Product Description

Raising meat goats is an excellent proposition for today's livestock farmer. Niche or artisanal farmers looking for a profitable specialty should search no further than the simple goat. Compact, friendly, and efficient, meat goats do not require a lot of browsing land, and they can thrive on plants cows find inedible, such as nettles and thistles.

Most important, demand for chevon (goat meat) far outweighs supply in North America. Imported chevon from Australia and New Zealand has more than doubled in the past decade and industry studies estimate that the market will continue to grow by 10 to 15 percent annually for the foreseeable future, making goat the fastest growing meat business in North America. Add to these numbers the fact that chevon is lower in calories and fat and higher in protein than other red meats, and the future looks bright indeed for goat producers.

Now author Maggie Sayer adds Storey's Guide to Raising Meat Goats to the popular series that has guided countless farmers through the day-to-day tasks of animal care. Sayer thoroughly explains the basics of selecting a breed, buying the goats, and raising healthy animals. She explains how goats think and how to handle, house, and transport them properly. There is plenty of basic health-care information for preventing disease, addressing common ailments, and breeding safely. Finally, a wealth of information is offered on catering to ethnic populations and marketing the product.

With this invaluable resource, experienced and novice farmers alike will find raising goats to be immensely satisfying and profitable.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43280 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781580176613
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review

“…an excellent choice for beginning and small-scale breeders.”

“Excellent information and would make a good addition to the bookshelves of beginner and experienced goat producers.”

Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture Newsletter

“If you are thinking goats, buy this books.”

Small Farm Today

“Here is an invaluable resource and essential handbook for experienced and novice farmers.  Don’t buy a goat without this book!”

About the Author
Maggie Sayer has written numerous articles on animal raising and husbandry. Her Boer goats and dozens of rescued animals share the farm with Sayer and her husband in the Ozark region of Arkansas, where goat production has taken sustainable agriculture by storm.

Customer Reviews

Very Little Meat
I've been a big fan of Storey Guides for a long time and was excited to finally get my copy of this book, however, it turned out to be a huge disappointment. While the basic information is good, it's an amalgamation of what has been written in all the other meat goat books and articles. The big tip-off that this was not going to be a book about meat production was on page 16 with a shadow box entitled, "Choosing Not To Sell Goats For Meat". And this is supposed to meat a book about raising meat goats? Give me a break! There is very little information on actual meat production, yet the author includes an overwhelming amount of information on clicker training and breaking goats to drive a cart. Instead of 23 pages telling me how to set up a website and choose an ISP, I'd have like to seen information about working with a butcher to best package cuts and develop value-added products, such as sausage. Goat is showing up more and more at farmers markets, yet nothing is mentioned. At this point, I'm beginning to wonder if Maggie Sayer even eats goat meat. This book should have been titled Raising Pet & Show Goats.

Above and Beyond the Ordinary
I was expecting an ordinary read.....but found it to be the best small book on goats that I have ever encountered. A beginner could take this book and start their goat project. She covers everything that one needs to know .....including how to understand those under your care. Totally impressed! I can give them to my customers to ensure they are prepared to take care of their newly purchased goats.

It's THE book for Boer breeders
The reviewer who thinks everyone who raises meat goats to slaughter is mistaken. We raise top-flight Boer goats and they don't sell by the pound at the local sales barn. Anyone who raises or intends to raise show and breeding stock will love this book, and commercial raisers will find plenty of solid material between its covers too. I wrote Goats: Small-scale Herding for Pleasure And Profit (a Hobby Farms Handbook), also sold by Amazon and in researching that book, I read all the up-to-date goat books on the market, both here and abroad. This one and Gail Bowman's are the best *meat goat* books in print--anywhere--and of the two, I like this one better.