New to goats and have some ?

[churchx3]

Just came home with a baby pygmy and nigerian dwarf. Some questions I have (1) is there a worming schedule I need to follow (2) immunization schedule I need to follow(3) is 8 weeks old too old for disbudding. It appears there are strong opinions on both sides of that question. As far as their goat house, I have a couple of places I am considering placing it...should they be in sun the majority of the day, shade, 50/50?

 

[cmjust0]

is there a worming schedule I need to follow

My advice would be to worm as-needed according to FAMACHA and/or fecal egg counts, and to rotate wormers as much as possible.

Deworming goats really is a science unto itself.

immunization schedule I need to follow

If you're unsure about their vaccination status, I'd go ahead and hit them with C/D-T now and then again in about four weeks. After that, vaccinate yearly.

is 8 weeks old too old for disbudding. It appears there are strong opinions on both sides of that question.

Technically, yeah, because they don't really have 'buds' anymore -- they have horns, albeit small ones. At 8 weeks, though, I would think there's still a reasonable chance that the horn hasn't really attached to the skull yet and may be removeable without having to cut a big hole in the skull..

If the horns are wiggly and don't really feel like they're attached to anything but the surrounding skin and soft tissue, you may be able to have a vet surgically remove them.

Maybe..

Since they've already erupted and begun to grow, though....I'd personally just consider The SS Hornless to have sailed and learn to like horned goats.

Horns do have their advantages......built-in handles. Makes shots and drenching and all that fun stuff easier.

As far as their goat house, I have a couple of places I am considering placing it...should they be in sun the majority of the day, shade, 50/50?

If the house itself will provide shade, I'd say put the house in the sun.. Mostly just a personal preference, but to me, having it in the sun would probably help to keep the ground around it from being so mucky and muddy.. They're also gonna spend more time there in the winter than summer, so having the sun on it might be better than having the whole thing shady and cold and extra damp.

More importantly perhaps than any other consideration when it comes to housing location would be to make sure the prevailing winds don't whip into/through it, and that it's not on the lowest ground where it stays wet a lot.

High ground, turned away from the wind.. If that also meant it would be in the shade, so be it.

 

[churchx3]

If the house itself will provide shade, I'd say put the house in the sun.. Mostly just a personal preference, but to me, having it in the sun would probably help to keep the ground around it from being so mucky and muddy.. They're also gonna spend more time there in the winter than summer, so having the sun on it might be better than having the whole thing shady and cold and extra damp.

These were my thoughts on the housing situation...There seems to be so much to learn and I have been reading for sometime about the do's and dont's...think one main difference is that when caring for goats you can do more yourself in lieu of having a vet do it (i.e. worming/vaccination, etc)

 

[churchx3]

immunization schedule I need to follow

If you're unsure about their vaccination status, I'd go ahead and hit them with C/D-T now and then again in about four weeks. After that, vaccinate yearly.

Where can I read about C/D-T?

 

[cmjust0]

These were my thoughts on the housing situation...There seems to be so much to learn and I have been reading for sometime about the do's and dont's...think one main difference is that when caring for goats you can do more yourself in lieu of having a vet do it (i.e. worming/vaccination, etc)

That's one difference, though my experience has been that once you've owned livestock and kinda get a feel for where to get your hands on common veterinary supplies, you kinda start looking at all your animals that way.

Like....really?....I'm gonna pay a $40 office visit just so my vet can say "Yep, it's worms" and then charge me big $$$ for the same Fenbendazole that's in the SafeGuard goat dewormer I can get at the farm store? I'm gonna pay $40 to have my vet give a pup a vaccine I can get at the farm store, right next to the C/D-T, 7-way, and all the other livestock vaccines? I'm gonna pay the vet to flush a laceration with betadine and give me an antibiotic when I can just as easily buy my own betadine in pint bottles and give it a round of the Naxcel/Excenel I keep on hand anyway?

And given that owning goats almost forces you to start thinking outside the box, you may even find yourself running across neat information with regard to off-label use of meds in your other animals... For instance...speaking of dogs and antibiotics...did you know there's a product called "Fish Flex Forte" which are simply 500mg Cephalexin capsules you can buy OTC, whenever you want or need them, for not a whole big bunch of money!??

Oh yeah!





Now...all that said...I always -- always -- advise people to get a good goat vet, and don't hesitate to use them. Especially when you're first starting out.

You're gonna see lots of us throwing out meds and dosages and so forth, and some of that comes from reading and remembering and trying it out in the field with our own animals......but a goodly portion of that knowledge, in many cases, comes from watching our vets work.

 

[cmjust0]

immunization schedule I need to follow

If you're unsure about their vaccination status, I'd go ahead and hit them with C/D-T now and then again in about four weeks. After that, vaccinate yearly.

Where can I read about C/D-T?

Google is your friend ...there are lots of write-ups about C/D-T.

For a little background, though.. The letters in "C/D-T" are representative of what it vaccinates against: Clostridium Perfringens types C and D, and Clostridium Tetanii. Obviously, the 'T' or 'Tetanii' is Tetanus.

The C and D types of clostridial bacteria cause something known as "overeating disease," though that's a bit of a misnomer. They call it that because it's fairly common after a bout with bloat, which is fairly common after a goat breaks into the feed room, etc., and "overeats." The reason clostridials tend to pop up afterward is because the digestive system sorta stops moving and the pH can change and basically all kinds of stuff happens that sorta sets the stage for what you might hear some folks refer to as a "bacterial bloom" or "clostridial bloom"...basically, clostridial bacteria finding their sweet spot and beginning to multiply wildly.

That said, it becomes clear that what "overeating disease" is, really, is bacterial enteritis...a bacterial gut infection. This particular kind, though, is deadly in goats.

By vaccinating for Clostridials, you're helping to prime the animal to maintain the number of clostridial bacteria in the GI and stem clostridial blooms....mostly.

Can still happen, though, even in vaccinated animals, which is why most people (myself included) also recommend keeping a vial of C&D Anti-Toxin on hand at all times as well..

Unfortunately, I could go on... :/ ...but do read up on it. It'll be good preparation for the hours upon hours of additional reading you'll have to do about all the other terrible, horrible things that can befall a goat and/or keep you up nights fretting and worrying about your goaties.

 

[countrywife]

I'm gonna jump in on the worming thing. Many years ago I took a certification class for raising goats by the Ag Dept. They taught us to LOOK at the goat. Pull the bottom eyelid down, check the gums, tounge. (sp?). Basically, all these things should be pink. If they are white, you quite possibly have a parasite situation. That is the time to take the stool sample for testing. After a while, you will just worm them, but in the beginning get it tested. Goats become wormer resistant rather quickly, so if you are using anything, try to use it as needed, and rotate.


As far as horns, I have always had boar/boar crosses. And never dehorned anyone. Have not had an injury either, and we started when our youngest was 6 years old. The horns are not automaticcally bad.