Goat Care
Disclaimer: Always consult a veterinarian or trained professional for health care needs. The following is our personal experiences, not medical advice.
VETS WE TRUST:
(do farm visits & after hours)
DISBUDDING:
HEALTH CARE:
SUPPLIES: Jeffers Pets, Valley Vet, Premier1, PBS Animals, Tractor Supply, Atwoods, Hamby Dairy (good price for tattoo kit)
(do farm visits & after hours)
- Wills Point Vet Clinic 903-873-9132 willspointvet.net
- Allen Animal Clinic 972-727-5151 allenanimalclinic.com
- Dr. Kevin Gray (farm visits only) 903-994-2909 Facebook Page
DISBUDDING:
- James in Terrell, TX 903-243-5692
HEALTH CARE:
- Onion Creek/Tennessee Meat Goats LOTS of info about illness, diseases, and treatments.
- Fias Co Farms A more natural approach to caring for your goats
SUPPLIES: Jeffers Pets, Valley Vet, Premier1, PBS Animals, Tractor Supply, Atwoods, Hamby Dairy (good price for tattoo kit)
The Basics
Diseases & Illness: There is a lot to say on this topic. Instead of taking up space here, go visit our favorite health care sites listed above.
Eyelid Check: SUPER IMPORTANT because it's one of the easiest ways to monitor your goat's condition. Eyelid color is rated using FAMACHA score (click for more info). The inner, bottom eyelid should be a medium to deep pink color. Lighter color indicates low iron. White means death may occur and you need to take action. Low iron is often caused by worm load.
Housing: Goats need protection from rain, wet ground, and wind. To help prevent worm overload, try rotating pens, not overcrowding, and providing clean, dry areas. Nigerian dwarfs grow a winter coat, so heat lamps are usually not necessary unless in extreme weather or for newborn kids during freezing weather.
Feed: Goats are browsers (like deer), not grazers. They will eat grass, but prefer weeds, flowers, herbs, tree leaves, bark, etc. If you have a good pasture area, you may not need daily hay. Fresh water is a must. Some people provide grain daily, others only provide when does are near kidding, lactating or to bucks in rut. Black oil sunflower seeds (BOSS) are a tasty treat and provide nutrients.
Minerals: Goats need supplemental minerals. We use loose minerals that are easily gobbled up, rather than blocks that are licked. Low copper can cause a lot of problems. Some external signs warning you of low copper levels are faded coats, coppery look, and fishtails. We give a copper bolus (Santa Cruz brand) every 6-8 months to boost copper levels.
Hooves: Every goat is different, but hooves generally need trimming every 1-3 months. Not trimming can cause structural issues such as bad pasterns and lameness. Youtube has lots of videos showing how to trim hooves. Some tips to naturally file hooves: 1) Lay square stones in heavy traffic 2) Build a stone mountain. 3) Cover a board with asphalt roofing sheets.
Disbudding/Dehorning: Horns help regulate body temp, but can cause injury and shows don't allow horns. If you opt to disbud, you will need a disbudding iron. Try to disbud by 7 days of age to prevent scurs. YouTube has videos or have an experienced person teach you. Dehorning is not the same as disbudding. It's a surgical procedure that removes the horn.
Vaccines: Most people give an annual CDT vaccine which helps protect against tetanus and enterotoxemia (commonly called overeating disease). There is a vaccine for CL (caseous lymphadenitis), but using it will make your goat test positive.
Eyelid Check: SUPER IMPORTANT because it's one of the easiest ways to monitor your goat's condition. Eyelid color is rated using FAMACHA score (click for more info). The inner, bottom eyelid should be a medium to deep pink color. Lighter color indicates low iron. White means death may occur and you need to take action. Low iron is often caused by worm load.
Housing: Goats need protection from rain, wet ground, and wind. To help prevent worm overload, try rotating pens, not overcrowding, and providing clean, dry areas. Nigerian dwarfs grow a winter coat, so heat lamps are usually not necessary unless in extreme weather or for newborn kids during freezing weather.
Feed: Goats are browsers (like deer), not grazers. They will eat grass, but prefer weeds, flowers, herbs, tree leaves, bark, etc. If you have a good pasture area, you may not need daily hay. Fresh water is a must. Some people provide grain daily, others only provide when does are near kidding, lactating or to bucks in rut. Black oil sunflower seeds (BOSS) are a tasty treat and provide nutrients.
Minerals: Goats need supplemental minerals. We use loose minerals that are easily gobbled up, rather than blocks that are licked. Low copper can cause a lot of problems. Some external signs warning you of low copper levels are faded coats, coppery look, and fishtails. We give a copper bolus (Santa Cruz brand) every 6-8 months to boost copper levels.
Hooves: Every goat is different, but hooves generally need trimming every 1-3 months. Not trimming can cause structural issues such as bad pasterns and lameness. Youtube has lots of videos showing how to trim hooves. Some tips to naturally file hooves: 1) Lay square stones in heavy traffic 2) Build a stone mountain. 3) Cover a board with asphalt roofing sheets.
Disbudding/Dehorning: Horns help regulate body temp, but can cause injury and shows don't allow horns. If you opt to disbud, you will need a disbudding iron. Try to disbud by 7 days of age to prevent scurs. YouTube has videos or have an experienced person teach you. Dehorning is not the same as disbudding. It's a surgical procedure that removes the horn.
Vaccines: Most people give an annual CDT vaccine which helps protect against tetanus and enterotoxemia (commonly called overeating disease). There is a vaccine for CL (caseous lymphadenitis), but using it will make your goat test positive.
Breeding & Birth
How do goats make babies?
Boy + Girl = BABIES! Easy peasy, right? Nope. First, they must be in the mood. A doe must be in heat and a buck must be in rut (a time when boys sound like blubbering fools and pee on themselves). Nigerian dwarf does usually come into heat every three weeks and can breed year round.
How much should my doe weigh before breeding?
40 lbs for Nigerian dwarf. While we wait longer, you can bred as early as 8 months of age IF the goat weighs enough.
How do I get my doe bred?
1) Let your boy shack up with a girl for as long as you want 2) When you know your girl is in heat, use the "quickie" approach (aka: hand breeding). Put your lovers together, let them do their thing, and separate when the deed is done. This is our preferred method because we know exact due date. 3) Artificially inseminate
Can you tell when the boy "gets" the girl?
When you see a buck mount your doe, you might wonder "Did he really get her?" We often notice the doe will 1) squinch up and arch her back 2) suddenly pee or 3) have lots of white goo coming out of her girly area.
When is due date?
Mini breeds-145 days gestation. Full size-150 days. AGS has an online gestation calculator
Do I need to assist with birth?
Hopefully not. We like to be present at births, but only intervene when a baby is truly stuck or mama is in distress. To help you prepare for troublesome kidding positions, click here for a chart with pics and tips.
Boy + Girl = BABIES! Easy peasy, right? Nope. First, they must be in the mood. A doe must be in heat and a buck must be in rut (a time when boys sound like blubbering fools and pee on themselves). Nigerian dwarf does usually come into heat every three weeks and can breed year round.
How much should my doe weigh before breeding?
40 lbs for Nigerian dwarf. While we wait longer, you can bred as early as 8 months of age IF the goat weighs enough.
How do I get my doe bred?
1) Let your boy shack up with a girl for as long as you want 2) When you know your girl is in heat, use the "quickie" approach (aka: hand breeding). Put your lovers together, let them do their thing, and separate when the deed is done. This is our preferred method because we know exact due date. 3) Artificially inseminate
Can you tell when the boy "gets" the girl?
When you see a buck mount your doe, you might wonder "Did he really get her?" We often notice the doe will 1) squinch up and arch her back 2) suddenly pee or 3) have lots of white goo coming out of her girly area.
When is due date?
Mini breeds-145 days gestation. Full size-150 days. AGS has an online gestation calculator
Do I need to assist with birth?
Hopefully not. We like to be present at births, but only intervene when a baby is truly stuck or mama is in distress. To help you prepare for troublesome kidding positions, click here for a chart with pics and tips.