Bringing home your new goats

Anytime you bring home new goats here are some things to watch and make sure are taken care of -

Worm you goats - moving to goats is stressful, stress weakens their immunity which in turn brings on a higher worm load.  Worm them now before the load gets out of hand.

Probiotics - for the first 2-3 days or even a week or 2, and a sprinkle of probiotic power to the top of your goats grain or mineral.  Not getting grain ?  Try just drenching them with a few table spoons of yogurt once a day.   Probiotics is excellent for improving health in a stressed goat.

Diet change - Watch out for this one.  Before bringing you goat home, be sure to talk over with the previous owner the goats current diet.  Be sure to make all changes SLOWLY.

Don't forget to leave out a pan of baking soda for you new goats.  This will help prevent bloat as your goats settle in.

Goats will most likely cry the first few days to a few weeks, until they get to know you and their new home.  Remember - they love routine  and thrive on it, set up a new routine and stick to it to help your goats settle in quicker.

If you already have goats, it's a good idea to leave your new goats in a separate pen for the first few days to a week.  If possible, let them share a fence line so they can 'get to know' each other.   A little head slamming to figure out the pecking order is normal, just don't let it go too far.

Breeding season - Getting ready

Just about that time of year here in NE!  So I get a LOT of questions about how and when to breed goats - hoping to cover most of that in this post.

For my herd - breeding season actually starts about a 6-8 weeks before I plan to do any actual breeding with my goats.  Breeding takes a lot - goats should be at there absolute healthiest ever by breeding season - to insure ease of breeding, successful settling, and a wonderful kid crop in 5 months time.

Minerals play a big part in fertility - don't skimp out for the summer.  Copper and Bo-se especially.

The first thing to do come June - check those fence lines.  Buck rut generally starts as early as July and continues on until the last doe is bred - or later.  Generally by March they have calmed down.   Nothing knows how to find a whole in the fence like a buck in rut with a doe in sight.  :)

6-8 weeks before breeding season starts - 
My nubians and full sized dairy goats tend to be much more needy in the mineral department then my kinders and mini breed goats.   Despite what the labels says for copper content - I still bolus my goats on the side.  I will talk about this more in a copper post - but this is about breeding!  My standard goats are bolused twice a year and my mini's once.  I plan bolusing for my bucks 6-8 weeks before breeding season starts - as I always notice the most health improvement in my herd in this time frame after bolusing.  Bo-se (selenium supplement) also helps a great deal - not only on it's own but also to help goats absorb copper - which is why I give bo-se shots and copper bolus always on the same day.


****Note - Some have suggested the selenium supplements may cause bucks to go sterile for a short time (4-6 weeks) so be sure to have this one done well before breeding season starts.



4-6 weeks before breeding season starts -
Here is when I bolus and Bo-Se my does, just after the bucks.
Worm them goats!  What wormer and when to worm depends a lot on your area and certain herd.  Most of us will agree though - worm your does before breeding season - so you don't have to worry about worming them while pregnant.   I usually start planning and preparing for breeding season in July, and that is when my herd needs worming anyway.   Remember - worm once, and again in 10 days.  Pull goats off pasture for 12 hours (overnight works well) after worming - to minimize re-infestation of your pasture land.  Give plenty of time between the last worming and breeding for the wormer to work out of the goats system so there will be no lingering side-effect that may cause problems in developing goat kids.

If you're going to make any diet changes for better health now is the time to get them going in the herd. A good 4-6 weeks to work into there system and give them a good health kick is a great way to boost fertility.

Now what ?  Sit back and wait - and plan !

Does carry kids for 150 days.  When do you want kids born?  Plan 150 days before for your breeding season.  Most does cycle from July through Feb/March.   If your does aren't cycling- check for mineral deficiencies or something lacking in their diet.

Signs of heat in a doe
Usually around the beginning of July I start checking for signs of heat and try to clock cycles for each doe.  Does cycle once every 18-21 days.  Heat last for about 1-3 days.   Once you know a does heat cycle they tend to stick with it.

What to look for?  Discharge - Generally clear and stringing - like that of a raw egg white.  May turn more white towards the end and look more like tooth paste.  There is not a LOT of discharge generally - so if you're not looking under tales 1-3 times a day you can miss it.

Tail wagging - somes does will wag/wave their tales a lot more when in heat then usual.

Does may also become more verbal and yell a lot - or even mount each other - or go around blubbering like buck in rut.


Are the bucks ready?
Usually by 6-8 weeks of age bucks are ready for breeding - that doesn't mean that they 'should' be used for breeding.  Make sure your boys are healthy.  Bright, and glossy coat - not course or balding.  No runny noses.  Good growth on younger bucks and of a good age and size.  Don't make the mistake of thinking just because your buck is smaller will mean he will throw smaller kids.  If he is a Nubian buck, he will throw nubian sized kids (7-9lb does 8-10lb bucks).  Doesn't matter if he is 2 months or 2 years.

Signs of rut will be gross - bucks will spray there face and legs with urine and become a blubbering mess.  They may also become slightly more aggressive - following you around, pawing with the leg or even jumping up.  

**Always be careful with a buck in rutt*  Don't keep a mean or overly aggressive buck, it's not worth the risk of an attack - and there are so many nice ones out there!

Take special care of bucks in rutt - keep a watch on there face and the back of their front legs.  If urine builds up too much in these areas they may develop hair loss and/or rashes occur.  Keep them clean.



Drugs you may need for breeding season - 
Lutalyse - vet RX - used to abort does from an unwanted pregnancy.  i.e.  buck broke into doelings pen.   Lute needs to be given at least 2 weeks after breeding, but before 2-3 months - the sooner the better.  USE GLOVES for this one ladies and don't get it on you.  Dosage is always 2 ML and given IM deep into the mussel.  Lutalyse will cause the cervix to dilate and the does to abort or re-absorbe the fetus.  Doe may give signs of heat after lutalyse, however lute does not cause does to cycle and if does are bred while in 'false heat' from lute they may still not become pregnant.

Chlorhexidine  - you can use the diluted form purchased as a teat dip at tractor supply.  Or by the undiluted form from ValleyVet.com.  This is a great gentle and moisturizing disinfectant - for use on bucks with skin problems or urine scald.

Tetanus and CD&T Vaccines

On my list of vaccines for goats - the CD&T vaccine, a much debated topic in the goat world.  Some do, some don't - every herd will be different and this is something you will need to decide for your self.

What is a CD&T vaccine ?
This vaccine works as an aid in prevention of enterotoxcimia types C & D and also for tetanus.

Most always this vaccine is given for the Tetanus side of things - After all Entro is highly preventable, and the vaccine is only in their system for 6-8 weeks.   You can see more about this in my Entrotoxcimia post, but this one is about tetanus.

The ugly T word - and yes, it's everywhere, in your soil - wether you think so or not.  I my self have lost 2 goats to tetanus in the past 9 years.  Tetanus is a very real concern for goats - not only are they susceptible to it, but it is a very slow and painful way to die.   More then 80% of goats who contract tetanus do not survive, even when treatment is imminent.

I do everything in my power to prevent tetanus in my herd - however, for me, this doesn't not include administering the CD&T vaccine.

*Gasp*  You say?  What?! How can you say you prevent it?  And why ever not give it?!


Yes, I know, this is not the typical answer you will find and I urge and encourage you to do your own research and study into the matter - perhaps you will find different then I - but here is why I don't use the CD&T vac in my herd.


Simply put - It just isn't good enough.


When I first started into goats I wanted to raise them 'naturally' which meant no vaccines.  When I lost my first goat to tetanus it made me stop and reconsider, so I did some checking around on the vaccine -

What I found -
Goat breeders that had vaccinated their entire herd year after year still lost goats to tetanus
In some occasions kids died from a having a bad reaction to their first CD&T vaccine
Older goats were more susceptible to suffer from analeptic shock from the CD&T vaccine when received year after year - and on rare occasion died from it.

As I asked around in neighboring herds and I was finding just as many goats that had died from side effects caused by the vaccine as had from tetanus itself.

I also found a lady in KY (who no longer raises goat - but had for many years), an herbalist who was doing things 'naturally' with no vaccines. She believed in her research that if goats were left unvaccinated as kids they would develop a natural immunity or stronger resistance to tetanus.  I do not know whether or not this is true - however, both goats I have lost to tetanus were under a year of age.  I also see more stories were kids have died from tetanus then adults.

At this point in my herd - it just doesn't make sense to vaccinate.

I believe prevention is the best way to keep tetanus out of your herd.  For some the vaccine is an aid in doing that.  For me, it generally comes in the form of a bottle of iodine.  Disinfect, disinfect, disinfect.  Both cases of tetanus in my herd could have been prevented if I had only been more precautions and used a disinfectant.  The first time was from a hoof trimming.  I did not know that tetanus could be picked up and enter into the system through freshly trimmed hooves.  Now, whenever I trim hooves I have a bottle of iodine in my back pocket.  After every hoof is trimmed it gets a quick poor over of iodine.

The second was from a castrating on a buck kid - again, I had failed to use a disinfectant for the task.  Now all sacks, tools, bands, etc, are soaked in iodine before castrating.

Every wound, scratch, cut, scrap and scab, on my goats that I see is cleaned.  While iodine is my favorite disinfectant, there are other good ones out there too -

Chlorhexidine - use this one for tender areas like udders and sensitive parts
Peroxide - one of the best - though used full strength can cause scarring.  I mix with water and use it as a flush for bad wounds - then coat with iodine and a wound powder to help seal out dirt.
Betadine - very similar to iodine, though not considered to be as strong.

Deep wounds usually heal best when left open - that is unwrapped or bandaged - and cleaned often.


Well now that you've read my $0.02 on the subject, go make up your own mind -
Best wishes to you and your herd for however you choose to fight against this horrible illness in goats.

What to expect from your goats

A lot of times I see people jumping into the goat world without fully knowing what they're really getting into.  Goats are one of the most misunderstood and terribly understudy creatures, so most often your first impression of goats isn't a true one.  The point of this post is to help you understand what you can expect from your goats and how much your goats will need from you, care wise.

Very basically put -

Goats are heard animals, and highly social with each other, so it is always better to have 2 or more goats together.   Dogs, people, other animals hardly ever cut it - in order to have one goat, you need another goat.  :)  Goats together are hardier and healthy, a goat by itself can die of loneliness.

Staking a goat out - I know many just want to stake a goat out in the yard / pasture / weed patch and let them go to town and mown your lawn.  While goats can be excellent lawn mowers with proper care - they do not tie out well.  Goats are mischievous and rambunctious and quickly find them selves in knots and tangles and even strangled by their ties.   Do not stake your goat out unless you can be there to watch their every move.

A common misconception about goats is that they are smelly dirty animals and will eat anything,  while goats are actually very clean and terribly picky about what they will eat.   Goats do like to explore through taste - much like a two year old who wants to put everything in their mouth.

Don't just buy any goat - be picky and know what you're getting into.  Bucks will be smelly during rutt and breeding season, and have some revolting habits you might not want to be around if you're just looking for pets.  If you run your buck with your does they may be pregnant as often as once every 5 months, which can be very hard on the does.  Does should only be bred as often as every 8-12 months.   Buck kids are capable of breeding as young as 4-6 weeks of age, though few may take a little longer 8-12 weeks.   Many will pull their bucks out from the herd and pen them separate - a good idea to control breeding.  Even if you don't need a second buck or ever use him  - still - the best pal for a buck is another buck.

Wethers are the best option for pets and weed eaters.  No buck mess, and not as needy diet wist as a doe.  They also have the longest life expectancy of about 12-15 years.  In comparison buck usually live out 8-10 years, wear as does live a bit longer averaging 10-12 years.

Many start with does, the idea being have them as pets or weed eater and then if you decided to down the line you can breed them and have kids, either for fun or milk.

Whatever you decide know that an adult animal already grown out is the best way to start.  Kids can be difficult to grow out having high demands on their nutrition, and will be much more costly their first year.


What to expect care wise?
No, you can't just turn your goats out to pasture and expect them to live off the land without any care - even if you just want weed eaters and not milking does.   Very minimal basic care for your goats should include -

Fresh, clean water - daily

Free choice hay - choose a hay based on your goat's diet needs - I will discus the different types of hays and which will suit your goats best in the post titled 'Choosing the right hay'.

Hoof trimmings - about once every 6 weeks hooves need to be trimmed to keep their feet flat and prevent leg problems down the line.

Free choice loose minerals - not a mineral block - goats are too picky and take too long to chew off what they need from a block.  Pick a loose mineral to leave out for them.  Goat have a very high nutritional requirement for minerals - which I will discuss in post titled 'Minerals"

Free choice baking soda - goats can be prone to bloat, usually brought on by diet changes or over eating.  Leaving out a pan of baking soda will help to keep things moving and help to prevent bloat - from basic cases to server that may even cause death.

Worming - most goats will need to be wormed at least once or twice a year.  Make sure the wormer you pick works against the parasites that are a problem in your area.

Grain - I see a lot of people feeding grain to their goats when they don't need it, and often time the wrong type of grain.  Don't be quick to feed your goats grain - even if they seem hungry 'all the time'.  Goats are munchers and will nearly constantly be eating.  Sweet feed is probably the worst type of grain you can give your goats, so steer clear.

Don't for get a shelter!  Goats need a way to get out of the wind, rain, snow and weather.  To stay warm or cool as needed.