[.ca] Raising Milk Goats Successfully (ISBN 0913589241)

An excellent book that I had to own.........:
We have been around goats for decades, but have only recently in the past year gone the next step and begun to own Nubian goats for milk, cheese and brush removal purposes. And this is a great book if you are just getting started because it covered everything one needs to know before and after getting a goat or goats. From housing, dairy goat rations, nutritional needs, goat management, choosing dams and sires (females and males), breeding and kidding (birthing), kid care, goat milk, udder care, health care, trouble shooting, and the overall benefits of keeping goats. And a section for those who want to have goats as a business i.e. milk, cheese, meat. And there is a good section on where to buy goats and supplies. We live in the Sierras where we are encouraged to own goats for fire protection, since they are great at keeping brush clearer in high fire areas. And they are such wonderful animals to own and easily become members of the family.

A little information, but mostly soft:
This book provided me with a little information that I needed to know, but on the whole, was literary fluff. Luttman is sentimental and opinionated through out the book and has trouble stating facts. Even in a convincing way. For example, instead of saying that you 'cull' 'kill' or 'slaughter' an unneeded buck, she said that "you should do away with them". Avoid this book altogether, or borrow it from a local library, but if you need to buy one get Jerry Belanger's 'Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats: Breeds, Care, Dairying'

Raising Milk Goats Successfully:
I ordered 3 different books about raising goats and this one was the best.. It covers everything. Nothing left out. It is easy to read and well organized. The other books were poorly written and did not cover all subjects. This is the only book you need.

From the backcover.:
Gail Luttmann. experienced writer as well as expert in the field of milk goats, has written "the" book on this popular subject. Selecting milk goats Economic considerations Feeding: pasture, forage, grains Housing & equipment Milk & cheese Breeding & reproduction Caring for kids: newborn to weaning Health care: diagnosis by symptoms The dairy goat business All of the information is up=to=date, much of it hard to find. Luttmann particularly excels in her chapters on feeding, on the dairy goat business where she discusses marketing milf products as well as market development, and in her outstanding chapter on health care including a diagnostic discussion of symptoms rather than diseases. Extremely helpful. Gail Luttmann lives on a small farm in Tennessee. She is a frequent contributor to farm and garden magazines. She is the author of two other small-scale livestock raising books.

An excellent reference for the dairy goat owner...:
I am new to raising goats, and found this reference book to be extremely useful. My Alpines are in a herd with the woman who boards my horses, so I am not completely on my own, but having this book allowed me to expand my knowledge without having to email my friend every two minutes with another question! Luttermann's book covers pretty much everything a goat keeper needs to know about dairy goats, although having been published in 1986 it might be a little out of date with regards to supplementation of various minerals such as copper. However one can find that info in other places, and its lack does not negate the value of this book. Bottom line, if you're getting into goats, you should buy this book!