"Practical, well written, and comprehensive. . . . Read this book cover to cover, or keep it handy as a reference for all aspects of goat care."-Sarah Flack, author of The Art and Science of Grazing
This one-of-a-kind guide will empower even novice goat owners, offering expert guidance on maintaining a healthy herd-whether they are dairy, meat, fiber, or pet goats
Goats have provided humankind with essential products for centuries; indeed, they bear the noble distinction of being the first domesticated farm animal. From providing milk and meat for sustenance and fiber and hides for clothing and shelter to carrying packs and clearing brush, there isn't much that goats cannot do. Managing goats successfully requires an understanding of how nature designed them to thrive, including nutritional and psychological needs, as well as how to identify a problem and intercede before it's too late.
For more than a decade, Gianaclis Caldwell and her family have operated Pholia Farm Creamery, an off-grid, raw milk goat cheese dairy. In Holistic Goat Care, Caldwell offers readers a comprehensive guide to maintaining a healthy herd of goats, whether they are dairy goats, meat goats, fiber goats, or pet goats.
Holistic Goat Care will empower even novice goat owners to confidently diagnose and treat most of the ailments that goats might experience. For the experienced goat farmer, the book offers a depth of insight and approaches to treatment not found in any other book. Caldwell places special emphasis throughout on holistic, natural, and alternative approaches to caring for goats, including information on:
Handling and managing goats using their natural instincts as an asset
Developing good farm management practices such as appropriate housing and fencing systems and manure and mortality management
Making feeding decisions based on understanding goats' ruminant digestive system and their evolutionary needs
Growing forage and garden crops as feed and utilizing wild browse
Troubleshooting health problems based on assessing symptoms
Implementing advanced health procedures such as pain control, fecal testing, and transplanting rumen microbes from healthy to sick goats
Diagnosing, treating, and preventing more than 75 common goat ailments
Whether your herd is two or two hundred, this first-of-its-kind, comprehensive book will help you keep your goats healthy, safe, and productive and give you a deep and enjoyable insight into the wondrous creature that is the goat.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
"Holistic Goat Care is an excellent resource for raising healthy goats. Gianaclis Caldwell stresses the importance of preventative medicine, which is a critical aspect of raising goats. The information in this well-written book will be very beneficial for beginners, agriculture-oriented students, veterinary students, and veterinarians. The author stresses the importance of early recognition of conditions and diseases. She also discusses treatment through conventional medicine and alternative or integrative medicine, as well as the use of complementary therapies such as herbal and homeopathic if needed. All sixteen chapters are very informative, and the text is referenced to excellent resources in goat medicine. I believe this book will be an excellent source of information in raising goats."-Lionel J. Dawson, BVSc, MS, DACT, professor, Center of Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University "I wish this book had been around when I started raising goats. Gianaclis Caldwell has a friendly, clear style of writing that makes a huge subject much less daunting. I highly recommend that beginners read Holistic Goat Care before starting out on their own goat adventure. Experienced goat owners will definitely find this book a useful reference as well. As a firm believer in providing holistic and humane care for all my animals, I am pleased to finally find a book that covers this slant for goats."-Molly Nolte, founder, Molly's Herbals and FiasCoFarm.com "Holistic Goat Care is far and away the most complete guide to goat keeping I've ever seen. Gianaclis Caldwell handles basic care and advanced subjects, such as on-farm necropsies, cud transplants, and scur removal, with equal aplomb. Whether you have two goats or two hundred, you need this book!"-Sue Weaver, author of The Backyard Goat "The next best thing to learning about goat keeping through years of experience is to read Holistic Goat Care. Gianaclis Caldwell not only provides all the essential details, she frankly describes unhappy events along with successes, to save readers the anguish of making similar mistakes and to demonstrate that sometimes bad things happen even to the most conscientious goat keeper. Rather than dictating a single rigid approach to holistic goat management, Caldwell offers numerous natural and alternative options to help you develop practices that best suit your goals and your herd's specific needs."-Gail Damerow, author of The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals "Holistic Goat Care is practical, well written, and comprehensive. Giancalis Caldwell covers everything from browse to barns, breeding to birthing, vitamins to vaccination, and parasites to pizzle rot, in an easy-to-read format. The book reflects both her hands-on experience with goats and her extensive knowledge of their physiological needs and their sometimes idiosyncratic behavior. The examples of goat farms in various climates and countries make the information broadly applicable to many regions. With a light touch of humor and a hearty helping of practical advice, Gianaclis shares her depth of knowledge and her appreciation of the role and value of goats in agriculture both currently and historically. Read this book cover to cover, or keep it handy as a reference for all aspects of goat care."-Sarah Flack, author of The Art and Science of Grazing "Holistic Goat Care is a rare and refreshing synergy of commonsense goat lore and sound holistic principles-worthy of a place in every goat owner's library. I am impressed with the book's layout, as well as the content."-Richard J. Holliday, DVM, holistic veterinarian; coauthor of A Holistic Vet's Prescription for a Healthy Herd "In Holistic Goat Care, Gianaclis Caldwell demonstrates that modern, practical, holistic, small-farm methods are the true state of the art. Her unique understanding of goat care-connecting science, real-world farming, and the healing arts-comes alive through her clear and inspiring writing. This much-needed book gifts goat owners with a ready, reliable reference for whatever nature sends their way."-Fred Walters, editor, Acres U.S.A. magazine
Gianaclis Caldwell and her family own Pholia Farm, in Oregon, where for many years they operated an off-grid, raw milk cheese dairy. She is the author of the award-winning Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking, as well as other books on cheesemaking and running a dairy. Applying a holistic, organic management approach to the health of her goats comes naturally for Gianaclis: She was raised on an organic farm; her parents were chiropractors; and she pursued a career in nursing. Her aged, raw milk cheeses have been recognized and applauded by America's foremost authorities on cheese, and Gianaclis has traveled extensively across the country presenting workshops on cheesemaking and troubleshooting goat health problems. She continues to teach in-person cheesemaking classes on the farm.
