How do you do it?! We often get this question in relation to dam raising kids and keeping the herd on milk test. It’s cropped up again lately because kidding has started and people are excited about proving their goats milk the way they do. First of all, “milk testing” in this context is referring to the Dairy Herd Improvement program that involves either a certified owner, member of a group or third party weighing milk produced ... Full article >
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There is a lot that goes into this topic and I don't want to be too wordy, because I don't have the time to spend all day reading someone else's thoughts no matter how fascinating they may be or how interesting the topic, so I assume a lot of you don't either. Like many topics I'm trying to cover, the information applies equally to sheep and goats, so forgive me if I switch back and forth between sheep terms and goat terms instead of specifying every time that I'm referring to both species. I wi... Full article >
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Let's talk about labor. Normal progression of labor should begin with the doe mostly eating, drinking, chewing her cud and going about her business as if there were no discharge at all. This is the first stage where contractions are shortening the cervix and getting kids into position to exit. This should progress to thicker and thicker discharge until it forms a 'stream' that is too jelly like to flow readily, but tends to just hang around for a bit before dropping if it drops. By this time,... Full article >
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Baby goats are hitting the ground and there's so much beauty and joy with each new arrival. Sometimes things don't go exactly as planned and these newborns aren't suckling well, their dam rejects them or maybe the people in their lives want to bottle feed or at least introduce the newborns to a bottle at birth in case the kids need it later. In any case, there can be any number of reasons to introduce kids to a bottle at birth. Around me, people seem to think I can get kids on a bottle when o... Full article >
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Practical collection of resources
Parasites can be a huge problem in the warm, moist climates and the key to knowing what's going on with parasite load is monitoring through fecal samples: This video is an excellent resource for detailed information on running fecal samples. https://youtu.be/ZZQymZKe_hs?si=Hagl2f1jfJErGJxS For those who really prefer the Reader's Digest version, this is a written resource that is also excellent. https://fiascofarm.com/goats/fecals.htm Hopefully these links will be inspiring and hel... Full article >
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https://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=172 I like to share the article above because it lays out steps so people can identify the early signs and take action before things escalate to dangerous levels. The first signs I see toward me and the older does in the herd is usually kids climbing on top of a resting doe or me while I'm dealing with another animal or alternatively, kids jumping in front of another doe or me while we're walking from one place to another. If you w... Full article >
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