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    A Beginner's Guide To Raising Goats
    A Beginner's Guide To Raising Goats
    A Beginner's Guide To Raising Goats
    Ebook99 pages1 hour

    A Beginner's Guide To Raising Goats

    By Valik Rudd

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    About this ebook

    Everything you need to know to start keeping your own goats or even start your own goat farm. Every bit of this eBook is packed with extensive information on raising goats.

    Here's what you'll discover in A Beginner's Guide to Raising Goats eBook:

    - How to tell healthy from a sick goat when buying...
    - Simple ways to choose the right goat for you...
    - Proven steps to proper housing...
    - Keys to determine goat's age...
    - What you should never do when it comes to transporting goats...
    - How to seed the goat pasture...
    - Proven strategies for housing goats...
    - When to vaccinate...
    - Tips and tricks for caring for goats...
    - A pennies on the dollar approach to feeding...
    - How often to milk the goats...
    - How to communicate with goats...
    - and more!!!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherValik Rudd
    Release dateMay 28, 2011
    ISBN9781466135482
    A Beginner's Guide To Raising Goats
    Author

    Valik Rudd

    Most complete information on raising and keeping goats.

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      Book preview

      A Beginner's Guide To Raising Goats - Valik Rudd

      A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO RAISING GOATS

      by

      Valik Rudd

      SMASHWORDS EDITION

      * * * * *

      PUBLISHED BY:

      Valik Rudd on Smashwords

      A Beginner's Guide To Raising Goats

      Copyright 2011 by Valik Rudd

      Smashwords Edition License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

      * * * * *

      A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO RAISING GOATS

      Introduction

      Goats are included in the mammalian class of animal. There are nine goat species and about three hundred different breeds. They are also among the many animals, which are raised by backyard raisers or small farmers as they can be an additional source of income. Goats can provide people with a variety of agricultural products such as milk, fibre, meat, and hide. People who raise goats can actually sell these products or use them for their own to provide additional nutrition for him and his family.

      Small farmers can raise about one to two head of goats and so can you, if you are willing to try this venture. It must be noted however that raising goats is not really an easy task. Raising any animal for that matter is always difficult. But knowing the basics will definitely help you a lot if you want to start.

      This e-book is about guiding you in your career of raising goats. It will help you not only start this agricultural venture but sustain it until you are able to fully master the art of goat raising. This guide contains everything basic that you need to know about goats and raising goats. It has twelve chapters divided into three parts. Each chapter deals with the various aspects that you must know if you plan to raise goats. There are three parts – the first one is all about preparing yourself to raise goats, the second part is all about goat care while the last part is about goat products.

      Part 1 deals with the real basics about goat raising including the most notable facts about goats, the different breeds available and which of the breeds is most suited for you. The different preparations that you should take note like evaluating your readiness to take care and own goats, the type of housing and pasture plus the ideal feeding system that the goats should have are also discussed here. Part 2, on the other hand, talks about grooming, health and breeding of goats. It also includes some tips on how to take care of baby goats and raising kids once breeding is successfully done. Finally, the last part further elaborates the products that you can get from goats.

      * * * * *

      Part I: The Goat

      * * * * *

      Chapter 1: Basic Information about Goats

      The goat is among the most common herbivores in the world. It is the common name for mammals under the genus Capra. Three of the nine different species of goats are the makhor, ibexes and wild goats with about three hundred breeds determined. Capra aegagrus hircus or the domestic goat is a subspecies of the wild goat under the family Bovidae. Because it is under the said family, it is closely related to the sheep that they often have similar characteristics.

      Before an in-dept discussion about goats, basic information and basic terms about them and about raising them is important. For one, knowing the common names used should be noted. Nannies or does are the terms used for female goats, bucks or billies for males while kid is the term for the goat offspring. Male goats, which are already castrated are called wethers.

      Goats are usually found in the Middle East and Asia that in these regions, people often take care of goats as pets or for agricultural purposes. However, recent studies show that goat production is also becoming a fast growing livestock industry in the United States.

      This chapter gives a little history about goats, a section about domestic goats, goat breeds and some more basic facts that will help you in learn more about raising goats.

      * * * * *

      A Little Goat History

      The fossils of the earliest goat were found in Ganj Dareh, Iranian Kudistan. They were among the first animals to be domesticated and further Archaeological studies say that the most distinct places where there had been domestication of goats include the Zagros Mountains, Euphrates River Valley and Indus Basin in Iran, Turkey and Pakistan respectively. Other possible sites include the southern part of Levant, the central part of Anatolia, Tell Abu Hurerya in Syria (8000-7400 BC), Cayon in Turkey (8500-8000 BC), Ain Ghazal in Jordan (7600-7500 BC) and Jericho in Israel (7500 BC). The early domestication of goats was proven because goat fossils were found in places unlikely for wild goats to survive on their own. Add to that the changes found in the size and body shape of the wild ones from the domesticated ones.

      Since the Neolithic Age about 10,000 to 11,000 years ago, goats were already used as sources of milk and meat. Aside from that, the goat’s dung can be used as fuel while the hair, sinew and bones are usually used as clothing, tools and building. Goat hide is also used in making wine bottles, water bottles and parchment. Also, before the coins were invented, goats were even used as currency in the barter system. Because of the many uses of the goats’ raw materials and their importance, farmers from the Near East started raising herds. The type of herding for domestic goats before is also the method used now which include children or adolescent boys commonly known as the goatherds who keep the goats in herds in grazing areas.

      * * * * *

      The Genus Capra

      Coming from the genus Capra, goats are of the same family as the antelope and sheep – the family Bovidae. The Rocky Mountain goat is not considered a true goat despite its name because it belongs to the genus Oreamnos. The sheep are also sometimes regarded as a part of the genus Capra, but it is actually a part of a different genus. Thus, Capra only includes ibexes and goats where seven to nine species fall under it. The different species are: Capra ibex, Capra pyrenaica, Capra sibrica, Capra cylindricornis, Capra caucasica, Capra falconeri, Capra aegagrus and Capra (aegagrus) hircus. Their common names are Alpine ibex, Spanish ibex, Nubia ibex, Walia ibex, Siberain ibex, East Caucasian tur, Wet Caucasian tur, Makhor, Wild goat and the

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