Goat Care Books Galore

There are lots of goat care books available now. That wasn’t always the case. Over the years I accumulated a few and do need to clear off some of my book shelves.

When I started with goats the only magazine was “Dairy Goat Journal” edited by Kent Leach. The book to have on goats was “Aids to Goatkeeping” by C.E. Leach. It was aimed for those with larger herds and much of the information has been repeated and updated many times since it was published by the magazine in 1975. The index leaves much to be desired. It did help me get started with goats, but quickly became only a reference for the tape measurements for estimating goat weights.

goat care in Aids to Goatkeeping
In the 1970s “Aids to Goatkeeping” was the goat book to have. It is full of information, but aimed for those with lots of goats. The index isn’t complete. The book is still useful and historically interesting to read.

“Goat Owners’ Scrap Book” came out in 1971. It was a compilation of selected short articles about goats and goat care from the magazine “Dairy Goat Journal” selected by C.E. Leach before his death and his son Kent Leach later on. It jumps from subject to subject arranged as questions and answers. The index can be challenging. Still, it is interesting to read through. So much has changed about raising goats since then.

"Goat Owners' Scrap Book"
When C.E. and Kent Leach edited the “Dairy Goat Journal”, there were lots of short articles about all aspects of raising dairy goats. This book is set up as questions and answers on this wide variety of subjects. The index is not as complete as a reader might wish for. Some of the questions are still being asked today.

“A Practical Guide to Small-Scale Goatkeeping” by Billie Luisi published in 1979 by Rodale is an introduction to raising goats. It goes through the basics of breeds, housing, feeding, goat care etc. It is one of the first books for those wanting to keep only a few goats.

goat care in "A Practical guide to Small-Scale Goatkeeping"
Most books on raising goats are slanted for those with a larger herd. It is true that a herd seems to get bigger than originally intended, but many people do keep only a few dairy goats. “A Practical Guide to Small-Scale Goatkeeping” considers breeds, housing, care and more for those with a small herd.

“Dairy Goats for Pleasure and Profit” by Harvey Considine published in 1996 is another beginning goat book. Even though I had owned goats for twenty years by this time, my goats had taught me they always had something new for me to learn. I used this book more for reference on goat care than for reading. It does tend to be more for the owner of many goats. More problems show up that way too.

beginner's goat care "Dairy Goats for Pleasure and Profit"
The Considine family is well known for their herds of beautiful dairy goats. This book goes through the basics of buying, housing and caring for dairy goats.

“White Goats & Black Bees” is not a goat book strictly speaking. It is more of a homesteading book. Donald Grant and his wife were journalists and decided to give up their jobs and retire to a small farm in rural Ireland in the 1970’s. This book was about their decision, their preparations and first full year living in Ireland and was published in 1974. It doesn’t gloss over the problems encountered, but does reaffirm the joys of living a simple, rural life style.

homesteading in Ireland in "White Goats & Black Bees"
Not a lot in “White Goats & Black Bees” is about goats or bees. The information included is good. Most of the book is about moving out to a rural area to homestead, in the case of the Grants the rural area was in Ireland.

Much as I would like to just pass these goat care books on, finances dictate selling them so they are listed on Amazon.

Somehow goat care snuck into two of my novels: “Dora’s Story” and “Capri Capers“.