Відео

A single goat in a herd should not have mineral issues like this if the whole herd has a good mineral available free-choice. Do you have a loose goat mineral available for all of your goats? If yes, what brand? Goats should also not be deficient in A, D, or E unless they are locked inside a barn 24/7 with no sunlight or green food, meaning that they are eating old brown hay. A and E are abundant on pasture, and goats make vitamin D from sunlight just like humans. Simply giving more grain and BOSS is not a cure for what you're describing. What brand goat feed did the mom have available, and what has the kid been eating?

If they had the same sire, then it could be the sire's fault.

If you want milk, I would not use a buck that was not 100% dairy goat breeds. Some boer goats can barely make enough milk to feed their own babies, and they have terrible mammaries. I've seen boer does with teats so close to the ground that kids can't nurse -- and it is NOT because they have a lot of milk; it's because they have poor attachments, which is genetic. Remember, a bad milker costs just as much to keep as a good one, so it's better to have good milking genetics. You need to dilute the boer genes as much as possible to ensure you get good milkers.

Hi Linda, this is Abby. I help Deborah respond to messages on social media. I'll let her know about your question. We're glad to hear you found the information helpful! In the meantime, check out this video and article. When should I start milking my goat? ua-cam.com/users/livenNeqLwy_usA Learning to Milk a Goat: thriftyhomesteader.com/learning-to-milk-goa/ And if one of those does have a single kid, here's a video on Dam-raising a single kid. ua-cam.com/users/liveW7RLg5xLGvE ~Abby, Thrifty Homesteader Team

Probably wait until they're a little closer to 25# or so. A 1/4 Nubian won't be a lot bigger, but they will likely be at least a little bigger unless the Nubian is very small for her breed.

If she is 22 pounds at 3 months, that's not terrible, assuming she is a Nigerian. I expect them to be 20 pounds by 8-10 weeks, and it sounds like she hit that mark. Some grow faster like her sister. She is probably eating when you're not around, or she'd be a lot smaller. A high level of coccidia can cause a problem with absorbing nutrients in the intestines, so that could be why she weighs less than her sister. I talked about how slow weight gain is a symptom of coccidia in a video a few days ago titled "Healthy kid found dead?"

@@deborahniemann2398 yes, I saw that video. I am learning, and started separating at night to milk, before they hit 20 pounds, so now I know better. She is still nursing, so she's still getting that, and browses well. Thank you. Not milking now, giving everyone a break while we deal with the Coccidia. I'll continue to offer her feed as usual. Just don't know many goats that won't go for a treat.

You're welcome! We're glad to hear you found the information helpful! ~Abby

Deborah does not sell t-shirts anymore, but she still sells mugs. ~Abby thriftyhomesteader.myshopify.com/products/mug

I had a problem with the supplier, but I might start selling them again at some point.

So sorry to hear about your goats. Here are articles you might find helpful. ~Abby thriftyhomesteader.com/goat-worms/ thriftyhomesteader.com/goat-worm-myths-and-misunderstandings/ thriftyhomesteader.com/goat-dewormers/ You might want to check out Deborah's Goats 365 Membership, which includes six online courses with videos and printable handouts: thriftyhomesteader.teachable.com/p/goats-365

That's another option but then we wouldn't be able to see through it.

@@deborahniemann2398 ones that are not as wide

Check out this article on Goat Worms: A Complete Guide to Winning the War in Your Pasture. ~Abby thriftyhomesteader.com/goat-worms/

You can google - raw milk testing in ‘your state’ to find a lab that does testing for individuals. You want to submit for Somatic Cell Count, Standard Plate Count, and Coliform Count. It may be easiest to call to get instructions and possibly also supplies for sending samples. I highly recommend you take the free training offered by RAWMI :) You will learn about what these tests mean, what range you should be in, and how to make changes to improve test results. ~Tammy

I bought a gallon of it about 20 years ago and still have more than half of it left. it's just a saturated salt solution. I quit doing fecals because I never did one that changed my mind about how to treat a goat. If it failed the 5-point check, the slide was covered with worm eggs. In fact, the 5-point check is now recommended instead of fecals for deciding when to deworm. There are a lot of reasons you can have a "negative" fecal -- including human error -- and I've seen them give someone a false sense of security when they had a goat that was terribly anemic and really needed a dewormer. Plus, you can do the 5-point check every day or every week and it's free. How often do you really want to do fecals? A goat can go downhill really fast with barber pole because one female can lay 10,000 eggs a day, which means they can fill up a pasture with worm larvae FAST if you're not doing rotational grazing religiously. For more on this, check out thriftyhomesteader.com/goat-worms/

You're welcome! ~Abby

As long as they have 50% alfalfa, that should be good if they are only nursing kids at that age. Their production is not going to be much at that point.

If I recall, you have kids, and they need alfalfa for the high calcium and protein because they are growing fast. I think you're in Goats 365 already, and the nutrition course goes into all of this in detail because the answer to your question changes as they kids get older and ... lots of other factors come into play when talking about what's the best diet for a goat.

Run-in shelters are totally different than a barn where animals are trapped. We use straw. It composts faster than wood shavings. We don't use stall mats in our run-in shelters. In fact, the only reason we have any is because they were left by the last owner who had horses. You don't need something absorbent if you're on dirt because the pee will get absorbed by the dirt. Plus your cows will spend very little time in a shelter, which means they won't pee in there much. This is assuming your cows are on pasture and you're not feeding 100% in the shelter. That's more like a barn situation. We have never cleaned out a run-in shelter, and we only use bedding in winter because it insulates the animal from the ground, which is why we use straw. It's warmer than shavings.

I'm so happy to hear that you're finding my content helpful! With 1/4 Nubian thrown in, I'd expect them to gain a little more -- at least 2# a week -- so if they've gained 10#, that sounds pretty good. I would expect a yealring first freshener to be able to nurse twins without any problems if she's a decent milker. I don't usually let them try to nurse triplets. As you found, they usually make than more than enough in the beginning but as the kids grow, their demand increases. So she might have been able to make enough for three in the beginning but usually around two weeks you see one of the kids falling behind.

That is so great about your babies! On the subject of plant poisoning, I wanted to add that Pepto Bismol did not save your goat. If anyone thinks their goat has eaten something toxic, you need to call the vet ASAP as time is really important. It is the pits of cherries that are poisonous, and only when they're crushed, which a goat would do -- so a person swallowing a cherry pit is okay. Your goat probably survived because she didn't eat too many of the actual cherries. My goats killed my four cherry bushes by eating all the leaves and stripping the bark.

@@DeborahNiemann I am talking about wild cherry trees. The pit of the berries is cyanide which kills a goat. I lost my favorite goat 20 years ago to it. I had no idea until well after the fact that she had ingested this. When Hope started losing weight and acting strange and got diarrhea I discovered the culprit. I gave her the pepto for stomach upset and diarrhea. Within 3 hours she was wagging her tail. I have lost my 1-2 gallons day of milk but glad I saved her. I have raised dairy goats for 30+ years and very seldom need to call a vet. I have herds of 50 but currently only a few. Too much at my age.

When I explained that cherry pits are poisonous, it was more for others who are reading this - and it doesn’t matter whether it’s wild cherries or not. All cherry pits are poisonous, and I would hate for one of my followers to think that Pepto Bismol would save a goat that had ingested a lot of them. You never know exactly how much they’ve eaten, so if someone is concerned about losing a goat to poisoning of any sort they shouldn’t waste time because the quicker they call the vet, the better the chance of saving the goat. There is a saying that the dose makes the poison, and I’m glad your doe didn’t ingest enough pits to kill her.

If they are with milkers or growing kids, they also need alfalfa. If they are with dry does, then the needs of the pregnant goats or milkers definitely takes precedence because you don't want pregnant goats getting hypocalcemia or toxemia. Dry does will just get fat if they get too much alfalfa for too long. Ideally, you figure out how to separate them at least while they're getting hay.

@@DeborahNiemann thank you for the information

You're welcome! ~Abby

Here's an article on Milk and Meat Withdrawal in Goats Following Drug Use. ~Abby thriftyhomesteader.com/milk-meat-withdrawal/

It depends on the individual drug as well as the dosage and whether it is given orally. Dewormers should always be given orally to goats. However, some people mistakenly think they should inject them and the milk withdrawal for injected dewormers is two or three months, depending on the specific drug.

Ok thank you I've been using herbal de wormer and had good success with it. I was just wondering with conventional methods what is the norm. What do you prefer to use on your own goats? I'm nervous to use anything but herbal since we drink their milk.

@@noonefromnowhere1711 It sounds like you think that goats need to be dewormed, and they don't. Most of the goats in my herd have never had any kind of dewormer in their lives. It's all about management. Here is more info on that -- thriftyhomesteader.com/goat-worms/

@@DeborahNiemann no I actually only use the herbal dewormer as needed.

Sounds like you've seen a few of my videos. 😃 About the only one-size-fits-all answer I have about anything is that they all need a good free-choice loose mineral. After that, the answer is, "it depends!"

You're welcome! ~Abby

Check out this article and video. ~Abby Nigerian Dwarf Goats: Why We Still Love Them After 20 Years!: thriftyhomesteader.com/nigerian-dwarf-goats/ Do I get more milk if I dam-raise or bottle-feed?: ua-cam.com/video/KUglWKT87hg/v-deo.html

It depends on how old she is. If she is a yearling, that's awesome because she is still growing herself, and you can expect more milk in future freshenings. If she is older, that's not great. You will often see a quart a day quoted as the average amount of milk you can expect from a Nigerian, but a great milker will peak between 6-7 pounds a day (3 quarts) at 8 to 12 weeks fresh. There is a lactation curve, so after that initial peak, the production starts to go down gradually. Depending upon genetics, it may go down faster or slower. A lot plateau around 3-4 cups a day for several months. ~~ Deborah

@@DeborahNiemann She is 2 years old.

@@ericcawith2cs11 I would look at her genetics. If you know that her mom and her sire's mom produced more, then it could be a management issue, and she might be able to do better with different management or nutrition. If she is able to maintain that level for six or nine months, that would be good. If she starts dropping and dries up completely at six months, I'd sell her to a pet home. It's about longevity as well as daily production.

Check out this video on Do milking does have to have goat feed. ua-cam.com/users/livekSG87t-Zw50

Check out these articles. ~Abby thriftyhomesteader.com/5-point-check-for-parasites/ thriftyhomesteader.com/deworming-goats/ thriftyhomesteader.com/using-dewormers-correctly/ thriftyhomesteader.com/goat-dewormers/

@@DeborahNiemann thank you! I will!

You're welcome! ~Abby

Dewormers are all available over the counter. You can buy them at any farm store and online. Be sure to read the articles Abby shared for all the details on deworming. If you have questions on the articles, you can post in the comment section at the end of each article.

OK, thank you. I'm working through them now. Greatly appreciate this. I used to think that the more you know, the less you don't know. Then I got goats, and the more you know, the more you know that you don't know.

Thank you! We're glad you found the information helpful! ~Abby

You're welcome Jo-Ann! ~Abby

If you live somewhere that has lots of dairy type businesses in the area, your local co-op may have a good selection of supplies that are also reasonably priced. I don’t have that option in my area and I don’t go through large amounts of anything quickly, so I tend to purchase through Amazon. ~Tammy

I handle this situation differently for each of my does with kids. If the kids are still young and going straight to mom when she is released from the parlor and nurse right away, I do not dip. If they are a little older and she is perhaps starting to kick them off, I will dip the tip only just to be sure the treatment is in the teat canal. ~Tammy

Great! :) ~Abby

You're welcome! We're so glad to hear you found the information helpful! ~Abby

So very happy that you enjoyed the episode!! 40 in 40 is a fabulous goal! Bacteria, in general, will double roughly every 20 minutes until thoroughly chilled. A simple ice bath works really well. I would strain milk into a clean container before chilling to get any debris, such as fallen hair, out. FightBac works great for post-milking teat disinfection. I’ve been using it for a few years for any dams that do not have kids nursing and I really like it :) ~Tammy

Hello! Bioworma is not currently approved to be fed with medicated feed. That is the first statement on the Use Instructions on the back of the container. It has to do with the EPA approval of 2 active ingredients being fed together. There are currently some studies underway to test the efficacy of the product with medicated feed, but nothing has been published or approved for that yet. What product did you purchase? BioWorma or Livamol with BioWorma? Dosing is very different for the 2 products. ~Tammy

Check out these articles. ~Abby thriftyhomesteader.com/deworming-goats/ thriftyhomesteader.com/using-dewormers-correctly/ thriftyhomesteader.com/goat-dewormers/

Be sure to read the articles Abby shared for all of the details, but if you decide to use a combination dewormer, then you want to use dewormers from different classes, and Safeguard and sheep ivermectin are from different classes, so that would be a good combo. Goat dewormers should always be oral. You also need to double the dosages that are on the bottle. More details in the articles.

You're welcome! ~Abby

I did NOT say that anyone is hiding anything on purpose. The person selling the goats may not know what is hiding in a goat's genetics -- or how its ancestors wound up unregistered in the first place.

Deborah did a podcast on that topic with Dr. Jamie Stewart. ~Abby thriftyhomesteader.com/precocious-udders-in-goats/

Alpine and Toggenburgs 🙃

A 4-month-old should not be copper deficient unless she was born to a copper-deficient mom. You typically see multiple symptoms of deficiency, not just one. A fish tail means there is balding on the tip of the tail so it looks like an angelfish's tail -- not a trout's tail. You didn't say how many goats you have, but they should only consume about 1/4 ounce of Purina a day, so you would probably never see them eat it. That's only a few licks. Calcium in water and alfalfa is NOT going to make kids copper deficient. They can't get too much calcium at that age because they are growing fast, and it's only when goats get TOO MUCH of an antagonist that they get deficient. I don't think you're missing anything. I think you're misinterpreting something about the goat. The Nutrition course, which is included in Goats 365, includes lectures on each of the minerals and provides a lot more info on figuring out if a goat is deficient and how to correct it. You can post pictures in the discussion part of the course to show me what you're concerned about. You can get 50% off your first month until Tuesday with this link -- thriftyhomesteader.teachable.com/p/goats-365?coupon_code=HALFOFF&product_id=3484519 -- or if you get a premium membership, you can get a free 1-hour consultation, which is normally $150.

@DeborahNiemann Right. I knew that about the tail...I have been watching it for a while, and it is splitting down the middle..started on one goat, and now all 3. No other symptoms, so yeah...confusing. The breeder does bolus her herd 2x per year, so not sure about their situation at birth, BUT, I did see them and lay hands on the Mom, and she was gorgeous...I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary about her. Looked VERY healthy. Thank you for your reply, and I will check out your membership! 😊

Yes, I would still give then alfalfa in the barn at night. There's no guarantee how much calcium they are getting in the browse, although it's more than if it were just pasture. But I would not want to risk hypocalcemia by feeding them too little calcium. Here is more info on hypocalcemia: thriftyhomesteader.com/hypocalcemia-in-goats/

@@DeborahNiemann Thank you!