Herd Health
and Our Extensive
Our recommended Goat Care Instructions
_________________________________
CAE NEGATIVE TESTING for
2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012
through biotracking
Click links to be taken to the section
of the page you're looking for. To return here to
research other topics, just click your
browser's back button:
>CL - CAE - Johnes - Our Testing
>ADGA Appraisal-- Dairy goat faults
>Ideal appearance-
>Milk production - Our Care -
>Must have List -- Our Guide to Care -
>Coccidia - Copper and Selenium
Other very Useful goat care links
TRY HERE
AND HERE
Our herd name is "Creamer's LF"
Thinking you want to bring
Dairy Animals into you Farm?
Read HERE
We try to sell does only to individuals WHO ARE looking to really milk their goats. This requires dedication. It also requires a high standard of care. You cannot do this the "cheap" way if you want good results!
We do sell wethers to pet homes sometimes or humane, quality homes where they will be used when grown out for meat.
A Bit about Our Herd
We are fortunate that our does are able to basically FREE-RANGE all day, almost every day!This helps lead to amazingly good condition on our girls!
TOTAL Goat care instructions are located
much further down on this page
If you buy from us, we do not make assurances once the goat leaves our care and property unless otherwise stated in writing.
CL, CAE and Johnes Disease
An ethical breeder will stand by whatever word
they give a buyer on their disease status.
Our personal thoughts on Goat Dieases:
On CAE (Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis)
There are many theories on CAE.
Some say you can know a goat is negative without a doubt, some say you can’t. Some say testing isn’t reliable, some say it is. Studies through WADDL showed 80% of goats in their studies were testing positive.
Statistics show most goats are rarely symptomatic, 90% are not for many years.
Some breeders say Cull all positive animals, some just raise their kids on CAE prevention, some say if the doe is not symptomatic, they are simply carriers and do not have the active disease.
Here are some links to help you read up and come to your own decision on the disease.
We do not really support any particular site’s feelings on the matter, we test our herd yearly and our herd is negative:
The goat to goat info site, Fiasco Farm, offers this opinion:
http://fiascofarm.com/goats/cae.htm
Another well respected lab offers another:
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts_waddl/caefaq.aspx
A Vet stance on CAE:
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/
index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/55000.htm
WADDL Laboratory states that goats do experienced “delayed seroconversion,” and this is why breeders test many times.
This is what makes CAE free guarantees very difficult because the testing is not 100% accurate in that It can only tell you with a high accuracy about the antibodies the goat has in it’s body at that time.
The goat can, according to research and statements from many other breeders, be infected with CAE and not producing antibodies – YET – to it. This is why breeders test every 6 months or yearly when a goat has been negative, even many times.
Breeders who raise on CAE prevention still typically test yearly or more often because of the incidents of human error in the raising on prevention and because they know results can change Year to year, else they would not spend a great deal of time and money, testing the same goats with past negative results.
I am not 100% certain about CAE and testing and what is and is not true; however, We have made great efforts to buy and maintain a CAE free herd
We encourage All buyers to feel free to conduct ANY and ALL bloodwork testing you would like on any kid or dam of any kid you’re interested in, including CAE, CL and Johnes. We have current negative testing on the herd and test each spring and have done so for all the years we've owned dairy goats.
We do not make guarantees on the status of any goat’s disease status, but we will provide Their testing results directly from the lab which shows negative results on the herd.
We will not manage an animal we know to be positive at this time. If an animal to come up positive, we would find the animal a pet only home or have the animal humanely put down if such a home was not possible.
THE HERD IS CAE NEGATIVE FOR
2009, 2010, 2011 AND 2012!!!! Hooray!
All current testing is freely provided upon request.
We test ONLY through biotracking, but a buyer is free to use any lab at their cost for testing.
On CL or Caseous Lymphadenitis
Click to Read above about CL above
CL, unlike CAE, can be transmitted to humans, though rarely, which means you should not ever attempt to manage it.
We personally do not blood test for CL because the testing is not highly accurate at this time, much less so than CAE.
Goats with CL typically do not have many abscesses in their lives. CL Surfaces with the animals is under stress, and testing only tells someone if a goat has an active abscess, which is something you can typically see from a good inspection of the animal, which you should always conduct.
You are free to check the whole herd (which we encourage and do ourselves often) and opt to have them tested at your cost at the lab of your choice, we feel it is impossible to guarantee a herd’s status, and because CL is VERY contagious, lives in the ground, is carried by birds and insects and more.
That said, I believe the herd, with our diligent practices, to be CL free, but I do not make guarantees with any purchase.
I have done my best to buy from herds that have no signs of CL, and I would never keep a CL positive animal and have not had, to my knowledge, a CL positive animal!
We encourage All buyers to feel free to conduct any bloodwork testing you would like on any kid or dam of any kid you’re interested in, including CAE, CL and Johnes.
We do not make guarantees on the status of any goat’s disease status. We assure we have testing for the herd!
Click above to read a bit about Johnes
Like CL, the testing is fairly unreliable, so we do not test.
We have no clinical signs in our herd of
Johnes, which is a wasting disease.
We encourage All buyers to feel free to
conduct any bloodwork testing you would like on any
kid or dam of any kid you’re interested in,
including CAE, CL and Johnes.
We do not make guarantees on the status of any goat’s disease status.
We do not test of Brucellosis, but as with other diseases, you’re welcome to conduct your own testing.
Brucellosis in rare in goats in the USA.
On the Genetic defect:
G6S found in 25% of Nubians
http://kinne.net/g6
Testing at this time is cost prohibitive, but we are happy to allow this
Cost prohibitive for us, but this is a genetic test we can have done on any kid you’re interested in at YOUR cost.
Purchases
OUR HERD IS CAE NEGATIVE BASED ON BIOTRACKING
RESULTS YEARLY - LAST TESTED MARCH 2012
We will never knowingly SELL any animal with CAE, CL, Johnes or other disease.
We are truthful and frank breeders and sellers. We will not paint fanciful pictures of guarantees we feel we cannot honestly make to you, the buyer. At this date, when I make a purchase, I understand the risks involved when Buying goats, and I try to impart this to other buyers.
We do not offer ANY guarantees of animals being free of any disease – BUT WE WILL PROVIDE TESTING FOR ANY PURCHASED GOAT prior to purchase for your assurance that, at the time of sale, the animal was testing free of any disease tested for, at your request, in addition to our own current testing results!
We do not accept any animal back into the herd or offer any refunds Of purchase costs, transport costs or otherwise.
A GO TO GUIDE
FOR ALL questions about Goat health is:
FIASCO FARM
"How to end up with a quality animal"
See a sample ADGA scorecard here
http://www.dairygoatjournal.com/goats/
adga_judging_scorecard.html
Understanding LA, DHIR, ADGA Genetics and more:
http://www.caldairygoats.com/readperfped.htm
Guide to Linear Traits -
The "ideal" ranges from the ADGA type committee:
strength 27 - 33
dairyness 33 - 38
teat diameter 18 - 28
rear legs 25 - 30
rump angle 30 -35
rump width 30- 35
fore udder 35 - 42
rear udder hgt 40 - 45
rear udder arch 32 - 40
udder depth 22 - 27
medial 28 - 32
teat placement 25 - 30
The above figures are based on a 4 Year old doe and would not
apply to a younger doe
http://www.adgatype.org/Linear%20Appraisal
%20Def'n.htm
Understanding PTAs, ETA, PTIs
http://www.adga.org/index.php?option=com_content&
view=article&id=268:artabcs&catid=48:sire-development&Itemid=74
http://goatdairylibrary.org/conformation.html
Ideally, look for goats coming close to the mid photos * * *
GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATING FAULTS
SLIGHT TO SERIOUS
General:
Wry or broken tail
Undershot or overshot jaw
Close in hocks
Large horn scurs or stubs (except in minis)
Non-disabling lameness
Enlarged knees
Feet turned out
Loose, winged, or heavy shoulders
Narrow chest or pinched heart girth
Short, shallow, or narrow body
Low (swayed) back
Steep rump
Small boned for body size
Bowed front legs, buck kneed
Hind legs close
Pasterns too long or soft
TEATS: set close together, bulbous, extremely large or small, uneven in size, pointed sideways, not clearly delineated, small orifices or otherwise difficult to milk
UDDER:lacking in attachment, too much or too little division between halves, beefy texture,
pocket in fore udder, presence of scar tissue.
MODERATE
General– NONE
Breed Specific:
ALPINE:
mature does under 30” or less than 135 lbs. mature bucks under 32” or less than 160 lbs.
Does with true Toggenburg color and markings
Does with all white color
LAMANCHA:
mature does under 28” or less than 130 lbs.
mature bucks under 30” or less than 155 lbs.
NUBIAN:
mature does under 30” or less than 135 lbs.
mature bucks under 32” or less than 160 lbs.
PYGMY:
snipey muzzle; thin or weak neck; small, round or protruding eyes
OBERHASLI:
mature does under 28” or less than 120 lbs.
mature bucks under 30” or less than 150 lbs.
SAANEN:
mature does under 30” or less than 135 lbs.
mature bucks under 32” or less than 160 lbs.
SABLE:
mature does under 30” or less than 135 lbs.
mature bucks under 32” or less than 160 lbs.
TOGGENBURG:
mature does under 26” or less than 120 lbs.
mature bucks under 28” or less than 145 lbs.
Few small white spots in hair of does
MODERATE TO SERIOUS
General – NONE
Breed Specific:
Alpines, LaMancha, Oberhasli, Saanen, Sable, & Toggenburg: roman nose
Nigerian Dwarf: roman nose; curly coat
Pygmy: rump too long; coat wavy, curly, silky, too short or sparse, shallow or weak thighs; legs too long
SERIOUS
General:
Udder: pendulous, too distended to determine texture, hard or swollen (except in does just fresh), one half less than half the size of the other, misplaced or leaking orifice
Natural horns (except in miniatures)
Breed Specific:
ALPINE:
true Toggenburg color and markings in bucks. All white color in bucks
NUBIAN:
straight face
OBERHASLI:
small white spots in the hair of does
SAANEN:
dark cream color, several dark spots in hair
TOGGENBURG:
black does, white stomach on does, white spot 1.5” in hair of does, few white spots in hair of bucks.
VERY SERIOUS
General:
Udder lacking in size or capacity in relation to frame size and stage of lactation
Extra teat on doe (even if it has been removed)
Double orifice in teat on doe
Crooked or malformed feet
Crooked face on does
Breed Specific:
NUBIAN:
barely drooping ears
OBERHASLI:
small white spots in the hair of bucks
DISQUALIFICATIONS
General:
Serious emaciation
Total blindness
Permanent lameness
Blind (non-functioning) udder half
Blind teat
Double teat (bifurcal, or fused)
Extra teat that interferes with milking (supernumerary)
Extra teat on buck (supernumerary)
Double orifice on buck
Crooked face on buck
Active mastitis or any other cause of abnormal milk
Evidence of hermaphroditism
Evidence of any inability to reproduce
Evidence of myatonia
Anything other than two normal, fully descended testicles in bucks
Permanent physical defect, such as naval hernia
Breed Specific:
ALPINE:
pendulous ears
LAMANCHA:
anything other than gopher ears on bucks, anything other than true
LaMancha type ears on does
NIGERIAN DWARF:
pendulous ears, does over 22 1/2”, bucks over 23 1/2”
NUBIAN:
upright ears, dished face
OBERHASLI:
pendulous ears, all black bucks, large white spot 1.5” or greater in hair
PYGMY:
naturally polled, roman nose, cannon over 4.6” in bucks or 3.7” in does, pendulous ears, does over 22 1/2”, bucks over 231/2”
SAANEN:
pendulous ears, large dark spot 1.5” or greater in hair
SABLE:
pendulous ears, pure white or solid light cream color
TOGGENBURG:
pendulous ears, tri-colored or piebald, black bucks, white stomach on bucks, large white spot 1.5” or greater in hair of bucks
GENERAL APPEARANCE
An attractive framework with femininity (masculinity in bucks), strength, upstandingness, length, and smoothness of blending throughout that create an impressive style and graceful walk.
Stature - slightly taller at withers than at hips with long bone pattern throughout.
Head & Breed Characteristics - clean-cut and balanced in length, width, and depth; broad muzzle with full nostrils; well-sculpted, alert eyes; strong jaw with angular lean junction to throat; appropriate size, color, ears, and nose to meet breed standard.
Front End Assembly - prominent withers arched to point of shoulder with shoulder blade, point of shoulder, and point of elbow set tightly and smoothly against the chest wall both while at rest and in motion; deep and wide into chest floor with moderate strength of brisket.
Back - strong and straight with well-defined vertebrae throughout and slightly uphill to withers; level chine with full crops into a straight, wide loin; wide hips smoothly set and level with back; strong rump which is uniformly wide and nearly level from hips to pinbones and thurl to thurl; thurls set two-thirds of the distance from hips to pinbones; well defined and wide pinbones set slightly lower than the hips; tailhead slightly above and smoothly set between pinbones; tail symmetrical to body and free from coarseness; vulva normal in size and shape in females (normal sheath and testes in males).
Legs, Pasterns & Feet - bone flat and strong throughout leading to smooth, free motion; front legs with clean knees, straight, wide apart and
squarely placed; rear legs wide apart and straight from the rear and well angulated in side profile through the stifle to cleanly molded hocks,
nearly perpendicular from hock to B, yet flexible pastern of medium length; strong feet with tight toes, pointed directly forward; deep heels with sole nearly uniform in depth from toe to heel.
DAIRY CHARACTER
Angularity and general openness with strong yet refined and clean bone structure, showing freedom from coarseness and with evidence of milking ability giving due regard to stage of lactation (of breeding season in bucks).
Neck - long, lean, and blending smoothly into the shoulders; clean-cut throat and brisket.
Withers - prominent and wedge-shaped with the dorsal process arising slightly above the shoulder blades.
Ribs - flat, flinty, wide apart, and long; lower rear ribs should angle to flank.
.
Flank - deep, yet arched and free of excess tissue.
Thighs - in side profile, moderately incurving from pinbone to stifle; from the rear, clean and wide apart, highly arched and out-curving into the escutcheon to provide ample room for the udder and its attachment.
Skin - thin, loose, and pliable with soft, lustrous hair.
BODY CAPACITY
Relatively large in proportion in size, age, and period of lactation of animal (of breeding season for bucks), providing ample capacity, strength, and vigor.
Chest - deep and wide, yet clean-cut, with well sprung foreribs, full in crops and at point of elbow.
Barrel - strongly supported, long, deep, and wide; depth and spring of rib tending to increase into a deep yet refined flank
MAMMARY SYSTEM
Strongly attached, elastic, well-balanced with adequate capacity, quality, ease of milking, and indicating heavy milk production over a long period of usefulness.
Udder Support - strong medial suspensory ligament that clearly defines the udder halves, contributes to desirable shape and capacity, and holds the entire udder snugly to the body and well above the hocks. Fore, rear, and lateral attachments must be strong and smooth.
Fore Udder - wide and full to the side and extending moderately forward without excess non-lactating tissue and indicating capacity, desirable shape, and productivity.
Rear Udder - capacious, high, wide, and arched into the escutcheon; uniformity wide and deep to the floor; moderately curved in side profile without protruding beyond the vulva.
Balanced, Symmetry & Quality - in side profile, one-third of the capacity visible in front of the leg, one-third under the leg, and one-third behind the leg; well-rounded with soft, pliable, and elastic texture that is well collapsed after milking, free of scar tissue, with halves evenly balanced.
Teats - uniform size and of medium length and diameter in proportion to capacity of udder, cylindrical in shape, pointed nearly straight down or slightly forward, and situated two-thirds of the distance from the medial suspensory ligament on the floor of each udder-half to the side, indicating ease of milking.
What are you looking for in your dairy goat?
Consider the chart below when choosing a breed:
MILK PRODUCTION for breeds
Average size, milk yield (MY) and
milk composition of dairy goat breeds.*
|
Breed |
Height (in.) |
Weight (lb) |
MY (lb) |
Fat (%) |
Protein (%) |
Alpine |
30 |
135 |
1990 |
3.56 |
3.06 |
Am. La Mancha |
28 |
130 |
1712 |
3.80 |
3.29 |
Nubian |
30 |
135 |
1572 |
4.61 |
3.66 |
Saanen |
30 |
135 |
2077 |
3.52 |
3.02 |
Toggenburg |
26 |
120 |
1915 |
3.38 |
3.01 |
* 1989, 305 day DHI breed averages for milk yield and composition. |
DAILY CARE of Our Herd
Our goats receive knowledgeable vet care as needed
We check for any signs of lumps, abscesses, etc routinely
CAE test Yearly
We copper bolus twice yearly
We give BO-SE (Vit. E and Selenium) twice yearly, at least
We follow a Cocci prevention program for Kids using
Di Methoxx and feed a medicated pellet
Worming is done as needed with Cydectin / Quest, Valbazen
or/and Zimectrin Gold
(do not use SAFEGUARD - it is worthless)
CDT Shots given boostered yearly
Bucks are fed a grain mix with Ammonium Chloride to prevent Urinary Calculi
NEVER FEED BUCKS or wethers GRAIN WITHOUT Ammonium Chloride
We feed a Medicated Pellet to kids!
We feed does a high quality grain ration - right now BUCKEYE goat feed -
plus alfalfa and a dairy production pellet
All kids are DISBUDDED with an iron - NO PASTE
Hooves are trimmed every 8 weeks for the most part - BUCKS TOO!
Kids will be tattooed before leaving the farm
Goat MUST haves:
A proper Cocci prevention program with Dimethox
http://www.dairygoatinfo.com/index.php?topic=9125.0
(this link will direct you to Cocci treatments and dosages)
I've also heard Baycox is great for prevetion or treatment, but hard to find.
Copper Boluses
Selenium in either gel form or BO-SE RX
A High Quality LOOSE mineral for goats - we use and recommend Cargill Right Now Onyx
High Quality grass hay for dry does and kids
Access to High Calcium hay - typically alfalfa pellets ( for dairy does in milk)
Bucks need Ammonium Chloride or no grain diets
Before are photos used with permission by
http://oatbucketfarm.webs.com/
These are before and afters of the
SAME GOATS
#1 Lamancha - BEFORE
#2 Lamancha - Before
#2 Lamancha - After
BO-SE
COPPER BOLUSING
Loose Minerals
Alfalfa
and A proper Cocci prevention program
* * *
A quick Goat guide
Written by Tinia
Updated in 2011
The highlighted links will take you to online sources for what you need, so click themThis is what we do. I am not a vet or expert,
but I have put a lot of time intolearning what I write here.
I make no promises. This just works for us.
Feeding: - FULL SIZE DAIRY goats ONLY : Nigerian goats require substantially less!
Goats need access to Hay or Browse constantly. Offer free choice -
HIGH QUALITY (NOT cow hay) Hay when no browse (shrubs, leaves, bushes, trees, briars) is around or no pasture.
They will eat pasture (grass), but much prefer browse (leaves, vines, thorns, etc). 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 some dairy cattle.
DO NOT let anyone tell you otherwise - you will KILL your does!
We feed or have fed Buckeye Goat feed,
Caprine Challenger By Blue Seal.
Nutrena Doe and Kid Medicated or a mix of
60% whole oats, 20% corn, 10% alfalfa (more when lactating)
and 10% Black Oil Sunflower seeds
- RICE BRAN pellets are the best source of
fat for does in milk I know of.
High protein IS NOT what you need - 14% is usually plenty
- so no calf manna - up fat, with rice bran.
- WE NOW PREFER TO FEED LEGENDS PREFORMANCE FOR HORSES TO ALL DOES IN MILK -
Bucklings and Bucks - Buy Ammonium Chloride
(ebay, some feedstores, online), 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
- adjust as needed for condition - you never want a fat goat
Bucks in Rut - Around 3 cups of grain with ammonium chloride
daily and hay / browse / pasture
- adjust as needed for condition - you never want a fat goat
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.
We sell it for $3 per pound if you cannot find it elsewhere.
Does and Doelings- FULL SIZE DAIRY goats ONLY :
Nigerian goats require substantially less!
Doeling under 4 months - 1/2 a cup of grain mix / medicated pellet twice a day-
plus unlimited hay / browse / pasture - adjust as needed for condition - you never wants a fat goat, either
- adjust as needed for condition - you never want a fat goat
Doeling over 4 months, not bred - 1/2 cup of grain mix / medicated pellet twice a day
plus unlimited hay / browse / pasture
- adjust as needed for condition - you never want a fat goat
Pregnant does - 1 1/2 cups of grain mix twice a day near the end of pregnancy plus alfalfa pellets or hay
plus hay / browse / pasture
- adjust as needed for condition - you never want a fat goat, either, especially prior to kidding - you're asking for problems.
A doe in milk - at least 3 lbs for full sized does,sometimes more, of grain a day plus alfalfa pellets and hay / browse / pasture
- adjust as needed for condition - you never want a fat goat but they should look health, even in milk.
Probios - 5 gms for kids, 10 gms per kid. Offer
it when changing feed,
diarrhea is present, when they are stressed, after kidding,
with antibiotics, during rut
Minerals - make sure your mineral has
selenium and a high copper count.
Use a loose mineral, preferably a quality on
like Cargill Right Now Onyx
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 for calcium.
Offer it in hay form, pellets or cubes.
This is a 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 adding Black Oil Sunflower
Seeds and Alfalfa Pellets and Ammonium Chloride yourself
to get a general feed mix for every goat.
Ammonium is safe for does and doelings.
150 # whole oats
100 # wheat
150 # rolled barley
100 # beet pulp
50 # linseed pellets
50 # alfalfa pellets
50 # black oil sunflower seeds
50 # wet molasses
5 # goat mineral mix
We feed Strategy Healthy Edge, though it is a horse feed,
we have found it does wonders for production, keeping weight
on the does and it is a reasonable price
Don't be shocked it does ignore alfala pellets when mixed in grain - you may need to get creative to get them to eat it.
Adding TUMS to grain helps with calcium, too.
Bucks not in rut, wethers and dry does will not even usually require grain - Look to your goats condition to see what it needs!
ALL lactating does MUST have some measure of GRAIN and a source of calcium!
Vaccinations, Worming, and Such
Please DO NOT kill your goats by having fanciful ideas of 100% holistic or natural care.
Goats were not meant to live here in North America and have been bred and altered by selective breeding so much, they will NOT thrive on holistic livestock plans very often to never.
THEY must be wormed when they need it, and they will need it, eventually, with a chemical wormer.
They almost MUST be treated every 21 days for Coccidia as KIDS even in clean enviroment where overcrowding isn't an issue if you do not want the kids stunted.
They MUST receive supplemental COPPER AND SELENIUM. MUST.
Yearly CDT - kids are given a booster 21 days after first vaccine at 6-8 weeks
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. If your goat's tail tips are bald, split into a fish tail or if the black goats are turning rusty colored in areas, 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. Cover the tip of the bolus gun with KY Jelly to help it stay in and go down the throat quickly!
BO-SE Shots or Selenium Gel - Goats in most areas going to be selenium deficient. This causes hard kiddings and weak kids, 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 at breeding 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:
Coccidiosis (Cocci) Prevention - Common in kids. Feed a medicated pellet to kids and use one of the meds listed below.
It is a 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 Dimethox by the gallon, powder or 40% injectable given orally, in a concentrated liquid or in a powder, and all are
put in the goats' drinking water or given undiluted as a preventative orally - 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 (some people report this is no longer effective)
Dimethox Powder Mixing and Dosages:
1 package to a pint of water.
Each cc will treat 2.6#'s of kid and give it the needed 75mg/kg.
For a 10# kid 4cc...
20#=8cc
25#=10cc
30#=12cc
35#=14cc
40#=16cc
45#=18cc
50#=20cc
Corid is reported as NOT effective for Cocci in many areas, and then some people swear by it. It does
work by preventing Thiamine absorbtion - so that is something to consider since goats need thiamine.
6.25cc per 25 pounds for 5 days
LBS and CCs
5 1.25
7 1.75
10 2.50
12 3.00
15 3.75
17 4.25
20 5.00
22 5.50
25 6.25
27 6.75
30 7.50
32 7.75
35 8.75
37 9.25
40 10.00
42 10.50
45 11.25
47 11.75
50 12.50
52 13.00
55 13.75
57 14.25
60 15.00
62 15.50
65 16.25
67 16.75
70 17.50
72 18.00
75 18.75
77 19.25
80 20.00
82 20.50
85 21.25
87 21.75
90 22.50
92 23.00
95 23.75
97 24.25
100 25.00
Baycox is another highly effective treatment, though hard to find.
We
are dedicated Christians here at the farm.
"Also he built towers in the desert, and
digged many wells: for he had much cattle,
both in the low country, and in the plains:
husbandmen also, and vine dressers in the
mountains, and in the Carmel: for he loved
husbandry." - 2 Chronicles 26:10
Join the:
We
highly recommend the film, Food, Inc.
It
can change your life, if you're willing to
change.
http://www.foodincmovie.com
We basically, because of our
son's needs...unschool. This is
something that seems to go hand-in-hand with
animal husbandry, hobby farming, and the
like. We always like to get in touch
with local people with similar thoughts, so
if you homeschool or have a local group,
feel free to contact us. Our farm
makes a nice field day for homeschooled
kids!
We are open to have
homeschool meetings here at our house
weekly, too, if there is enough interest.
We are members of EAGLE (now
HiM), WVHEA, and ACCHE.
We meet weekly for
homeschool co-op classes with either:
ACCHE http://groups.yahoo.com/group/acche1/
EAGLE http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeschoolEAGLE/
We are a Conservative Christian Family.
We believe the education of our children is
our responsibility. We believe we have
a right to decide what our children are
taught. We believe you cannot have a
complete education apart from one that
involves Christ.
Contact us with
homeschooling ideas, or curriculum advice.
If you'd like to meet with other families to
give your home schooled kid interaction
outside the home with other children, or if
you have an area you are very good in
teaching, and would like to set up classes
with our children to be involved.
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