Gift of the Old One

This is a heartwarming tale that is often passed among goat owners around the holidays:


The young couple had made their usual hurried,
pre-Christmas visit to the little farm where dwelt
their elderly parents with their small herd of
goats. The farm had been named Lone Pine Farm
because of the huge pine that topped the hill behind
the farm, and through the years it had become a
talisman to the old man and his wife, and a landmark
in the countryside.

The old folks no longer showed their goats, for the
years had taken their toll, but they sold a little milk,
and a few kids each year, and the goats were their
reason for joy in the morning and contentment at day's
end.

Crossly, as they prepared to leave, the young couple
confronted the old folks. "Why do you not at least dispose
of 'The Old One'?" She is no longer of use to you. It's been
years since you've had either kids or milk from her. You
should cut corners and save where you can. Why do you
keep her anyway?" The old man looked down as his
worn boot scuffed at the barn floor and his arm stole
defensively about the Old One's neck as he drew her to him
and rubbed her gently behind the ears. He replied softly,
"We keep her because of love. Only because of love."

Baffled and irritated, the young folks wished the old man
and his wife a Merry Christmas and headed back toward
the city as darkness stole through the valley.

So it was, that because of the leave-taking, no one noticed
the insulation smouldering on the frayed wires in the old
barn. None saw the first spark fall. None but the "Old One."

In a matter of minutes, the whole barn was ablaze and the
hungry flames were licking at the loft full of hay. With a
cry of horror and despair, the old man shouted to his wife
to call for help as he raced to the barn to save their beloved
goats. But the flames were roaring now, and the blazing
heat drove him back. He sank sobbing to the ground,
helpless before the fire's fury.

By the time the fire department arrived, only smoking,
glowing ruins were left, and the old man and his wife.
They thanked those who had come to their aid, and the
old man turned to his wife, resting her white head upon
his shoulders as he clumsily dried her tears with a frayed
red bandana. Brokenly he whispered, "We have lost much,
but God has spared our home on this eve of Christmas.
Let us, therefore, climb the hill to the old pine where we
have sought comfort in times of despair. We will look down
upon our home and give thanks that it has been spared."

And so, he took her by the hand and helped her up the
snowy hill as he brushed aside his own tears with the back
of his hand. As they stepped over the little knoll at the
crest of the hill, they looked up and gasped in amazement
at the incredible beauty before them. Seemingly, every
glorious, brilliant star in the heavens was caught up in
the glittering, snow-frosted branches of their beloved pine,
and it was aglow with heavenly candles. And poised on its
topmost bough, a crystal crescent moon glistened like
spun glass. Never had a mere mortal created a Christmas
tree such as this. Suddenly, the old man gave a cry of
wonder and incredible joy as he pulled his wife forward.
There, beneath the tree, was their Christmas gift.

Bedded down about the "Old One," close to the trunk of the
tree, was the entire herd, safe. At the first hint of smoke,
she had pushed the door ajar with her muzzle and had led
the goats through it. Slowly and with great dignity, never
looking back, she had led them up the hill, stepping daintily
through the snow. The kids were frightened and dashed
about. The skittish yearlings looked back at the crackling,
hungry flames, and tucked their tails under them as they
licked their lips and hopped like rabbits. The milkers
pressed uneasily against the "Old One" as she moved
calmly up the hill and to safety beneath the pine. And now,
she lay among them and gazed at the faces of those she
loved. Her body was brittle with years, but the golden eyes
were filled with devotion as she offered her gift--
because of love.

Only because of love.

Hot weather and goats

With record-breaking heat across the US this summer, farmers have had to go to extra lengths to protect their animals. Thousands of cattle have been reported dead throughout the central US. Many goat owners are reporting that their goats have high body temperatures and symptoms of dehydration. So what can be done to keep your goats healthy in these conditions?

A goat's normal temperature can range from as low as 101.5 to as high as 105. It's good to take a goat's baseline temperature several times on normal days and on a hot day. That will give you a better idea of what is normal for that goat.

If the outdoor temperature gets too high, you can cool your goats down with a hose or sprayer. Start on the legs rather than drenching them with cold water all at once. Some people have found that their goats really like this and will line up to be cooled down. Other goats, like people, hate water and getting wet.

Always keep plenty of cool, clean drinking water available. You need to encourage drinking, to avoid dehydration, so if they don't seem to be interested in the water you can try adding some grape juice concentrate or electrolytes to make it taste better. Some goats also like a little apple cider vinegar in their water.

Make sure they have a shaded area to rest in during the heat of the day. This usually means access to the barn or a loafing area, or some large trees that get them out of the sun. Put a fan in the barn or loafing area for goats during the hottest time of the day. This will circulate the air and help them keep cooler.

Pages 4-5 of Goat Health Care tells how to evaluate your goats' health. You can check a goat for dehydration "by pinching the skin on the neck in front of the shoulder, using your thumb and forefinger. Note whether the skin snaps back to its normal position quickly or responds slowly and remains 'tented.' A slow return to normal can indicate that the goat is dehydrated."

If your goat is dehydrated, which can happen rather quickly, it is essential to get fluids into her. Getting her to drink is he best option. You can have some luck with injecting sterile water or lactated ringers solution subcutaneously, but a severely dehydrated goat (particularly one with diarrhea, too) will need an IV to survive.

I had a goat that needed an IV one time and the vet was kind enough to hook it up and show me how to change the bag. This allowed me to give her two bags of lactated ringers solution, solving the problem.

If you are home during the day, you can regularly check on your goats, but if you have to leave make sure that you leave plenty of water and have a shady area that all the goats can get to.

Q Fever found in Northwest

The Seattle PI reported on an outbreak of Q fever in Washington and Montana. This disease affects both humans, goats and other animals. Symptoms, which are like flu in humans, take about 20 days to occur after exposure and are particularly a problem for people with heart disease. If the disease becomes chronic, it must be treated with antibiotics. There is a vaccine recommended for people living in Australia.

To learn more about Q fever in goats, precautions against it, and treatment, read an excerpt from Goat Health Care.

Study shows healthful effects of goat milk

The research group AGR 206 at the University of Granada Department of Physiology and Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology "Jose Matáix", coordinated by professor Margarita Sánchez Campos, have proven that goat milk has nutritional characteristics beneficial to health.

The regular consumption of goat milk by individuals with iron deficiency anemia improves their recovery, since it enhances the nutritional use of iron and enhances the regeneration of hemoglobin; this means that this type of milk minimizes calcium and iron interactions. Conversely, this type of milk protects DNA stability, even in cases of iron overload caused by prolonged treatments with this mineral to treat anemia. Read rest of article here.

Floppy Kid Syndrome

With goat kids still being born, this is the time of year that goat breeders may have to deal with Floppy Kid Syndrome (FKS). Here is an excerpt from page 85 of Goat Health Care that tells you how to recognize FKS and an easy, harmless treatment to reverse mild cases:

Floppy kid syndrome (FKS) is a sudden onset, in an otherwise healthy kid, of extreme weakness and inability to move the legs, associated with metabolic acidosis (increase in overall acid in the body) in which no specific organ systems are abnormally involved. No gastrointestinal or respiratory clinical signs, such as diarrhea, dehydration, or difficulty breathing, are seen. It usually occurs late in the kidding season, which is the time to be most alert to it.

FKS was first documented in 1987. Currently the cause is unknown and further research is needed. There is no difference in incidence between dam-raised and bottle-raised kids, or those given pasteurized or unpasteurized milk. It can spread rapidly among young kids. Unfortunately, in some cases, a number of kids die before the goat breeder determines what is going on.

Gastrointestinal disease is strongly suspected to be the cause for this syndrome since it is the most common cause of metabolic acidosis in goat kids. Early untreated cases, where death occurred, should be necropsied to help in determining the cause.

Affected kids are normal at birth and then develop sudden profound muscle weakness at 3 to 10 days of age. Kids are often reluctant to nurse, but can swallow. Biochemical findings include metabolic acidosis, decrease in bicarbonate, normal to increased chloride and occasional hypokalemia (low potassium). No gastrointestinal or respiratory dysfunction is apparent (i.e., diarrhea, dehydration, or breathing difficulties).

Diagnosis is made based on supportive clinical and laboratory findings. Any disease that can lead to a profoundly weak or acidotic kid, such as white muscle disease or enterotoxemia can be mistaken for this syndrome.

The best treatment depends on early detection of the problem. Less severe cases can be treated by giving the kid baking soda as soon as possible. The recommended dose is ½ tsp in cold water given orally. If a kid is unable to nurse or drink a bottle, he or she may have to be fed by stomach tube. You should see improvement within 2 hours, if the kid actually has FKS. In severe cases, intravenous fluid and bicarbonate administration will be required.

According to the literature, there is no association between treatment with antibiotics or vitamin/mineral supplements and recovery. In fact, in some cases kids recover with no treatment at all. In some cases kids may relapse or take up to a month to recover their neuromuscular function.

Goat Sales Contract

"The first step to keeping goats healthy is to start with disease-free, thriving goats.... Goat buyers should ask whether the goats being purchased have been tested for any diseases and/or whether their dam has, as well. Ask about overall herd health, how the goats' health care is managed and what kinds of veterinary problems they have had. Find out the breeder's philosophy on goat care.... Ask a lot of questions."

From the Introduction, Goat Health Care

Mystic Acres Oberian Mini Dairy Goats soon to be ready for sale

An enthusiastic newbie gets her first goats, only to have them develop abscesses, that turn out to be caseous lymphadenitis (CLA), a month later. She is irate, believing that the seller knowingly took advantage of her lack of knowledge. She asks around on some goat lists and is told that the seller should take back the diseased goats and give her money back. But there is no written agreement and this possibility hadn’t even been discussed.

Depending on the circumstances, an ethical breeder would take the goats back and refund the buyer. But if the seller refused—the buyer would likely have trouble getting her money back, would be stuck with sick and contagious goats, and might even decide that the universe is aligned against her dream of raising goats.

One way to help ensure that the goats you're getting are healthy is to have a contract that protects your rights and documents what you and the seller are agreeing to. If you just buy or sell a goat with a handshake and an oral agreement, one or both of you may think you have agreed to something you haven't.

A written contract is a legally binding agreement that can help protect both parties and prevent misunderstandings. Having a contract in writing becomes even more important when you are purchasing valuable or registered animals.

Some sellers have contracts they are already using, but it may fall to a buyer to write the contract if she wants one. If a seller refuses to sign a contract, be suspicious. Ask why. If it's because they don't want to have to do the work, here is a link to a Goat Sales Contract written in Word, which you can tailor to your situation.

One caveat: A contract won't prevent you from getting attached to the goat(s) you purchased. I once sold a goat that I guaranteed to be fertile, only to learn later that s/he was a hermaphrodite. The buyer was already attached to the goat (and I didn't particularly want a hermaphrodite in my working herd), so I gave her the replacement and let her keep the original. Think about this and other possibilities when writing your contract.

Shipping Goats to another state

In my opinion, buying goats locally is the best way to go. You don't have to worry about them getting severely stressed from a long ride in a vehicle or a plane, you can check them, their surroundings and their herd mates out before buying them, and if, for some reason, they have to be returned you will have an easy time doing so.

However, sometimes you may need (or just really want) to buy a goat from out-of-state. Maybe finding a buck who is not related is impossible in your area, or you want to improve your herd with a special animal or two. Learning the requirements for importing into or exporting out of any state is only a click away with the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Import and Export web page.This helpful site has links to regulations in all states and Guam, as well as international requirements.

How to tell if your goat is going to kid

This excerpt from Goat Health Care that tells you when your goat is going to kid:

How do you know what to look for? The first thing is a softening of the tail ligaments. This is 100% effective, in my experience. If you check the doe long before she reaches this stage, you will know what you are feeling. I have been mistaken though, even recently, in a doe with very widely spaced ligaments.

Visualize a V on top of the goat’s rump stretching to the tail, with the point at the tail. These are the tail ligaments, and when they go completely mushy the doe will kid within 24 and, often, within 12 hours. This is the best sign that she is entering the first stage of labor. You can sometimes tell that this has occurred if the goat seems to have lost her ability to hold the tail up. (You can find a diagram of the ligaments at the Fiasco Farm site, as well as lots of other helpful kidding information.)

Also look at the udder. The udder will begin to develop and fill. In some does this will begin to occur months in advance, in others it happens in the last 3-4 weeks, and in other cases not until right before kidding. Checking regularly toward the end of pregnancy is helpful, if the doe is agreeable. Otherwise, just look at it closely for changes; it often become taut and shiny.

You may also begin to see some discharge and the shape of the doe’s body may change as the babies begin to move into position for birth. Watch for behavior changes, such as pawing at the ground, loss of appetite, more talking, personality changes (e.g., the goat doesn’t want you to leave), changing position frequently and looking uncomfortable, licking herself, breathing more heavily or grinding teeth.

Although some goats will isolate themselves, I have often observed fighting with other does, and actually had to separate the mother for safety. Each doe is different and may show different signs that she is going to kid soon.

According to David MacKenzie, in Goat Husbandry, as long as your can see the kid(s) as a bulge on the right side and see movement, the goat is unlikely to kid within the next 12 hours. I have not tried this method.

CAEV can be detected in seminal fluid

A recent online article reported that for his PhD thesis veterinary surgeon Hugo Ramírez Álvarez showed that goat seminal fluid can be used to detect antibodies to caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV). His study had four purposes:

• to characterize the genetic type of the lentivirus present in a mixed flock of sheep and goats born in Mexico
• to study the virus in different organs/tissues of sheep from Castille & León (Spain) affected by a visna (OPPV) outbreak, to determine what extent the type of virus is responsible for the clinical symptoms described in this outbreak
• to evaluate the effectiveness of the commercial ELISA tests (techniques for detecting the presence of antibodies, especially blood samples) and those designed in this research with short chains of proteins (peptides), and
  
• to diagnose the infection through lentivirus based on seminal fluid antibodies.

The study did not address transmission of the disease through breeding.

Goat Garden in the Philippines

A recent article in the Manila Bulletin covered a goat operation in the Philippines, Alaminos Goat Farm, that developed a salad garden as a more economical and sustainable way to feed their animals. They found that the plant indigofera helped to improve the milk yields of their goats. The plant contains almost 25% protein, is about 85% digestible and contains 2% calcium, making it a very nutritious plant.

According to the article, "research work done by Ngo van Man, Nguyen van Hao & Vuon minh Tri of the Animal Nutrition Department, University of Agriculture and Forestry in Ho Chi Min City Vietnam. . . [found that] indigofera’s plant growth rate as well as its biomass yields are much higher compared to most of the plants included in the research. In selecting the tree legumes to be studied, they chose drought resistant species that will perform on poor soils. The soil was fertilized with goat manure and organic fertilizer during the study."

According to the farmers, indigofera must be given to goats when they are young, to get them used to eating it. To be most digestible and palatable, it must be cut every 30 days and fed to them, as well.

They don't say which of the 70 or so varieties of indigofera they use, however. Some varieties of the plant are also used as a dye (indigo) and a pain-reliever.

(Goats above are in Bali, eating a plant that resembles indigofera.)

Review of Raising Goats for Dummies

If are looking for a good Christmas (or anytime) present for a goat-obsessed friend, search no more. Raising Goats for Dummies is an excellent book packed with information on goats. And lest you think I am just tooting my own horn, here is a review of the book.

I wrote this book to help current and potential goat owners understand what it really takes to be a good goatkeeper, based on 12 years of trial and error learning on my own goat herd.

(Left: ARMCH Mystic Acres Hermione Granger)

Kidding Kit

We are in the heart of breeding season (some of you may already be done), so it's not too early to start thinking about putting together a kidding kit. Once you have it done, you can rest easy, and you won't have to run around trying to find things when the blessed event occurs.

You'll need a container to keep everything in, but it doesn't have to be anything fancy - in fact, you can just use a box. Here are some items that you should have available at kidding:

• 7% iodine for dipping cords
• A plastic film can or prescription bottle to put iodine in for easy dipping
• A flashlight (one of those lights you wear on your head will free your hands)
• Dental floss, to tie a cord if you have to cut it
• Sterilized surgical scissors for cutting cords
• Bulb suction
  
• Old towels for cleaning kids
• Betadine surgical scrub for washing hands
• Disposable exam gloves
• K-Y jelly
• Feeding syringe and tube for weak kids
• Empty feed bags to put under kidding goats (easy clean-up)
• Empty pop bottles and Pritchard teat, if kids have to be bottle-fed

- Raising Goats for Dummies, p 215-216

Breeding Season is almost upon us

The temperature dropped to 48 degrees F. here in the coast range of Oregon last night. It's this kind of unusual low temperature that tells the goats that fall is coming and it's time to get bred again. How do I know this? I just have to walk by the buck pen and that familiar smell wafts into my nostrils. The girls haven't quite figured it out, but they will soon enough.

In response to this annual event, here are some tips for dealing with your bucks, from Goat Health Care:

• Deworm your buck(s) and give a supplemental Bo-Se shot
• Trim hooves and do a general check of the buck's condition
• Consider providing some supplemental grain and warm water to bucks during breeding season; sometimes they are so worked up they forget to eat, so they need extra energy
• Some bucks will get urine scald on the muzzle, or less frequently, other parts of the body. A coating of petroleum jelly, herbal ointment or zinc oxide will help healing and provide a barrier to further urine
• Some bucks will get overly aggressive with other bucks, or even the owner, during breeding season, even injuring them. Keep a close eye on them during breeding season and separate them, if necessary.
  

Check for goat safety hazards on your farm

In the past few months I have heard of several incidents of goats breaking their front legs. In all cases, the break was caused by a play structure that had been put in the pasture for kids to play on.

Knowing that your carelessness caused your goat to get injured is hard to deal with. So take the time now to investigate your barn and pasture for safety hazards. Some common ones that can lead to broken legs are:

• Wood pallets. If you are using wood pallets for your goats to jump and rest on, make sure to add a piece of plywood to the top to cover the slats.
• Wooden spools. Goat owners get these from telephone companies and other businesses. Goats love to jump on them, but they have holes on the top that a kid's leg can go through, causing injury. These also need to have plywood covering the holes in the top.
• Play structures. Play structures and playhouses can also be a favorite of goat kids. In a recent case, a farmer had one goat break a front leg and another break both front legs before discovering that the problem was a child's wooden cabin that had recently been added to the pasture. Before putting out one of these structures, check it out to make sure there aren't any cracks, holes or other areas where a goat's leg might get caught and fix the problems. Or consider using Little Tyke plastic play structures, which are a lot safer and can often be found at garage sales.
  

Raising Goats for Dummies covers making your goat area safe before you get goats, as well as most other subjects that new or veteran goat owners need to know. You can read reviews of the book at amazon.com.

Manuscript-eating Goat

No, goats don't eat tin cans! But they do it the paper labels on them. I have had goats eat their certificates and ribbons from a goat show, and part of a page from a paperback book.

Follow this link for funny story that demonstrates why you need to keep your important papers in a place goats can't reach.

New Zealand Proposal to ban tethering of goats

I was happy to read about a proposal by a group in New Zealand to ban the inhumane practice of tethering goats. This is an issue that needs to come to the attention of the public and to be banned throughout the world. Goats deserve to be treated humanely and not put in harm's way.

Idiot tethers goat with fatal result

The killing of a tethered goat in Forest Grove, Oregon, was reported in that local paper. A judgment regarding the inhumanity of tethering goats was not mentioned. Instead, it was reported that the bear will be killed if it comes back, because of its crime of killing livestock.

Please, people, DO NOT tether your goats! Tethered goats are bait for predators--including bears, cougars, and even domestic dogs. They can become tangled, hang themselves or suffer other mishaps. This goat should not have been tethered and the bear doesn't deserve to die.

A responsible goat owner will make sure that goats have fencing and an appropriate and safe shelter, and if they live in an isolated area, a guardian animal for protection. Tethering is cruel and inhumane and so is leaving a goat without a herd to interact with. The owner should be fined for doing this in the first place.

Goat Health Care Freeby for the Day

In order to provide good goat health care, it's important to track problems and routine treatments. I have created a Goat Health Record form for this purpose and just added it to my website so goat owners can download a pdf for their own use. You can use it for tracking kidding, injections, hoof trimming, or any other health-related activity and keep one for each goat in a notebook in the barn.

You can also use it to compare for patterns (e.g., what time of day or night did a doe previously kid?) or to remind yourself that a certain goat seems prone to overeating and getting bloat. I know I sometimes forget from year to year that a goat was sick, once she recovers.

Happy Goating!

Raising Goats for Dummies

It's finally on store shelves and even at goathealthcare.com! Raising Goats for Dummies is a fantastic resource for goat owners. It covers all the basics for any kind of goat and also has information on milking, clicker training, cart training, clipping fiber goats and tanning goat hides.

If you are looking for just a few basic books for raising goats, we currently have a sale of both books for $40, with a $5.00 after purchase rebate for Raising Goats for Dummies if you buy it by the end of the month.

If you are thinking about getting goats, read this book first. It will teach you about all the different goats and help you decide what breed you want, as well as help you get your farm or urban setting prepared for your goats. Goat Health Care takes it a step further, with drug dosages for goats, herbal remedies, troubleshooting health problems and even dealing with the death of a goat.

Raising Goats for Dummies

I have finished writing Raising Goats for Dummies and am working on the edits now! The book will be out in February. It's a great book for anyone who is new to goats. It tells you how to choose your goats, what you need to take care of them, basic ailments, goat behavior and even how to tan a hide, process fleece into yarn, milk a goat and turn it into cheese and become more self-sustaining with goats.

Between the "Dummies" book and Goat Health Care you have most all the reference materials you need for taking care of your goats. Both cover all types of goats.