Deworming

If goats are allowed to live as nature intended them, as browsers, they are rarely exposed to parasites.  They would rarely eat close to the ground where parasite eggs/larvae are found.  However, most goat keepers don't have enough browse to maintain their herds and their goats are forced to graze.  In addition, their living habits lend themselves to easy parasite transmission. Goats poop everywhere, in their feeders, in their water, in their minerals, in their house. It is up to us to keep their environment clean to reduce the number of parasites that infect them. The most effective means of reducing your animal’s parasite loads are removing manure on a regular basis and rotating pastures. It is also very helpful if you can learn to perform your own fecal checks. Being able to monitor what parasites your animals are carrying and what their parasite load is will be a HUGE help in determining which de-worming products to use.  There are very few products that are labeled for use in goats.  Consult your local veterinarian for help in developing a deworming program that works for your herd.

Vaccinations

Adult goats should be vaccinated at least once per year. We use Cavalry 9 to vaccinate our goats against clostridial diseases and tetanus.  We vaccinate kids starting at ten weeks old with a booster given three weeks later.  Other vaccinations may be necessary/recommended for your area. Check with your vet for his/her advice on what is needed where you live.

Testing

We firmly believe that every goat should be tested for CAE and CL. Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (CAE) is a viral disease carried in the white blood cells of goats. The most common mode of transmission is from doe to kid via colostrum but CAE can be spread in any body fluid that contains white blood cells. CAE is not transmissible to humans. The majority of goats infected with the virus (80-85%) NEVER show symptoms of CAE. Testing is the only way to know, for sure, if you have the virus in your herd. Please click here for more information on CAE.

Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL) is another disease of goats (and other animals). CL is caused by a bacterium that causes abscesses, most commonly near the goat’s lymph nodes. CL is HIGHLY contagious to other goats, animals and people. Antibiotics are not effective in treating CL because the abscesses form thick walls that do not allow the antibiotics to penetrate them and kill the bacteria. CL abscesses that burst, allowing the pus to drain out, can quickly spread the disease to your entire herd. CL abscesses can also form internally. Goats may live for many years with CL and never form an external abscess. Again, testing is the only way to be sure that your goats are not infected. There are two types of vaccine that can help protect your herd from this disease.  Please click here for more information on CL.

Johne's (pronounced Yo-nees) is another disease that can affect goats.  It is a wasting disease that affects the goat's GI tract.  Symptoms do not usually appear until the goat is over one year of age.  Click here for more information on Johne's disease.

We draw blood from our goats ourselves (you can have your vet do it, if you prefer) and send it to Washington State University for testing. On the advice of our vet, we test annually. For more information on submitting samples for testing and a list of fees, please visit the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory website.

Castration

There are three methods of castration for goats.  We have tried all three.  While no method is completely painless, the least painful, BY FAR, is the Burdizzo method (in our opinion).  This method involves crushing the spermatic cord and blood vessels that lead to the testes.  It is a "bloodless" procedure.  If done correctly, the skin is not broken.  To castrate using this method, you will need a special clamp like tool called a Burdizzo (also known by other names).  We have tried a couple of these tools and the one we like best was purchased from Premier1 Supply.  It is called the Ritchey Nipper and is made in England specifically for sheep and goats.  Premier1 now sells their own version of this tool called a Side Crusher.

Another castration method is referred to as banding. This method involves using a special tool (called an elastrator) to put a small, heavy-duty rubber band around the tissue above the goat’s testicles. The rubber band cuts off circulation to the testicles and eventually all of the tissue below the band will die and fall off. After using this method for one kidding season, we switched to the Burdizzo method. The kids that we banded were in considerable pain for several hours afterwards. Not to mention the fact that it took several weeks for their testicles to fall off. Imagine putting a rubber band around your finger and leaving it there until it dies and falls off. We can’t in good conscience use this method of castration anymore. 

Cutting is the last of the three methods.  It involves cutting off the lower third of the scrotum and pulling out the testicles.  This method is, obviously, incredibly painful for the kid and leaves an open wound which increases the chance of infection.  While this method is the cheapest and most reliable, we feel that the negatives outweigh the positives, by far.  Therefore, we can not recommend this method of castration either (unless performed by a vet, under sedation).