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We control maggots/flies by keeping the chickens in the same barn as our goats. Chickens turn the bedding with their scratching and eat the maggots. I concur that a wood floor is a bad idea in a goat barn. Definitely go dirt if you can. Then excess urine soaks down into the ground naturally.

Update: Things were very busy this week. I checked Stormy every day, but did not have a chance to get her or her fecal sample to a vet. She continued to seem very healthy other than not eating feed and she did continue to browse and eat hay. I did try to feed her separately, but, at first...

Is it possible that our doeling simply does not like the sweet feed her sis and mom practically run each other over for? I did get a fecal sample, but the local vet doesn't do goats and the nearest livestock vet about an hour away isn't open on weekends. The doesling's temp is normal and I dd...

I do leave loose minerals out free choice for the goats. I see that goats can suffer from toxicities of certain minerals. Should I not be giving the babies free choice minerals? I see the babies eating the minerals more than their mom.

She's had her first does of the CD&T, but is not due for the second dose until the 27th.

Thank you.

I have a doe and her two doelings born June 20. All three have been eating sweet feed for about a month now, but the one doeling stopped eating the sweet feed with her mom and sis a couple of days ago. She seems healthy. Her eyelids and gums are pink and I have seen her nurse some, though mom...

Thanks, I'll remember that when I give it a try. I may have to try to do it by myself. My husband is too timid about it (he doesn't like hurting them and is afraid to slip and hit me) so he doesn't just do it. Perhaps I should put the baby in the milking stanchion so at least its head is...

We tried to give CD-T to our little herd of three goats today. We had no problem with our mom, she just stood there and was fine, but we had problems with the kids. They will sit quiet and still in our laps, but jump and flail as soon as the needle meets the skin and my husband would pull back...

Thank you. Do you think it would also be helpful if we let her eat in the stand a few times before messing with her, so she can acclimate to the stand? We are always with her and petting her while she eats and she does not seem bothered by our general presence and affections. She just didn't...

Thanks all. I'm pretty sure they brought it with them from their previous home, but she's pretty well cleared the vines in her current enclosure, so I hope it won't continue to be an issue. We do wash everything. I have had two Prednisone shots and am on a second round of oral Prednisone and...

We recently purchased our mom and her twins and have had something akin to poison ivy spreading through the family. We have washed ourselves, our clothes, and our bedding, but it is still going around (and I am so extremely sensitive it isn't even funny - I am starting a second week of...

Thank you both. I did attempt to milk Lulu this morning, but I did not yet have a stanchion and she was having none of it. If I wait another week to milk her (when the babies will be two weeks old), I should have the stanchion by then and I hope it will be easier on both of us.

Our intention was to put a deposit on a couple of newborn girls and bring them home in August, but the owner offered to sell them with their mother and I couldn't pass it up. However, this means that I have not yet researched everything and am not sure how to proceed. Should I be milking mom...

Thanks all. I do expect it to take quite a bit of research, which used to be a hobby of mine. I haven't had much time for such things lately, but I'll be done with school soon and will enjoy delving into some good facts again. I hope to be well-versed in cattle by the time I am finished, at...

I'm working on a database of cattle information, but I am also relatively new to cattle, so a little help would be appreciated. The links provided in this thread are a good start, but contain little detailed production information or environmental information. I plan to list each breed and its...

I will look into those, thanks.

My husband has threatened to pole my Dexter's if I get them! :( One of the reasons we are going for a small breed is because he is intimidated by large animals. And horns. :rolleyes: Well, that and I don't need the kind of milk production larger breeds produce.

Thanks all. We have several acres of pasture and we only wanted a small herd. After reading around here about cantankerous bulls, I'm thinking of just going with a couple of cows and going the AI route when we are ready to add to the herd. I believe we average about three months of poor...

Information for the mini cows varies greatly across the web, so I'd like to ask some experienced herders. Is one better than another? We are looking for: -dual purpose mini cattle (less that 4ft tall) -low maintenance cost -milk yield of at least 1 gallon per day and preferably not more than 5...