# More Goat Questions, Starting a herd?



## chanceosunshine (Jul 27, 2020)

(Below are my original questions)

I had contacted a breeder to see if she may have doelings available mid-winter. She had some available now, but sadly, the barn and pasture aren't ready yet. She made mention that she would have does in milk with their doelings available in the spring. This is intriguing to me. My original plan was to get two little doelings and spend time bonding and raising them, then getting a buck and whether when it was time to breed them. So I'm wondering what the pros and cons would be between the two plans: A. Two doelings and B. A doe in milk and her doeling.

Clearly a pro with the doe in milk is that I would have milk sooner. But what are the other things to consider? I have absolutely zero experience with goats. I'm just looking for guidance.

My other "new" question is that I'm reading of people feeding alfalfa pellets and orchard grass pellets, etc...feeding them those types of pellets doesn't negate their need for hay, right? They need the hay for the stomachs, right? I'm assuming that those specific pellets are in addition to the regular goat pellets, yes?

My understanding is that they need free choice minerals, baking soda and hay, and that does and growing kids need grain as well, and I've seen that kids *can* get kid starter pellets but I'm not seeing those used (nearly) universally. Anything I'm missing?

Oh, and lastly, when dealing with parasites, do you just do a regular deworming protocol with what is available at the feed store or do you allow your vet to take care of that? And when you deworm your does, do you use the milk or do you wait on it to run through their system before using it for human consumption?

Thanks!


1. I've read the long list of toxic plants that could make goats sick or could kill them. I'm curious as to the likelihood of the goats eating them if other safe plants are available when they are out on pasture? My main concern is that we have black locust trees and they pop up all over the place. We also have one large black locust tree where they would be confined that I'm worried about. How extreme do you need to be regarding the toxic plants?

2. What are your options for leaving goats for a couple days at a time? AND, how reasonable is it to take them with you in a large airline carrier if they have housing available at your destination (NOT considering taking pregnant does or does in milk for a drive, only kids up until they are pg)?

3. I'm curious how many breeders set out to kid in the fall? I'm hoping to find quality registered doelings in heart of winter and wondering what my chances are.

4. Pros and cons of pasturing with chickens. I've read articles about the risks and about the benefits, but I want to know the pros and cons and experiences of real people. I'm really wanting to allow this to happen because it would allow the goats access to the "most fun" area of our property, is perfectly located where we intend to make them a stable in the barn, would provide them with grass to explore as well as woods to browse.

Thanks!


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## Baymule (Jul 28, 2020)

@Mini Horses @B&B Happy goats @frustratedearthmother 

These are good questions-you are studying and learning! 

Toxic plants, most animals will not eat toxic plants unless they are the only greenery available. Sometimes animals will eat small amounts of toxic plants at certain times of the year, like they know something we don't. That said, I never plant something new unless I research it to death and I rule out a lot of plants that way. If it is invasive, it goes on my NO! list also. 

I know of no cons of pasturing with chickens, unless it is ear mites. Ear mites are easily controlled by an eye dropper of mineral oil once a month, if they become an issue.


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## Mini Horses (Jul 28, 2020)

The chemistry of some plants/trees change with the season &/or stages of growth -- live leaf, dead leaf from trees; flowering, fruiting, vines/plants, etc. -- this can alter taste and toxic effects.  Not familiar with black locust but, have none on farm.   

My chickens free range where they want...horse/goat pastures.   They do have own coop for housing and are penned there all night.   Pros are that they love to eat bugs in & around barns, fields, etc.   They break up poop piles, breakdown litter, etc.  This helps keep flies down.   I have had no issues with this, other than occasional need for clean up if they lingered in a feed trough too long.   They co-exist pretty well. sometimes they move the goat barn bedding around more than I'd like........


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## chanceosunshine (Jul 28, 2020)

Thank you both for the replies, they confirm my thoughts regarding plant safety but I didn’t want to be careless about it.

I have read that there are risks of certain of parasites and bacteria when you have chickens and goats together. It even states that some bacteria act as an abortificant In ruminants.

As with the plants and what I’ve read regarding them, it seems that there are people who, let’s say “overstate”, certain things that cause more concern than what’s needed. That’s partly why I appreciate being able to come here for clarification.

Thank you again!


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## MuldrowHomeFarm (Jul 28, 2020)

As for leaving your goats for a couple of days, I will tell you one piece of advice I was given before we got goats that has made a difference for me: Every morning goats wake up with one thought on their brains. "How can I kill myself today?"  
I recommend that you always have someone who can check on them, at least once a day, to make sure they haven't gotten into some nonsense, like hanging upside down from the hay feeder, chewing his cud (how he did this is still a mystery) or has her little foot stuck in the ONLY minuscule crack within 1000 miles that her tiny foot could fit in, and she has screamed herself hoarse.....but is completely fine once released?!?!?! Stress can cause a goat to go south very fast.
I wouldn't travel with a goat, carrier or not, due to stress either, but my goats are not pets.  I love all 32 of them but they have 2 purposes: 1. Lawn mowers/bush clearers and 2. Freezer camp next year.  We plan to rotate out the goats that are problems, too aggressive,  not good Momma's,  health issues and so on. We have several that are lifers and will be on the farm till they die of natural  causes or old age.
As for breeding, we always try to breed for Spring but things happen....we breed in Sept/Oct for Feb/Mar kidding, but right now we have a split breeding going on. We have 5 does that were exposed to a 4 month old boy and apparently,  he got the job done. We are fine with it, even though it puts them kidding in July/August, but one of them miscarried in Oct, last year, so we wanted her to have a baby and 1 had a baby in November but it was premature and we lost it, and her sister died 2 days later. She has had a rough time fitting in but she has done very well, so we are happy she is pregnant. The other 3 were ready to get pregnant but not planned so that's ok, too.
I would say, keep a look out and search for what you want at that time of year. If you find stock you want, contact the breeder and see how they can work with you to get your timeframes aligned.
And finally,  our chicken, goats,  Alpaca and Donkeys all intermingle, most days. We house the Alpaca and Chickens at night but our does and donkeys free range 100% of the time. We have a buck goat herd on our sons property,  that is attached to our property and we have one big fence around the perimeter.  Eventually,  we will separate the properties but for now, our buck pen is on the far side of his property. Our girls go over everyday to visit but no hanky panky!
Welcome to BYH!!


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## chanceosunshine (Jul 30, 2020)

MuldrowHomeFarm said:


> As for leaving your goats for a couple of days, I will tell you one piece of advice I was given before we got goats that has made a difference for me: Every morning goats wake up with one thought on their brains. "How can I kill myself today?"
> I recommend that you always have someone who can check on them, at least once a day, to make sure they haven't gotten into some nonsense, like hanging upside down from the hay feeder, chewing his cud (how he did this is still a mystery) or has her little foot stuck in the ONLY minuscule crack within 1000 miles that her tiny foot could fit in, and she has screamed herself hoarse.....but is completely fine once released?!?!?! Stress can cause a goat to go south very fast.
> I wouldn't travel with a goat, carrier or not, due to stress either, but my goats are not pets.  I love all 32 of them but they have 2 purposes: 1. Lawn mowers/bush clearers and 2. Freezer camp next year.  We plan to rotate out the goats that are problems, too aggressive,  not good Momma's,  health issues and so on. We have several that are lifers and will be on the farm till they die of natural  causes or old age.
> As for breeding, we always try to breed for Spring but things happen....we breed in Sept/Oct for Feb/Mar kidding, but right now we have a split breeding going on. We have 5 does that were exposed to a 4 month old boy and apparently,  he got the job done. We are fine with it, even though it puts them kidding in July/August, but one of them miscarried in Oct, last year, so we wanted her to have a baby and 1 had a baby in November but it was premature and we lost it, and her sister died 2 days later. She has had a rough time fitting in but she has done very well, so we are happy she is pregnant. The other 3 were ready to get pregnant but not planned so that's ok, too.
> ...


Thank you for your reply. Honestly, it's not exactly what I wanted to hear regarding leaving them for a day or two or travel, but I need to know these things. I do wonder still whether or not they can be acclimated to enjoy a car trip. 

My problem is that I have two farms in two states. We're currently in NW Ohio but we will be settling in NW PA. We go to the farm in PA nearly every weekend. The only people that we would trust in Ohio are our elderly neighbors who collect our eggs when we're gone for the weekend. They could tell me if a goat is hanging from the feeder upside down but it's a four hour drive to rectify the situation. That's why I was hoping the goats could just come with us. It will most likely be a year or two before we can settle in PA and we thought getting goats earlier than the move to PA would give us a head start on gaining experience, having a herd and being more self sufficient. I need to make wise decisions here. I've wanted to do this for so long I feel like I'm bursting at the seems.

I hope your kidding goes well for you this year. It sounds like you have a tough season last year. Those realities are something to be reminded of too. We hear mostly how well things go but being aware of these problems is important.


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## Mini Horses (Jul 30, 2020)

Goats are GREAT at finding the "needle in a haystack" tiny spot to get into trouble.  They like to squeeze to get into trouble and once there, want to be rescued -- not try to squeeze out.  Very smart animals but, mischievious.  Always when you are not there, boredom?   Now, doesn't mean they will do this but, we say -- have a number for a friend to call to help out "the watch" person,  if you are away!   

Traveling can be done.  The "how to" will depend on their size and the numbers.   Yes, a couple will travel in a cage, in the car/truck -- short distances.   A trailer,  they can travel and will accustom to but -- again depends on the animals

I believe we are giving you the senario of "what to watch & prepare" for  in order to give you a lot of thought before you finalize your decision.  It's true, goats are born with the "what surprise can I present" lifestyle.

I love my goats!!


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## chanceosunshine (Jul 30, 2020)

Mini Horses said:


> Goats are GREAT at finding the "needle in a haystack" tiny spot to get into trouble.  They like to squeeze to get into trouble and once there, want to be rescued -- not try to squeeze out.  Very smart animals but, mischievious.  Always when you are not there, boredom?   Now, doesn't mean they will do this but, we say -- have a number for a friend to call to help out "the watch" person,  if you are away!
> 
> Traveling can be done.  The "how to" will depend on their size and the numbers.   Yes, a couple will travel in a cage, in the car/truck -- short distances.   A trailer,  they can travel and will accustom to but -- again depends on the animals
> 
> ...


I'm talking 2 ND goats, to begin with. I have seen people that do travel with their goats, some even saying it's their favorite "treat". I only believe half of what I read though and hope to confirm things with others who have nothing to gain (like not trying to earn from a blog-not at all saying it's not true, just looking for confirmation). 

Loading up goats every weekend sounds like a chore, but I'm not afraid of work and I'll contort in whatever way to make something happen AS LONG AS that's not putting someone or somegoat in an uncomfortable position.

Trust me, I appreciate the reality check, I really do.


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## frustratedearthmother (Jul 30, 2020)

I raised and showed pygmy goats for years - a long time ago.  They get accustomed to traveling.  Mine would hop into the trailer and go to their own pen.  All I had to do was latch the gate.  We would line the pens in the show barn with tarps to try and reduce the goat to goat contact.  You wouldn't need to do that since you're just going form your own farm to your other farm.  One thing I did was to carry water from home so they didn't get fussy about water changes.


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## MuldrowHomeFarm (Jul 30, 2020)

chanceosunshine said:


> Thank you for your reply. Honestly, it's not exactly what I wanted to hear regarding leaving them for a day or two or travel, but I need to know these things. I do wonder still whether or not they can be acclimated to enjoy a car trip.
> 
> My problem is that I have two farms in two states. We're currently in NW Ohio but we will be settling in NW PA. We go to the farm in PA nearly every weekend. The only people that we would trust in Ohio are our elderly neighbors who collect our eggs when we're gone for the weekend. They could tell me if a goat is hanging from the feeder upside down but it's a four hour drive to rectify the situation. That's why I was hoping the goats could just come with us. It will most likely be a year or two before we can settle in PA and we thought getting goats earlier than the move to PA would give us a head start on gaining experience, having a herd and being more self sufficient. I need to make wise decisions here. I've wanted to do this for so long I feel like I'm bursting at the seems.
> 
> I hope your kidding goes well for you this year. It sounds like you have a tough season last year. Those realities are something to be reminded of too. We hear mostly how well things go but being aware of these problems is important.


Oh, no, I just told you the minor bad stuff. We got our herd from an auction in September 2019 and didn't know we had 9 of 21 pregnant does. To make a long story short,  we had an excellent kidding year. We spent Sept, Oct,  Nov and Dec feeding and vetting everyone.  We vaccinated,  we treated, we spoiled! We ended up with 1 miscarriage (stress),  1 preemie that we lost (stress) and 6 PERFECT sets of twins and one PERFECT bonus single from a girl we didn't know was pregnant! We have veen so blessed with this little auction herd.
The first pic is our first set if twins. 1 doe and one buck.
The 2nd pic is our first 3 sets. Ivory and Shadow,  doelings, Staubach and Landry, 2 bucks and, of course, Phil and Lil.
The next pic is my husband,  standing with Olive and ger twins, Skye (doe) and Kelley (buck).
Then is Hazel (black Doe) with her doelings, Minnie and Daisy.
Next is our herd Queen, Scarlett (Red, 1/2 Boer) with her Moon spotted buckling twins, Rhett (black) and Ashe (Light brown).
Finally, our bonus baby! Her Momma is our lowest ranked female, with all kinds of issues but she is MY girl, my favorite and I spoil her......Calamity is her name and she is a 🔥 mess! Her kid, doeling, we named Rockette (Rah Ket)....seemed stunned to have been born. Unlike all the other kids, she stood for a solid hour, in disbelief, that she was in the world. I'm not sure who was more stunned, the baby, the Momma or us! Of course, I made sure she nursed immediately and dipped her cord in iodine, Momma let me, but Calamity was immediately a goid Momma and has been the entire time. Rockette is our youngest kid....at 5 months now and she will eventually be our herd Queen, if her personality is any indication. She is small but BOSSY! We currently have our other 5 does headed into their last month of pregnancy so August shoukd be a great month for us!! Fingers crossed!!


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## Mini Horses (Jul 30, 2020)

Suggestion  -- 

take those 2 with you one weekend and see how it goes!


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## MuldrowHomeFarm (Jul 30, 2020)

@frustratedearthmother  is 100% correct. They can get used to travelling so you can take them from Farm to Farm with no problems. Goats are one of those animals that go south fast so just be aware of changes in behavior.


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## chanceosunshine (Jul 30, 2020)

frustratedearthmother said:


> I raised and showed pygmy goats for years - a long time ago.  They get accustomed to traveling.  Mine would hop into the trailer and go to their own pen.  All I had to do was latch the gate.  We would line the pens in the show barn with tarps to try and reduce the goat to goat contact.  You wouldn't need to do that since you're just going form your own farm to your other farm.  One thing I did was to carry water from home so they didn't get fussy about water changes.


I was hoping it would be something they’d get used to since we’d be starting them off with travel right off the bat. I just didn’t want to cause them harm in doing so. Taking water with me sounds like a good idea...one less variable. Thank you!!


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## chanceosunshine (Jul 30, 2020)

W


MuldrowHomeFarm said:


> Oh, no, I just told you the minor bad stuff. We got our herd from an auction in September 2019 and didn't know we had 9 of 21 pregnant does. To make a long story short,  we had an excellent kidding year. We spent Sept, Oct,  Nov and Dec feeding and vetting everyone.  We vaccinated,  we treated, we spoiled! We ended up with 1 miscarriage (stress),  1 preemie that we lost (stress) and 6 PERFECT sets of twins and one PERFECT bonus single from a girl we didn't know was pregnant! We have veen so blessed with this little auction herd.
> The first pic is our first set if twins. 1 doe and one buck.
> The 2nd pic is our first 3 sets. Ivory and Shadow,  doelings, Staubach and Landry, 2 bucks and, of course, Phil and Lil.
> The next pic is my husband,  standing with Olive and ger twins, Skye (doe) and Kelley (buck).
> ...


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## MuldrowHomeFarm (Jul 30, 2020)

@chanceosunshine  yes, they were our first goats. All I can do now is laugh but please know.....it was a wonderfully terrible, amazingly awful, terrifying incredible experience. I am working on my journal so you can see what I mean.  All I can say is: we just thought we were prepared........but no, we were not.....


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## chanceosunshine (Jul 30, 2020)

MuldrowHomeFarm said:


> @chanceosunshine  yes, they were our first goats. All I can do now is laugh but please know.....it was a wonderfully terrible, amazingly awful, terrifying incredible experience. I am working on my journal so you can see what I mean.  All I can say is: we just thought we were prepared........but no, we were not.....


Wow, do you have guts!! And your husband must love you a lot! That is such a story!! I love it!


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## Baymule (Jul 31, 2020)

If you don't have goats now, I would advise you to wait until your move. It will be a lot less stress and work on you and the goats. In the meantime, read the posts here and study up on them. I joined here while living on a small lot in town, we didn't move until 5 years later. But I used that time to read, study and ask questions. I was so excited when I finally got my sheep. Hauling goats back and forth will be extra time and work, which will take away time from what you are driving to the other place to accomplish. If you have waited this long for your dream to come true, what's a little more time? 

Start a journal of your new farm and chronicle your adventures along the way. That way, you can look back when you have one of "those days" when you feel despondent and down, and see how far you have come.


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## chanceosunshine (Jul 31, 2020)

Baymule said:


> If you don't have goats now, I would advise you to wait until your move. It will be a lot less stress and work on you and the goats. In the meantime, read the posts here and study up on them. I joined here while living on a small lot in town, we didn't move until 5 years later. But I used that time to read, study and ask questions. I was so excited when I finally got my sheep. Hauling goats back and forth will be extra time and work, which will take away time from what you are driving to the other place to accomplish. If you have waited this long for your dream to come true, what's a little more time?
> 
> Start a journal of your new farm and chronicle your adventures along the way. That way, you can look back when you have one of "those days" when you feel despondent and down, and see how far you have come.


I think you are right and if I am wise I will follow your advice and be able to enjoy the journey more. I will definitely keep studying and learning. And at that point I think a doe in milk with a doeling or two will be a good choice. 

Thank you all for the advice.


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## Ridgetop (Aug 7, 2020)

Waiting to get the goats until after your move is the best idea.  By waiting, studying and talking on this website, you can plan your new goat facilities properly.  Just be sure to make them twice the size you think you will need.  Goats are addictive!

Definitely a doe in milk will be a better buy for you.  In fact rather than a doe with kids, I would suggest 2 does in milk without their kids  They will bond to you faster, and when they are bred will be accustomed to being milked.  Get disbudded goats and disbud the kids that you keep.  Selling buck kids for meat which is actually the most humane way to go, you will sell them at 6 weeks to 2 months old without disbudding and without castrating since they bring a better price fro the ethnic buyers that way.  I know some people think it is cruel to disbud, but so much better than having a horned goat caught in a fence and hanging there, or getting a goat blinded by a horn tip.  Not to mention when the horned goat tosses its head at you and gores you in the leg.  The dangers fro horns are not the butting, but the goring and getting caught I things.  Horned animals seem to butt more and be harder on fences too.  

Our best goats that started us on a long life with dairy goats were 2 does in milk.  They were only 2 years old, were twin sisters, bottle raised, had a clean CAE test, and had their milk stars.  The breeder kept them until they finished their stars since she was putting a milk star on their sire.  She also let me call her anytime I needed advice, took the girls back every year for stud service, and became a good friend.  We really enjoyed those goats and their subsequent kids.  Our 3 and 4 year olds would lead them to and from the milk stand and if they got out could round them up and lead them back to their pen easily.  We learned on them and it was a joy because they were seasoned milkers, would leap up on the milk stand, milked easily and gave delicious milk.  They routinely gave us 3-4 kids a year each, delivered easily, and were the original start of DD1's 4-H dairy herd.  We removed the kids and bottle fed them.   Their names were Firecracker - a large red doe with black points, and Sparkler - a red roan.  Obviously they were born on the 4th of July!  LOL  We have had over 100 goats since but those 2 and Rosebud, DS2's favorite and first LaMancha will always be loved in our hearts.  We have had goats that kicked on the stand, goats that were escape artists, goats that had excellent udders and poor udders, but having those first 2 easy milking, affectionate, sweet goats made all the difference and taught us how to cope with any problems later because we had experienced the best first.

The best gift you can give yourself is to buy well bred bottle raised does from a reputable breeder.  Get them *in milk *in their second or third lactation, that are used to being milked. It makes your first experience fun and if it is not fun, why bother?


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## chanceosunshine (Aug 8, 2020)

Ridgetop said:


> Waiting to get the goats until after your move is the best idea.  By waiting, studying and talking on this website, you can plan your new goat facilities properly.  Just be sure to make them twice the size you think you will need.  Goats are addictive!
> 
> Definitely a doe in milk will be a better buy for you.  In fact rather than a doe with kids, I would suggest 2 does in milk without their kids  They will bond to you faster, and when they are bred will be accustomed to being milked.  Get disbudded goats and disbud the kids that you keep.  Selling buck kids for meat which is actually the most humane way to go, you will sell them at 6 weeks to 2 months old without disbudding and without castrating since they bring a better price fro the ethnic buyers that way.  I know some people think it is cruel to disbud, but so much better than having a horned goat caught in a fence and hanging there, or getting a goat blinded by a horn tip.  Not to mention when the horned goat tosses its head at you and gores you in the leg.  The dangers fro horns are not the butting, but the goring and getting caught I things.  Horned animals seem to butt more and be harder on fences too.
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing your experience with me. I have decided to wait and only get swayed a bit here and there, but I don’t want this to be a bad experience. 
We actually plan to raise meat goats as well, so we may keep the males. So I guess we’d be disbudding and castrating then ourselves. That’s IF we go for more of a dual purpose goat. 
I’ve been studying a lot and looking at different breeds. At this point I’m thinkIng either ND for milk and Kiko for meat OR a herd of Kinder goats to use for both.
It would be great if I could find a breeder like you did who would/could sell me two (Friendly) does in milk!
Thanks again!


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## Ridgetop (Aug 8, 2020)

For info on Kiko goats, go on line to White Clover Farms in New York.  Ulf Kinzel breeds and sells White Dorper sheep but several years ago he brought in Kiko goats as an additional resource.  He sells both lambs and goat kids commercially for a living.  He has multiple articles available n his website, most about his sheep but also some about the goats.  If you are interested in raising Kikos for meat, I suggest you talk to him since he is raising them commercially on pasture at this moment and making a profit.  Many breeders only make a profit on selling breeding animals but Ulf's articles are all about how to have a profitable meat operation.

I have learned a lot from his articles on many aspects.  He also writes articles on setting up both lambing and loafing sheds, as well as making chutes and lambing/kidding jugs yourself. 

As far as finding a good breeder, I had to do a lot of searching by phone (before the internet) before lucking into that Nubian breeder.  Learn all you can about the different breeds in which you are interested.  also learn all you can about goat diseases and what can be transmitted, what tests are available for them, and what is commonly recommended for prevention. 

In my day the most common disease was CAE and the way to eliminate it was not to allow the kids to nurse but to bottle feed them pasteurized milk.  CAE is a disease specific to goats and not transmittable to humans so no one had any problem with consuming milk from positive goats.  It was only dangerous to the kids when drinking CAE milk. We blood tested the herd anually, and removed the kids before they even got colostrum in order to avoid them contracting it in any way.  You have to heat treat the colostrum and pasteurize the milk before feeding the kids. These days, a lot of the various breeders (particularly of the mini or dwarf breeds) allow their kids to nurse.  Since goats can contract CAE any time during their lifetime from infected goats an annual blood test is not sufficient to guarantee freedom from the disease.  That is one reason that I recommend only buying kids from a "clean" herd that *have been bottle fed on heat treated colostrum and pasteurized milk. * We may have been fanatics, but we still had a couple cases pop up, mostly after sending a goat out to be bred at a supposedly "clean" herd.  One was DS3's favorite and best doe.  We immediately took her to the livestock auction.  Which is why I always tell people who want to breed animals not to buy at an auction since that is where most of the unwanted and possibly diseased animals end up.

If you have all the information at your fingertips, you will be in a better position to ask questions and judge the responses when talking to various breeders to find what you want.


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## chanceosunshine (Aug 8, 2020)

Ridgetop said:


> For info on Kiko goats, go on line to White Clover Farms in New York.  Ulf Kinzel breeds and sells White Dorper sheep but several years ago he brought in Kiko goats as an additional resource.  He sells both lambs and goat kids commercially for a living.  He has multiple articles available n his website, most about his sheep but also some about the goats.  If you are interested in raising Kikos for meat, I suggest you talk to him since he is raising them commercially on pasture at this moment and making a profit.  Many breeders only make a profit on selling breeding animals but Ulf's articles are all about how to have a profitable meat operation.
> 
> I have learned a lot from his articles on many aspects.  He also writes articles on setting up both lambing and loafing sheds, as well as making chutes and lambing/kidding jugs yourself.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the site for the Kikos. I’ll be sure to check it out. I wonder if Kinders can be raised on pasture and still thrive...

I recently listened to a podcast about Kikos raised on pasture and that they are resilient to parasites but they said that even though they are resilient they find that there can be a very high parasite load left behind by the Kiko even though they seem less effected according to FAMACHA (if I wrote that right) Scores and other signs...which of course would/could greatly affect your other breeds.

I’ve never heard of bottle feeding PASTURIZED milk before to avoid CAE.  That’s a first for me! Thanks for the info!

I will definitely be buying from reputable breeders and not from auctions or even CL unless someone has a lot of proof to back up Health and pedigree claims.


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## Ridgetop (Aug 9, 2020)

Check eith any breeder about parasite resistance.  Mike and Theresa have been breeding for parasite resistance in their Katahdin herd.  Baymule is also going in that direction.


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