Chat
03-04-2015, 09:10 PM
So I've been giving some thought to Lilly's CL test result, and of course I'm planning to send WADDL another sample as soon as I can get more blood draw tubes. If she does indeed test positive I'm going to guess that she almost certainly picked up the infection from my neighbor's Boers and I'm wondering if it might be in my best interest to start vaccinating for CL. However, I've read that the vaccine is only 80-85% effective, and of course it would mean that all my goats would forever test positive for CL even though they wouldn't have it.
On the other hand, even if Lilly ends up being negative I do wonder if it's still just a matter of time. Those Boers spend all summer going up and down the road past our house, which is the same one Phil and I take our goats walking on nearly every day. We also share a fence line at the back of our property. My goats don't often go that far afield, but I can't say it never happens. Also, there have been a couple of incidents where either their goats or mine escaped entirely and ended up on the other's property and even mingling together. In fact, my neighbor's herd dog once rounded up my goats off our property and put them with his herd, thinking they were his! Having a foolproof system that guarantees complete separation at all times simply isn't practical or financially feasible right now. I don't want to keep my goats penned all the time. I have 40 acres of prime goat browse and I can't afford not to use it, nor can I afford to "goat proof" the whole thing. For one thing, I'd have to build double fences along two sides.
So... with that in mind, do ya'll think it might be a good idea to vaccinate? I would of course have to make it very clear to any future goat buyers that my goats will test positive for the disease. In order for me to maintain a CL free herd without vaccinating, I'd have to be testing constantly, and I'm not sure I can afford that either. Vaccinating is a much cheaper option than twice-a-year blood tests and I wonder if it would be worth it just for the peace of mind to know that my critters are (mostly) protected from the ones next door. What do ya'll think?
On the other hand, even if Lilly ends up being negative I do wonder if it's still just a matter of time. Those Boers spend all summer going up and down the road past our house, which is the same one Phil and I take our goats walking on nearly every day. We also share a fence line at the back of our property. My goats don't often go that far afield, but I can't say it never happens. Also, there have been a couple of incidents where either their goats or mine escaped entirely and ended up on the other's property and even mingling together. In fact, my neighbor's herd dog once rounded up my goats off our property and put them with his herd, thinking they were his! Having a foolproof system that guarantees complete separation at all times simply isn't practical or financially feasible right now. I don't want to keep my goats penned all the time. I have 40 acres of prime goat browse and I can't afford not to use it, nor can I afford to "goat proof" the whole thing. For one thing, I'd have to build double fences along two sides.
So... with that in mind, do ya'll think it might be a good idea to vaccinate? I would of course have to make it very clear to any future goat buyers that my goats will test positive for the disease. In order for me to maintain a CL free herd without vaccinating, I'd have to be testing constantly, and I'm not sure I can afford that either. Vaccinating is a much cheaper option than twice-a-year blood tests and I wonder if it would be worth it just for the peace of mind to know that my critters are (mostly) protected from the ones next door. What do ya'll think?