New Goat Owner

MandyLou

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Hi everyone, I have been reading your posts the last few days and must say I have managed to gain some insight. We are picking up our first goats tomorrow, two 4 month old Nigerian Dwarf wethers. I am excited and nervous about this. I would like to know if any of you have any tips to make the settling in process easier, ideas of things I should definitely have on hand?
The only part that concerns me about these boys is that the owner did try to disbud them, but they are both growing horns back. I am not sure how much of an issue this will be for them/us in the future. I have read online about banding and about surgical removal and some of the articles made both seem traumatic and dangerous. :( I don't want to do anything that will hurt them.
 

Goat Whisperer

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Welcome to the forum :)

It can be very difficult to disbud bucks without getting scurs. As long as they aren't posing and danger or growing back into the goat, you should be okay. You can file them down or use a Gigli/OB wire cut the scurs. It would be best to have a vet show you how to use the wire.

Make sure your feed has a proper calcium to phosphorus ratio. A ratio of 2:1 is good, the higher the calcium the better.
Wethers can be prone to UC (stones) so making sure you have a proper ratio is key.
Keeping ammonium chloride on hand is good when owning wethers.
More on UC
http://www.ansc.purdue.edu/SP/MG/Documents/SLIDES/Urinary calculi.pdf

Don't over stress the goats when you bring them home. Let them adjust slowly, if you have dogs keep them away from the goats for a bit.

We always run fecals on goats we bring in or send off to new owners. Whenever you move or stress a goat, they can have a stress bloom of worms/parasites or cocci. This is something you really need to consider doing. Coccidia is a big issue in many goat kids, it has been a rough year for many.

Ask the breeder is they have been on cocci I preventative.

Slowly switch and hay/feed they have been on to prevent stomach upset. Make sure they have minerals available, loose minerals is best. I like manna pro goat minerals.

Always keep a thermometer on hand! When in doubt, always take their temp.

Having needles and syringes of different sizes, B complex, probiotics, goat Nutridrench, cocci meds, wormer meds, vet wrap, gauze, antibiotic cream, antibiotics (injection), iodine are all good.

Sorry is this post looks weird, I'm on a phone so it might look strange on a computer.
 

MandyLou

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Thank you so much for all the advice and tips! You mentioned the goat minerals, which I bought the manna pro also. It has listed that it contains ammonium chloride in it, is what is in there a sufficient amount for them or do I need something else? I have also seen others mention that it may be a good idea to worm them once they are here, do you have a brand you recommend for this?
 

Goat Whisperer

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That's why you do the fecals ;)
You do the fecal to see what parasites they have. Not all wormers are equal and you ne
ed different types of wormers to treat different types of worms. 4 month old kids are at a greater risk of getting cocci, although they can still have worms.
A dewormer will do nothing for cocci.
Just throwing meds at a goat can get costly and can build resistance.

Keeping AC on hand for treatment is nice to have. You shouldn't have to treat them if you make sure their diet is balanced and they get the minerals. I keep it on hand for my own peace of mind :)
 

Latestarter

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Greetings @MandyLou :frow Welcome to BYH and congrats on your about to be new family members! Hope you'll share some pics of the little fellas when you get them home. We're kinda like kids in a candy store around here for pictures. Browse around some more and feel free to jump right in when you feel the desire! Lots of knowledgeable folks here who willingly help when it's needed, so if you have a question, post away and somebody will normally jump right in. Glad you joined us!
 
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