Want Milk? Get Goats

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"Some herds suffer from excessive worm loads, to the point of dead goats, because their forage area isn't properly managed, and the goats aren't wormed often enough for their situation," Gail says. Worms can be a serious problem for goats, especially in humid or rainy climates. "By periodically opening fresh pasture and worming seasonally, we've been able to avoid that problem," she says.

You'll need to castrate any buck kids (usually before they're 2 weeks old) that you aren't keeping for breeding purposes. (See "Under the Knife," Page 37.) Some people opt to dehorn the kids, usually when they are 1 week old, with a tool called a disbudding iron, which looks like a soldering iron with the tip sawed off. Trim the hooves regularly: how often will depend on where your goats spend most of their time, on soft ground and bedding or on hard ground and rough surfaces. Check Gail's book, Your Goats, for details (see MOTHER'S Bookshelf, Page 103.)

Beyond the bounty of wholesome products they provide, don't forget to spend time with your goats and enjoy their friendly nature and jovial behavior. They're sure to put a smile on your face.

For More Goat Info

On MOTHER's Bookshelf,
Page 103
Your Goats: A Kid's
Guide to Raising and
Showing
By Gail Damerow
$14.95

Resources:
American Dairy Goat
Association
P.O. Box 865
Spindale, NC 28160
(828) 286-3801
www.adga.org

Appropriate Technology
Transfer for Rural Areas
P.O. Box 3657
Fayetteville, AR 72702
(800) 346-9140
www.attra.org
Offers several free
publications about
raising dairy and
meat goats

Dairy Goat Journal
PO. Box 10
Lake Mills, WI 53551
www.dairygoatjournal.com
$21 per year

Ruminations, Nigerian
 Dwarf Dairy Goat
Magazine
22705 Highway 36
Cheshire, OR 97419
www.karmadillo.com/ruminations
$24 per year (6 issues)

Rural Heritage
281 Dean Ridge Lane
Gainesboro, TN 38562
www.ruralheritage.com
Bimonthly journal on using
draft animals in harness,
including goats

Goat Goldmines

Dairy goats offer a goldmine of opportunity besides fresh milk for drinking. Having raised dairy goats for nearly 20 years, Gail Damerow says one reason she keeps a small herd of Nubians on their farm in Tennessee is for extra milk to make yogurt, simple cheese and ice cream—lots and lots of ice cream, in many flavors. Gail has compiled her large collection of ice cream recipes into her book, Ice Cream! The Whole Scoop. Gail also freezes as much milk as she has room for, which she later thaws when the does are dry. "We could produce milk year-round by staggering the breeding, but I like not having to milk during the worst of winter's freezing weather," she says.

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