COMPLIED BY DR. BOB McCLUNG:
First tamed by humans 9-10,000BC
Member of the cattle family
210 breeds with 450 million worldwide (4-6% in USA)
China has the most goats at 170 million
Goats’ eyes are rectangular in shape instead of oval
They have good night vision
Goats are bred for milk production, meat, skin, cashmere, mohair, and for pets
Life span is 8-12 years with exceptions of up to 15+ years
Worldwide, more people eat, or drink mild from goats than any other species
Goats don’t like to get wet and will seek shelter when raining
Goats are very susceptible to parasites
Goats deposit fat internally and less externally compared to sheep and cattle, therefore they have more fat around their organs
Goat milk is hypoallergenic and higher in Calcium and Vitamin A than cow’s milk
Goat milk is naturally homogenized and can be digested in less than 20 minutes. Cow’s milk may take all day
Goat meat has less fat and cholesterol compared to beef, pork, mutton or poultry
Coffee was 1st discovered when herders noted animals acting very energized after nibbling on coffee beans
Dairy goats produce 2-3 quarts of milk/day, 5000# of milk/year with some improved milkers producing more than 1 gallon per day
Goats can consume 3-5% body weight of dry matter on good pasture; less on poor pasture
Market infrastructure disorganized in movement from farm to consumer
Some goats have milked up to 5 years after only 1 gestation
Goats don’t have tear ducts
Goats’ primary illnesses are coccidiosis, parasitic worms, pneumonia
Goats don’t like to eat feed that has been soiled, contaminated or has been on the ground
Some goats naturally polled are also infertile (male or female)
Goats like to eat woody plants and are utilized as pre grazers in the west to improve pastures for cattle e.g. leafy spurge
Azaleas are poisonous to goats
Vomiting is almost always a sign of poisonous plant consumption
Lactating does in close contact to “musty” bucks may produce milk that is “goaty” tasting and may be offensive.
PARASITE STRATEGY
Feed Coccidiostat for 2 weeks in feed to late gestating does: decreases environmental load and decreases passage of Coccidia from adults to young
Always use Coccidiostat in starter or creep feed
Have a clean and dry environment
Coccidia is worse in cold and wet times of the year
WORM STRATEGY
Inhibition-heavy loads worms change ph of gut and cause ½ worms to cover mouth parts with membrane and leave body for new host: parasite survival techniques
We have learned that the food source in the worms’ body only lasts 42 days
Don’t pasture for 45 days after 1st green grass
½ of the worms starve on pasture: this is a great time to worm goats in the 45 day inhibition phase
Parasites lose resistance to wormer in 18 months
Use wormers strategically and rotate
Spring-August 30 30 days prior to kidding
Deworm does in the 30 days prior to kidding to prevent transfers from nanny to kid
BREEDING FACTS
Age of puberty: female 7-10 months; male 4-8 months
Breeding age male 8-10 months
Healthy buck can breed 20-40 does
Gestation length 146-153 days
Females 80# body weight time to breed or 75% of adult weight
Estrus length 12-36 hours
Sign are tail wagging, mucous discharge, swollen vulva, bleating, mounting or being mounted
Female adult weight 22-300# breed dependent
Male adult weight 27-350# breed dependent
Goats can deliver up to 3 litters of kids in 2 years
Goats can deliver 1-5 kids/gestation
ODD REPRODUCTION PROBLEMS OF SMALL RUMINANTS
Ringwomb
No consistent predispositions, etiology unknown
Theories:
~Genetic link-autosomal recessive
~Lack of release of hormones that soften cervical collagen
~Infectious in nature (unlikely)
~Estrogens in feed, moldy feedstuffs
~May or may not recur in the same female
~Manual dilation doesn’t work-still left with a thin band of cervical tissue
~No studies clearly document efficacy of any drug or treatment to complete dilation
Treatment:
~Not advised to pull. Will get hemorrhage and death of neonate +/- dam
~Cesarean
Abnormal udder development- rare in sheep, common in goats
Precocious udder development
Young, unbred goat
Glands produce normal mild
Treatment
Prostaglandin, then FSH if it fails
Do not milk out
Cease grain
If goat is not for show, do nothing
Pseudopregnancy (Cloudburst pregnancy)
Goats only, never reported in sheep
Unknown etiology
Accumulation of fluid in the uterus
May or may not have udder development
Treatment is Prostaglandin, because a CL is persistent. To prevent this, some breeders breed on the first cycle
The goat is anestrus during this time, but remains fertile
Spontaneous Lactation
Seems to be relatively common and of no consequence
Unknown etiology
Estrogens in feed, estrogens from abnormal ovary
Mastitis
Treatment
None required
Can try hormonal therapy
Mastectomy, ovarioectomy, ovariohysterectomy
TIPS ON NATURAL SYNCHRONIZATION
Remove bucks from sight, sound, and smell 2-3 months
Start to flush 2-3 weeks prior to breeding
Deworm 2 weeks prior to breeding
Pen “teaser bucks” or buck in nannies to breed
15 days prior to breed turn out on desired breed date (male odor, behavior stimulate synchronization estrus)
We also us 9mg/# of LA200 2 weeks prior to breeding to decrease Chlamydia, Camphlobacter & Lepto
In our hands vacc???