This starts a series I will do on diseases of the goat, Capra aegagrus hircus. One thing to keep in mind with goats is that many diseases, particularly digestive, present many similar symptoms. Therefore, it is helpful to know what a healthy goat's basic vital signs are.
Temperature: 101.5 - 103.5
Heart Rate: 70-80 beats per minute
Respiration: 12-24 breaths per minute
Rumen: waterfall, rumbling sounds
To take the goat's temperature, place an electric thermometer in the rectum. For does, do not confuse the rectum with the vagina. Really.
To take the heart rate, place your hand on the left side of the chest wall until you feel heartbeats. You can also try the jugular, but the goat may not like it. Count for one minute. Hotter outdoor temperatures or activity may increase heart rate, so wait until the goat is reasonably rested.
To take the respiration, simply count each time the animal inhales by watching the chest wall expand. Like with the heart rate, high temperatures and activity can increase breathing rate, but keep common sense. If they look like they are hyperventilating, they probably are. Observe your healthy goats in the summer to see how they are.
Temperature: 101.5 - 103.5
Heart Rate: 70-80 beats per minute
Respiration: 12-24 breaths per minute
Rumen: waterfall, rumbling sounds
To take the goat's temperature, place an electric thermometer in the rectum. For does, do not confuse the rectum with the vagina. Really.
To take the heart rate, place your hand on the left side of the chest wall until you feel heartbeats. You can also try the jugular, but the goat may not like it. Count for one minute. Hotter outdoor temperatures or activity may increase heart rate, so wait until the goat is reasonably rested.
To take the respiration, simply count each time the animal inhales by watching the chest wall expand. Like with the heart rate, high temperatures and activity can increase breathing rate, but keep common sense. If they look like they are hyperventilating, they probably are. Observe your healthy goats in the summer to see how they are.
To listen to the rumen, use your own ear or a stethoscope and place it on the left side of the goat between the ribs and hip near the spine. That is the empty space where an empty rumen makes a goat look skeletal or a full rumen makes it look absurdly fat. Listen there for one minute. You should hear nice rumbling and gurgling noises. A bloated goat may have no sound whatsoever. You can also put your hand on the same place and press lightly to feel the rumbling.
Other general information:
Gestation: 145-155 days
Keep records on your does. One of my does, despite always having triplets, always kidded late. Mark the calendar at 150 days of breeding, but start putting them in the kidding stall a week before that date.
Birthing Rates:
Goats usually have twins, though triplets are not uncommon and certain goat bloodlines are known for quadruplets or even quintuplets. For virgin does, they often have singles on their first kidding (or first freshening as it is also called) but are expected to produce twins later on in life at the very least. Does that do not perform adequately should be culled.
Estrus:
Does come into heat every 21 days, whether they are a dairy or meat breed. However, dairy goats have a set breeding season like deer, in the late autumn and through late winter. Many dairy producers aim for October/November so the doe kids around March/April, while others aim for winter kids to extend the spring milking season. Meat goats do not have a set breeding season and can breed at any time of the year. Some breeders have their does kid once a year while others breed them twice. Dairy bucks go into rut to correspond with their dairy ladies. Meat bucks don't care what day it is if it means being with the ladies.
Life span:
For does, death is usually kidding related, so their life spans are listed as generally short (10-12 years), but when retired at around 10 years old, they can live longer (14-18 years.) Does also often don't live as long due to the stress of kidding and lactation, though their management and the general soundness of the bloodline can have a lot to do about this. Bucks tend to be short-lived as well (8-10 years) because of going into rut. It takes a lot out of them. Wethers, who neither go into rut or have kids, live the longest (12-16 years.)
Other general information:
Gestation: 145-155 days
Keep records on your does. One of my does, despite always having triplets, always kidded late. Mark the calendar at 150 days of breeding, but start putting them in the kidding stall a week before that date.
Birthing Rates:
Goats usually have twins, though triplets are not uncommon and certain goat bloodlines are known for quadruplets or even quintuplets. For virgin does, they often have singles on their first kidding (or first freshening as it is also called) but are expected to produce twins later on in life at the very least. Does that do not perform adequately should be culled.
Estrus:
Does come into heat every 21 days, whether they are a dairy or meat breed. However, dairy goats have a set breeding season like deer, in the late autumn and through late winter. Many dairy producers aim for October/November so the doe kids around March/April, while others aim for winter kids to extend the spring milking season. Meat goats do not have a set breeding season and can breed at any time of the year. Some breeders have their does kid once a year while others breed them twice. Dairy bucks go into rut to correspond with their dairy ladies. Meat bucks don't care what day it is if it means being with the ladies.
Life span:
For does, death is usually kidding related, so their life spans are listed as generally short (10-12 years), but when retired at around 10 years old, they can live longer (14-18 years.) Does also often don't live as long due to the stress of kidding and lactation, though their management and the general soundness of the bloodline can have a lot to do about this. Bucks tend to be short-lived as well (8-10 years) because of going into rut. It takes a lot out of them. Wethers, who neither go into rut or have kids, live the longest (12-16 years.)
Puberty:
Bucks become technically capable of breeding at around two months old, which is why almost everyone will tell you to separate bucklings from their mothers at that age. Bucklings have impregnated their mothers. It has happened. But in good management, bucks are usually not used for service until they are a few months old at least. For meat breeds, bucklings born in spring are often used in the fall and then sold or eaten. There is different talk about breeding doelings. Many breed at a certain weight (such as 80 pounds) or a certain age. There are different opinions about the toll on the bodies of breeding does under a year old. For slower growing dairy breeds such as Alpines or Nubians, producers often wait until the next fall (when the doe is generally 20-22 months old) to breed. Meat breeds grow faster, so it isn't uncommon to see spring doelings being bred in the fall of the same year, much like the bucklings.
About Goat Diseases:
Diseases come in many forms, bacterial, viral, parasitic, deficiencies, etc. What is most important is to know how all of your goats act normally. If one of your goats is normally a glutton, but suddenly loses appetite, that may be all the indication you are ever going to get. Go with your intuition. Sometimes all you will see is the animal standing apart from everyone, isolating themselves. This is always cause for alarm. But some goats do that anyway. You HAVE to know the tendencies and personalities of all of your animals.
Like I said at the beginning, many diseases look the same. Coccidiosis and scours can look the same. They can even occur together at the same time! You may treat the animal with probiotics and antibiotics for scours, but what if it is coccidiosis? Those medications won't put a dent in cocci. I urge you to buy a microscope (doesn't have to be expensive) and learn how to do a fecal test. The internet has many pictures for worm eggs (take note of the microscope power which can tell you the relative size of the egg - cocci eggs for example are quite small) and doing fecals is really really easy. Really. It is. There are complicated methods, but a fecal float is as simple as pie and takes about five minutes to put together. They are very much worth it. It can't necessarily tell you how many worms or bacteria you have, but it can tell you which ones.
Bucks become technically capable of breeding at around two months old, which is why almost everyone will tell you to separate bucklings from their mothers at that age. Bucklings have impregnated their mothers. It has happened. But in good management, bucks are usually not used for service until they are a few months old at least. For meat breeds, bucklings born in spring are often used in the fall and then sold or eaten. There is different talk about breeding doelings. Many breed at a certain weight (such as 80 pounds) or a certain age. There are different opinions about the toll on the bodies of breeding does under a year old. For slower growing dairy breeds such as Alpines or Nubians, producers often wait until the next fall (when the doe is generally 20-22 months old) to breed. Meat breeds grow faster, so it isn't uncommon to see spring doelings being bred in the fall of the same year, much like the bucklings.
About Goat Diseases:
Diseases come in many forms, bacterial, viral, parasitic, deficiencies, etc. What is most important is to know how all of your goats act normally. If one of your goats is normally a glutton, but suddenly loses appetite, that may be all the indication you are ever going to get. Go with your intuition. Sometimes all you will see is the animal standing apart from everyone, isolating themselves. This is always cause for alarm. But some goats do that anyway. You HAVE to know the tendencies and personalities of all of your animals.
Like I said at the beginning, many diseases look the same. Coccidiosis and scours can look the same. They can even occur together at the same time! You may treat the animal with probiotics and antibiotics for scours, but what if it is coccidiosis? Those medications won't put a dent in cocci. I urge you to buy a microscope (doesn't have to be expensive) and learn how to do a fecal test. The internet has many pictures for worm eggs (take note of the microscope power which can tell you the relative size of the egg - cocci eggs for example are quite small) and doing fecals is really really easy. Really. It is. There are complicated methods, but a fecal float is as simple as pie and takes about five minutes to put together. They are very much worth it. It can't necessarily tell you how many worms or bacteria you have, but it can tell you which ones.
I will endeavor to be as comprehensive as I can with each disease, but sometimes stuff occurs all at once and it all blends together, and only experience can help at that point. Sometimes no matter what you do or how much you know, you will lose animals. Along with the microscope, I strongly encourage you to put together a basic medicine box for your goats. Goats have a way of getting deathly sick at midnight or on weekends when the store is closed or the vet isn't available. Your preparedness may be the difference between a recovering or dead animal.
A basic goat medicine box should include:
Penicillin G-Procaine (short acting) or Twin Pen (long acting)
Triple Antibiotic ointment
Sulfadimethoxine product (there are several such as Albon or Sulmet)
CD Antitoxin
Tetanus Antitoxin
Pain killer (ibuprofen, Banamine [Rx], aspirin)
Selenium product (oral gel, BoSe [Rx])
Vitamin A-D-E injectable or gel
Fortified Vitamin B-complex injectable or gel
Iron supplement paste or pills corresponding to paste dosage
Colostrum gel (if you are breeding)
Calcium supplement (pills, drench, injectable)
Vaccinations: tetanus toxoid, CD/T toxoid (there are others, but this is basic)
Probiotic product (Probios is great)
Rubber gloves
20 or 18 gauge needles in both 1/2" and 1" lengths
Drenching gun (just makes things easier but not completely necessary)
Pill medium like cornmeal mixed with molasses
That is the base. There are many other things you can add, such as activated charcoal for poisoning or Kao-pec for general diarrhea, but with this list, you can treat the vast majority of things you will come across. Some of these, such as the selenium, vaccinations, and calcium, are preventative. But keep in mind with the vaccinations that if you are planning to sell anyone, having them up to date on their vaccinations not only increases their value, it lends you more credibility as a breeder. If you want vaccinations done by a vet for paperwork verification, you can decrease cost by bringing your own vaccine (though ask if you can do this.)
For vitamins and supplements, gels are easier to give to goats because they come in handy syringes, but to cut costs or acquire them easier, you can also use human pills. I gave one of my does calcium pills for the longest time. Some goats don't mind having a pill stuffed down their throat, but crushing or hiding the pills in a tasty medium makes it much easier. Just make sure the human pill you're getting corresponds with the goat supplement. BoSe is expensive and comes in large amounts, so a bottle of selenium pills might be easier for you if you only have a few does. Crush the pill(s), mix with your medium, and almost any goat would love it. Dosage balls are your friend.
Having said that, it is best to have injectable forms as well as oral because of the way the body absorbs them. If you have a really sick goat, giving them a dosage ball may not work fast enough. That's why you keep injectables around. Injectable medications work almost immediately. Oral medications are for long term treatment or prevention. Injections are for the ill. Learn how to give injections. Yes, the goat will probably scream. Goats do that. But it is vital.
A basic goat medicine box should include:
Penicillin G-Procaine (short acting) or Twin Pen (long acting)
Triple Antibiotic ointment
Sulfadimethoxine product (there are several such as Albon or Sulmet)
CD Antitoxin
Tetanus Antitoxin
Pain killer (ibuprofen, Banamine [Rx], aspirin)
Selenium product (oral gel, BoSe [Rx])
Vitamin A-D-E injectable or gel
Fortified Vitamin B-complex injectable or gel
Iron supplement paste or pills corresponding to paste dosage
Colostrum gel (if you are breeding)
Calcium supplement (pills, drench, injectable)
Vaccinations: tetanus toxoid, CD/T toxoid (there are others, but this is basic)
Probiotic product (Probios is great)
Rubber gloves
20 or 18 gauge needles in both 1/2" and 1" lengths
Drenching gun (just makes things easier but not completely necessary)
Pill medium like cornmeal mixed with molasses
That is the base. There are many other things you can add, such as activated charcoal for poisoning or Kao-pec for general diarrhea, but with this list, you can treat the vast majority of things you will come across. Some of these, such as the selenium, vaccinations, and calcium, are preventative. But keep in mind with the vaccinations that if you are planning to sell anyone, having them up to date on their vaccinations not only increases their value, it lends you more credibility as a breeder. If you want vaccinations done by a vet for paperwork verification, you can decrease cost by bringing your own vaccine (though ask if you can do this.)
For vitamins and supplements, gels are easier to give to goats because they come in handy syringes, but to cut costs or acquire them easier, you can also use human pills. I gave one of my does calcium pills for the longest time. Some goats don't mind having a pill stuffed down their throat, but crushing or hiding the pills in a tasty medium makes it much easier. Just make sure the human pill you're getting corresponds with the goat supplement. BoSe is expensive and comes in large amounts, so a bottle of selenium pills might be easier for you if you only have a few does. Crush the pill(s), mix with your medium, and almost any goat would love it. Dosage balls are your friend.
Having said that, it is best to have injectable forms as well as oral because of the way the body absorbs them. If you have a really sick goat, giving them a dosage ball may not work fast enough. That's why you keep injectables around. Injectable medications work almost immediately. Oral medications are for long term treatment or prevention. Injections are for the ill. Learn how to give injections. Yes, the goat will probably scream. Goats do that. But it is vital.