How we raise goats here!
This is how we raise goats here currently. There is no one single way to do things...goats are flexible and there are MANY different ways to do it. This is just a guideline. If you like our goats and want yours to look and perform similarly, this is how we do. Please note that we live in the high desert of Idaho. Climates and available feeds vary by region. It is a good idea to talk to the locals in your area for things that work best in that area, etc.
Kids:
Let's start from the beginning! We pull kids from their dams at birth and hand raise them, generally. It's rare for us to stray from this. We start kids with gray lambar nipples (aka caprine nipples). Then switch them to a lambar as early as a day old, but usually a few days to a week in. Very rarely, a weak or tiny kid will not take the caprine nipple well, so we use the pritchard nipple. Most small kids will easily take the gray nipple though.
Let's start from the beginning! We pull kids from their dams at birth and hand raise them, generally. It's rare for us to stray from this. We start kids with gray lambar nipples (aka caprine nipples). Then switch them to a lambar as early as a day old, but usually a few days to a week in. Very rarely, a weak or tiny kid will not take the caprine nipple well, so we use the pritchard nipple. Most small kids will easily take the gray nipple though.
Milk feeding kids:
-Birth to 24 hours:
Newborns come into the house the first day for closer monitoring and convenience for multiple feeds a day. Kids get as much heat-treated colostrum as they want in 4-6 feedings, depending when they were born and how much they will take. If a kid is stubborn about drinking from a bottle, we will occasionally tube feed the colostrum to them. It is far too important that they get it to keep fighting or let them get hungry for many hours. If they are still stubborn when colostrum is done, we will let them get a little hungry after that. To heat-treat colostrum, we use a sous-vide to hold the colostrum at temp for an hour (usually we actually leave it in there for at least 2 hours to be sure). We freeze it in small pop bottles and rotate stock.
-1 day to a few days-1 week:
Kids are put in the milking shed for another day if it's super cold or they are small and weak, which is kept just above freezing, or straight to the baby shed with lots of straw and a dog igloo if it's a decent temperature outside. We do not use heat lamps or other supplemental heat sources due to the risk of fire. Kids are fed on a bottle 4x a day with as much warm pasteurized milk as they want(supplemented with some whole cow milk from the grocery store if needed). Milk is pasteurized with a large thick bottom stock pot, an induction hot plate, and a thermometer that beeps when it's up to temp. The lambar will usually be introduced at this time. We have a lambar with the nipples down low so the kids don't give up before the milk gets to the kids. The milk is filled to the level of the nipples. We have not had great luck with the one way valves. Sometimes the kids get on it on their own, and sometimes we have to put them on it by hand at first.
-1 week to 4-6 weekds:
Lambar feeding 3x a day, as much warm milk as they want. Kids are moved outside to pens with dog igloos or calf hutches for shelter.
-4-6 weeks to 4ish months:
Lambar feeding 2x a day, up to a pint per Nigerian kid or quart per oberhasli kid per feeding. If the weather is warm, we slowly switch kids over to cold milk.
Kid Feeding/Water:
-Hay:
Good quality alfalfa hay is offered from birth, or at least no later than a week of age. At weaning time, we offer alfalfa pellets to kids in addition to the hay, twice a day until either they are a month bred or are about 6 months old if they are going to be a dry yearling.
-Water:
Offered free choice from birth or from a week old at the latest. We have found that kids really like warm water and try to offer that to them once or twice a day and keep fresh clean water in front of them at all times in a bucket.
-Grain:
We do not give grain to our kids, ever.
-Minerals:
Free choice Treasured Sunrise minerals starting at around a week old.
Kid Medications/Vaccines:
-Coccidia Prevention:
We mix Pro-Bac-C in the milk starting by a week old at the latest.
-Vaccines:
CDT at 6, 9, and 12 weeks.
Nasalgen-3 PMH at 12 weeks or sooner if being shown. Another one close to the fall shows.
Dewormer:
We will deworm if needed around weaning time with Quest horse gel.
Bo-Se:
Right before breeding time.
-Birth to 24 hours:
Newborns come into the house the first day for closer monitoring and convenience for multiple feeds a day. Kids get as much heat-treated colostrum as they want in 4-6 feedings, depending when they were born and how much they will take. If a kid is stubborn about drinking from a bottle, we will occasionally tube feed the colostrum to them. It is far too important that they get it to keep fighting or let them get hungry for many hours. If they are still stubborn when colostrum is done, we will let them get a little hungry after that. To heat-treat colostrum, we use a sous-vide to hold the colostrum at temp for an hour (usually we actually leave it in there for at least 2 hours to be sure). We freeze it in small pop bottles and rotate stock.
-1 day to a few days-1 week:
Kids are put in the milking shed for another day if it's super cold or they are small and weak, which is kept just above freezing, or straight to the baby shed with lots of straw and a dog igloo if it's a decent temperature outside. We do not use heat lamps or other supplemental heat sources due to the risk of fire. Kids are fed on a bottle 4x a day with as much warm pasteurized milk as they want(supplemented with some whole cow milk from the grocery store if needed). Milk is pasteurized with a large thick bottom stock pot, an induction hot plate, and a thermometer that beeps when it's up to temp. The lambar will usually be introduced at this time. We have a lambar with the nipples down low so the kids don't give up before the milk gets to the kids. The milk is filled to the level of the nipples. We have not had great luck with the one way valves. Sometimes the kids get on it on their own, and sometimes we have to put them on it by hand at first.
-1 week to 4-6 weekds:
Lambar feeding 3x a day, as much warm milk as they want. Kids are moved outside to pens with dog igloos or calf hutches for shelter.
-4-6 weeks to 4ish months:
Lambar feeding 2x a day, up to a pint per Nigerian kid or quart per oberhasli kid per feeding. If the weather is warm, we slowly switch kids over to cold milk.
Kid Feeding/Water:
-Hay:
Good quality alfalfa hay is offered from birth, or at least no later than a week of age. At weaning time, we offer alfalfa pellets to kids in addition to the hay, twice a day until either they are a month bred or are about 6 months old if they are going to be a dry yearling.
-Water:
Offered free choice from birth or from a week old at the latest. We have found that kids really like warm water and try to offer that to them once or twice a day and keep fresh clean water in front of them at all times in a bucket.
-Grain:
We do not give grain to our kids, ever.
-Minerals:
Free choice Treasured Sunrise minerals starting at around a week old.
Kid Medications/Vaccines:
-Coccidia Prevention:
We mix Pro-Bac-C in the milk starting by a week old at the latest.
-Vaccines:
CDT at 6, 9, and 12 weeks.
Nasalgen-3 PMH at 12 weeks or sooner if being shown. Another one close to the fall shows.
Dewormer:
We will deworm if needed around weaning time with Quest horse gel.
Bo-Se:
Right before breeding time.
Adult Does:
Dry Yearlings:
Good quality alfalfa hay, that they must clean up twice a day. A small amount of pasture as available. Free choice water and Treasured Sunrise minerals.
CDT, Nasalgen in the spring right before show season, again in the fall. Bo-Se before breeding.
Pregnant Does:
Alfalfa hay generally free choice. Alfalfa pellets once to twice a day in the last 2 weeks of pregnancy. A handful of grain once a day 2 weeks before due, and twice a day in the last week. If the does are milking, they are dried off 2-3 months before kidding and they do not get grain. Water and minerals free choice.
CDT, Nasalgen-3 PMH, and Bo-Se injection a month before due date.
Milking Does:
Alfalfa hay free choice. Alfalfa pellets twice a day in the holding pen. Grain (currently using ADM Dairy Goat feed) usually around 1/4-1/2 lb, and 1/2-1 lb for oberhasli twice a day, adjusted up or down based on body condition and production. Free choice clean water and minerals...warm water offered when it's cold.
CDT & Nasalgen in spring if they are milking through; another Nasalgen in the fall and Bo-Se before breeding.
Adults Bucks:
Alfalfa hay free choice. Minerals free choice. Clean water free choice. CDT & Nasalgen in the spring. Bo-Se before breeding and again in the spring. They are never fed grain here.