75

Using an existing building 77

Putting up a shelter 77

Providing a Safe, Cozy Place for Goats to Bunk 78

Building a sleeping shelf in an existing barn 79

Using and maintaining bedding 82

Creating an Outdoor Shelter 84

Protecting your goats from the elements 84

Selecting flooring 85

Keeping Your Goats and Their Living Space Clean 86

Controlling flies and other bugs 86

Feed storage and ratproofing 88

Chapter 6: Dinner Time: What and How to Feed Your Goats 91

Goats Don't Eat Tin Cans: What and How to Feed 92

Understanding the two types of feed 92

Feeding hay and alfalfa 93

Using Chaffhaye instead of hay and alfalfa 93

Feeding grain 94

Following a feeding schedule 95

Choosing organic - or not 96

Minerals are a must 96

Supplemental feeds 97

Using Body-Condition Scoring to Fine-Tune Feeding 99

Feeding for Special Cases 100

Pregnancy 101

Milking does 101

Kids 101

Getting the Basic Supplies 102

Bowls 102

Buckets 102

Water supply 103

Mineral feeder 104

Hay feeder 105

Storing feed 106

Building a Simple Hay Feeder 106

Building a Mineral Block Holder 108

Providing Supplemental Feeding Options 110

Growing a goat garden 110

Feeding with garden plant waste 112

Storing garden produce 112

Creating a Hedgerow 113

Choosing a location 113

Determining what to plant 113

Keeping it surviving and thriving 114

Supplementing with Fodder 114

Chapter 7: Getting Your Goats: Choosing, Buying, and Bringing Goats Home 117

Choosing the Right Goats for Your Needs 118

Goats need company 118

Function matters 118

Size matters 119

Horns can hurt 119

Registered or unregistered 119

Looks count: The basics of conformation 120

Finding Sources for Goats 121

Visiting local feed stores 122

Reading the agriculture paper or thrifties 122

Checking out Craigslist 122

Surfing breeders' websites 122

Joining registries and goat clubs 123

Going where goat people congregate 123

Making Sure You Get a Healthy Goat 124

Asking questions 124

Examining the goats 125

Observing the home herd 126

Protecting Yourself with a Contract 126

Bringing Your Goats Home 128

Transporting your goats 128

Quarantining new goats 129

Watching for signs of stress 129

Chapter 8: Working with Your Goats 131

Identifying Normal Goat Behavior 131

Establishing a "pecking" order 132

Biting, butting, and mounting 133

Conducting Basic Training with Your Goats 135

Collars are not just decorations 135

Handling goats regularly 136

Walking goats on a lead 137

Teaching basic manners 138

Moving Up to Advanced Goat Training 139

Teaching tricks with a clicker 139

Using an obstacle course 140

Housebreaking 140

Preparing goats for packing 141

Training goats to pull a cart 143

Supervising Your Herd 145

Meeting their social needs 145

Evaluating the time you have to be home 146

Finding and training a reliable helper 146

Maintaining Physical Fitness 147

Walking with your goats 148

Furnishing your yard or pasture with toys 148

Entertaining with Your Goats 149

Chapter 9: Handling Routine Care and Important One-Time Tasks 151

Grooming Your Goats 151

Brushing 152

Bathing 152

Clipping 152

Specialized clipping 154

Caring for Hooves 154

Preparing to trim 155

Trimming the hooves 155

Dealing with Horns 159

Horned or not? 159

The case for no horns on goats 159

When to disbud 160

How to disbud 160

Preventing and dealing with scurs 164

Castrating Your Bucks 165

The problem of poor Elmer, or why to castrate 165

Knowing when to castrate 166

Choosing a castration method 167

Identifying Your Goats: Microchipping and Tattooing 169

Choosing a method 169

Tattooing your goat 170

Microchipping your goat 171

Part 3: Managing Goat Health and Breeding 173

Chapter 10: Outlining Basic Health-Care Requirements 175

Recognizing Signs of Illness 176

Working with a Veterinarian 177

Finding a vet 177

Knowing when to call 178

Preparing for a vet visit 178

Working with a non-goat veterinarian 180

Building a First-Aid Kit 180

The Straight Poop: Fecal Analysis 182

Giving Injections 184

Considering Vaccinations 186

Deciding whether to vaccinate 186

Looking into common vaccinations 186

Giving a vaccination 187

Keeping Health Records 188

Documenting important information 188

Keeping track of recurrent problems 189

Providing information for the vet 189

Tracking trends 190

Testing to Avoid Problems 190

Knowing what to test for 190

How to draw blood for a test 191

Knowing the Law Regarding Drugs in Food Animals 193

Chapter 11: Addressing Common Health Problems and Ailments 195

Managing the Creepy-Crawlies 195

Controlling external parasites 196

Minimizing internal parasites 198

Helping keep parasite problems at bay 202

Acquainting Yourself with Goat Viruses and Infections 202

Caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV) 202

Abscesses 204

Hardware disease 205

Tetanus 205

Johne's disease 206

Listeriosis 206

Pinkeye 207

Soremouth 207

Pneumonia 208

Wounds 209

Ringworm 210

Foot rot 210

Rabies 210

Examining Feed-Related Problems 211

Scours 211

Bloat 212

Enterotoxemia 213

Nutrient imbalances 214

Poisoning 218

Chapter 12: Breeding and Looking After Pregnant Goats 219

Preparing for Breeding 219

Running through Goat Mating Habits: Courting is Crucial! 220

Identifying the season for goat love 220

Manners, or what to expect from your goat 221

Doing the deed 223

Housing a buck after breeding 223

Finding Breeding Solutions When You Have Only Does 224

The invaluable buck rag 224

Leasing a buck 225

One-night stands, or driveway breeding 225

Artificial insemination 225

Looking into the Finer Points of Goat Pregnancy 226

Length of gestation 226

False pregnancy...