General Goat Herd Management

Dr. tatiana Luisa StantonGoat & Sheep Extension Associate

Cornell University

What are goats used for?

Other uses?

Human Nutrition

Good management depends on:

Matching your care to the animal’s special needs

Suitable facilities

Good observation and record keeping

Matching your care to the goat’s needs -

What phase in production are your goats?

How much are they producing?

Production Phase

Birth Weaning Weaning to breeding (growth) Pre-breeding Breeding Early gestation Late gestation Kidding Lactation

Birth to weaning

BoSe injections Check for extra teats Disbud between 3–14 days CAE prevention program Feed program depends on the purpose kid

is for – dairy replacement? Easter kid? Give first Clostridium CD&T booster at 3-

4 wks of age and repeat 4 wks later

Weaning

Consider age and weight (often recommend at least 30 lbs or at least 10 weeks old)

Prior to weaning or at weaning, treat kid for coccidia

Make sure kid is readily eating hay and some creep feed prior to weaning

Drying off doe – eliminate grain and put on a low quality hay or pasture and consider dry treating

The growing weaned kid

An important time to develop rumen capacity and good eating habits, plan on about 4% dry matter intake

Provide lots of exercise and a ration relatively high in protein and calcium

Trim feet periodically Monitor eye membranes regularly Grain as needed depending on when you are hoping

to breed her, weight you want to slaughter at, etc

Monitoring eye membranes

Prior to breeding

Doeling should be a minimum of 7 months old and 70 lbs – What are some considerations?

If you plan on giving a BoSe or MuSe shot give it prior to breeding

Flush does with lush pasture or small amount of extra grain about 2 to 3 weeks prior to breeding

Keep bucks away so that when you suddenly introduce them you will get a “buck effect”

Early pregnancy

Push young does who were smaller than you would have wished for at breeding

Mature does will have relatively low nutritional requirements if they are not lactating

Dairy does will need to be fed enough energy and protein that their production remains persistent without letting them get obese

Last third of pregnancy

Fetus is starting to grow rapidly Increase the plain of nutrition for your does. Plan on

about 4-5% dry matter intake. If it is less make sure you are providing sufficient feed quality

Increase energy content of feed and observe does for decreased appetite and possible ketosis – may need to separate out some does for extra feeding

Vaccinate does for Clostridium perfringens C&D and tetanus

Worm does if indicated

Subcutaneous Vaccination

Early lactation

Doe’s intake will need to be about 5-7% of her body weight

Provide a very palatable feed diet high in protein and calcium

Energy level will vary according to what her feed intake and milk production are

Make sure doe consumes sufficient fiber – ideally at least 60% of her diet should still be roughage

Generally we worm meat does at kidding

How much are they producing?

Are you raising kids as slaughter kids for Easter? Or as dairy replacement kids?

Is your meat doe raising triplets or just one big single?

How much is your dairy doe producing?

Housing

Good ventilation yet protected from the elements

High ceilings, wind resistant screening, fans

Good drainage

Easy to clean

Kidding in cold weather - smothering

Barns with good ventilation and no drafts

Kid Housing – minimal exposure to feces

Mangers

That your goat can’t go to the bathroom in

That are protected from the rain

That have enough room for all your animals to eat easily

That are “choke-proof”

That allow you to feed from outside the pen

That are the right dimensions –

Sometimes it pays to keep things temporary until you are sure they work right!

Making adjustments to your dairy barn

Hay Mangers

It pays to have a round bale feeder

Salt

Water

Forage

Invest in good quality forage – particularly for does in late pregnancy and at the beginning and peak of lactation

Good quality forage is also very important for kids depending on the quality of their creep feed

Goats are selective eaters Goats have a rapid rate of passage of food through their

rumens Goats have a higher feed intake than most other livestock

species

Hay

Beware of older hay or damaged hay that has lost much of its vitamin content

Keep in mind that a legume hay like alfalfa will better meet the calcium needs of a lactating doe or growing kid than a grass hay

Baleage and Silage

Goats are very susceptible to listeria

Pasturing Goats

Goats learn their eating habits from the herd Goats can eat a wide variety of plants from trees to

conventional grasses and tend to be very versatile eaters

Goats can not utilize mature hi-fiber grasses well Goats are very susceptible to internal parasites Few goats will naturally paw through snow to get

grasses

Goats and worms

Goats are great browsers

Unfortunately, they are susceptible to the deer worm