AVERAGE OF SERIOUS ILLNESS

[babsbag]

I have goats for 5 years, I currently own 23 of them, and I would not necessarily say that they are hard to take care of, but they aren't easy either. It is hard to find a good vet for goats and that can be its own challenge. I lost one goat the first year I owned them, no idea what she died from. She had a swollen jaw, the vet did an ultrasound and couldn't find anything specific. She went off her feed and died 2 days later. I should have had a necropsy done.

I lost one from a twisted intestines, nothing could be done about that one. I have lost a few kids to unknown reasons, here today and gone tonight. Also had a few stillborn. Lost a wether to UC. Also had some diseases in my herd that can be a show stopper, such as mycoplasma. I have treated mastitis, various infections, and watched a few closely that had snotty noses. Last year I did the vaccine for pneumonia and that helped a bunch.

What I have learned is that goats have a very high metabolism and they can go down fast and many times they are sicker than we think before they even show they are sick.

Good food and minerals, space to grow and play, vaccines, watching the worm load, and knowing your goats are key to keeping them successfully. Watch them, notice when they aren't the first ones to the feeder if they usually are. Notice if they are standing off from the herd. Have meds on hand and know how to use them. I saved a kid from entero last year because I had the treatment on hand.

I would never cease to own them because of the fear of them being hard to keep. They have their challenges, but their charm wins me over hands down.

 

[kinder]

Oh babsbag thank you for sharing that..I get something out of each post. knowing types of movements and behaviors to watch and observe is something that a newbie can put notes on. and something I will do on a daily bases until I get good at it , and then some !

 

[babsbag]

A few other things that I have learned...if you can find others that raise goats in your area learn from them and form friendships if you can. I have shared advice and bottles of meds more than once when the feed store is closed. I am fortunate to belong to a dairy association so I have some mentors.

Also, probably the number one problem is feed related. Never change feed quickly, keep ALL chicken feed locked up, watch for fresh green grass in the spring. Treat bloat aggressively and quickly. And a goat that is off their feed can be a dead goat quickly when their rumen shuts down.

The second plague of goats is respiratory. Good ventilation is critical if they are in a barn. I would also suggest the yearly vaccine for pneumonia.

And last, and probably first, get healthy stock to start with. Test for CL and CAE at a minimum and Johnes if you can. Does the herd look good, are feet reasonably trimmed, if they are dairy goats and in milk do the udders look healthy, are the does healthy enough to make milk and raise kids? Do they have shiny coats, do they do preventative treatments on kids for coccidia, do they check for worms, is the area they sleep in reasonably clean? Getting good stock can make a huge difference in your success or failure in dealing with goats and their day to day upkeep.

 

[OneFineAcre]

A few other things that I have learned...if you can find others that raise goats in your area learn from them and form friendships if you can. I have shared advice and bottles of meds more than once when the feed store is closed. I am fortunate to belong to a dairy association so I have some mentors.

Also, probably the number one problem is feed related. Never change feed quickly, keep ALL chicken feed locked up, watch for fresh green grass in the spring. Treat bloat aggressively and quickly. And a goat that is off their feed can be a dead goat quickly when their rumen shuts down.

The second plague of goats is respiratory. Good ventilation is critical if they are in a barn. I would also suggest the yearly vaccine for pneumonia.

And last, and probably first, get healthy stock to start with. Test for CL and CAE at a minimum and Johnes if you can. Does the herd look good, are feet reasonably trimmed, if they are dairy goats and in milk do the udders look healthy, are the does healthy enough to make milk and raise kids? Do they have shiny coats, do they do preventative treatments on kids for coccidia, do they check for worms, is the area they sleep in reasonably clean? Getting good stock can make a huge difference in your success or failure in dealing with goats and their day to day upkeep.

x2

 

[kinder]

X3 Sorry Hey babsbag the worms seems to be a big one,( rumen ) is that when they get bound up and you use olive oil ?? Also the green grass !!!! I get a lot of slugs in the shaded areas in my yard and even snails. What can I do to keep the goats from scooping them up , I worry about that because of the lung thing.

Because I'm bringing them in from another state Vet and licenses , are involved so I hope that's why.

 

[babsbag]

Lung worm, meningeal worms, and liver flukes, are all a threat if you have slugs and snails; none of those where I live, no rain all summer. I am not sure how to prevent those from happening. I do know that Ivermectin Plus will kill the adult liver flukes; but you have to get it at the right time and use the Plus. The meningeal worm will cause hind leg paralysis and the lung worm will cause them to cough, but so do a lot of other things. Goat cough. I would do some serious research on all of those ailments if snails and slugs are an issue.

The rumen is the first division of the goats stomach, it is where most of the food ends up first. Bloat is what requires the cooking oil and baking soda treatment. I know this will sound crazy, but it works. If you have a goat that has gone off feed and their rumen shuts down, meaning no digestive activity is taking place, (you can hear rumen noises if it is working), you can give them flat, warm beer to jump start the rumen. The flora in this beer is really close to what you will find in a goat's rumen. We use Widmer Hefeweizen beer but probably any wheat Hefeweizen would work. Also probiotics work, but the beer is quicker. Also, when you drench (give liquids by mouth) a goat aim for the left cheek pouch and you won't drown them. Put it in sideways, across the tongue, not straight down their throat.

Different states probably ask for different things on the certificates but in CA they do not require any testing for CL, CAE, or Johnes. You need to ask the breeder and require a report from the lab. If you can't get that then do your own when you get home, but let the breeder know that you expect healthy animals. I don't know anything about Kinders, if that is what you are buying, but in my neck of the woods to find Boer goats that are tested AND clear for CL is rare.

 

[Southern by choice]

babs makes some great points!

With the Liver Flukes, you are in a "prevention" state. Also treatment with the Ivermectin Plus must be given in 3 individual doses, each dose being 10 days apart. As it only kills certain stages of the parasite.

With the testing, the goat must be 6months at the minimum. 8-9 months is really better. So this would mean you are looking at the parent stock. Are they tested CAE, CL,Johnes Clean? The CL is the most difficult in the sense there are only a few places in the country to send the test to. We use UCDavis. Out of state is $14.50 per test. Doesn't sound like much but then multiply the herd and add vet fees if you cannot draw blood yourself and it adds up real quick. Many will test once or twice and if they have a"closed herd" or pretty much closed they will not continue testing every year. CAE and Johnes is relatively inexpensive, again depends where you are. NC has a great Ag program and our State lab is funded making it very inexpensive for those tests. We pay $1.50 for each CAE and Johnes. Some don't test for CL because they have never had or seen a lump. Some have bought goats from clean herds and didn't feel it was necessary to continue the testing.

CL is very common in meat goats very few test because they are "terminal" animals. Most in the meat goat business do not care much about CL. The other thought is CL can be internal an no abscess ever appears. UCDavis will give the titer levels which is IMO better than neg/pos. If the titer levels are very low yet would be considered "positive" but the animal continues for years with no increase in titer levels AND never and abscesses than it wouldn't be a big deal. If the titer levels are high and you never see lumps than it would be considered "internal" CL. IMO internal CL is much more of an issue because of where the abscesses are. On the other hand UCDavis did a study on sheep in the group when they were slaughtered they found 3% of sheep with titers of 16 (considered to be the starting # for a positive status) had INTERNAL abscesses, no external.... in other words even with those low titers they had internal CL.

Hopefully that wasn't too confusing.

We used probios on a goat that had listeria. I think maybe we gave some to a goat we purchased with high worm load ( I can't remember) and that's it. We have never had bloat (thankfully) I am not sure if it occurs more in some breeds than others. I like Babsbags Beer solution!

Generally the risk of issues often is a numbers game... the more goats the higher the chance of an issue occurring simply because there are more goats.

IMO goats are easy keepers. Starting out with healthy goats and having room and basic good management/husbandry skills is the key. Environmental factors play a big role too.

 

[kinder]

The only thing I know that is natural of sorts is , salt and I've left small cups of beer in with my plants , oh and foil barriers.
and the shots are something I'll be right on , one way or the other. Be for any goat leaves my herd . The importance of education will be a must .

 

[babsbag]

Southern filled in some good blank spots for you. Google is one of my best friends when it comes to learning about goats, but as I said before, experienced breeders are a God send, as is this forum and others like it. Keep reading and asking and you will be better for it.

 

[kinder]

WOW.. you guys are great to talk to I really am picking up a lot. I'm sure I will be facing a lot of questions once my herd arrives. And acting like I know what I'm doing , just won't be enough , IMO I have to know what I'm doing. There most certainly will be critics ...