Your own, home-raised goats will provide you with hightly nutritious, fresh and tasty meat and milk. Goat meat contains less fat than most other meats available. It is one of the most healthy meats to be eating. Goat milk is also great for kids due to it’s composition which make sit so much easier to digest.
Among all other great reasons to raise our own goats, becoming more and more self-sufficient is probably one of the best things. Eating the food that you have raised your self will make you and your family healthier and happier, knowing that your food does not contain any of the harmful chemicals other meats and milk do.
Luckily for you, I’ve compiled this wonderful resource for raising your own goats. It is absolytely perfect for someone that is a total beginner. No matter if you are looking to raise a couple of goats or start a whole farm, you will find this ebook very useful.
We will take you through the entire book and show you the first paragraph of each chapter so you can see how much information you will have access to.
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.
The domestic goat today came from the wild goats found in Eastern Europe and Asia. Domesticated goats no longer have horns since they are removed unlike the wild goats. Being the first domesticated animals, goats have been trained to interact with humans and dogs.
About 200 breeds of goat exist and they are classified according to their use such as fiber, dairy, meat and production of goat skin. There are also goat breeds for goats as companion. The most number of goat breeds are those for the production of dairy followed by meat, fiber, goat skin and companion goat breeds accordingly. Aside from their use, goat breeds are named depending on the place where they are most likely found.
Once you have finally decided to own a goat and start raising them, you have to ensure that you are ready before buying one. As mentioned, taking care of goats is not an easy task and you really have to be prepared to be successful.
Being sociable and tamed animals, goats have been considered as pets. And as much as it is not very traditional to have them as pets, there is increasing number of people acquiring them as pets or as show goats. Goats need food and water to survive. And both as pets or farm animals they also need to be cleaned and trained. Thus if you plan to raise goats, you have to feed them, give them water, clean them and their shelter or habitat and of course train them.
Goats are classified into breeds depending on their primary use. Thus in selecting the breed of goat that you want to take care of, you should first think about your reasons on why you wanted to raise goats. The previous chapter listed some of the most common breeds of goat for a particular primary use and this section further describes the meat goat, the dairy goat and the Cashmere goat.
Goat meat is recently gaining popularity in the market in the United States because of its lower fat content than beef or lamb. Thus the demand for goat meat is definitely increasing with almost 80% of the world eating goat meat. With that, breeding goats for the meat is also becoming a popular venture.
Even though goat meat is becoming quite popular, the most common reason for raising goats is because of the dairy products that can be obtained from them. The milk from goat is better in some areas than cow milk. Most people prefer goat milk over others because goat milk is easily digested and have lower lactose content that it is a great choice for both babies and the elderly. Remember that lower lactose content would mean lower chance for intolerance. Aside from the kind of milk they produce, they are easier to take care than dairy cows. Add to that their ability to easily adapt to environments compared to dairy cows as well.
Aside from the meat and the dairy that goats can provide, they can also provide fiber. The Cashmere goat which is white in color is responsible for this and the Cashmere fiber is very popular all over the world. It is also a growing business in the US which started last 1990 when Cashmere goats were first imported from New Zealand and Australia.
It can be a really difficult task to choose the perfect goat especially since there are a hundred of breeds available for each goat type. Besides, many aspiring goat breeders are not really animal specialists who can easily note if this particular goat is the best among the many available choices. Consulting veterinarians, animal specialists or friends who have raised goats can be resorted to in order to make your search easier. However, some tips are also available in this chapter for you to start goat raising on your own.
One of the most important criteria in choosing the best goat is its health. The best goat, whether you are selecting for a dairy or a meat goat, must be healthy. Choosing a healthy goat is described further in the latter sections of this chapter.
In choosing a dairy goat, you should examine its general appearance. Before describing the general appearance of a good dairy goat, some important terms that would be used in this section should be defined first.
The goat meat is termed as mutton or chevon. Again, a good meat goat can be assessed based on its physical appearance. A meat goat… Read more…