Over the years we have learned from some old goat folks and from the internet, of many homemade remedy recipes to cure many common and some not so common ailments affecting our goats. These are some recipes that have worked for us. First of all we recommend that you consult with your vet before using any of these recipes. Disclaimer: The information presented is based on years of experience and work with a personal veterinarian. The information should not replace veterinary care when needed, but is intended to help with management, diagnosis, and emergency care for the issues of goats. A good relationship with a knowledgeable, or willing-to-learn veterinarian is crucial for successful management of many goat illnesses. Most medications are not labelled for goat use, and therefore require dose adjustments or prescriptions obtained through a veterinarian. Homemade Goat Recipes:Scours 1 Quart Water 2 Tablespoons Corn Syrup ½ teaspoon Salt ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda Bring 1 quart water to a boil. Stir in the corn syrup, salt, and baking soda. Cool. This homemade electrolyte drink should clear up scours in 2 to 3 days. Substitute this mixture for milk with bottle babies. Goat Milk Formula (for bottle baby kids) 1 gallon Whole Milk 1 can Evaporated Milk (12oz) 1 cup Cultured Buttermilk Goat Nutri-Drench Pour 4 cups of the whole milk into a container. Add the evaporated milk and buttermilk. Add back as much of the whole milk (roughly 1 cup) to refill the gallon milk container. Add ½ teaspoon of Goat Nutri-Drench to the first bottle of the day. Homemade Milk Replacer By - Donna Blankenship 1 gallon of whole Milk - pour off 2 cups of milk and add 2 cups of highland Bulgarian old fashioned buttermilk - shake and use. To warm up use a hot water bath DO NOT MICROWAVE. Magic 1 Part Corn Oil (do not substitute with canola or vegetable oil) 1 Part Molasses 1 Part Karo Corn Syrup It is helpful to warm it just a bit. Use this when a goat is “off”. It will provide quick energy; it will provide iron. To treat pregnancy toxemia we use Revive during the day and 8 ounces of Magic for a large doe, (a little less for a small one) in the evening to hold them through the night. Coni’s Milk Replacer Formula 1 egg ¼ cup whipping cream 1 cup nonfat dry milk 3 cups water: makes 30 oz. If you want to double it, use 2 eggs ⅓ cup whipping cream 6 cups water 2 cups nonfat dry milk Revive 1 bottle 50% Dextrose 20 cc B Complex 5 cc B12 2 cc 500mg/ml Thiamin (from your Vet) This will make a little more than 500cc of Revive If this is intended for pregnancy toxemia does, you need to add a bottle of Amino Acid solution (not the concentrate, it has too much potassium), and 2 grams of Ascorbic Acid. Revive Recipe For does With Pregnancy Toxemia Give Revive during the day. 500ML 50% Dextrose 500ML Amino Acid Solution (50ml it is is the concentrate) 200ML Calcium Gluconate (see note below) 20ML b complex 2 grams Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) We use the injectable 5ML B12 (3,000,cg/ml) 5ML 500mg/ml Thiamin Give 200cc 3x per day (oral drench) Use a large, clean canning jar to make and store this in. Store it in a cool, dark place because B vitamins are destroyed by light. Do Not add water to the Revive until you are ready to give it. Mix 50:50 with water. Add 2-3 scoops Calf Pac with the morning dose of Revive. Use a pan of hot water to warm it if needed. DO NOT MICROWAVE. Calcium Gluconate is not necessary in Revive unless the doe is showing symptoms of calcium deficiency. The most common first symptom is tender feet, like she is walking on eggshells. Offer sweet feed, a little corn and free choice alfalfa hay to these does. Revive is also helpful for animals that are stressed at shows or that need supportive care for some reasons other than pregnancy toxemia. For regular use, omit the Amino Acid solution, Calcium gluconate and Ascorbic acid. Urinary Calculi Juice of one Lemon 2 Tablespoons of Baking Soda 1 Cup of Water Drench the buck with 20 cc, 3 times a day the first day, 2 times a day for two days, then once a day until the urine is full and steady. Keep it up, every other day, then twice a week, if the animal is comfortable and has a successful flow. Prevention: ammonium Chloride added to your feed. Diarrhea 1 Part Biosol 2 parts Pepto Bismol Mix together. For a small kid (under 15lbs.) We give 3cc of this mixture. For medium sized kids (to 30 lbs.) We give 6cc. For large kids (50 lbs. To 80lbs.) We give 9cc to 12cc. For adults we give 15cc to 21cc (depending on size of goat). Pink Eye Treatment We have used this spray for years with our cattle and goats. 10cc Dexamethasone 2mg/ml 10cc 100mg/ml Gentamicin 10cc Sterile Water Mix in a clean spray bottle. Wash the eye area with Listerine and clean all drainage off the eye and face. Then spray it. May have to use it for a couple of days. Keep goat in a small shaded area where they can find water and food easily. The sun will hurt their eyes that is why we put them in a shaded area. We hope these recipes will help you with your goats health and, or your learning process. If you have a homemade recipe you have used and it works, please share it with us. It’s hard to find do-it-yourself natural remedies for animals. Some links may be affiliated. By purchasing an item from an affiliate link, I receive a small commission—but you are not charged more or less by clicking or purchasing through the link. Thank you for supporting us! Visit our Tailspin Farms YouTube Channel . 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I was recently asked about how fast a baby goat reaches puberty. My hope this post will help any questions for any first time owners. Boer Buck The male goat is called a “buck” or “billy.” If he is castrated, he is called a “wether.” Male goats up to 12 months of age are sometimes referred to as “buckling’s.” Adult male goats can weigh anywhere between 100 to 350 pounds, depending on their breed, health, and nutritional status. Although they can come into puberty and breed does as early at 4 months of age, waiting until a buck is a year of age to start using him for breeding is best. The number of does a buck can breed during the breeding season is often referred to as “Buck Power”. At 1 year of age, the buck should service no more than 10 does at a time (in one month). When he is 2 years old, he should be able to service 25 does at a time. At the age of 3 and older, he can breed up to 40 does at one time, if his health and nutritional needs are met. The number of does a buck can service at one time also depends on individual sex drive of the buck, the terrain of the land and if he is managed by a hand- or pasture- mating system. The buck has the greatest genetic impact on the herd and should be well always taken care of. Day length influences reproduction in the buck and the doe. Bucks have the highest libido (sex drive), fertility, and semen quality and volume in late summer and fall, the same time that of the doe. As the photoperiod, or day length, gets longer, less sperm is made, and more abnormal sperm cells are found in the semen. During the fall, the endocrine system also increases levels of the sex hormones, testosterone, and luteinizing hormone. THE DOE The female goat is called a “doe” or “nanny.” Up to the age of 12 months, she is sometimes referred to as a “doeling.” The doe can reach puberty between 4 to 12 months of age, depending on the breed, season of birth, level of feeding/nutrition, and overall health status. Under-feeding can lower her chances of getting pregnant and having kids and can also reduce milk production after having kids. The genetic makeup of the animal also determines when puberty occurs in the female. Puberty is reached when the female exhibits her first heat (estrus) and ovulation. Estrus, or heat, is the period in which the doe will stand and allow the buck to breed her. This phase of the reproductive cycle may last between 12 to 36 hours. The period from one heat cycle to the next is referred to as the estrous cycle. In goats, the estrous cycle occurs every 18 to 24 days, or 21 days on average. Does that are in heat may exhibit signs of mucous discharge from the vulva, swollen vulva, bleating, frequent tail wagging, pacing down the fence line and standing in heat. The doe can be bred when she has reached 60 percent to 70 percent of the average adult weight for her breed (80 pounds for an average Boer doe for example). Does that are bred too early may have problems during kidding (dystocia – kidding difficulty), and/or their future reproductive performance may be harmed. The gestation period, or length of pregnancy, of the doe ranges between 145 to 152 days, or 150 days (5 months) on average, and under normal circumstances, the doe can have multiple births (twins, triplets and rarely, more). Don’t miss a thing! Sign up to get updates delivered right to your inbox. Blessings,
Margarita & Stace As cold weather approaches, it is important to consider the comfort of the goats we care for. This post may contain affiliate links but at NO extra costs to you. For further details, please read my full disclosure policy. When livestock gives birth, cows calve, sheep lamb, and goats kid. Because calves are so big and lambs are born with a wool coat, winter birthing doesn’t cause anywhere near the issues that it does for goats, which are smaller and have less insulation. The smaller the goats and the lower the temperature, the more you need to keep an eye on goats that are close to giving birth. Preparing for goats giving birth in cold temperaturesOne of the most important things we use is a baby monitor or outdoor camera. We bought ours from Amazon the Wyze Cam Pan 1080. It connects to our cell phones and we can watch the goats. Nothing in this article will help your baby goats if you are not there when the mama gives birth, and it’s easy to miss a birth if you don’t have a monitor. You also need to have plenty of large bath towels — at least one for every kid you are expecting, plus one or two extras just in case you get a surprise. If temperatures are going to be below freezing, you also need a heat lamp, and the colder it is, the more it is necessary to also have a blow dryer and a heating pad. The heating pad keeps me warm and the kids warm too. I put the heating pad on my lap, and put the kids on it while blow drying them. It helps me stay warmer, and it warms up the bottom half of the kid while I’m blow drying the top half. when goats give birth in winterYou need to get kids dried off as quickly as possible when temperatures are cold and freezing because of the risk of hypothermia. And if it’s windy, and the goat is outside, a kid can also get hypothermia at fairly cool temperatures. One time we had purchased some goats already bred, and almost lost the kids to hypothermia when one of the does gave birth unexpectedly in the pasture. Although temperatures were in the 40s, it was very windy, and the doe had triplets. I was able to get the doe and triples in the barn under heat lamps to warm them up. When a doe has that many kids, she doesn't have time to clean each kid to keep them from getting chilled before she has another one. So, in some cases you need to be there not because a doe might have problems but because she gives birth too easily and too quickly. This is where the towels come in so you can help the doe clean the kids and keep them warm with the towels. We live in south Texas and normally we don't get snow. This year February 2021 it snowed for two days and we had freezing temperatures for over a week. We have heat lamps in the barn and blankets for all the kids. Our goats were not use to this extreme weather. Neither were we. We worked very hard that week to keep all our kids and does warm. I take my hat off to all of you who live were it snows for days on end. We have dog houses that the kids get in. They curl up next to each other and stay nice and warm. Normally we have a heat lamp hanging so it can shine into the door way of the dog house where the heat can build up a little bit and make it warmer than the outside. Once the kids are dry, they don’t seem to be bothered by cold weather much. However, this can vary depending upon the kid’s size. In cooler weather we put blankets on the babies. Keep in mind that heat lamps are the number one cause of barn fires, and if you use one, use a quality style not a Chicken Lamp and make sure there is no way that a curious goat can knock it down. If the heat lamp ends up in the bedding, it can easily cause a fire. The coat pictured can easily be made from the sleeve of an old sweatshirt. The wristband of the sweatshirt becomes the neck band for the kid. Cut two small holes for the kid’s front feet, and you’re good to go! Remember, if the kid is a buck, you need to be sure the coat doesn’t go under his belly far enough for him to be able to pee on it. We only use jackets to help warm the kid up. Some may just need a few hours to figure out how to regulate their body temperature. When we use a jacket on a kid we make sure to remove the jacket when it warms up outside. Getting started with nursingThis is always important, and I don’t leave the barn until I’ve seen all of the kids find the teat and nurse without assistance. When it’s cold out, however, it is even more important! When kids get chilled, the first thing to go is their sucking instinct. A lot of people are quick to assume that a kid has a selenium deficiency if it can’t figure out how to nurse, but if temperatures are below freezing, the kid could simply have hypothermia. Once the kid is warmed up, it will nurse. If a kid has hypothermia its digestive system will shut down. It won’t digest anything if its body temperature is less than around 100, so tube feeding is not the answer. The quickest way to know if a kid has hypothermia is to put your finger in its mouth. It should feel warm. If it’s cool, the kid’s body temperature is below normal. If it feels like ice water, you need to work quickly to get the kid warmed up. My go to mentor told me to put a kid on a heating pad while moving a blow dryer across the top of its body. The colder the air is, the closer the blow dryer has to be to the kids body. When it’s below zero, it can’t be more than a couple of inches from the kid or the air will be cold. I always have my hand moving across the kid’s body while the blow dryer is on, so I know how warm it is — or not. You can also place the Kid in a large plastic bag with the head out of course, and put it is a tub or sink of warm water to help warm it up. Do NOT wrap a kid in a heating pad because you could overheat it — especially if you walk away for a little while. I’ve never heard of anyone making this mistake more than once. If the kid gets overheated it can have a seizure, which can kill it. As you are trying to warm up the kid, put your finger in its mouth every 10 to 15 minutes. It should start to feel warmer, of course. But you know things have really improved when the kid starts to suck on your finger. Once the kid’s mouth is warm and it sucks on your finger, you can stick it under the doe’s udder to see if it will nurse. I usually give it a minute or so, and if it hasn’t found the teat, I’ll open its mouth and put the teat in it, then close the mouth and hold the kid there. You may also squirt a little milk in the kid’s mouth before closing it. Some will start to suckle right away. If the kid doesn’t start nursing after about 10 minutes of working with it, I’ll milk the mother and give the kid colostrum in a bottle. I use a regular baby bottle. For more on this process, check out my post on How to Bottle Feed A Baby Goat, which includes a video. Sometimes kids just need the colostrum — called liquid gold by some — to get them jump started. I prefer a regular baby bottle because you can squeeze the bottle and drip the milk into the kids mouth. Especially if this is a late night kidding, I am not going to leave the barn until I know the kid has 5 to 10 percent of its body weight in colostrum in its belly. If the kid is finding the teat and nursing on its own, I know this will continue to happen overnight. But if I have to give it a bottle, I want to be sure it has that colostrum before I go to bed. Why kid in winter?After reading all of this, you’re probably wondering why anyone would choose to kid in winter. There are a few reasons people chose to kid in winter, it may be to have kids at the right age for Livestock shows in their region, it may be so they can sell at a certain time frame. Then there are sometimes when the breeding time get chosen for you due to accidental breeding. Somehow a buck managed to find a doe in heat, and now you’re expecting babies. We have chosen to kid in the winter here in South Texas for many years now. It is one of the strategies we used to overcome a problem with the heat. The heat here in South Texas can draw the does down, and also put a strain on kids during the weaning process. Your can read our post on Breeding Season to learn more on this subject. Winter Goat Care TipsHere’s a quick summary of basic winter goat care:
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Margarita & Stace Anyone raising goats should be aware of those two little words that cause such a horrible problem. Whether you have backyard goats or a whole herd of show animals, you have or will have to deal with Urinary Calculi (UC) at some point. So what is this menace, how do we treat it and better yet how do we prevent it from happening in the first place. With winter coming or in some parts of the country already there, this problem will become more prevalent due to your animals not consuming large amounts of water. *We get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here for more info about cookies collected and our privacy policy.* What Is Urinary Calculi?Urinary Calculi is the formation of crystals or stones in the urinary tract which block the elimination of urine from the body. (These are commonly referred to as Kidney Stones in humans.) Most often these crystals are formed due to a metabolic imbalance in the body caused by feeding too much grain to bucks and wethers. This is most commonly found in show wethers, or bucks being given large amounts of a high-concentrate feed along with low amounts of roughage or hay. The goat urinary tract consists of 2 kidneys, the ureters, a bladder and urethra, along which urine flows during urination. Male ruminants have a long narrow urethra which end in the urethral process which is particularly narrow. Fine calculi often form in the urinary system, but are often excreted with the urine; however, in males they can become trapped and block the normal flow of urine. As the pressure builds up from the blockage, if undetected, it will eventually rupture the urethra, the goat will rapidly deteriorate and die, hence it is important to detect urinary tract issues early. Urinary calculi or stones are caused by the precipitation of minerals. High levels of minerals tend to crystalize and aggregate in the urine forming calculi. In goats calculi usually comprise of phosphate salts, especially apatite (calcium phosphate) or more commonly struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate hexahydrate). Increased urine concentration as a result of decreased water intake, urine stasis can recur and water loss all increase urine pH favoring the formation of phosphate calculi. However, the diet is considered the most important risk factor associated with urolithiasis. Prevention of Urinary Calculi:A large part of this problem is the early castration of bucks/wethers. When bucks are wethered at an early age, they lose the hormones needed to fully develop their urinary tract, basically once the testosterone is gone the urinary tract quits growing. If your wether was castrated early though there is still hope that he will be fine, with some due diligence on your part. First things first, if you have wethers or even bucks making sure their diet is high in roughage and low in grain is imperative. Some breeds or bloodlines are more prone to urinary calculi just as some humans are more susceptible to having kidney stones. If you must feed a concentrate feed to your wethers or bucks:
All feed products are required to provide a feed tag on the bag. These ingredients are listed from highest concentration to lowest concentration in the bag of feed. So the first product on the list should say something like alfalfa, roughage source, etc. If the bag of feed's first ingredient is grain products, that is the product that is of high concentration in the bag. You may have an issue finding a roughage based feed at your local feed store so the next best thing to look for is Ammonium Chloride. Ammonium Chloride is a common ingredient in meat goat feeds because of the high incidence of Urinary Calculi seen in market animals. These market animals are usually pushed to develop quickly by giving a high concentrate feed with very little hay or roughage. Ammonium chloride is a common ingredient in most commercially based meat goat feeds. If you still have an issue with finding one containing the Ammonium Chloride, you can add Ammonium Chloride into your goats feed 3 times a week. We like to feed a good feed that already has ammonium chloride in it to both our Boer and Nubian goats. NOTE: You must be careful when feeding Ammonium Chloride to any does in the pasture, especially milk animals. When does are lactating the ammonium chloride will not allow for the uptake of calcium and in later years does bones will become brittle if being fed a ration containing ammonium chloride. The key to avoiding Urinary Calculi is feeding the goat a proper diet. If you are experiencing Urinary Calculi in your goats, then you must change their feed regimen. Carefully read feed labels for proper calcium-to-phosphorus ratios (2-1/2 to 1 calcium-to-phosphorus is best). Some prepared goat feeds contain ammonium chloride in the formulation, but this is no guarantee that Urinary Calculi will be avoided. Most importantly, offer lots of free-choice forage/browse and good-quality small-stemmed grass hay and reduce the amount of grain concentrates being fed. Even though your wethers and/or bucks have plenty of pasture, they must be given a good quality hay source. Pasture is great for sustaining these guys but knowing from day to day what the quality of grass, browse, or other vegetation in your pasture is would be a daunting task. Make it easy and provide them with a supply of hay. Water is a huge issue, especially in the winter when water buckets are constantly freezing over. Goats love to have a fresh bucket of water every day. I scrub out the water buckets every morning. This will also encourage bucks and wethers to drink more water. Make sure buckets are kept clean, I mean clean enough for you to drink out of clean. Some studies are even indicating that large doses of medication can trigger bouts with Urinary Calculi, especially using antibiotics for an extended period of time. Because antibiotics can trigger metabolic changes in the diet it would be good to feed a product such as Fastrack to help keep the goat’s metabolism consistent. Symptoms of Urinary Calculi:Things to look for if you suspect Urinary Calculi:
Treatment of Urinary Calculi:As with most other goat issues, prevention is a whole lot easier than trying to cure the problem, but if the problem occurs there are some things you can do although if the problem is not caught early enough these treatments may not work. Even veterinarians have limited success with treatment of Urinary Calculi. If your goat cannot pass ANY urine, he is completely blocked and THE VETERINARIAN SHOULD BE CALLED IMMEDIATELY. This condition is VERY painful and the goat could die soon from a bladder or urinary tract perforation/or rupture. Most common places for the urinary calculi to deposit are in the sigmoid flexure which is in the body cavity not as previously thought in the penis shaft. The veterinarian, depending on experience with goats, may try to reroute the urine flow from the penis. I have heard of this being done several ways, but be cautioned this is not to be taken lightly and most have to have constant treatment even after the surgery. Some veterinarians have re-routed the boy to basically become a girl, urinating out the back end. Others have put in a stint that the goat will urinate out of. The stint has to be monitored daily and cleaned regularly. Most veterinarians forward these surgeries onto a University clinic and charges can run upwards of $2,500. If your goat is not completely blocked there are several different treatments you can try. Depending on your confidence with treatments of your goats, you can try these yourself or go ahead and call the veterinarian. These treatments are suggestions from goat breeders and in no way guarantee the success of treatment of your animal. If your animal is at this stage his very life depends on treatment. First, for the pain management, giving an injection of an analgesic will help with pain and swelling. Next you will need to try one of these methods to see if the breakup of the calculi is possible. Home Remedy: As stated before, this is an option for treatment of Urinary Calculi. This treatment in no way guarantees the successful treatment of your animal.
You might experience difficulty in dissolving this amount of ammonium chloride per gal of water. This will depend on the salinity of water being used. Doses were selected assuming a 20 cc drench gun would be used to administer the ammonium chloride solution. These doses will need to continue for more than one week. This will help to break up any remaining calculi. Please be aware that Ammonia toxicity could occur with prolonged use of this treatment, especially at the higher doses. ***It is imperative to NOT force your animal to drink large amounts of water during this time. If they are having problems urinating you are only making things worse and could cause a rupture. Urinary Calculi are a very real problem whether you raise backyard pets or show animals. Prevention is paramount when considering the treatment options and their limited success. If any animal is completely blocked as a veterinarian should be called immediately. Join us by signing up for our newsletter
Blessings, Margarita & Stace Our sweet Sugar. You may remember Sugar from earlier in the year. She was our bottle baby that we had in the house for several weeks. She went everywhere with me. She rode on the cart in the truck. I think she thought she was one of the dogs. Now she fits right in with all the other goats her age. Just let us get out the animal cookies and here they all come. This past weekend Stace was helping me fix the electric fence where one of the deer's ran through it. If it's not our livestock breaking the fence, it's the deer. Go figure... Sugar decided we wasn't fixing the fence right 😉 so she had to come out and tell us how to do it her way. Stace and I was busy working on the fence while Sugar was laying on the trailer talking to us. When we were all done and headed back up to the house Sugar rode along with us 😄 All of our critters here at Tailspin Farms are spoiled rotten. Join us by signing up for our newsletter.
Blessings, Margarita & Stace Bloat Goat bloat is a serious condition. Do you know what causes it, what it looks like and how to treat it? Below you’ll get a detailed breakdown about this very important subject… We have experienced goats getting bloat, and have treated them all successfully. This information is just from our experience - we are not vets or professionals. It is what has saved a few goats' lives. *We get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here for more info about cookies collected and our privacy policy.* The normal rumen churns one to four times every minute, and its bacteria produce methane gas continuously. Most of this gas is released as the goat belches. Bloat occurs when the goat is not able to release built-up gas. When a goat chews food their mouths produce something called bicarbonate. If your goats are eating hay or are in the pasture browsing the pasture grasses available, they are chewing a lot. Which means there is a lot of bicarbonate being produced and consumed. This is a good thing! But if they are mainly eating grain, especially grain that is highly ground up, or if they are wolfing down their grain without chewing, they are producing very little bicarbonate and any being produced cannot keep up. This is where the problem begins. This is one reason it is a good idea to have fresh baking soda available for your goats at all times, especially in confined situations. Many of todays Goats need our help providing them with things that will help keep them healthy. They “self medicate” when their body says they need the baking soda and it helps to regulate the delicate balance of their rumen. There are two main types of bloat: Frothy Bloat and Choke Bloat Frothy Bloat Frothy bloat - is caused by a build-up of gases in the rumen. This trapped air starts to put pressure on the heart and lungs. And left untreated, will end in death. Choke Bloat (Free gas bloat) Choke bloat - is caused by something, an obstruction, being caught in the throat of the goat. Symptoms and Causes Certain goat diets—especially fresh, green alfalfa—will cause the gas to form tiny bubbles that become trapped in the rumen fluid. This may produce a frothy bloat. The tiny bubbles cannot be released in a natural belch, and the condition progresses rapidly until the rumen is grossly distended and the goat is extremely uncomfortable. When a goat is bloated, the left side will be hard, and the right side will feel "airy." The goat’s rumen will swell, and the goat may kick at its left side while it grunts and slobbers. The goat may continually get up and then lay back down. If not treated promptly, bloat can lead to death. The position of the goat may also cause bloat. If the goat lies on its side, the opening between the rumen and esophagus will be low and the natural gas pocket in the rumen will be above it. The gas is again trapped and the rumen becomes painfully distended. When a goat is bloated, the left side will be hard, and the right side will feel "airy." The goat will be much wider/bigger looking than normal and will usually not want to walk or move around very much. Thus, bloated. Bloat is usually caused by goats either eating too much grain or to fast or getting out on new lush green pasture (that they are not use to). Bloat is a very serious condition and needs to be treated immediately. How to treat Bloat in a goat Treatment is obvious—the gas must be allowed to escape. Position the goat on a steep incline (at least a 45-degree angle) with the front legs higher than the rear. This elevates the opening between the esophagus and the rumen and will often be all that is necessary to relieve a positional bloat. For treatment, there are a few ways to go.
Prevention Do not confuse a full rumen with bloat. The rumen lies on the left side of the goat. True bloat will cause a tense, firm swelling in the left flank, and the goat will be in obvious distress. However, some goats will eat a big meal and look bloated, but they are comfortable and can easily belch or bring up a cud, assuring you they’re happy and healthy. To prevent bloat, feed balanced rations and make dietary changes gradually, and prevent goats from overeating. I hope this helps. Again, this is just our experience. We are not veterinarians or professionals. Blessings,
Margarita & Stace Tailspin Farms Goats We bought our farm in Stockdale, Texas in 2008. I retired from training horses. That was a fun ride for 25 years. We bought all the same livestock we grew up with to have on our farm. We thought that cattle were the answer for our farm and for the Ag exemption. We went off what we were taught growing up. Due to the very dry weather the drought here in Texas we had to sale off the cattle. Our farm just didn’t feel complete without the cattle. Our good friend Ike recommended that we should get goats in place of the cattle. We tossed the idea around for weeks. I never thought I would own a goat much less a heard. Although we had a goat that stayed with a stallion that I had in training years ago. The goat went everywhere with that horse. (It was fun when we went to horse shows with a goat tagging alone.) Oh, and my youngest daughter had a three-legged Barbie doe that someone gave us. It ate and ran with our horses. LOL! That was the only experience I had with a goat. We went over to visit Ike and Barbra to look at their goats. Most of all Ike gave us so much advice about owning goats. The more I was around his goats and worked with the goats the more I liked them. I came to realize that a goat is much easier to handle than a cow. They are smaller than a cow. So, I can handle them by myself. Which is a plus because I will be the one doing the milking and handling them daily. Also, a goat will do all most anything for a treat. Which Breed Of Goats To Start With?But, we didn’t know where to start, or what breed would be the best for milking. Ike told me in his opinion Nubian and Saanen goats make the best milkers. I did know one thing, I wanted to milk the goats, so we could have fresh milk. Ike let me borrow two does (female goat) that was in milk. He sent two goats because goats are herd animals. Which that means you need to have at least two goats together to keep them happy. I was so excited about milking the nannies. The two nannies were Nubian goats that Ike loaned me. Milking a goat is not as easy as you might think. Goats can be fidgety, stubborn, moody critters. The nannies were not trained to milk. I had my work cut out for me. It was much easier to train a goat than a cow. Milking a goat is much different than milking a cow. So much for thinking it would be like milking a cow. Hahaha! After a few days, I could milk them without any trouble. I knew I needed a better set up for milking after a very brief time. If I was going to milk goats I needed a milking area with a milking stand. Like the old saying “work smarter not harder.” We bought four Saanen nannies goats from Ike. We are in the goat business now. All four of the nannies were bred to his Nubian buck. A Goat's GestationA goat’s gestation period is five months (approximately 150 days). So, we had a few months to get ready before we had kids (baby goats). Goats are known to have twins, single or triplet births are common. Less frequent are litters of quadruplet, quintuplet, and even sextuplet kids. Birthing is known as kidding, generally occurs uneventfully. Just before kidding, the doe will have a sunken area around the tail and hip, as well as heavy breathing. She may have a worried look, become restless and display great affection for her keeper. The mother often eats the placenta, which gives her much-need nutrients, and helps to keep her from hemorrhaging. Also, is reduce the chance of predators finding the baby. A doe doesn’t just reach a certain age and suddenly begin filling it’s utter with milk. A doe needs to be bred and give birth. Freshening (coming into milk production) occurs at kidding. Milk production varies with the breed, age, quality, and diet of the doe. Dairy goats generally produce between 1,500 and 4,000 lb. of milk per 305-day lactation. After nursing her kids to at least three months old you can continue to milk the doe. A doe that is treated properly, fed well, milked daily will continue to produce milk for ten months to one year. An excellent quality dairy doe will give at least 6 lbs. of milk per day while she is in milk. A first time Milker may produce less. Occasionally, goats that have not been bred and are continuously milked will continue lactation beyond the typical 305-days. After her milk dries up she will need to be bred again and the process starts all over. Does of any breed come into estrus (heat) every 21 days for two to 48 hours. A doe in heat typically flags (vigorously wags) her tail often, stays near the buck if one is present, becomes more vocal, and may also show a decrease in appetite and milk production for the duration of the heat. BucksBucks (intact males) come into rut in the fall as with the does’ heat cycles. Bucks may show seasonal fertility, but as with the does, are capable of breeding at all times. Rut is characterized by a decrease in appetite and obsessive interest in the does. A buck in rut will display lip curling and will urinate on his forelegs and face. Sebaceous scent glands at the base of the horns add to the male goat’s odor, which is important to make him attractive to the doe. Some does will not mate with a buck which has been descended. In addition to natural, traditional mating, artificial insemination has gained popularity among goat breeders, as it allows easy access to a wide variety of bloodlines. Don’t try to do it all at first. Raising show goats, breeding stock, milk goats, and slaughtering meat goats are four different goals for raising goats. Pick your main focus because you’ll need to manage your herd differently depending on it. Some Additional Post You Might Find Helpful: Blessing,
Margarita & Stace |
AuthorI'm Margarita. A Christian, Wife, mother of three, & grandmother "Mimi" of three. I create blog post about our life on the farm. Archives
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The Goat Management Binder
$15.00
The Goat Management Binder This binder will help you keep your goats health records organized and more. Remembering all the identifications and medical records for each goat is difficult so I quickly learned that I needed to write down our goat herd information. We created all the pages for our goat heard. This system works for us. I think our Goat Management Bind will help you with your recordkeeping. This eBook has 24 pages Print our the pages, fill in your goat information and place in a binder of your choice. When all of your goat information is kept in one place it saves time in case of an emergency. Homemaking / Home Management Binder
$15.00
Digital Homemaking / Home Management Binder I'm excited to share with you my Homemaking / Home Management Binder. This is a beautiful simple binder to write your Weekly task for you home. You can use every day over and over. You will get: Faith based / Proverbs 31 Women Weekly Cleaning Schedule Organizing your home Daily Chores Monthly Plan Meal Planner Grocery List Bill Tracker Savings Tracker Vacation Budget 20 pages 8.5"x11" letter size that matches any printer Unlimited prints (personal use) Instant download and get started PDF Printable Enjoy getting organized with our Homemaking / Home Management Binder ** THIS IS A DIGITAL PRODUCT. ** NO PHYSICAL PRODUCT WILL BE SHIPPED. Your files will be available to download once payment is confirmed. * You may print the files as many times as you like for your own personal use. * Sharing this product is not allowed. ** We do not accept returns, exchanges, or cancellations, but please contact me if you have any problems with your order. Instant Download Your files will be available to download once payment is confirmed. Farm/ Livestock Management Binder
$25.00
Farm / Livestock Management Binder In this binder you can log all your livestock needs and help you stay organized with all records. Such as: *Goats *Chickens *Horses *Medications *Purchases of Livestock *Sold Livestock Our Farm / Livestock Management Binder is 24 pages. Print our the pages, fill in your Livestock information and place in a binder of your choice. When all of your Livestock information is kept in one place it saves time in case of an emergency. Gardening In the South
$20.00
Gardening In the South E-Book Learn about Gardening in South Texas Zone 8 In our e-book we cover Fruit trees, Perennials & Pollinator, Garden checklist, What months to plant. Your files will be available to download once payment is confirmed. I don't accept returns, exchanges, or cancellations. But please contact me if you have any problems with your order. Thank you for shopping with us! Margarita Common Goat Medications
$20.00
Common Goat Medications We give you goat medications that we use for our goats. Included: Common Goat Medications & Easy to Understand Dosages General Information on Injection Wormers Antibiotics Anti-Inflammatories & Hormones' Injectable Vitamins and Minerals Oral Treatments You will get: 13 pages - eBook Unlimited prints (personal use) Instant download and get started PDF Printable ** THIS IS A DIGITAL PRODUCT. ** NO PHYSICAL PRODUCT WILL BE SHIPPED. Your files will be available to download once payment is confirmed. * You may print the files as many times as you like for your own personal use. * Sharing this product is not allowed. ** We do not accept returns, exchanges, or cancellations, but please contact me if you have any problems with your order. Instant Download Your files will be available to download once payment is confirmed. Thank you for shopping with us. Crochet Cup Sleeve Cozy
$6.00
Only a few left! Pretty cup cozy for both hot and iced beverage cups. It will slide up over a standard size non handle travel cups or store-bought coffee cups. They are great at protecting hands from the heat and cold of the travel mug/cup. *100% cotton yarn. * Colors may vary due to stock so message me if you prefer something specific. *Machine washable and dryer safe on low heat. *All Cozy’s make a great gift for literally anyone! *If you don’t see one you love don’t hesitate to message me! I love creating new products. Thank you for visiting our store. Handmade Goat Milk & Honey Soap
$7.00
Handmade Goat Milk & Honey Soap 4 oz. bar. Benefits from goat milk & honey - it's moisturizing, clarifying, and naturally antibacterial. Goat milk & Honey Soap has always been a favorite, it smells divine, and there are loads of skin benefits. Goat milk & Honey Soap hydrates and nourishes dry skin. It doesn't leave your skin feeling dry. Ingredients: Sorbitol, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Lauretha Sulfate, Stearic Acid, Lauric Acid, Water, Sodium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Goat Milk, Honey Titanium Dioxide. Due to the handmade nature of our soaps and fragrance oil added, all bars vary in color. |
Handcrafted items made with love.
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Tailspin Farms
2273 FM 1681 Stockdale, Texas 78160 |
210-771-7205
Email - mcgoats@tspinfarms.com |