Meat Goat Blog

Catching Goat Kids Made Easy - Quick Tips

Your kid crop will start hitting the ground at any time - and if you're like us, that means you'll be chasing a bunch of little speed demons all over the pasture trying to tag their ears. So here's a trick to make them easier to catch - use a long handled fish net like a giant butterfly net to extend your reach!

Checking for Parasites - Quick Tips

If your goats are going to start kidding in a couple months, you may want to do a Famacha eye score to check for parasites. The does may be getting run-down from carrying the babies. This can make them more susceptible to hosting worms and other parasites. In our experience, we've found it's better to worm at least a month before they kid.

Where to Tag a Goat's Ear: Here Come the Kids!

Well, it's that time of year again - babies will be hitting the ground pretty soon, and that means lots of little ears to tag. I know I've given a lot of advice for Kidding Season in the past, but the other day I was thinking back to when we started raising goats (I can't believe it's been over a decade!). I still cringe at some of the silly mistakes we used to make while tagging, but I hope this blog will help you avoid our mistakes.

Tagging kids doesn't seem like it should be that hard. All you do is grab the kid and pinch their ear with the applicator - but if you do it wrong, you'll be kicking yourself for as long as you own the animal. If the tag is too low, it will rip out. If it's too high, it may be hard to see (or even worse, it could damage the ear). So where's the best place to tag a goat's ear?

 

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I thought I'd better use one. As you can see, the tags in this little goat's ears as just about dead center both top to bottom and left to right. In my opinion, this is usually a pretty good way to do it - but it depends on the circumstances. Like people, not all goats are exactly the same.

Some may have big veins running down the center of their ears. If you can miss them, you always want to avoid veins. Not only does it decrease the chance of infection, it also just hurts less when you poke the hole (it seems like the areas without veins have less nerves).

Others goats may have ears that are very thin and prone to ripping. You may want to take this into account by tagging a little bit higher. But don't tag too high - it gets easier to hit a vein the higher you go.

Another problem we've had with goats with short "airplane ears". The little boogers have ears that stick straight out like an airplane. It makes them very cute, but when they get older and the tags are no longer heavy enough to bend their ears down, it makes them hard to read at a distance. With goats like these, you may want to tag a little lower - but not too low, otherwise it might tear out.

Now it may not seem like it could be that hard to get the tag in the center of the ear, but goat kids learn quick. Especially if you're using a system that puts a tag in both ears, you may get off easy with the first tag, but the baby will be ready as you grab their other ear and prepare to "bite" it. Baby goats are very good at shaking their head right before you tag them. The best solution is to grab a second person to help you - that way they can hold the baby's head still. Just ask your helper if they want to come hold some baby goats this afternoon - they'll be dying to come along!

Pasture Management - Quick Tips

While you should monitor your pasture all year long, be sure to pay extra attention between now and Spring. The plants haven't been growing for a while and your goats may be running out of things to eat!

How to Tell if a Goat is Sick

When looking out at your herd, it can be hard to tell whether or not the animals are healthy or not. Sometimes it's obvious, like when they just lay on the ground without moving, but often times, they display symptoms that are less apparent. So here are a few identifying characteristics of goats that are not feeling their best so you'll be able to quickly scan your herd for animals that need some attention.

It may sound kinda funny, but when goats aren't feeling well, they are more prone to having a bad hair day. When they get run down, their coats get scruffy and unkempt. This is often accompanied by a tucked tail, stiff joints, and a low hanging head. These symptoms can be caused by many different issues like worms, extended cold weather, common colds, or bullying from the other goats. You will often find goats that are suffering from these issues lag at the back of the herd.

Once you identify these animals, you may want to catch them to do a Famacha Eye Score and Body Condition Score. If you find them to be wormy, be sure to make a record - that way if they continue to get run down, you can take them the sale barn and get them off your ranch!

Castrating Bucklings - A Good Idea?

For most goat ranchers, one of the yearly rituals at the end of kidding season is to round most or all of the bucklings up and take them to the sale barn. If you don't do something with them, they will breed their little sisters. But the sale isn't the only option. Some ranchers keep the bucklings in a separate pen for a couple months to let them grow. Then, when they take them to the sale, the prices can be much higher - meaning more profit. But what if there isn't enough room for an extra pen? Many people suggest castration.

The idea behind castration is that you can keep the bucklings with the rest of the herd during the 60 to 90 day growth period. This way they cannot breed their little sisters - but this way you don't need a separate pen. Since most of the bucklings sold at the sale are used for slaughter, it doesn't matter whether or not they are intact. But, for some people, this concept has a few flaws.

For starters, the only economical methods of castration are not as safe or effective as you might like. Most ranchers use the banding method. But it can have some major drawbacks. If both testicles are not completely trapped by the band, you can have a "wether" with just enough manhood to really mess things up. While this is not very likely, it only takes one. Infection is another issue that the banding method faces. It doesn't take very many dead goats to destroy your increased profit.

But these are not the only concerns. As many ranchers are aware, much of the meat goat market is driven by ethnic ceremonies. In these ceremonies, many groups prefer to have intact bucks - not wethers. By wethering the bucklings, the potential market for the animals decreases.

All this considered, castration is still not a bad idea. For many people the advantages outweigh the risks. Besides, many of these negatives are also region specific. Certain ethnic groups are more concentrated in various parts of the country; so depending on where you live, wethering may not be an issue. Infection is also much more likely in warmer climates.

But as I often mention, part of the fun in goat ranching is trying new strategies to see if they will work for you. So don't be afraid to experiment. You might even try wethering half of your bucklings and leaving the other half intact. Then by comparing the sale prices you can quickly tell whether or not you want to castrate again next year.

Defending Your Herd with Livestock Guardian Dogs

What do coyotes, cougars, wolves, and thieves all have in common? They are all major threats to your goat herd! So how can you protect the livestock that you have worked so hard to raise? Livestock Guardian Dogs (LGD's) are the solution that we like best!

Aside from hiring a professional security guard to stay with your herd at all times, there is no more effective way to defend your herd than a good set of Livestock Guardian Dogs. LGD's are great because they stay with the goats all day and are not afraid to chase the predators off of your property. But they will also cut down on the two-legged predators as well! While a llama or donkey will do just fine defending the herd against coyotes and wolves, a potential goat thief would probably be undeterred. But throw in a pack of dogs, and the criminals will have to think twice before tampering with your livestock!

Finding a good pack of dogs is a difficult task though (believe me). Odds are you'll need to go through quite a few dogs to find the right ones. If you're just starting out in the goat business, I suggest you try to find a herd dispersal where they wouldn't mind parting with one of their experienced guardians. But after you get a good adult, pups are usually the best option - that way the older dog can train the pups without the clashes that occur when two bull-headed adults have a disagreement.

Be sure to check out our directory of Livestock Guardian Dogs for sale.

Goat Veterinarians

Occasionally we get calls from exasperated first time goat ranchers who are looking for help finding a 'Goat Veterinarian.' Starting off in agriculture, you wouldn't really think about it - but most vets don't treat goats (or horses, or sheep, or cows etc.). Since most animals that go the vet on a regular basis are either dogs or cats, a lot more DVM's are only interested in 'domestic' species. So where do you go when your animals really need some professional attention?

Well depending on how dire your straits are, most times an experienced fellow livestock owner can tell you just about anything you need to know about general maintenance and care (for questions about feeding, worming, grooming etc.). Otherwise, it's probably best to locate and contact a veterinarian whose practice is focused on commercial livestock. A lot of times they can be kind of hard to find - so don't be afraid to ask around! (and remember, you want to know who to call before you need to call them) So look around. Go to the local feed store. Just don't wait until it's an emergency!

How to Body Condition Score a Goat

Every wonder if your goats are getting enough to eat? One way to tell is using a body condition score. By simply evaluating the amount of fat on a few key areas of the goat's body, you can tell how the animal is fairing. This video by Goat eXtension gives a great tutorial!

 

 

If you'd like to learn how to check your goats for worms, check out this video on Famacha eye scores by Purdue University.

Famacha Eye Scores Tutorial

If you've been wondering how to do a Famacha eye score, this video by Purdue University gives a nice tutorial of how to perform Famacha eye score exams. They also explain that Famacha eye scores let you determine if your goat is wormy. They also do a really nice job teaching what Famacha eye scores are, why they are used, and how to worm a goat.

Early in the video, they mention the increased resistance that parasites have developed to dewormers. That's exactly why parasite resistance is so crucial! This was a very good educational video!

If you'd like to learn how to tell if your goats are getting enough (or too much) food, check out this video on How to Body Condition Scores by Goat eXtension.