Customer Reviews

Living with Goats: Everything You Need to Know to Raise Your Own Backyard Herd

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After reading 'The Year of the Goat', I was anxious to read this book by the same author. She writes with admirable objectivity about everything from culling your goats to the love you may come to feel for them. Everything in between is covered too, such as kidding, feeding, cheese-making, and the question of de-budding. Please see Karl Schatz's response to the very biased and unfair review titled 'not sure what to think?' regarding the controversial horns-or-no-horns issue.

The photography is all color, informative, professional, and extensive. I highly recommend this book.

I read all the reviews here prior to purchasing Living with Goats...
I was not disappointed in the least.

As a long time Urban Sustainable Living practitioner and descendant from three generations of Vermont Dairy Farmers, I found this book to be very helpful in my preparation for a small goat herd.
As with any new venture, I collect knowledge in person and from books prior to taking any practical action. Along with this book, I purchased Pygmy Goats Management and Veterinary Care by Lorrie Boldrick DVM (very thorough on treatment of health and disease) and Hobby Farms GOATS by Sue Weaver (decent introduction to goats).

If I were to distil my goat information library to just one bound resource, I would have to say (for my needs) that this hard bound volume by Margaret Hathaway would be the one...

The author is articulate, well written, hands on and presents thoroughly researched information in every chapter and on all of what I consider to be the most important subjects relevant to the soon to be, or new goat owner. I waited two years for my goats and have visited several breeders and goat superintendents at county fairs during that time. I referred to this book when I found information from goat folks to be in conflict and it certainly helped settle the issues and form my own opinions.

I found the referrals for more information and goat related equipment to be extremely valuable also... the Author's bare bones honesty relevant to mistakes and successes will be very valuable to those who have not yet taken the plunge with goats.

The importance of solid escape proof fencing, housing requirements and level of commitment by the goat herder are critical considerations and have been covered in this book with great clarity, presented in an entertaining way.

Money well spent for 198 pages of very beneficial information and a tip of the lens cap to Karl Schatz for the excellent photographic work!

Quality hard bound book... a good read and excellent resource no matter what breed of goat you are thinking about.

I could find no fault with any of the information presented in this book.

I received this book in the mail yesterday and am still not quite sure what to think about it. The book itself is very slick and pretty, the photography and lay out is perfect in every detail. The information presented in the book seems to be pretty factual, but I do have one question. Why do ex-city folks who move to the country for a couple of years always have to write about things as if they've been doing them a lifetime? Personally, I would be more likely to take the advice of someone who has kept goats for 10-20 years over someone who has had them 2-3 years and decided they knew enough to write a book. Case in point, the horned or dehorned issue. The writer goes on at length about how much more beautiful and natural a goat looks with horns, but pretty much glosses over the negative effects of having horned goats in the intensive conditions that most milk goats are kept in. She doesn't mention much about goats dying because they've gotten their horns caught in a fence and then eaten alive by predators. Or the dangers to the goatkeeper when working closely with horned goats in tight spaces. Not to mention how difficult it is to sell high quality horned goats for what they are worth, except on the meat market. Many reputable breeders won't touch a horned goat with a ten foot pole. The author may and probably does have a lot of good solid information to offer in this book, however, I personally would be more likely to take her advice did she have more years of hands on goatkeeping experience. I think this book would have been better done had she written about her experiences with the early years of goatkeeping, a journal type book like her first one, rather than a how-to book.

There is no better time for a book like this than now. In the wake of movies like Food Inc. and other revelations about what our food industry is doing to us and to the world, we all need to know "how to" just begin living--not only with goats, as the authors do with humor and love--but with the environment and with each other. We have to start somewhere. Books like this remind us that we can.

This is a GREAT book! So well written. I would recommend this book to anyone.

This book was a wonderful preparatory read for me. I feel much more confidant in buying and caring for goats. Great guide.