Goats: Small-scale Herding for Pleasure And Profit (Hobby Farm) [Paperback]

Sue Weaver (Author)

Book Description

Series: Hobby Farm | Publication Date: May 5, 2006

The Hobby Farm series presents Goats

Jump from the bandwagon to the farm with one of the hottest-growing food sources in the country. Goats is an in-depth guide to small-scale goat keeping—for pleasure and profit! The author delivers essential information on choosing, breeding, and tending goats while also herding together some fascinating and fun facts about them. Comprehensive discussions, full-color photos, and easy-to-use charts will help to ensure the success of your goat-keeping ventures.

· From cashmere to milk and meat! · Select the right breed for your farm · Learn common goat herd behavior · Keep goats healthy with a nutritious diet · Spot symptoms of common goat disease · Breed, deliver, and care for does and bucks · Market and sell fresh goat milk · Explore goat resources and Web sites Plus many other helpful tips!

About the Hobby Farms™ series Whether you’re a weekend gardener or dedicated small farmer, you’ll gather a bushel of essential information from the Hobby Farms series. Hobby Farm and its companion editions will help both experienced and novice hobby farmers realize their own dreams of life on the farm—for pleasure or profit.

Look for other essential Hobby Farms titles, such as Hobby Farm™ Cattle, Chickens, Sheep, and many more to come!

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Advance Praise for Goats:

"This book is an excellent resource for all goat owners or prospective goat owners. Ms. Weaver presents an interesting and detailed history of goats, full descriptions of individual breeds and their purposes, and a synopsis of goat medical care. Best of all, she has prepared an extensive list of online sources of more detailed goat information and of goat equipment and books." —Lorrie Boldrick, DVM, coauthor of Pygmy Goats: Management and Veterinary Care and the Illustrated Standard of the Pygmy Goat

"I was blown away with Sue Weaver’s new book, Hobby Farm: Goats. I was expecting an ordinary read but found it to be the best small book on goats that I have ever encountered. I can't wait until it is published so I can give them to my customers to ensure they are prepared to take care of their newly purchased goats." —Claudia Gurn, Breeder of Show South African Boer Goats

About the Author

Sue Weaver is a contributing editor of Hobby Farms magazine and a breeder of Brecknock Hill Cheviot sheep, American Curly horses, and AMHR miniature horses of cob type. She lives in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Hobby Farm Press (May 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193199367X
• ISBN-13: 978-1931993678
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,088 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Small-Scale Herding for Pleasure And Profit, May 18, 2007

By 

B. Walker (Jacksonville, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Goats: Small-scale Herding for Pleasure And Profit (Hobby Farm) (Paperback)

Of all the books I have purchased on goat farming, this one is the best by far! Sue Weaver has all the information packed into this small book in a very organized, easy to find manner. By following Sue's methods of caring for goats, we got a very good report from the vet yesterday after examining our 12 Boer goats. This book is a must have for the inexperienced goat farmer!

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Get it before you get goats, April 4, 2008

By 

Thomas Laporte "Dr. Tom LaPorte, author of 1... - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Goats: Small-scale Herding for Pleasure And Profit (Hobby Farm) (Paperback)

Nay. Nay. Not a single person interested in living with goats should miss this book aptly titled, Goats. In the work, Sue Weaver covers the basic, yet crucial, elements involved in raising goats as pets or as a business venture. She clearly loves the little ruminants, and as a consequence she methodically cautions the newcomer from rushing into the wonderful world of goats.

Topics covered in the book include food, shelter, breeding, health care and how to go about finding the right species of goat for your purposes and personality. Weaver gives a nice overview of the four major marketable uses of goats, including a very interesting look at ethnic and cultural preferences of goat meat for select holidays and special occasions.

The vignettes from the farm that are included in the book tie the text to day-to-day reality. The best of all comes at the back of the book. Here, Weaver lists numerous resources, provides a glossary of goat jargon and presents a fantastic summary of common diseases that plague goats. These appendices are reason enough to purchase Goats and make it a hands-on keeper.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great all-around refference, March 12, 2007

By 

Josephine Howland "Pinky" (Albany, NH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Goats: Small-scale Herding for Pleasure And Profit (Hobby Farm) (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book very much. I'm planning to get some goats for my small (13 acre) property. I need lots of help clearing and have heard that goats are great for that. The book was very helpful for choosing what I don't want to do with goats as well (milk or meat). It would have been nice to have a section detailing brush clearing goats. I know that there are people who rent out their herds for this purpose, and would be interested in learning more about that subject.