rachels.haven's Journal

[rachels.haven]

Something I forgot to mention. I sent in a 1"x1" square of frozen liver sample to waddl for mineral testing because they'd been going through the minerals I mix for them really fast and I wanted to make sure the minerals were both working and not going to cause toxicity issues. I got this back last night. We are okay. The mineral mix is apparently right at that holy grail of sweet spots for goats. They get everything they need from it on a daily basis instead of a big slug of copper or selenium all at once every few months. We're so lucky. What a relief. I'm not going to make anyone sick from too much selenium and I don't need to Bose or bolus. The does I had slaughtered were comfortably in the middle of the good range. Cost me $40+ shipping, so not cheap, but now I've got peace of mind and I'll just keep doing what I'm doing, maybe with the addition of free choice baking soda during milking so consumption does not increase too much farther.

And today we get our bioscreen results back today. Hopefully even with the new additions and transports we'll be all clear. (still have to screen the new buck, but the Kastdemur's boy still hasn't had a chance to make it down here)

 

[Baymule]

Frozen liver report is awesome!
Bundle up those babies or you’ll have more frozen livers!

 

[rachels.haven]

We're all going to be popsicles if we don't watch it. When it gets that cold I stop feeling it until things start freezing. Strangest thing. It's like it's beyond cold (coldest I've ever had to do is still -19...not volunteering to go back to that right now, lol that's dangerous!)

 

[rachels.haven]

Impatiently waiting for the big freeze so DH and I can wheel out a hay bale on frozen mud. Ready for our 4-6" of snow.

One of the new ND kids came back as needing to be culled on bioscreen. I guess we'll stay on prevention forever. I know the breeder of origin well enough to know this was an accident and it will be very upsetting to her if I tell her. Due to vague conversation we had earlier this week I also suspect she's being wrung through the wringer for it already by other breeders that probably bought other kids in the same crop. I'll have to decide how to tell her if I decide to tell her. Until then I'm looking for a kill buyer willing to take on a mission of mercy in exchange for meat. My dad always shot the things we processed. I love the skinning, cleaning, and butchering part but the killing part is still painful for me. Doe has been pulled and is in isolation.

 

[fuzzi]

Impatiently waiting for the big freeze so DH and I can wheel out a hay bale on frozen mud. Ready for our 4-6" of snow.

One of the new ND kids came back as needing to be culled on bioscreen. I guess we'll stay on prevention forever. I know the breeder of origin well enough to know this was an accident and it will be very upsetting to her if I tell her. Due to vague conversation we had earlier this week I also suspect she's being wrung through the wringer for it already by other breeders that probably bought other kids in the same crop. I'll have to decide how to tell her if I decide to tell her. Until then I'm looking for a kill buyer willing to take on a mission of mercy in exchange for meat. My dad always shot the things we processed. I love the skinning, cleaning, and butchering part but the killing part is still painful for me. Doe has been pulled and is in isolation.

Why do you have to cull, what's wrong?

 

[rachels.haven]

Why do you have to cull, what's wrong?

A young doe from another farm came back a high CAE positive. Everyone else is clear though. Counting blessings there.

 

[Baymule]

Things like that can happen to even the best breeders. Poor woman, she is probably being keelhauled by an angry mob. You should tell her in the kindest, most understanding manner possible. I’m sorry about the doe.

 

[fuzzi]

A young doe from another farm came back a high CAE positive. Everyone else is clear though. Counting blessings there.

Now I know something else.

Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Virus (CAE) – Goats

 

[rachels.haven]

Now I know something else.

Yes, if you're keeping goats you want to test for cae, cl, and johnes yearly for to help stack the odds in your favor for a disease drama free future, especially raw milk dairy goats (and buy from similarly tested herds). More quality dairy breeder stock/show stock dairy herds usually like to keep latent terminal contagious disease out...usually. or at least try. I'm trying. They used to not try at all because knowledge and testing was newer and most goat dairy herds had cae. Ive heard of several big goat diaries that just have cl too, which is a gross one. And Johnes is a scary one, but I think a little less prevalent in goats (but more contagious when you do have it in the herd).
I'll probably test at least once a year forever, but we'll probably not have to cull very much once we stop bringing in does and we get like a year or two behind us. (We're done with that now) Even buying from "clean tested" herds doesn't mean the goats are actually going to test clean. It just means they claim to have a recent all negative test.

Even if just keeping pets, testing negative once a year for like two or three years should hint that you're probably going to stay negative if your herd gets no more exposure to new goats sheep or cows. Not guaranteed, but probably.

Tricky things, disease-and especially goat killing ones.

 

[fuzzi]

Yes, if you're keeping goats you want to test for cae, cl, and johnes yearly for to help stack the odds in your favor for a disease drama free future, especially raw milk dairy goats (and buy from similarly tested herds). More quality breeder stock/show stock dairy herds usually like to keep latent terminal contagious disease out...usually. or at least try. I'm trying. They used to not try at all because knowledge and testing was newer and most goat dairy herds had cae. Ive heard of several big goat diaries that just have cl too, which is a gross one. And Johnes is a scary one, but I think a little less prevalent in goats (but more contagious when you do have it in the herd).
I'll probably test at least once a year forever, but we'll probably not have to cull very much once we stop bringing in does and we get like a year or two behind us. (We're done with that now) Even buying from "clean tested" herds doesn't mean the goats are actually going to test clean. It just means they claim to have a recent all negative test.

Even if just keeping pets, testing negative once a year for like two or three years should hint that you're probably going to stay negative if your herd gets no more exposure to new goats sheep or cows. Not guaranteed, but probably.

Tricky things, disease-and especially goat killing ones.

It makes me rethink buying from the local auction, too.