We get a lot of questions about how we manage our goat herd. While the following information gives some insight into our practices, please know that just because something works well here does not mean it will have the same result on a different property. There is no "one-size-fits-all" for goat management - IF ONLY!!
BASIC INFORMATION:
* What we feed our does:
Throughout the year, our goats receive a nice quality alfalfa or alfalfa/orchardgrass mix hay. Throughout the year, once a day, they also eat Chaffhaye or alfalfa pellets mixed together with an organic or a non-GMO, non-soy goat feed. Our goats are also on pasture during the warmer months. Our bucks do receive grain once a day as well, but it is a pelleted feed with a proper Ca:Ph ratio. Goats with plenty of high quality browse and/or quality pasture may or may not need additional feed.
* Minerals:
Goats need free choice loose goat minerals (with an appropriate Ca:Ph ratio, esp. for males). Sometimes, depending on one's part of the country or depending on the quality of one's well water, some goats will need additional mineral supplementation beyond loose minerals. Hard well water can sometimes prevent certain minerals from being absorbed, so what works here for minerals may very easily not work elsewhere. Striking the correct mineral balance can be difficult and may require the advice of a veterinarian.
* Fencing we use:
We practice rotational grazing, so we move electronetting (from Premier1) around the property, powered by a solar charger. It is imperative to keep the grass cut extremely low where the fencing lies or it will ground out and could become dangerous. Using electronetting definitely carries the risk of entanglement if not properly charged and if goats are not properly introduced to it. Rotational grazing is definitely labor-intensive; we have, however, found that it helps to reduce parasite loads in the herd.
* Moveable housing we use:
Since we move the goats around the property, we use round polydomes to house them. These structures are easy to clean, easy to move, and we are able to attach hay feeders and mineral feeders inside of them. In the winter, they are much warmer than most barns as they are not very tall and the goats create a lot of body heat inside of them. We use hay feeder waste and straw bedding inside of the polydomes. Just as electronetting has disadvantages, so do the polydomes. One disadvantage is that people cannot stand up inside of them. Another disadvantage is that they do need staking down if you live in wind-prone areas.
*Kidding areas:
Our kidding areas also use polydomes. Each doe has her own polydome in which to labor and deliver and bond with her kids for the first few days or weeks. Instead of electronetting (which would be dangerous for young kids), the areas are fenced with cattle panels. To avoid kids getting out of the large cattle panel openings, woven wire fencing material is attached to the panels.
Our set-up will not appeal to everyone, nor would it work for everyone. A traditional barn structure with good fencing also works great and tends to be much less labor intensive!! However, if you are interested in rotational grazing or if you are starting from scratch and do not have permanently-fenced fields or a barn, then perhaps our set-up provides some ideas.
* Our Approach to Worms:
We attempt to combat parasite issues before they begin by utilizing an intensive rotational grazing system, offering Lespedeza pellets during warmer months, and copper bolusing at a low dose two times a year. We worm on a minimal basis, following FAMACHA guidelines. When we need to worm, we avoid using the strongest wormers in order to avoid a wormer resistance issue in the herd. Wormers that work here may not work on other properties.
* Coccidia Awareness: Coccidia is a problem goat kids face frequently; however, I have also seen adults with full-blown coccidia, so I always consider coccidia as a possibility whenever I see diarrhea in any goat. Coccidia usually shows up in a fecal float, so is fairly easy to diagnose; however, it can be resistant to treatment or be a recurring problem. Nonetheless, it must be treated. It may require the expertise of a veterinarian who can prescribe medications no longer available to the public. (see next note!)
* Having a Veterinarian: It is imperative to have a vet who has some knowledge of ruminants! If you wait to find one until you need one, it could be too late. Veterinarians have been extremely helpful here - thanks to veterinarians, a doe had a successful C-section, another doe recovered beautifully from a uterine prolapse, several goats recovered from shipping fever/pneumonia, and more!
* Very Basic Supplies We Keep: a milk stand (not just used for milking!!), hoof trimmers, a thermometer, a lubricant for thermometer usage, CDT vaccine, tetanus anti-toxin, CD antitoxin, needles, syringes, high potency injectable vitamin B, an antibiotic (perhaps an oxytetracycline, but depends on the situation), terramycin eye ointment, a coccidia medication, goat nutri-drench, goat probiotic, an anti-bloat product, etc. We actually keep many more supplies on hand than this (kidding supplies, birthing supplies, milking supplies, milk storage supplies, shaving supplies, more medicines, etc), but most goat owners keep the above basic supplies on hand. Again, this is not an exhaustive list and these supplies do not replace a veterinarian's advice or care!
* Our Disease Prevention Strategies: We have purchased from herds that have negative disease testing results; nevertheless, we still quarantine new additions and serology test them for CAE, CL, and Johnes before joining the herd. Unfortunately, serology tests are not fool-proof; not only are false positives a possibility, but even worse is the possibility of false negatives. These can occur when an animal has the disease, but has not built up enough antibodies in its system to test positive. In the case of CL, some animals never serology test positive even when they have abscesses that have tested positive for CL. So while all herds are thrilled to get negative test results, there are, unfortunately, no guarantees that the results are 100% accurate. Despite the shortcomings of serology-testing, we do continue to serology test the herd for CAE every few years. Any abscess in the herd will be cultured and tested for CL. Any goat showing signs of wasting will be fecal-tested for Johnes. Please note that in order to avoid disease exposure, we have also made the decision to not show our goats. We also minimize disease risk by keeping visitors to a minimum (to literally avoid the risk of disease being walked on to the property). We also DO NOT lease our bucks or offer driveway breedings; again, this is part of our strategy in avoiding the introduction of disease into the herd.
* Love and Attention: definitely a necessary ingredient in basic goat care - get to know your goats so that you notice when things are amiss. Every day spend time with them. At the very least, every day observe them so that you can spot trouble before it becomes too much to overcome. Most goats enjoy being pet and many learn their names.
BASIC INFORMATION:
* What we feed our does:
Throughout the year, our goats receive a nice quality alfalfa or alfalfa/orchardgrass mix hay. Throughout the year, once a day, they also eat Chaffhaye or alfalfa pellets mixed together with an organic or a non-GMO, non-soy goat feed. Our goats are also on pasture during the warmer months. Our bucks do receive grain once a day as well, but it is a pelleted feed with a proper Ca:Ph ratio. Goats with plenty of high quality browse and/or quality pasture may or may not need additional feed.
* Minerals:
Goats need free choice loose goat minerals (with an appropriate Ca:Ph ratio, esp. for males). Sometimes, depending on one's part of the country or depending on the quality of one's well water, some goats will need additional mineral supplementation beyond loose minerals. Hard well water can sometimes prevent certain minerals from being absorbed, so what works here for minerals may very easily not work elsewhere. Striking the correct mineral balance can be difficult and may require the advice of a veterinarian.
* Fencing we use:
We practice rotational grazing, so we move electronetting (from Premier1) around the property, powered by a solar charger. It is imperative to keep the grass cut extremely low where the fencing lies or it will ground out and could become dangerous. Using electronetting definitely carries the risk of entanglement if not properly charged and if goats are not properly introduced to it. Rotational grazing is definitely labor-intensive; we have, however, found that it helps to reduce parasite loads in the herd.
* Moveable housing we use:
Since we move the goats around the property, we use round polydomes to house them. These structures are easy to clean, easy to move, and we are able to attach hay feeders and mineral feeders inside of them. In the winter, they are much warmer than most barns as they are not very tall and the goats create a lot of body heat inside of them. We use hay feeder waste and straw bedding inside of the polydomes. Just as electronetting has disadvantages, so do the polydomes. One disadvantage is that people cannot stand up inside of them. Another disadvantage is that they do need staking down if you live in wind-prone areas.
*Kidding areas:
Our kidding areas also use polydomes. Each doe has her own polydome in which to labor and deliver and bond with her kids for the first few days or weeks. Instead of electronetting (which would be dangerous for young kids), the areas are fenced with cattle panels. To avoid kids getting out of the large cattle panel openings, woven wire fencing material is attached to the panels.
Our set-up will not appeal to everyone, nor would it work for everyone. A traditional barn structure with good fencing also works great and tends to be much less labor intensive!! However, if you are interested in rotational grazing or if you are starting from scratch and do not have permanently-fenced fields or a barn, then perhaps our set-up provides some ideas.
* Our Approach to Worms:
We attempt to combat parasite issues before they begin by utilizing an intensive rotational grazing system, offering Lespedeza pellets during warmer months, and copper bolusing at a low dose two times a year. We worm on a minimal basis, following FAMACHA guidelines. When we need to worm, we avoid using the strongest wormers in order to avoid a wormer resistance issue in the herd. Wormers that work here may not work on other properties.
* Coccidia Awareness: Coccidia is a problem goat kids face frequently; however, I have also seen adults with full-blown coccidia, so I always consider coccidia as a possibility whenever I see diarrhea in any goat. Coccidia usually shows up in a fecal float, so is fairly easy to diagnose; however, it can be resistant to treatment or be a recurring problem. Nonetheless, it must be treated. It may require the expertise of a veterinarian who can prescribe medications no longer available to the public. (see next note!)
* Having a Veterinarian: It is imperative to have a vet who has some knowledge of ruminants! If you wait to find one until you need one, it could be too late. Veterinarians have been extremely helpful here - thanks to veterinarians, a doe had a successful C-section, another doe recovered beautifully from a uterine prolapse, several goats recovered from shipping fever/pneumonia, and more!
* Very Basic Supplies We Keep: a milk stand (not just used for milking!!), hoof trimmers, a thermometer, a lubricant for thermometer usage, CDT vaccine, tetanus anti-toxin, CD antitoxin, needles, syringes, high potency injectable vitamin B, an antibiotic (perhaps an oxytetracycline, but depends on the situation), terramycin eye ointment, a coccidia medication, goat nutri-drench, goat probiotic, an anti-bloat product, etc. We actually keep many more supplies on hand than this (kidding supplies, birthing supplies, milking supplies, milk storage supplies, shaving supplies, more medicines, etc), but most goat owners keep the above basic supplies on hand. Again, this is not an exhaustive list and these supplies do not replace a veterinarian's advice or care!
* Our Disease Prevention Strategies: We have purchased from herds that have negative disease testing results; nevertheless, we still quarantine new additions and serology test them for CAE, CL, and Johnes before joining the herd. Unfortunately, serology tests are not fool-proof; not only are false positives a possibility, but even worse is the possibility of false negatives. These can occur when an animal has the disease, but has not built up enough antibodies in its system to test positive. In the case of CL, some animals never serology test positive even when they have abscesses that have tested positive for CL. So while all herds are thrilled to get negative test results, there are, unfortunately, no guarantees that the results are 100% accurate. Despite the shortcomings of serology-testing, we do continue to serology test the herd for CAE every few years. Any abscess in the herd will be cultured and tested for CL. Any goat showing signs of wasting will be fecal-tested for Johnes. Please note that in order to avoid disease exposure, we have also made the decision to not show our goats. We also minimize disease risk by keeping visitors to a minimum (to literally avoid the risk of disease being walked on to the property). We also DO NOT lease our bucks or offer driveway breedings; again, this is part of our strategy in avoiding the introduction of disease into the herd.
* Love and Attention: definitely a necessary ingredient in basic goat care - get to know your goats so that you notice when things are amiss. Every day spend time with them. At the very least, every day observe them so that you can spot trouble before it becomes too much to overcome. Most goats enjoy being pet and many learn their names.