Some error occured while loading the Quick View. Please close the Quick View and try reloading the page.
Raise healthy, productive goats without antibiotics, chemicals, or expensive veterinary interventions using natural health management. Complete guide to goat husbandry that prevents problems through nutrition, environmental management, and natural breeding practices.
Why Natural Goat Management Works Better:
Chemical-dependent goat raising creates ongoing costs and health problems. Natural methods build strong immune systems, reduce veterinary expenses, and produce healthier milk and meat.
What You'll Master:
- Natural health protocols that prevent common goat diseases without chemicals
- Pasture management for optimal nutrition and parasite prevention
- Breeding programs that improve herd genetics naturally over time
- Milk and meat production systems for family food security or income generation
- Problem-solving through observation and natural interventions
Cost Savings and Health Benefits:
Natural goat managers report 75% lower veterinary costs, healthier animals, and superior milk and meat quality compared to conventionally managed herds.
Raise goats the natural way for healthier animals and lower costs. Essential for homesteaders and small farmers committed to sustainable livestock management.
"With endearing personal stories and layman's scientific explanations, Raising Goats Naturally lays an enjoyable and empowering foundation for goat-rearing success on the self-reliant farmstead. Deborah Niemann exemplifies the best spirit and action in homestead animal care. What a great contribution to self-reliance."
— Joel Salatin, Polyface Farm
"Now with even more detail and information, Raising Goats Naturally is a companion to anyone considering or keeping goats. Neimann is knowledgeable and her information complete, but she also brings a heartfelt love for her herd to her writing. Her passion for goats translates into excitement throughout the book, and will surely make readers eager for goats."
— Kirsten Lie-Nielsen, author, The Modern Homesteader's Guide to Keeping Geese, hostilevalleyliving.com
"Back in 2009, I wanted to start raising goats. I thought it would be fun to add a small herd to our small farm. My husband didn't quite see eye to eye with me and long story short, we ended up raising chickens and ducks instead. But my dream of a herd of goats still lives on. Raising them naturally would of course be of utmost importance to me and after reading Deborah's book, I feel confident about being able to do just that. From choosing a breed, birthing and raising babies, to feed, supplements, and health issues, Raising Goats Naturally is an easy to read, all-encompassing guide to getting started with goats. Now to convince my husband.."
— Lisa Steele, author, Fresh Eggs Daily: Raising Happy, Healthy Chickens Naturally and Duck Eggs Daily: Raising Happy, Healthy Ducks
"Naturally I've always been a fan of Deborah Niemann's no-nonsense holistic approach to keeping goats. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of the species and this book is a direct reflection of that amazing expertise. Raising Goats Naturally is perfect for beginners as well as seasoned owners and a definite must for any goat keeper's library."
— Jeannette Beranger, Senior Program Manager, The Livestock Conservancy
"Raising Goats Naturally thoroughly covers all aspects of what goat owners need to know to succeed with their goats. We have owned goats on our homestead for many years and I was impressed with how much information is packed into this book. I would highly recommend it for those just starting out with goats, but it's got enough detail for experienced goat keepers too."
— Lesa Wilke, farmer and blogger, betterhensandgardens.com
"In Raising Goats Naturally, Deborah Neimann cuts through the formulaic and often inflexible so-called "expert advice" and encourages us to get to know our animals and listen to what they tell us. Drawing on vast experience, Neimann offers an upbeat, authentic glimpse of what life with dairy goats is really like. This book is important because it brings animal husbandry back to the fore and delivers the goods in a highly integrated manner that's every bit as enjoyable to read as it is important for goatherds of all experience levels."
— Oscar H."Hank" Will III, Editor-in-Chief, GRIT Magazine and author, Plowing with Pigs
Deborah Niemann is a homesteader, writer and self-sufficiency expert who presents extensively on skills for living a more self-reliant life. She has raised livestock for over 16 years and is the administrator of a popular online forum and social network focused on Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats. She is the author of Homegrown and Handmade: A Practical Guide to More Self-Reliant Living , and Ecothrifty: Cheaper, Greener Choices for a Happier, Healthier Life, along with the first edition of Raising Goats Naturally. Deborah and her family produce all of their own meat, eggs and dairy products, while an organic garden and orchard provide fruit and vegetables. She lives and farms with her family in Cornell, Illinois. You can find her online at ThriftyHomesteader.com
Acknowledgments
Preface to the Second Edition
Introduction
Part I: Planning, Purchasing, and Protecting
1. Choosing Your Goats
Breeds
Does
Bucks
Registration
Pedigree
Purchasing
2. Housing Your Goats
Shelter
Bedding
3. Protecting Your Goats
Fencing
Livestock Guardians
Part II: Raising, Remedies, and Reproduction
4. Day-to- Day Life With Goats
Behavior
Anatomy
Health
Grooming
First Aid Supplies
Medicating the Sick Goat
5. Feeding Your Goats
Rotational Grazing
Hay
Grain
Minerals
Baking Soda
6. Parasites
Internal Parasites
Controlling Internal Parasites
Preventing Infection
External Parasites
Controlling External Parasites
7. Injury, Illnesses, and Diseases
Abortion and Stillbirth
Abscesses
Acidosis
Bloat
Brucellosis
Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis
Constipation
Cryptosporidiosis
Enterotoxemia
Floppy Kid Syndrome
Foot Rot
Hardware Disease
Hypocalcemia
Infertility in Bucks
Infertility in Does
Johne's Disease
Ketosis
Listeriosis
Mastitis
Nutritional Deficiencies
Neonatal Mortality
Pinkeye
Polio (Polioencephalomalacia)
Respiratory Conditions
Ringworm
Scours
Scrapie
Skin Cancer
Sore Mouth
Tetanus
Tuberculosis
Urinary Stones (Urinary Calculi)
White Muscle Disease
Vaccines
8. Breeding
Breeding Season
Breeding Age
Signs of Estrus
Breeding Methods
Buck Behavior
Successful Breeding
Artificial Insemination
Feeding for Fertility
9. Pregnancy
Gestation
Signs of Pregnancy
False Pregnancy
Feeding During Pregnancy
10. Birthing
Getting Ready
Signs of Labor
Birth
Feeding Post Birth
Newborn Check
Kid Complications
11. Raising Kids
Getting Started With Dam Raising
Getting Started With Bottle-feeding
Poop
Feeding Grain and Forage
Horns
Castrating Males
Tattooing and Ear Tags
Weaning
Barn Hygiene
12. Milking
Managing Milkers Naturally
Teaching a Doe to Milk
Milking Equipment
Milking by Hand
Milking With a Machine
Handling Milk
Storing Milk
Part III: Milk, Meat, and More
13. The Dairy Kitchen
Equipment
Ingredients
14. Dairy Products
Buttermilk and Sour Cream
Yogurt
Sweets
15. Acid-ripened Cheeses
Vinegar
Citric Acid
16. Culture-ripened Cheeses
Choosing Cultures
Flocculation
Cutting Curds
Semi-hard and Hard Cheeses
17. Meat
Meat Quality
Butchering
Cooking
18. Soap
Processes
Safety
Equipment
Ingredients
Step-by- Step Soap Making
Final Thoughts
Notes
Glossary
Suggested Reading
Recipe Index
Index
About the Author
About New Society Publishers