Meat Goat Blog

Goat Minerals Follow-Up Question

Post suggestion by Allan

I recently got an e-mail from a long-time viewer of the blog with some follow-up questions regarding a post I wrote a few years ago about avoiding Coccidiosis. Here's how the conversation went:

Matt,

I have several questions but first a little background. My wife and I bought a ranch as I retired ten years ago. It is in south Texas and adjoins her parents’ ranch. We have also taken over my father-in-law’s cattle operations.

However eight months ago, at age 89, he decided he would start a goat business. He knows little about goats so I have been trying to learn as much as I can from websites like your blog ever since. That said, I am very interested in learning better ways to do it both for helping today and to prepare me for tomorrow.

Your blog has me interested in Rumensin minerals. Would you be willing to give me some advice as to how you feed this product to your goats?

What period of the year do you use the SweetLix with Rumensin?

Do you control which goats have access to it?

How do you make certain all the goats you feel should have it actually get it? Our goats have a pecking order around the feed and I’m sure some don’t get any at all.

Do you have to get the doelings/bucklings you wish to sell off of the medicated feed for a defined period before they can be sold?

My father-in-law still has good forage available (50% south Texas brush, 50% pasture with mixed grasses/ weeds). The only supplemental food he puts out is corn. Initially it was to train the herd to come in every night. But as soon as we get a freeze things will change more.

Thanks,

Allan

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Allan,

Welcome to the goat business! I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

I'm happy to tell you about what has worked for us; I'm not a vet, though.

We don't mix our minerals with anything. We just leave them out for the goats to eat whenever their bodies need them. We offer free-choice minerals year-round but mainly worry about Rumensin minerals from about a month before kidding until the kids are weaned. We offer minerals to every goat on the ranch but NOT TO HORSES. I've been told that goat minerals have too much copper for a horse and can kill them. I'm not sure if this is true for cattle. We give our goats Sweetlix 16:8 Meat Maker with Rumensin. I found an online store that carries it here.

Since the minerals are always available, the goats usually don't fight over them too much. Any goat that wants the minerals can walk over and get them. We have had to stop providing minerals for a few months occasionally; when we put them out again, the goats will sometimes eat a whole bag in about 48 hours. After a couple weeks, they slow down again. 200 goats will eat a 25lb bag about every 2 weeks. But, the rate varies wildly depending on the season.

I believe Rumensin is safe to feed to animals before slaughter. I found this FDA article that says it can be used to increase weight gain in slaughter cattle (among other uses).

We use a swivel feeder that we got from a friend to give the minerals to the goats. At the time, we never would have paid this much money for a glorified feed bowl. However, I would definitely pay for one today. We've been using ours for over 10 years and it still gets the job done. The fin on the top of the feeder turns the opening away from the wind when it's raining. This keeps the minerals dry. The swivel also prevents the goats from knocking it over. It doesn't take very many bags of ruined minerals to pay for the feeder. Here's a link to a similar Sydell product.

If we do give feed (separate from the minerals), we usually use 20% protein cattle cubes. The main reason they need feed is to supplement a lack of good weeds to eat when the property gets eaten down too much. Protein is the most important thing in bagged feed.

I hope this helps! Keep questions like these coming. I'll probably start turning them into posts that might help other people who have the same questions!

-- Matt

 

How to Transport a Goat

As ranchers, most of the goats we sell get loaded in the bed of a pickup truck or the back of a trailer so they can reach their new owner's farm further down the road. Some folks bring rigs that look nicer than most houses; others have simpler setups that get the job done just as well. But, there are a few tips we like to give prospective goat breeders before they drive off with their new herd.

A goat trailer should be fully secured from top to bottom. In case you hadn't heard, goats are pretty good at jumping! Since goats like to lie close to each other on road trips, they make excellent launching platforms for any escape-minded travelers in the group. To avoid this, the trailer walls or truck pen should either be very tall (which often isn't practical) or they should have a ceiling of some sort. No one wants to see a flying goat in their rear-view mirror!

Also, a goat trailer should have some wind protection to keep the animals warm and to protect their eyes. The air moving through a trailer at 75 miles-per-hour can get very cold very fast. Goats will do fine huddling together for warmth in most weather. However, a trailer without wind protection can produce wind chills that are just too cold for their health. Furthermore, the air running through the trailer can damage their eyes with enough time. Fast-moving air will dry their eyes much faster than the winter wind ever did on the farm. With enough exposure, that can lead to temporary 'wind-blindess' or even long-term eye problems.

So, whether you've got a Hollywood mansion on wheels or a faded stock trailer with a dent in the side, make sure you take a few precautions so your goats will be in top shape once they reach their new home.

When to Wean: There Go the Kids

With the 2017 kidding season already underway, we've been getting lots of calls from people wanting to buy goats as soon as they're available. But, the kids need to be raised and weaned before they can be sold. So how long should a goat rancher wait before weaning?

Well, there are a couple of things to consider when weaning kids. You don't want to wean them too early - otherwise their growth will be stunted. But, you don't want to leave them too long either; then, the bucklings will start breeding everything they can reach.

We've found that it's usually best to wait between 60 and 90 days before separating the kids from their mothers. This gives the kids adequate time to grow strong on their mother's milk and to begin eating a few weeds. Once the kids are separated from their mothers (preferably out of her line of sight), the doe will have a chance to regenerate her strength for next breeding season without needing to provide nutrition for three.

Thanks for the suggestion, Allan!

Good Parasite Resistance in Goats

Like your mother used to say: “life isn’t always fair.” Whether at your job or on the news, sometimes it can feel like the world is full of parasites who take your hard work and give nothing in return. These same parasites exist in the goat business. Many goats are susceptible to gastrointestinal parasites or “worms” which leach nutrients from the animal’s bloodstream. This drain of the animal’s resources causes anemia which leaves them malnourished, weak, and unable to raise kids. Fortunately, certain goats have a genetically occurring immunity or “resistance” to internal parasites. Good parasite resistance in goats allows them to stay healthy and strong in order to care for themselves and raise their kids without adding economic strain to the rancher.

A goat that is overrun by parasites, becomes feeble and unable to reach food or evade predators. The internal parasites sap the goat’s nutrients making it difficult for them to keep pace with the rest of the herd. This means that the goat must choose between eating less while trying to stay with the group or leaving the group to become a target for coyotes or roaming dogs. If a parasite-weakened goat is attacked by a predator, they will be unable to escape because of their malnourishment. Thus, a goat with intestinal worms is susceptible to starvation or predation due to the nutritional drain of the parasites.

Furthermore, a goat that hosts too many internal parasites is often unable to raise kids because they do not have the resources to get pregnant or care for their young. If a doe (or buck) becomes undernourished due to internal parasites, their fertility will decline in an attempt to preserve their strength. Since a goat that doesn’t produce kids cannot pay their keep on the ranch, a resistance to internal parasites is an integral characteristic of a profitable goat. But, even if a doe manages to get pregnant and give birth, she will not be able to quickly raise her kids to a desirable size for sale or slaughter. If her kids do not sell for a reasonable price because they are underfed, a wormy goat is inherently less profitable than a parasite resistant goat. So, a goat that is not immune to internal parasites will struggle to provide value while skipping breeding cycles or producing underweight stock.

However, some ranchers counteract their goats’ susceptibility to parasites by investing time and money in pasture rotation and wormers. In order to curtail the number of worms which accumulate when goats stay in one place for too long, the herd can be cycled to a ‘fresh’ pen every two weeks to allow the parasites to die without a host. To be effective, this system requires that the pasture be cross-fenced to create at least 3-4 pens. Not only does pasture rotation incur additional fencing costs, but the owner must also be diligent to move their goats on schedule or risk allowing the parasites to gain the upper hand. If the parasites successfully infect the herd, the rancher must purchase expensive wormers to treat the ailing livestock. Though effective wormers are still available, the chemicals in many products have become ineffective since the worms are developing an immunity. This means that more and more wormer is required in order to treat the parasites. Raising goats that are resistant to parasites eliminates the economic and time costs required by rotational grazing and worming.

So, don’t let parasites get you down by killing your goats, ruining your kid crop, and robbing you of time and money! Goats that are not burdened by internal parasites will outperform their peers in the metrics that really matter. Then, even if you can’t solve all the problems you see on the news, at least you’ll still have great goats!

Using Spanish Goats as Boer Recip Does

To quickly increase a pedigreed goat's offspring, show goat ranchers often use embryo transfer to implant artificially fertilized eggs in does with less recognized bloodlines. The recipient, or 'recip', does then carry, birth, and raise the genetically unrelated kid to weaning. While some ranchers may try to use their own 'less showy' stock to rear the kids, many Boer breeders prefer to use Spanish recip does.

Even after paying vet bills and expensive buck fees for the embryo transplants, insufficient mothering can result in poorly developed or even deceased kids. This is why Spanish does make excellent Boer recip does. Spanish does, which owe their genetics to survival of the fittest, have superb mothering abilities from kidding to weaning.

While Boers excel in body mass and aesthetic appeal, Spanish goats are built for raising hardy and healthy kids. With Spanish does, there's no need to worry about kidding. Birthing a Spanish doe is as easy as coming out the next morning to find a happy new kid playing in the barn.

Spanish udders are naturally tight and easy to nurse. Since Spanish does are not registered, commercial ranchers have much less incentive to propagate the genetics of does that do not perform. Therefore, Spanish genetics for mothering and health, on the whole, surpass those of their pedigreed counterparts. Very rarely will you find a Spanish doe that abandons her kid before weaning.

Though I could continue to praise the natural mothering abilities of Spanish goats, many Boer breeders choose Spanish goats for another reason - price. To afford the highest quality Boer bucks and does for the embryo transfer, ranchers need to limit all other expenses as much as possible. Fortunately, Spanish goats are much more economical than pedigreed Boers.

For a fraction of the price of a registered doe, Boer breeders can purchase enough Spanish does to perform their entire embryo transfer. Since the does are self sufficient, the rancher can sleep well at night - no need to worry about pulling kids at 2 o'clock in the morning. Once the kids hit the ground, the excellent instincts of their Spanish surrogate mother will ensure that the kid grows healthy and strong. For more information about Spanish or Spanish/Kiko cross recip does, check out Post Oak Ranch, LLC.

Purchasing Breeding Stock - Quick Tips

When you're buying breeding stock, consider purchasing grown does. Many new ranchers want to buy young doelings to start their herd 'from scratch.' But, they don't realize that their approach has some downsides. Small yearling does are often targets for predators and may not be biologically ready for fall breeding. In our experience, two-year-olds are a safer option for a new herd.

Determining the Parasite Levels in Your Herd - Quick Tips

If you'd like to have an numeric method for determining the parasites in your goats, you might consider using a fecal egg count. Although Famacha eye scores are more convenient for on-ranch observation, by sending a few manure samples to your local veterinarian, you can get a more precise understanding of the parasite load on your pasture and your herd.

What Age to Buy Breeding Stock: Kids or Does

We got an e-mail a while back asking what age of goats we recommended a new rancher purchase. Though I often make the case for beginners to purchase proven does instead of kids, the excitement of starting a herd at “ground zero” usually overrides the logic of buying grown stock. So, based on my experience, here is my advice for what age of goats to buy – take it or leave it!

I prefer not to buy does until they are at least a year old – preferably two years. When we purchased our original breeding stock, we tried buying both doelings and grown does. The older goats almost always had a better overall result. The obvious disadvantage of the grown does is that they are that much closer to the end of their usable years (usually around 8-9 years old). However, at two years old, they are just entering their prime.

The disadvantage of doelings is that the first year can be a very difficult one. We lose more does before they reach one year old than any other age (that's why the price goes up after they reach a year). Since they are smaller, they are easier targets for predators. No matter the breeding program, there will be some natural survival of the fittest. That first year is usually a very telling period for which goats are the fittest and which ones aren’t.

Bucks are another consideration when buying young does. When the doelings are 8-9 months old, they are still pretty small. This is why we keep a couple bucklings to breed our kids, instead of our older sires. Once the bucks reach about 2 years old, they are just too big to breed to the little doelings without hurting them. If you do decide to breed any doelings, you will definitely have a better result using a buckling instead of a grown buck. Young bucklings (under a year old) can usually cover 10-15 does per cycle.

But the doelings’ struggles don’t end after breeding. While they’re carrying their kids, the doelings are still very young - and it takes a toll on them to raise that first set while they are still trying to grow themselves. We breed our young doelings almost every year to get their hormones in phase (we usually wait until they are 8-9 months old though) - but we usually don't require much from their first kidding cycle. So the bottom line: this means that you must hold on to these does for almost a year and a half before you start seeing a decent number of kids hit the ground. As long as you understand that buying doelings is a long term investment, any age can be a good choice. But I think most new ranchers would like to see a return on investment a little sooner.

What are Fecal Egg Counts?

We talk all the time about using Famacha eye scores to determine a goat's parasite load. But what if you really need to know for sure how many worms your goats have? Enter fecal egg counts. Fecal egg counts are pretty basic for the people who know what they're doing (i.e. veterinarians) but lay-folk like me wouldn't know the first thing about how to do one.

So here's a video by Parassitologia, using sheep, that explains what you need to send the vet and how to collect it.

If you're also curious about how the fecal egg counts work, check out this video from the UK by ScientifEQ (FYI, they spell fecal with an extra "a" across the pond). The video performs the count on horse manure, but they do a good job explaining how the process works.

The idea behind fecal egg counts is that if you use a microscope to count the number of parasite eggs per unit area it will give you a rough idea of the number of worms in the animal. This method is the accepted standard for getting quantified data on the parasitism of the animal.

But for most commercial operations, fecal egg counts are not economically viable for keeping records on individual goats within the herd. Most veterinarians charge $10-$15 a sample and it takes more work to collect the fecal samples than to check the eyes. Fecal egg counts are most effective, for small operations and large operations that only want to get a rough idea of the parasites in the entire herd. Otherwise, we recommend the Famacha eye score system.

How Often to Worm Goats?

How often should I worm my goats? The smart alec reply is "as often as they're wormy." But that can be difficult to determine. Worming goats is a tricky business - worm too often and you allow the parasites to become immune to the wormer. Don't worm often enough and you lose goats. There are a few ways of testing whether your goats are wormy - ranging from Famacha eye scores and body condition scores to fecal egg counts. But the frequency of worming can vary drastically depending on your environment.

In dry or cold climates like Arizona or Montana, parasites will likely have a much harder time surviving than in more humid climates like Florida. Here in Oklahoma, our weather can be quite varied - but it usually leans slightly to the heavy side of the parasite range.

But the biggest factor affecting how often you worm is the parasite resistance of your herd. When we started off, we wormed about 4 times a year (and lost a lot of goats anyway). Thanks to a lot of hard culling, now we only have to worm one (or in wet years two) times a year. It takes a lot of effort to produce a herd that can hold its own against the parasites - but the reduced management time more than compensates for it.

The best way we've found for determining the parasite resistance of your herd without breaking the bank on vet bills is to keep some records of the Famacha eye scores. This also lets you know which does have the heaviest parasite loads. Using this information, you will be able to identify the goats that need to be sold and the ones that should be bred.