Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats, 5th Edition

Storey Publishing is well known for producing practical, sensible, well illustrated books aimed at helping smallholders and gardeners get the best out of their properties and small farms.  Many of their books and leaflets have found a permanent place in my gardening library and I turn to them often for inspiration and advice.

Raising Dairy Goats, originally published more than 40 years ago, is now in its 5th edition with updated information and many new photographs.

I have heard many people call this the 'goat bible' and it really is.  It is comprehensive, well written with sensible timely advice and covers pretty much every eventuality.

The book starts from a very basic introductory level (what are goats, where are they from, what are they like, how do they react to different situations)  and moves through very well written chapters concerning milk and dairy products, how to source your first goat(s) and which breeds to buy (or even how to decide if purebred animals are suitable for your needs).  The next chapters cover how to house, feed and care for your goats and how to estimate costs.  I really liked the examples used in the book concerning how to figure the costs of the dairy and/or meat you produce from your goats.

There is a very in-depth chapter on health and how (and when) to consult a professional and what healthcare and grooming tasks can be carried out by the owner.

To produce milk and dairy, the does must produce kids, and to produce kids, they must be bred.  There are comprehensive (and realistic) chapters on buck goats and the inherent challenges they represent (and how to decide if you need to own a buck or not), breeding, kidding, milking and producing cheese and other items, including meat.

The book concludes with appendices, a resource section with links, a glossary and a very useful index.

For the last 40+ years, if people bought one goat book, it would be Storey's Guide to Goats.  The 5th edition is a worthy addition to that legacy.  A wonderful updated encyclopedic sensible book for the homesteader or 'someday' goat owner.

Five stars.  Couldn't be better written or presented in my opinion.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.