HEALTH CARE
There are more ways than one to care for a goat....in fact; there are so many ways that it can be quite scary and confusing! Here we will describe what we do to care for our goats.
Kid – Any goat that is less than a year old
Upon birth, goat kids will usually be cleaned by their mother and little help is needed. When a new kid is born at ACF we monitor the doe and her kid(s) very often for the first few days. Newborns are very neat to watch. Usually by an hour old they are trying to stand and walk, wiggling their way to mom for the first feeding. Colostrum is very important during the first few hours of life. It is the first milk produced by the doe and contains essential vitamins and nutrients that greatly increase the chance of having a healthy kid. Goat kids are given a shot of BoSe upon entering the world if their mother has not been given the shot prior to kidding.
Goat kids should be disbudded as early as 3 days old, and as late as 3 weeks old depending on the breed and horn bud growth. A disbudding iron is used and it is a quick and effective manor of removing the horn buds.
When the kid is 3 weeks old, they are started on a coccidia treatment plan which consists of giving DiMethox 12% orally at the rate of 1cc / 5 lbs on day 1, followed by 1cc / 10 lbx days 2-5. This is repeated when the kid is 6 weeks and 9 weeks old. Read up on Coccidia.
Also at 3 weeks old, the kid is given a CD&T shot subcutaneously at the rate of 2 cc regardless of weight, followed by another booster at 6 weeks old. The doe is vaccinated for CD&T 4 weeks prior to kidding, which gives the kid their first dose. Read up on CD&T.
At 8-12 weeks, any males that are not kept for bucks will be wethered. We use the banding method. Read up on castrating males.
Hoof trimming is another important part of goat herd management. We have a lot of rocks in the goat pen which helps keep their hooves filed down, but they still need their goat pedicures about every three months to avoid overgrowth. We put each goat on the milking stand and give them grain to munch on while having their hooves trimmed. We use a simple regular garden pruner and give kids their first trim around 4 weeks old. Read up on hoof trimming.
Kids are offered a ¼ cup (measured) of grain each when they are 1 – 2 weeks old (to which they nose around the bucket and spill most of it out), and usually become interested in the grain by 5 – 6 weeks old. Fresh hay and water are always available to all our goats.
Yearling – Any goat between 1 year and 2 years old
Yearlings (also called doelings or bucklings) are given another CD&T vaccination a year after their 2nd booster as a kid and their hooves are trimmed as needed.
Grain is supplied based on our goat’s condition. If the yearling is thin and the coat is dull and coarse, we will feed wethers and dry, open (not bred) does ½ - 1 measured cup of goat grain. Does that are bred or are in milk are given anywhere from 2 - 5 measured cups depending on her gestation stage and condition. Hay and water are, as always, offered free choice.
We also supply baking soda and free choice goat minerals either in the form of a goat block or loose minerals. Loose minerals is preferred as the blocks usually contain extra carriers that are unnecessary for goats, such as salt and molasses (note, molasses is a great way to give a goat a little perk, but should only be given in moderation when needed).
Does, Bucks and Wethers – All goats over a year old
Once a goat has reached the yearling stage, they are on the same “routine” as every other goat. All goats are given a CD&T vaccination yearly and hooves trimmed as necessary. They are fed based on condition and whether or not they are bred.
Does that have kidded are milked once their kids are 8 weeks old. We milk once a day, in the afternoon as that is what our schedules allow. Some say you have to milk twice a day, but that is not necessarily true. How often you milk determines how much milk you get – the doe will supply what you are demanding (unless a health issue arises).
We do not worm our goats unless it is needed. I always keep the following in stock: Ivomec 1% (the cattle injectible version) administered at a rate of 1cc / 30 lbs orally for all ages; Safeguard goat dewormer administered at a rate of 1cc / 5 lbs orally; and DiMethox 12.5% administered at the rate mentioned above for coccidia treatment, for adults with a coccidia load I administer 1cc / 5 lbs once a day for 10 days straight.
"Goat Medicine Cabinet"
There are many, many items goat owners “should” have on-hand. Each goat owner must decide what he/she can afford, what they feel is necessary, and which items they know they can get on a moments notice, should the need ever arise. Here is a list of what we have in our “Goat Medicine Cabinet” – in no particular order:
CD&T Vaccine
C&T Anti-toxin
Tetanus Anti-toxin
Banamine
Fortified Vitamin B Complex
Pen-G
LA-200
Activated Charcoal
Molasses
Mineral Oil
Calcium Gluconate
Rectal Thermometer
7% Iodine
3 cc, 6 cc, 12cc, 60cc syringes
14 g – 20 g needles, ½ - 1” long
DiMethox 12%
Probios
Baking Soda
Goat Weight Tape
Hoof Trimmers
Ivomec
Safeguard
Red Cell
Copasure
CMT Test (Mastitis Test)
The main thing to remember is that all goat owners need to do what is best for them and their goats – what one person “thinks” is right isn’t necessarily good for everyone!
A great site to visit is Back Yard Herds - there are quite a few very knowledgeable people who are there to help with anything goat related as well as other "farm animals" such as cows, llamas and alpacas!
Kid – Any goat that is less than a year old
Upon birth, goat kids will usually be cleaned by their mother and little help is needed. When a new kid is born at ACF we monitor the doe and her kid(s) very often for the first few days. Newborns are very neat to watch. Usually by an hour old they are trying to stand and walk, wiggling their way to mom for the first feeding. Colostrum is very important during the first few hours of life. It is the first milk produced by the doe and contains essential vitamins and nutrients that greatly increase the chance of having a healthy kid. Goat kids are given a shot of BoSe upon entering the world if their mother has not been given the shot prior to kidding.
Goat kids should be disbudded as early as 3 days old, and as late as 3 weeks old depending on the breed and horn bud growth. A disbudding iron is used and it is a quick and effective manor of removing the horn buds.
When the kid is 3 weeks old, they are started on a coccidia treatment plan which consists of giving DiMethox 12% orally at the rate of 1cc / 5 lbs on day 1, followed by 1cc / 10 lbx days 2-5. This is repeated when the kid is 6 weeks and 9 weeks old. Read up on Coccidia.
Also at 3 weeks old, the kid is given a CD&T shot subcutaneously at the rate of 2 cc regardless of weight, followed by another booster at 6 weeks old. The doe is vaccinated for CD&T 4 weeks prior to kidding, which gives the kid their first dose. Read up on CD&T.
At 8-12 weeks, any males that are not kept for bucks will be wethered. We use the banding method. Read up on castrating males.
Hoof trimming is another important part of goat herd management. We have a lot of rocks in the goat pen which helps keep their hooves filed down, but they still need their goat pedicures about every three months to avoid overgrowth. We put each goat on the milking stand and give them grain to munch on while having their hooves trimmed. We use a simple regular garden pruner and give kids their first trim around 4 weeks old. Read up on hoof trimming.
Kids are offered a ¼ cup (measured) of grain each when they are 1 – 2 weeks old (to which they nose around the bucket and spill most of it out), and usually become interested in the grain by 5 – 6 weeks old. Fresh hay and water are always available to all our goats.
Yearling – Any goat between 1 year and 2 years old
Yearlings (also called doelings or bucklings) are given another CD&T vaccination a year after their 2nd booster as a kid and their hooves are trimmed as needed.
Grain is supplied based on our goat’s condition. If the yearling is thin and the coat is dull and coarse, we will feed wethers and dry, open (not bred) does ½ - 1 measured cup of goat grain. Does that are bred or are in milk are given anywhere from 2 - 5 measured cups depending on her gestation stage and condition. Hay and water are, as always, offered free choice.
We also supply baking soda and free choice goat minerals either in the form of a goat block or loose minerals. Loose minerals is preferred as the blocks usually contain extra carriers that are unnecessary for goats, such as salt and molasses (note, molasses is a great way to give a goat a little perk, but should only be given in moderation when needed).
Does, Bucks and Wethers – All goats over a year old
Once a goat has reached the yearling stage, they are on the same “routine” as every other goat. All goats are given a CD&T vaccination yearly and hooves trimmed as necessary. They are fed based on condition and whether or not they are bred.
Does that have kidded are milked once their kids are 8 weeks old. We milk once a day, in the afternoon as that is what our schedules allow. Some say you have to milk twice a day, but that is not necessarily true. How often you milk determines how much milk you get – the doe will supply what you are demanding (unless a health issue arises).
We do not worm our goats unless it is needed. I always keep the following in stock: Ivomec 1% (the cattle injectible version) administered at a rate of 1cc / 30 lbs orally for all ages; Safeguard goat dewormer administered at a rate of 1cc / 5 lbs orally; and DiMethox 12.5% administered at the rate mentioned above for coccidia treatment, for adults with a coccidia load I administer 1cc / 5 lbs once a day for 10 days straight.
"Goat Medicine Cabinet"
There are many, many items goat owners “should” have on-hand. Each goat owner must decide what he/she can afford, what they feel is necessary, and which items they know they can get on a moments notice, should the need ever arise. Here is a list of what we have in our “Goat Medicine Cabinet” – in no particular order:
CD&T Vaccine
C&T Anti-toxin
Tetanus Anti-toxin
Banamine
Fortified Vitamin B Complex
Pen-G
LA-200
Activated Charcoal
Molasses
Mineral Oil
Calcium Gluconate
Rectal Thermometer
7% Iodine
3 cc, 6 cc, 12cc, 60cc syringes
14 g – 20 g needles, ½ - 1” long
DiMethox 12%
Probios
Baking Soda
Goat Weight Tape
Hoof Trimmers
Ivomec
Safeguard
Red Cell
Copasure
CMT Test (Mastitis Test)
The main thing to remember is that all goat owners need to do what is best for them and their goats – what one person “thinks” is right isn’t necessarily good for everyone!
A great site to visit is Back Yard Herds - there are quite a few very knowledgeable people who are there to help with anything goat related as well as other "farm animals" such as cows, llamas and alpacas!