Homesteading in the Hills of West Virginia

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A quick Goat guide

Written by Tinia

This is what we do. I am not a vet or expert,

but I have put a lot of time into learning what I write here.

 I make no promises. This just works for us.

Feeding:

Goats need access to Hay or Browse constantly. Offer free choice Hay when no browse (shrubs, leaves, bushes, trees, briars) is around or no pasture. They will eat pasture, but

much prefer browse. Watch their condition, and adjust grain amounts as needed.

Like people, each goat is different in what it takes to maintain condition. There easy and hard keepers.

Does in Milk CANNOT maintain body condition without grain, unlike cattle.

We feed Caprine Challenger By Blue Seal

Bucklings and Bucks - Buy Ammonium Chloride (ebay, some feedstores), and add 1 teaspoon per 3/4 cup of feed (twice a day)

OR

Feeding only alfalfa pellets (3/4 cup per feeding) and unlimited hay / browse / pasture

Bucks in Rut - Around 2 cups of grain with ammonium chloride daily and hay / browse / pasture

Purina Noble Goat has ammonium chloride, but I worry they don't have enough, so I

would still add some that I buy on my own to the feed. It is very cheap, and some feed stores sell it per lb, and it is under $1.00

Does and Doelings

Doeling under 4 months - 3/4 a cup of grain mix / medicated pellet twice a day

plus unlimited hay / browse / pasture

Doeling over 4 months, not bred - 1 cup of grain mix / medicated pellet twice a day

plus unlimited hay / browse / pasture

Pregnant does - 1 1/2 cups of grain mix twice a day plus alfalfa pellets and hay / browse  / pasture

A doe in milk  - at least 2 lbs (3 lbs for large does) of grain a day plus alfalfa pellets and hay / browse / pasture

Probios - 5 gms for kids, 10 gms per kid. Offer it when changing feed,

diarrhea is present, when they are stressed, after kidding, during rut

Minerals - make sure your mineral has selenium and a high copper count.

Use a loose mineral, preferably one for goats like Black Onyx or Sweet Lix.

The mineral I use has a minimum of 50ppm of Selenium and 1,750 ppm of Copper.

Baking Soda - it is a good idea to mix some baking soda in with the mineral to prevent or help with bloat, which is when air gets caught in the rumen and can be deadly.

Not something you will encounter often or maybe ever, but baking soda helps assure this.

Alfalfa is essential to does in milk and pregnancy for calcium. Offer it in hay form, pellets or cubes.

This is my mix that I fed in the past. You can add Black Oil Sunflower Seeds on your own to any

of your feed to give it an extra boost, and if you buy Purina Noble Goat, I'd recommend

just adding Black Oil Sunflower Seeds and Alfalfa Pellets and Ammonium Chloride yourself to get a great feed mix for every goat.

Ammonium is safe for does and doelings.

Vaccinations, Worming, and Such

Yearly CDT  - kids are usually given a booster 21 days after first vaccine at 6-8 weeks, adults are not

Copper Bolus - given once to twice a year. Look at the condition of the coat for

signs that a second bolus might be needed. If it looks rough and lacks sheen, you

probably need to bolus again. You buy Copasture on Jefferslivestock.com

http://www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=2&mscssid=DE0TXLHEM6RT8LVV3XH80LD7RG2ED6S5&pf_id=16535&cmkw=copasure

for cattle in 12.5 doses (enough for 125 - 500 lb of cattle per dose), buy clear size 00 capsule to break the large 12.5 doses into goat size doses (each 12.5 capsule is enough for at least 3 80 lb goats), and use a bolus balling

gun, which you can get one for under $2 at Tractor Supply or Southern States to shoot the bolus capsule down the goats throat

- AVOID the goat chewing the capsule. Re-bolus if they chew it and spit it out.

BO-SE Shots or Selenium Gel - Goats are almost always in most areas going to be selenium deficient. This causes hard kiddings, among other things.

Give the gel monthly or bi-monthly or yearly if you can get the Bo-Se (Selenium and Vitamin E) shot from your vet.  It is wise

to give to doe and kids after birth/kidding. 

You can order the gel from Jeffers for $8.95. Try giving bi-monthly to be sure you don't give too much, as too much

is toxic, and give it at the rate of 5ml per goat around 6 months of age:

http://www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=2&mscssid=GTXR9C0952PJ9H8UQ19HA8JNXB3M9SQ7

Coccidiosis (Cocci) Prevention - Common in kids. Parasite, but isn't a worm and worming doesn't help the problem. Prevent it from getting out of

control or ever taking root by feeding a medicated pellet. If you find the goats are loosing

weight at all or have diarrhea that doesn't clear up in a few days time, use Sulmet or Dimethox by the gallon, in a concentrated liquid or in a powder, and all are put in the goats' drinking water - it is stronger than any medicated pellet:

http://www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=2&mscssid=DE0TXLHEM6RT8LVV3XH80LD7RG2ED6S5

or this for the powder you mix with water

http://www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=2&mscssid=DE0TXLHEM6RT8LVV3XH80LD7RG2ED6S5

or the concentrated liquid, Sulmet

http://www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=2&mscssid=DE0TXLHEM6RT8LVV3XH80LD7RG2ED6S5

Adults will develop an immunity to Cocci.

Worming - Use a weight tape to get the weight of the goat or actually weigh the

goat. You don't want to under dose! Always worm the doe after she kids.

Some people advice not to use Cydectin on goats with a heavy worm load or

pregnant does. Please research each wormer's milk withholding time for humans.

Safeguard has a high worm resistance, and the pellets do not work well.

Schedule - if you can do fecal egg counts with your vet, this is best. If you cannot,

then I worm during times of stress (usually once), after kidding (usually once, the day after kidding), and in the spring and fall, unless the gums or inner eye lids are pale, and then I worm once and then ten days later, since they are actually showing signs of worms.

Ivomec - at least 1 ml per 50 lbs orally - it is injectable, but give it orally. Doesn't treat tapeworms.

Valbazen - 1ml per 10 lbs ORALLY - treats lung worms and tapeworms. Not safe for PREGNANT DOES.

Cydectin (moxidectin) - 1cc per 20 or 25 lbs ORALLY - treats lung worms, doesn't treat tapeworms. Don't give to Pregnant Does.

Quest Equine ( Oxfendazole) - Oral and 2x times to stated dose on the package for tapeworms. Usually for hoses. Dose at 2x or 3x the per weigh dose for horses orally.

Severe Worm Loads - Bottle jaw or swelling under jaw indicates an Urgent heavy worm load, and some people feel Cydectin shouldn't be used as it is so strong for heavy worm loads. Use another wormer, like Ivomec or Ivomec PLUS. It is advised to not, in the case of VERY heavy worms loads, give the Injectable wormers orally because it can cause the goat to have internal bleeding, so USE it as an injection 1cc per 30 lbs, and re-worm at least 10 days later, and some advise to do so in a four stage manner, 3 times every 10 days and then once a month later due to larva development.

Symptoms you will likely or might encounter and what it can mean:

pale (or white) gums or non-pink inside eyelids - worm the goat

dull coat - worm the goat, copper bolus, give selenim

diarrhea - worm the goat, treat for coccidia, give pepto bismol to control the diarrhea at the same dose for human listed on the bottle. A DRENCH gun is great for this and a must have. They are around $15 at Tractor Supply.

lower milk production - worm the goat

clumpy stools - worm the goat

 Rough hair - worm the goat, treat of coccidia, give selenium, copper bolus

 chronic coughing - can be lung worms, treat with Valbazen, Ivomec or Cydectin

Blindness/stumbling, holding head up in the air - Polio. Treat with RX strength thiamine ASAP. Goat can recover. Banamine RX injectable. This is something to contact your vet over.

Weakness, off feed, shivers in a doe in Milk - Milk Fever. Act quickly or she can die. You need calcium injections ASAP. Call your vet.

Calculate Goat Weight here:

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/weight-chart.htm

Breeding and Pregnancy:

·        It is best to make a note of when the buck has been in with your does, and then you should make a note of the due date 150 days later.

·        Most large goat breeds only come into heat in the fall, but Nigerians and Pygmies, and often Nubians, can breed year around, as well as crossed of these breeds like Kinders and Mini Nubians.

·        Try to attend births. Complications are not uncommon.

·        Prior to breeding, make sure your doe isn't copper deficient or selenium deficient. Birth difficulties are exacerbated by these problems. You can have listless and weak kids from failing to provide enough copper or selenium to their dams.

·        If you need to turn kids to get them in proper position, READ ahead of time online about how to do so and when to call the vet. NEVER let a doe labor for hours without delivering. She will die. You must call a vet if she has labored for several hours without kidding if you cannot turn the kids or address the situation.

·        Watch for Milk Fever or more aptly called Hypocalcaemia. IF the doe is weak, trembling,  not having strong contractions (though it often sets in after kidding), shivers after being milked, is off her feed, you are probably dealing with a calcium deficiency, which is Hypocalcaemia. Prevent this by offering Alfalfa and even some tums (3-5) in her feed, if she will eat them, during pregnancy. To treat it, because she will DIE if you do not, Calcium Gluconate 23% Solution, which you can buy at Tractor Supply or a local feedstore, orally with a drench gun, if needed, 8 -12 oz first, then give 5 oz - 8 oz at least 3 times a day until she is well OR inject 40 cc across the ribcage in multiple areas until the full 40 cc has been administered.

·        Once the kids are born, most people dip the navel cords in betadine.

Kid Care

Milk - If you plan to bottlefeed, be aware that if you do not milk to mother's and provide actual goat's milk, you should NEVER use a milk replacer. It can and does kill kids. Feed WHOLE cow's milk ONLY. Never 2%. 

Colostrum - Kids must receive Colostrum from either their own mothers or another goat. Heat treated is fine and used with CAE prevention programs, but the kids will DIE without colostrum. . . powered colostrum will not suffice and should only be used if the mother has died and no milk can be gotten from her and no other goat's colostrum can be obtained as a last resort.

Bottle-feeding - It is hard to pull kids that have been dam raised from the mother and then try to give a bottle, but it can be done. Do not pull kids that have been dam raised prior to 12 weeks old (minimum of 8-10 weeks for bucklings) and sell them because they may not accept a bottle and will starve. Try offering the bottle yourself and see if they accept it, it might take a lot off effort, and you have the best chance of success under 4 weeks of age and from already friendly kids.

Disbudding kids should be done by an experienced person until you have seen enough disbudding to know how long to do it, what pressure to apply, etc. Buy you own iron to be sure it gets hot enough and take it with you. NEVER USE A Large CALF DISBUDDING IRON - YOU WILL KILL YOUR KIDS. Use only the X-30 dehorner in the 1/2 size for medium to large goats. You can use the 3/8 tip for miniature goat breeds, and some people still use the 1/2 size for miniature breeds.

http://www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=2&mscssid=A4M4HTQJBXBA8HW8259EE6TPNNUQ90M6

 Contact your local Extension office, put ads on craigslist or look on goatfinder.com for local goat breeders. Most breeders are happy to help, even if they charge a small fee of $3-5 a kid. It is worth it.

Friendly Behavior - If you handle your kids daily, then can be VERY people friendly without bottle-feeding, but the most "in your pocket" kids are bottlefed. Sometimes the bottle babies are too attached and cry for you when you're gone and jump on you when they are large and fully grown, so each form of raising has ups and downs.

Diseases to be aware of

CAE - Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis is transmitted to kids via the positive mother's milk. Buy your goats from a CAE free (ask for the paperwork) herd and test your stock yearly through a company such as http://www.biotracking.com/

Some people practice pulling the kids immediately, never allowing them to nurse from the dam, and then pasteurizing all milk the kids drink. If you do not do this, be sure you have a test CAE free herd and that your goats from from CAE free herds, too. Please research this topic a great deal more.

CL - Caseous Lymphadenitis is abscesses in the goat's lymphatic system. Blood tests are not accurate. You simply must check the herd you are buying from for abscesses or healed abscesses, and that is about all you can do. If you get a goat that ends up with an abscess, you will usually either cull or put the goat far away from your main herd and practice strict bio security around the CL goat's pen. If the abscess ruptures with your main herd, you have a real problem, as all goats are then contaminated. Please research this topic a great deal more.

 Johne's disease - Body condition can be a helpful indication when looking at herds you plan to buy from as many people do not test. These goats waste away when the disease is active, eventually, the goat dies from lack of nutrition. Please research this topic a great deal more.

Register your Goats

Registries - If you deal with full sized Dairy breeds, you will register with the ADGA, AGS or IDGA. The large registries being the ADGA and AGS. If you deal with miniature Dairy breeds, you will deal with MDGA or TMGR. The former is the larger registry. There is a small registry called the NMGA that registers goats of miniature size, goats are grade animals. The MDGA will not register goats with Pygmy breeding because they are a dairy only registry. The IDGR will register goats with Pygmy breeding. NPGA registers Pygmy goats only. There is a Kinder goat registry as well, but they do not allow or recognize grade or American animals.

The ADGA, the largest of the dairy registries, allows grade does to be recorded, experimentals from two Purebred or American parents, and Americans (has a base 3 generations back with a grade doe), but they do not allow grade sires or non-dairy animals such as Pygmy crosses, such as Kinder goats. Grades are registered Native of Appearance or NOA.

The AGS only allows purebred only animals to be recorded.

The IDGR allows purebred, Americans, Grade recorded and experimentals. Grade of registered NOA. Allows the recording of Grade bucks, unlike the ADGA.