Chat
03-31-2017, 02:41 PM
Hello and welcome! Lots of great questions here !
1. I don't know much about bottle kids so I'll let someone else answer your questions about how much to feed. They should have access to water but don't expect them to drink much for quite some time. However, you want them to get curious and start teaching themselves how to drink. Use a small bucket so they can't fall in and drown.
2. Sounds like the cut should be fine. Just keep an eye on it and only treat it if there's heat, swelling, soreness, or other signs of infection.
3. CD+T vaccines are a must. Some people don't vaccinate their goats, but this one is really important in my opinion. It's cheap and it rarely causes adverse reactions. I vaccinate mine at 2 months and give a booster 3-4 weeks later. After that it's just an annual shot. I don't recommend any other vaccinations unless you have a particular good reason. Deworming is a very individual thing. It depends a lot on your area (what worms are prevalent in your climate?), how intensely your pasture gets grazed, and how naturally resistant your goats are to parasites. Some goats almost never get worms and others seem to get them on a fairly regular basis. Check the color of the inner eyelids. They should be a nice healthy dark pink or reddish color. If they're pale, they probably have a worm load. Coccidiosis is something that often affects kids. I don't treat for parasites unless I suspect a problem. Other people stick with a regimen. Do what works for you. Unthriftiness, dull coat, pale eyelids, clumpy poo, low energy, and slow or stunted growth are all signs of parasite problems. Finally, you can band the boys yourself if you don't wait too long. We did ours around three months. I would not do it earlier than that. However, if they are good growers don't wait much longer than three months or they'll be too big for your bander!
4. Start trimming hooves when they start looking long. This is a very individual thing and depends a lot on how much exercise they get and on what type of terrain. Ours do a lot of self-trimming on rocks and rarely have to be trimmed before six months old.
5. Leave the umbilical cords alone. They'll drop off on their own in a couple more weeks or so.
6. Play with those babies as much as you want, and let them climb on you until they get too big for you to be comfortable (usually around 4-6 weeks old). Then start gently correcting them by pushing them down when they put their feet on you. Be careful about letting them suck on fingers. Those little teeth are very sharp! I do not let kids chew on my clothes. A little curious nibbling is ok, but they should not be allowed to pull on hair and clothing or get pushy and destructive. If your goats have horns, I strongly urge you to make sure everyone playing with babies is wearing sunglasses. Baby goats have sharp horns and they are very quick and easily excited. They don't yet understand horn manners, so it's up to you to make sure not to get whacked or poked by mistake. Goats are smart and they'll learn their names if you use them. They will also learn not to whine as they get older and learn patience.
7. I don't know much about poisonous plants, but the folks at your local agricultural extension office do! It's worth giving them a call.
8. Bloat, pneumonia, and injuries are not uncommon with goats. Urinary calculi is always a concern for wethers, so a lot of folks feed ammonium chloride on a regular basis. A thermometer is important to have. I like to keep a good reference book with normal vital signs handy. Dawn dish soap is good for treating bloat. Bandages and vetwrap, blood stop powder, activated charcoal (for poisoning), penicillin, banamine, BlueKote wound spray, iodine, alcohol, needles and syringes, probiotic paste or powder, and Vitamin B complex are the things that immediately come to mind in my first aid cabinet. I have a lot more than that, but I'm thinking of the things I've had to use on a semi-regular basis (except the charcoal--I only had to use that once, but I was really glad to have it when I did!). Penicillin and banamine have to be gotten from a vet.
9. Green, leafy alfalfa is a good choice. Mine also get good grass hay depending on how much grass is available in their pasture. I don't usually feed by boys grain unless they are looking thin during a heavy growth spurt. If I can't get alfalfa hay I try to feed some alfalfa pellets every day to keep their calcium intake up. This is in addition to their grass hay, not in place of it. Goats should have access to a good loose mineral. Blocks are too hard and many goats don't absorb enough from them as a result. Look for minerals made for goats or cattle, not sheep. Sheep minerals don't have enough copper. I believe Manna Pro makes a good goat mineral, but there may be better ones available depending on your area.
Best of luck, and keep coming with the questions! Post photos of your crew sometime!
1. I don't know much about bottle kids so I'll let someone else answer your questions about how much to feed. They should have access to water but don't expect them to drink much for quite some time. However, you want them to get curious and start teaching themselves how to drink. Use a small bucket so they can't fall in and drown.
2. Sounds like the cut should be fine. Just keep an eye on it and only treat it if there's heat, swelling, soreness, or other signs of infection.
3. CD+T vaccines are a must. Some people don't vaccinate their goats, but this one is really important in my opinion. It's cheap and it rarely causes adverse reactions. I vaccinate mine at 2 months and give a booster 3-4 weeks later. After that it's just an annual shot. I don't recommend any other vaccinations unless you have a particular good reason. Deworming is a very individual thing. It depends a lot on your area (what worms are prevalent in your climate?), how intensely your pasture gets grazed, and how naturally resistant your goats are to parasites. Some goats almost never get worms and others seem to get them on a fairly regular basis. Check the color of the inner eyelids. They should be a nice healthy dark pink or reddish color. If they're pale, they probably have a worm load. Coccidiosis is something that often affects kids. I don't treat for parasites unless I suspect a problem. Other people stick with a regimen. Do what works for you. Unthriftiness, dull coat, pale eyelids, clumpy poo, low energy, and slow or stunted growth are all signs of parasite problems. Finally, you can band the boys yourself if you don't wait too long. We did ours around three months. I would not do it earlier than that. However, if they are good growers don't wait much longer than three months or they'll be too big for your bander!
4. Start trimming hooves when they start looking long. This is a very individual thing and depends a lot on how much exercise they get and on what type of terrain. Ours do a lot of self-trimming on rocks and rarely have to be trimmed before six months old.
5. Leave the umbilical cords alone. They'll drop off on their own in a couple more weeks or so.
6. Play with those babies as much as you want, and let them climb on you until they get too big for you to be comfortable (usually around 4-6 weeks old). Then start gently correcting them by pushing them down when they put their feet on you. Be careful about letting them suck on fingers. Those little teeth are very sharp! I do not let kids chew on my clothes. A little curious nibbling is ok, but they should not be allowed to pull on hair and clothing or get pushy and destructive. If your goats have horns, I strongly urge you to make sure everyone playing with babies is wearing sunglasses. Baby goats have sharp horns and they are very quick and easily excited. They don't yet understand horn manners, so it's up to you to make sure not to get whacked or poked by mistake. Goats are smart and they'll learn their names if you use them. They will also learn not to whine as they get older and learn patience.
7. I don't know much about poisonous plants, but the folks at your local agricultural extension office do! It's worth giving them a call.
8. Bloat, pneumonia, and injuries are not uncommon with goats. Urinary calculi is always a concern for wethers, so a lot of folks feed ammonium chloride on a regular basis. A thermometer is important to have. I like to keep a good reference book with normal vital signs handy. Dawn dish soap is good for treating bloat. Bandages and vetwrap, blood stop powder, activated charcoal (for poisoning), penicillin, banamine, BlueKote wound spray, iodine, alcohol, needles and syringes, probiotic paste or powder, and Vitamin B complex are the things that immediately come to mind in my first aid cabinet. I have a lot more than that, but I'm thinking of the things I've had to use on a semi-regular basis (except the charcoal--I only had to use that once, but I was really glad to have it when I did!). Penicillin and banamine have to be gotten from a vet.
9. Green, leafy alfalfa is a good choice. Mine also get good grass hay depending on how much grass is available in their pasture. I don't usually feed by boys grain unless they are looking thin during a heavy growth spurt. If I can't get alfalfa hay I try to feed some alfalfa pellets every day to keep their calcium intake up. This is in addition to their grass hay, not in place of it. Goats should have access to a good loose mineral. Blocks are too hard and many goats don't absorb enough from them as a result. Look for minerals made for goats or cattle, not sheep. Sheep minerals don't have enough copper. I believe Manna Pro makes a good goat mineral, but there may be better ones available depending on your area.
Best of luck, and keep coming with the questions! Post photos of your crew sometime!