Herd Health & Management

Revised 3/6/2023 because we're always evolving...

Dr. Samuel B. Guss in his 1978 book, Management and Diseases of Dairy Goats, said there is no substitute for the "Eye of the Master" in dairy goat herd management. I would agree and find myself lingering in the barn after chores, observing, thinking, and planning. We are also constantly evolving our protocols as a result of education and experience. 

Here are a few highlights and thoughts:

BioSecurity -

• We have a strong bias for a closed herd. We rarely bring adult does in to our setting, just recently providing a home for my mother's Nubian micro herd, and then after full testing, knowing her herd had been CAE negative for many years. And, there was that spotlight sale doe that time. She was tested for everything imaginable, though.

• We have brought in bucks from time to time, but have made a point to seek out herds that are either CAE negative (strongly preferred), or have a protocol of CAE prevention in place - plus a negative test, which we renew every year. We do not typically run these bucks with any does, and hand breed everything.

CAE / Johne's - 

• Our herd has so far remained CAE and Johne's negative. Since we have a long track record now, we have moved to testing only the senior does each January before kidding. We practice biosecurity at shows as much as possible, reducing nose-to-nose contact, tack pens as buffers, and knowing our neighbors.

Kids -

• We dam raise our kids and I'm a big believer in this, however it requires some management. The first few days of making sure udders are being completely emptied, and routine handling of all the kids (playing with them) are all really important in making this work. I've recently learned the term for what we do is actually share raising, so perhaps not what you think of when you think of dam raised. It's pretty intense in the first week or so, but pays off later in the season when I pretty much only have to milk does once a day. 

• Kids have access to a creep feed area with free choice grain where they also tend to nap as a group. Sibling groups have very strong relationships and will almost always be segregated from each other. It's quite fascinating.

• I admit to being a bit passionate about this. Although raised as a child with a very traditional approach to pulling all kids, I find it hard to contemplate taking my girls' babies away anymore. It's incredibly rewarding to see the bonding, the sibling groups, and watching a natural herd interact. It's become important to me and I find it very doable, just needs monitoring.

• We disbud to prevent horn growth on all kids, even market wethers. The age we do this varies a lot, based on birth weight, horn growth, and kid size. We use a kid box to hold them - something that makes it much more humane for both parties. I do not do them in groups, I will heat up that iron for just one kid when it's the right time for that kid. Iodine and silver spray on the buds, back down to mom, and they forget all about it.

• We use an elastrator to castrate buck kids, usually at around 7 weeks or so. I go by their ability to extend and their increasing aggression toward their sisters. Banamine is used for pain and I always do this at dusk so they sleep through the first few hours. EDIT for 2023 - I did a pilot last year because we had a number of buck reservations and an extended kidding season, so I left buck kids intact until that 14 week mark when they were sent to market. This seemed to work fine, since Lamanchas are so seasonal at breeding. I may dispense with banding going forward, it's the most uncomfortable and risky thing I do to kids. I will update if this is permanent.

• I wean kids at 3, 4, or even 5 months - at which point they are nearly mom's size, so it gets silly. Having kids on moms saves me a ton of work in milking, and it grows the wethers beautifully. I will commonly have 70 lb wethers at 14 weeks old, at which point they normally have worn out their welcome and go to feed local families.

Health Protocols -

• In the beginning, we really thought that providing plenty of space and sunshine would keep health problems at bay. We started with CDT vaccination protocols as a baseline, and cultivated a close relationship with Anderson Vet in Zumbrota, MN. With their guidance and our experience in the last few years, these are the things we've added:

• CDT - mom's 1-month before kidding; Kids 8 weeks and 12 weeks booster.
• Grain - Free choice grower with decoquinate as a coccidiostat for the kids. We cannot use rumensin as we have horses on the property and I won't take the risk. The toltrazuril (below) has been a good substitute to use as needed, and our outdoor spaces have been increased.
• Inforce pneumonia vaccine to all kids before they hit the show ring
• Trying some Vimco vaccines this year. I've never actually had a case of mastitis that I'm aware of, but had one doe reduce production on one side. There appear to be no side effects so we'll make a test of this in 2023. UPDATE--I really didn't bother with this beyond the first doe and decided against it for now, more for the trouble of the IM shots which I hate!

Medicine Cabinet -

• Nuflor - the Inforce vaccine has prevented the pretty routine case of pneumonia from at least one kid from every show, but still will have the occasional kid get a fever and this knocks it right out. 
• Toltrazuril - our new "go to" for coccidiosis. We use as treatment and not preventive. 

Parasites -

• We are almost on a dry lot - though there is grass available, the does really don't touch it much with really good hay in front of them. Fecals have never yielded a treatable level, but in one case I did dose one with orally with injectable ivermectin as she was edging a little close. Our vet keeps an eye on FAMACHA for us and we'll run a fecal every once in awhile through them.
• Update for 2023 - ran one fecal (Luna), we continue to have no treatable levels. Goal is to learn to do these myself, I understand it's not difficult.
• Update for 2024 - still haven't learned to do fecals, on the list. Yearling milker Toast was our sample for this year, vet ran fecal, no treatable level. 

Freshinging Yearlings -

• I'm going to add a section here in 2023, because I'm mulling this. I do have a bias to freshening yearlings, because I believe with the high growth rate I have and with reasonable management, it works fine. That, and kids often getting their dry legs (we are a show herd primarily), many times dries will just sit out the whole next season as no more wins are needed until fresh. 

• All that said, some of the bucks we've brought in recently seem to be throwing some kids that need that extra year. I'll continue to have a bias to yearling freshening because I think it's a worthy goal to breed toward, but will likely be keeping some dries out more than I have in the past, at least in the near term while we work through these lines. Two things I don't particularly like, "awkward phase" and "worth the wait." I'm not a patient person and I know I can make ones where you don't have to say things like that. But, for health reasons right now, I have a few who need that extra year.

A Final Word -

• We will run a goat down to the vet in a heartbeat to get their input, as well as getting them on-site.  Dr. Amy and the rest of the doc's at Anderson Vet are one of the reasons we have experienced zero mortality in the 8 years we have had the Lamanchas. EDIT--2023 hit like a freight train and we lost two does. I guess we were due.