Tell me your vaccine schedule

[Southern by choice]

We do give BoSe annually to our bucks and we give it to our does just prior to breeding.

Copper bolus 2x a year.

Be very careful with this. A VERY experienced breeder that is very respected lives in an area that is extremely copper deficient. Had been giving Copper 2x year because the goats appeared deficient. Over time this built up and TOXICITY looks just like DEFICIENCY. She lots 12 of her top does all at once - necropsy showed Copper toxicity.

Horribly sad.

Last month in the UC Davis newsletter they had I think 111 goats die of copper toxicity. There were other factors involved but it was quite shocking.
I was trying to post the link but it isn't working for me.

Got it! On the large picture scroll through using the arrows til you get to the newsletter picture and click on that. This one was from Oct.

Great newsletter BTW!
http://www.cahfs.ucdavis.edu/

 

[babsbag]

@Southern by choice
Not in that issue ???

 

[TAH]

If I remember correctly this was what we had used on naomi

 

[Southern by choice]

@Southern by choice
Not in that issue ???

oops
go to news disease and info bar
go to connection archive
2016
october

 

[Green Acres Farm]

We do give BoSe annually to our bucks and we give it to our does just prior to breeding.

How prior?

 

[Green Acres Farm]

Be very careful with this. A VERY experienced breeder that is very respected lives in an area that is extremely copper deficient. Had been giving Copper 2x year because the goats appeared deficient. Over time this built up and TOXICITY looks just like DEFICIENCY. She lots 12 of her top does all at once - necropsy showed Copper toxicity.

Thank you for letting me know. That is the schedule another breeder more experienced than myself follows, so I had followed it.

I know someone who gives it every 2 months. Not joking.

 

[NH homesteader]

2 months? Eek.

 

[Southern by choice]

How prior?

Originally 30 days prior but no longer follow that.
The different vets I work with all have different thoughts on Selenium.
All 4 vets have a different opinion.

Sooooooooooo... I did what I do.... ... research.

My one vet stood in my driveway and we "discussed" the Bose issue for over an hour....
We had a big difference of opinion.

Then this vet said hey- I know you research everything and you are probably going to find more on the subject than I, so whatever you find send it to me... then we walked over and gave all the BoSe.

So I did research and found some great articles, studies.
You see most studies on goats are not from the US because we don't study goats here. Just parasites. Not goats.

Anyway long story short we give the Bose and as soon as they cycle they are bred.
Selenium deficiency in a goat will greatly affect the grandkid. The 3rd generation if not fixed and corrected will have issues. Also if levels are not good then the first kidding may go ok but subsequent kiddings is where you will see issues.

Where many give nothing but will inject kids as needed that practice should be looked at closely. If kids are needing Selenium then the dam did not have enough in her own system to pass to her kid. The growing kid will take precedent over everything. When a goat develops no udder but is growing huge with kids there you can see the growing kids are taking everything from the doe.
I am not referring to does that don't develop udder til just at or immediately following kidding. I am referring to those that just don't develop an udder and cannot produce and support their kid/s.

The best study I found in regard to Selenium( trying to recall from memory which isn't fun) was on 1200 dairy goats. The herd had history of issues. The Selenium was given and it took I think about 30 days or something like that to work into the system for good levels. I forgot the peak time... but I remember the levels were maintained through days 135-145. This means kids had adequate Selenium. The 1200 goats had significantly less loss, kidding issues, weak kids etc. Like I said I am going off memory here.

Every 2-3 years a sampling of the herd (serum) should have a mineral analysis so that all levels can be checked.
Toxicity and deficiency look alike in most cases.

Some examples-
Selenium toxicity can cause hoof/foot issues (deformed)
Zinc deficiency can cause hoof and foot issues (deformed)

dermatology issues-
Copper deficiency
Iodine deficiency
Selenium toxicity
Vitamin A deficiency
Vitamin E / Selenium deficiency
Zinc deficiency

Excess Calcium and excess Protein can cause bowed legs and joint issues. Whereas sometimes bowed legs can mean they need copper and selenium

That is why doing a sampling can in the long run save you lots of money and save the goat/s too.

 

[babsbag]

I sample the ones that look the best and the ones that look the worst, and the funny thing...I usually don't see a difference in results. They are always borderline low in copper and Se. This will the first year that I will test them after doing multimin. We will see if that has made a difference, they certainly look better. I have not done anything to my bucks this year other than their minerals.

 

[Southern by choice]

IMO it is important to visually observe but most of what causes issues that is a greater concern isn't the visual. Kidding issues, death, weak kids, failure to thrive, thickened placentas, sacs passed that have discs or mummified kids etc.
Since we have so many breeds and body types I can't just go by what I see.

We had terribly rough coats a few years back and tint of orange ... that all pointed to some sort of deficiency. We did the analysis and it was not deficiency but our iron was so high that it was causing problems. We had to work with our water and minerals. Iron can bind certain minerals and cause a storage issue. Ultimately the very hard water and high iron is just going to cause rougher coats the orange color will come and go.