Flat collar or slip lead for bringing home kids?

[Miranda Kurucz]

Haha! I told my husband someone said they were driving 16 hours to get some goats and he said "what, do they live in BC or something?" that's funny. They will be less stressed being together. When you get them home and settled, you should have a fecal sample checked by a vet if possible. The stress of moving can cause a parasite bloom. You'll hear all about it if you read up on here before getting them.

If you want to learn all about the "exciting" world of parasites (lol) go to the articles and read the ones by @Southern by choice. You will be ahead of the game if you do it now!

Bahhaha -- Really?!?!?! smart man! We are not too far from Alaska! Goats come up here on the buy and sells but they are typically bucks and typically just one at a time. Also I don't necessarily trust the vetting / health of all of them in the area so it'd have to be goats from a source I felt confident in.

I have been trying to figure out all the worming etc!! We kind of suck for supply shop options here (And vets!!!) The vets in Terrace no longer take livestock so we will have to hit up the vets in Smithers which is also a 2 hour drive. Our Kitimat vet would take in an Emergency but doesn't have the comfort with the animals as the Smithers vets.

I have experience giving shots to horses, and worming horses etc. I also have some crazy experience working at animal refuge in Namibia for 2 months doing vet tech-ish work and I've done spay/neuter health and wellness clinics for dogs and cats in some pretty sickening communities so doing hands on vet work doesn't totally freak me out! Of course I would only ever do this as a means of getting to a vet in an emergency.

That is my next step in these next 6 months is setting up a good kit for responding to any an all issues as a preventative means of being able to get a sick goat to a vet.

 

[Miranda Kurucz]

I would try not to get in/out of the vehicle at all if possible on the trip home. More stress. The shavings will catch the urine and droppings. This is a baby goat, better to just travel straight.

I prefer on baby goats this- a harness. We use thes on all our baby kid goats. Less issues, no trachea damage. It allows freedom when walking until they get use to a collar. We DO NOT leave the harness on them. Just when we are walking them in an area that is not secured.

We do put flat puppy collars on our baby goats that stay on. It gets them use to it until you are ready for lead training.
Here is a pic of a kid a few weeks old.
View attachment 24430

It would be easy for us to stay in the car with packed lunches etc. Didn't know if the need for some leg stretching would outweigh the stress of stopping. It would cut probably an hour or two off the trip if we don't have to stop.

I agree with the trachea trauma -- if any pulling happens. and they can't get out of it if a harness is properly fitted! This actually may be our best option till they are a bit bigger and used to being led etc.

 

[Southern by choice]

Harnesses are IMO much better and work very well. No need to stop. Leg stretching is not an issue. As long as the crate is big enough for them to stand in you ar fine.

I just read about your lack of vets.
I strongly suggest you buy a good scope and learn ow to run fecals. This is the biggest issue with goats. Coccidia is a kid killer and a cocci bloom is VERY common in a young goat kid. They may leave their farm perfectly fine with little to no oocysts but the travel and new home stress causes a bloom. Has nothing to do with the breeder. Even though the goat may look happy and healthy and do not show any outward signs of stress.

 

[Bruce]

I bet it would work on these kids too ... once they settled in. hahahaah

I know someone from another forum that took some chickens to her brother, long trip. They stopped at McD's and got a chicken salad (minus the chicken) for the chickens. Apparently they loved it.

 

[Southern by choice]

I know someone from another forum that took some chickens to her brother, long trip. They stopped at McD's and got a chicken salad (minus the chicken) for the chickens. Apparently they loved it.

Seriously?

 

[Latestarter]

OK... just a point here... Typically buying a weather knocks the price down substantially as the wether is never going to breed and is only good as a companion animal either for humans or other goats, or for your freezer. Typically buying a NON papered animal is substantially cheaper than buying a papered (registered) animal, and the papers are only pertinent if you'll be breeding the animal as heredity is important for breeders. Having said that, I hope you're not paying major "bucks" for a non functional buck (wether)! There's really no need to have a wether registered.

If you want milk from a/the/any doe, then you're going to need a functional buck to breed her with. OK, so here's where goat math rears its ugly... I mean beautiful head... You say you're planning on 2 goats and said one was going to be a wether. The result of this is two years or more before you'll have milk. You'll need your doe to be 8 months to a year old before breeding, then since you have a wether, you'll need to find/buy/borrow a buck, and if you get a buck kid, you'll need to wait for him to mature... Then after the breeding it's 5 months till the doe delivers, then you'll need the does milk for the kids, especially if she has twins or more, so figure another 2 months before you can start milking her for you. Depending on weather and insects where you are, most prefer to breed in fall for spring kids... not too cold, but not warm enough for insect infestations (yet).

So here's the "deal"... what I propose is that you buy TWO does and TWO males... one a good dairy quality buck and the other a whatever quality wether to keep the buck company when you DON'T want the does bred. Nigerians can breed basically year round and come into heat ~ every 21 days or so though their strongest heat is during the fall/early winter months and the bucks typically rut during the fall/early winter.

"Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats go into heat, or experience an estrus cycle approximately every 21 to 28 days. Therefore they can be bred all year round. Most breeders prefer the fall for breeding as Spring allows for the optimum in kidding temperatures. There is no fear of kids freezing in winter cold and no pests such as flies during summer heat to spread disease. This is not to say you can't breed all year, it just means more precautions need to be taken into account.

The heat cycle in Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats as in all goat breeds, lasts for 1 to 3 days on average with the doe in a standing heat to accept the buck during that time. The standing heat is a very short duration of the heat cycle (standing heat can be anywhere from 1 hour to 3 days) and the owner needs to be alert as to when this time occurs for breeding to be successful. A standing heat means a doe will stand for a buck and not run from him to be bred. Procreation will not take place generally outside of this time" http://www.cornerstonefarm.net/gtcareof.html#pregnancy&kiddingsupplies

They are very small and don't eat much... feeding 4 would double the amount of feed you'll need but since it's such a small amount anyway, it shouldn't prove to be too painful on the wallet. This way the does can be kept together and the buck and wether can be kept together separate from the does until you want to breed them. If you breed them a couple of months apart, then you'll have staggered deliveries and milk for more months of the year

Enabler? yup!

 

[Miranda Kurucz]

Harnesses are IMO much better and work very well. No need to stop. Leg stretching is not an issue. As long as the crate is big enough for them to stand in you ar fine.

I just read about your lack of vets.
I strongly suggest you buy a good scope and learn ow to run fecals. This is the biggest issue with goats. Coccidia is a kid killer and a cocci bloom is VERY common in a young goat kid. They may leave their farm perfectly fine with little to no oocysts but the travel and new home stress causes a bloom. Has nothing to do with the breeder. Even though the goat may look happy and healthy and do not show any outward signs of stress.

I was just reading your article!!! What is the treatment for Coccidia if you do find and is it over the counter or will we need to see a vet ahead of time? I'm just reading to find these answers as well. Lots to take in. I was looking at jefferspet for health / supplement products. We are very much on our own here and I don't like the rely on our vets.

Unfortunately just a short time ago we had a dog go in for dental surgery to remove a bad tooth... The next morning he followed me out of bed at 4:30 am and dropped into a seizure. I knew if I could get him on IV valium quickly he could have a chance but there was no way to get a hold of the vet! They had forgot to update their emergency number and I learned a very valuable lesson that you always confirm the emergency number for post operative care and don't rely on the one on their message / door. Was a really really really hard time. He finally passed on at 7:30 in the morning and we didn't hear from a vet until 8:30. We tried hunting down his house number but he had done a good job of not making it too publicly known. Don't get me wrong.. he was devastated and super upset by the situation and he's a pretty great vet other than this situation but I've learned to be more self sufficient for all of my animals.

 

[Bruce]

Seriously?

Yep. The salad for the chickens was take-out, I believe the people ate inside .

And while one might jump to conclusions about "just how 'froo froo city' are these people?", not the case. Yes they live in a small city (better described as a very very SMALL town) and they cull and butcher their own chickens.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

I think it's smart to start simple and see how it goes. So many get this idea of starting a farm and jump right in, but this isn't always best. Some people do fine but I have seen quite a bit folks getting overwhelmed and end up failing. See how you like goats, get an idea on their care, just learning about them for the first year or so. Yes the thought of having kids/milk sooner is great sometimes waiting and learning really pays off. Who know, if it all goes well you could end up buying a doe in milk etc.

I agree on using the harness! It's also easier to take them in and out with the harness.
Very glad you are buying from a tested herd!

I agree with learning how to run fecals! I can't imagine having goats without a scope. Some vets might be great farm or pet vets, but many don't 'know' goats. Goats are very different than cattle and other farm animals. (Cattle vets will most likely think you are crazy LOL)

Ask the breeder what they use for cocci and parasite treatment/prevention. It might be wise to buy some of the meds directly from the breeder if you cannot find them locally.

Will these kids bottle babies?
Try to make sure there is enough room in the crate and have a was to offer some water on stops. I wouldn't walk them around though. Keeping them in the same crate will have less crying/screaming and less stress overall.

Keep us updated on the progress!

 

[Miranda Kurucz]

OK... just a point here... Typically buying a weather knocks the price down substantially as the wether is never going to breed and is only good as a companion animal either for humans or other goats, or for your freezer. Typically buying a NON papered animal is substantially cheaper than buying a papered (registered) animal, and the papers are only pertinent if you'll be breeding the animal as heredity is important for breeders. Having said that, I hope you're not paying major "bucks" for a non functional buck (wether)! There's really no need to have a wether registered.

If you want milk from a/the/any doe, then you're going to need a functional buck to breed her with. OK, so here's where goat math rears its ugly... I mean beautiful head... You say you're planning on 2 goats and said one was going to be a wether. The result of this is two years or more before you'll have milk. You'll need your doe to be 8 months to a year old before breeding, then since you have a wether, you'll need to find/buy/borrow a buck, and if you get a buck kid, you'll need to wait for him to mature... Then after the breeding it's 5 months till the doe delivers, then you'll need the does milk for the kids, especially if she has twins or more, so figure another 2 months before you can start milking her for you. Depending on weather and insects where you are, most prefer to breed in fall for spring kids... not too cold, but not warm enough for insect infestations (yet).

So here's the "deal"... what I propose is that you buy TWO does and TWO males... one a good dairy quality buck and the other a whatever quality wether to keep the buck company when you DON'T want the does bred. Nigerians can breed basically year round and come into heat ~ every 21 days or so though their strongest heat is during the fall/early winter months and the bucks typically rut during the fall/early winter.

"Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats go into heat, or experience an estrus cycle approximately every 21 to 28 days. Therefore they can be bred all year round. Most breeders prefer the fall for breeding as Spring allows for the optimum in kidding temperatures. There is no fear of kids freezing in winter cold and no pests such as flies during summer heat to spread disease. This is not to say you can't breed all year, it just means more precautions need to be taken into account.

The heat cycle in Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats as in all goat breeds, lasts for 1 to 3 days on average with the doe in a standing heat to accept the buck during that time. The standing heat is a very short duration of the heat cycle (standing heat can be anywhere from 1 hour to 3 days) and the owner needs to be alert as to when this time occurs for breeding to be successful. A standing heat means a doe will stand for a buck and not run from him to be bred. Procreation will not take place generally outside of this time" http://www.cornerstonefarm.net/gtcareof.html#pregnancy&kiddingsupplies

They are very small and don't eat much... feeding 4 would double the amount of feed you'll need but since it's such a small amount anyway, it shouldn't prove to be too painful on the wallet. This way the does can be kept together and the buck and wether can be kept together separate from the does until you want to breed them. If you breed them a couple of months apart, then you'll have staggered deliveries and milk for more months of the year

Enabler? yup!

The wethers did not break the bank at all!! They were $200 each and come with all of the vetting and support and a bale of hay from the original home so that they can get used to our hay up here.. as well as recipes for some herbal feedings and lots and lots of information. The place has been AMAZING. I actually really appreciated the responses from 2 breeders I contacted but the other would have been a 20 + plus trip and I just did not think that was fair or doable. I'd rather support someone who I felt had passion to inform and passion for their stock.

I went with two wethers with the goat math being that 2 wethers.. we could eventually do 2 does and a buck after the fact and have wether companions. So does together and buck with wethers. (I like that rhyme!) But that is definitely far far down the line.

I also went with wethers thinking they were the easiest goats to kind of keep health wise so they'd be a good kick at the can. My other half works in camp so I will be on my own with the goats more often than not-- I also work quite a bit but we have lots of neighbours who are excited with goats and to help out should anything lead to me having one of my 15 hour shifts and that. Our next door neighbour is a dream.

The waiting list for does in our area is a 1 - 2 years -- they are all reserved. Originally we were going to do a doe and a wether but then when I started reading up more I was more talked around to two wethers... then I contacted and all the doe reserve lists were full and well into cancellation.

I think with the breeder too -- it was about establishing a relationship with someone who has ties to the other breeders in the province.

I was happy paying for the boys with all the health checks and debudding etc that is inclusive.