Online goat husbandry courses

8 posts
Mon, 03/19/2018 - 17:11 #1

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7 years 7 months
Wayne
Last seen: 03/22/2018 - 18:47
Joined: 03/19/2018 - 17:05

Online goat husbandry courses

Hi Am interested in goat farming in the near future. Have some land, will be harvesting feral goats also. I just wondered if anyone had any experience with any of the online goat courses. Are they worth the $500-$700? There is a lot of good quality online information available in the public domain. Do these courses just replicate that info and charge for the privilege? Any feedback very welcome Thank you
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Tue, 03/20/2018 - 10:20 #2
barb
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38
Hi Wayne, Barb Vincent here. Hard question for me, because, many years ago, when I inherited a small herd of cashmere goats from the previous owner of the property there were no books written that were relevant to Australia and not much information available anywhere. I had no idea about goat husbandry and I realised that I would just have to study every thing I could find on goats, about which I knew zero. There were many government departments., which provided free instructional leaflets about goat husbandry, diseases parasites and so on, which they still do, so I began at the beginning. Read everything I could get my hands on, visited every goat breeder I could find and several years later, I found that every one was coming to me. My late husband and I formed a goat breeders group that had meetings every month or so, It was called the Coastal Goat Breeders Group. CSIRO eventually asked me to write a book on goat husbandry and breeding which I did. Three years later it was published. I have just finished the second edition for them, which will be released in May. The book is called Farming Meat Goats,: Breeding, production and marketing 2nd edition. In it, you will find everything you could want to know about goats. From selecting the land, fencing, water, selecting the type of goats and breeding them, from delivery and dealing with breach births (illustrated) and feeding issues with kids. It also deals with how to do you own microscopic id of parasites and their eggs, diseases, poisoning, feeding for pregnancy and for non pregnant animals, marketing and regulations for transport, Identification and lastly exporting overseas if you decide to. So I believe this could be a very useful book for you to have, as it will eliminate all the disasters I experienced through having no experience when I started and believe me there were many- disasters that is! O.k. I would suggest that there are a few other things you can do 1. contact the Boer Goat Breeders Association of Australia, there are branches in most states in Australia. 2. Contact Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) both of these organisations have field days for various breeds of animals. Many Primary Industry depts. in each state also have field days, where you can receive some good instruction on various aspects of goat husbandry and meet other breeders who you can ask questions about various aspects of goat husbandry and breeding. Most breeders and goat owners are only too happy to share information with others. 3. find goat breeders in the area you are interested in settling in, give them a call as I did and ask if you can visit them and see their goats. Most will say yes and will show you around and tell you how they handle and run their goats. I did this a lot. I even visited properties in other states when I was visiting friends and relatives. I would just phone them up and ask if I could visit their properties. Personally, I have never paid a cent for training. As I said, my book is a good place to start as you won't have to reinvent the wheel so to speak. I hope some of this is useful to you. Cheers, Barbara Vincent.
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Wed, 03/21/2018 - 16:26 #3
Wayne
Last seen: 03/22/2018 - 18:47
Joined: 03/19/2018 - 17:05
Thanks very much for your comments barb. I had been trying to find a hard copy of your book with no success. I did see a note that 2nd edition was due for release in May 2018? If you can point me to a copy prior to that I would be very grateful Thanks again Wayne
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Wed, 03/21/2018 - 18:49 #4
barb
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38
Hi Wayne, Farmstyle will have it in stock as soon as it is released. The first edition was reprinted several times, but regulations and so on have changed since then, so it is now out of stock and out of print. The new one has updated info on different types of fencing too. If you have bought a property already and would like to ask me a question through this forum, please feel free to ask I will be only to happy to answer, if I can. Cheers, Barb
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Wed, 03/21/2018 - 19:44 #5
Wayne
Last seen: 03/22/2018 - 18:47
Joined: 03/19/2018 - 17:05
Thank you bsrb, your offer is much appreciated. As soon as I can get a copy of your book I will. Could I ask you to let me know when the new edition is released? My plans are medium term and I am I no rush. I have some fencing to do for harvesting feral goats, and some further work to get the property viable. In the interim I will definitely not forget your offer of advice. You are very generous Thanks again
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Sun, 03/25/2018 - 21:05 #6
admin
Last seen: 10/31/2025 - 09:42
Joined: 02/28/2011 - 14:19

Hi Wayne,

We have pre-ordered some copies of Barb's new book, if you keep an eye on our Facebook page we will let everyone know when they are available.

Thanks,

Charlie 

 

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Thu, 05/10/2018 - 08:44 #7
Sandra and Adrian
Last seen: 05/10/2018 - 08:44
Joined: 05/03/2018 - 11:29
Barb, what a wonderful amount of information you have given. I have very excitedly just purchased the new edition of your book and I can't wait to read and learn and start preparing our plot for our first goats to arrive. We went unconditional on 5 acres in Qld today - the first step of a new life. I look forward to the support this site can give, reading past posts and posing new questions as needed and connecting with my new rural community. Great work all round.
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Sun, 09/09/2018 - 09:50 #8
Imelda Saanen
Last seen: 09/09/2018 - 09:57
Joined: 09/09/2018 - 09:46
Hi, We have had goats for 17 years. This season, our goats are thin and on the anemic side. They are wormed...so does anyone have any ideas. They always have fresh water and a goat lick available. HELP !
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