Jean Pain's Goats
Les chèvres de Jean Pain ou Un autre élevage — Jean and Ida Pain's experience of extensive goat farming at the Domaine des Templiers in Villecroze, in the Var department. Long before animal welfare and ecological farming became mainstream concerns, Jean and Ida Pain were already living by the principles they believed in.
- Author
- Ida Pain
- Publisher
- Équipe Jean Pain
- Format
- Digital (PDF)
- Language
- French only — no English translation available
- Available
- In our online shop
A different way of farming — the philosophy of Jean and Ida Pain
This book gives a clear, concise account of Jean and Ida Pain's experience raising goats at the Domaine des Templiers in Villecroze, in the Var. Far from intensive methods, their approach is characterised by total freedom for the animals, a diet drawn from the surrounding natural environment, and a deliberate choice not to breed their goats every year.
This last decision was made, more than 60 years ahead of its time, in full alignment with animal welfare and ecological farming principles. At a time when no one spoke of "animal welfare", Jean and Ida Pain were simply putting their values into practice.
What you will find in this book
How to manage a goat herd in total freedom in the Provençal garrigue, respecting their natural cycles and fundamental needs. Diet drawn from nature, brushwood bedding, thoughtful herd management — a practice that is fully coherent with Jean Pain's overall vision.
A farming philosophy that, through its open and rational reasoning, places respect for the animal at its centre — long before this concept became the recognised social issue it is today.
The technique Jean Pain used to produce his famous goat's cheeses and make the most of his animals' milk — as simply and as healthily as possible.
The goats — at the heart of the invention
It is no coincidence that goats played a central role in Jean Pain's story. It was precisely in search of cheap bedding for his herd that he began using garrigue scrubland — and it was by observing the exceptional quality of the compost produced from this bedding that he arrived at the idea of pure brushwood composting.
Jean Pain's goats are therefore not a secondary subject: they are the starting point of the invention of the Jean Pain Methods. This book, read alongside the better-known The Methods of Jean Pain, gives a complete picture of the life and thinking of Jean and Ida Pain.
The founding book — available in English
To go further in discovering Jean Pain's methods — brushwood composting, heat recovery through fermentation, no-dig gardening — his main book remains the essential reference. Unlike the goats book, it has been translated into English.
The founding book — brushwood composting, fermentation, heat recovery, no-dig gardening. Available in French, English, German, Dutch and Spanish.
Discover the bookAvailable as a digital edition — in French
Les chèvres de Jean Pain ou Un autre élevage is available as a digital PDF edition in our online shop — instant download after secure payment. Please note: this book is in French. No English translation has been published.
Digital edition in French — instant download after secure payment.
It all started with Jean Pain's goats
By looking for cheap bedding for his goats, Jean Pain laid the first stone of his methods. Our Super-Pain chippers have carried on this wood valorisation chain since 1980 — from brushwood to bedding, from compost to living soil.