Chat
03-09-2015, 10:49 AM
Taffy, did the goats have nasty reactions to the goat vaccine specifically, or just in general? I've been gathering info from as many folks as I can who have used it, and so far I've mostly heard people's experiences with the sheep vaccine. The goat vaccine is so new on the market that people don't generally seem to have much experience with it.
I know that positive CL tests will decrease the chance of selling to certain people, but I've already decided I can't in good conscience advertise any of my goats as "CL-free" and definitely not as being "from a CL-free herd", even if I test frequently. It's not the same risk as people going to shows because for most folks that exposure is minimal and for only a few times a year. You can also bleach your stalls and minimize contact with others. For my goats the exposure is frequent (and possibly constant if it's in my own soil). This is why I'm even considering the vaccination. I'm starting to lean toward it because I feel it would be a lot better for all of them to test positive because they were vaccinated than for even a few of them to test positive because they became infected. Or perhaps I should vaccinate the ones we're keeping and just do frequent tests on the others? We'd be devastated if Finn developed clinical CL. He's our pride and joy.
My neighbor keeps threatening to get rid of his goats (too much work and expense), but so far he's all talk. Besides, last time he got rid of his goats, he changed his mind and bought a new herd six months later. I wonder if vaccinating would be a good idea for now and then if my neighbor eventually does get out of goats for good then I could once again move away from vaccinating after his land has had time to detox.
I know that positive CL tests will decrease the chance of selling to certain people, but I've already decided I can't in good conscience advertise any of my goats as "CL-free" and definitely not as being "from a CL-free herd", even if I test frequently. It's not the same risk as people going to shows because for most folks that exposure is minimal and for only a few times a year. You can also bleach your stalls and minimize contact with others. For my goats the exposure is frequent (and possibly constant if it's in my own soil). This is why I'm even considering the vaccination. I'm starting to lean toward it because I feel it would be a lot better for all of them to test positive because they were vaccinated than for even a few of them to test positive because they became infected. Or perhaps I should vaccinate the ones we're keeping and just do frequent tests on the others? We'd be devastated if Finn developed clinical CL. He's our pride and joy.
My neighbor keeps threatening to get rid of his goats (too much work and expense), but so far he's all talk. Besides, last time he got rid of his goats, he changed his mind and bought a new herd six months later. I wonder if vaccinating would be a good idea for now and then if my neighbor eventually does get out of goats for good then I could once again move away from vaccinating after his land has had time to detox.