Parasites will kill you in the goat business. Financially, worms or parasites will destroy your goat business faster than almost anything. You can't hardly see them without a microscope. They sneak up on you before you know it. The goats look great one day and a few weeks later are dead or to weak to walk.
Our top breeding criteria is parasite resistance and resilience. Sure we want good mothers who actually wean twins that grow pretty fast, but most importantly, does that are still doing it several years later.
We also don't have the time or the fencing to rotate pastures every few weeks the way some goat producers do. It's fine if you can do it, we can't. Our goats sleep pretty much in the same spot every night of the year. They eat all around the place including the areas near where they bed down. It would be impossible to clear the parasites without dropping alcohol or bleach from a helicopter. So we settled on the idea of goats that have the genetics to overcome the environment.
We tried Boers and crosses with miserable results. Spanish and Kikos have proved considerably better. Still we have found lines of Kikos and Spanish that aren't really able to withstand the parasites. There are parasite resistant and resilient goats out there, but you have to find them.
If a breeder tells you his goats don't have problems with parasites, ask a few more questions. How often does he worm? Does he rotate pastures? If so, how often? Does his pasture or browse get close to the ground in the late Summer? How many head of does he run and what kind of forage? Does the environment in which his goat thrive match yours? If not, it may be the goats handle the parasites or it may mean the breeder manages them better. The distinction is critical if you plan to manage your operation differently than the ranch selling you the goats.
I liked it. So much useful material. I read with great interest.
Posted by: Corbin | September 10, 2010 at 11:02 AM