Goat Production 2.

Conformation MUSCLING

GOAT - adapt well to hot environments because of their

small size and a higher ratio of body-surface
area to body weight.
GOAT MILK - primary milking & meat source of humans.
- perceived health benefits & unique taste.
- similar in composition to cow milk but
some important differences exist in the
protein structure.
Selection of Breeds goat 3. Conformation TOP LINE
 Average Scrotal circumference - 25 cm (Adult Bucks)
 Bucks do not present abnormalities of the mouth
such as an undershot or overshot jaw.
 Exhibit a good sense of smell.
 Structural soundness like strong feet.
Typical traits that goat producers are aiming for in their
selection and breeding program include:
 Growth rate
 Conformation such as feet, udder, and jaw
 Frame size 4. Conformation FEET & LEGS
 Carcass and meat characteristics  Hind Leg Angulation
 Fertility and fecundity
 Ease of kidding
 Mothering ability
 Temperament
 Fibre characteristics
 Milk production
 Physical characteristics such as skin color
Breeding & Selection Tools
 Visual Selection - quick, efficient, and cost-effective
for many traits. It can occur at various times  Rear/ Back Legs (Rear View)
throughout a goat’s life and should be ongoing.
 Raw data - For traits that can be measured, such as
weight, using raw data can improve the accuracy of
selection and breeding decisions compared to visual
selection for these traits.
 Estimated Breeding Values
 Live weight (including birth weight)
 Fat and Eye muscle depth
 Front Legs (Front View)
 Carcasses weight
 Number of kids born & weaned
 Scrotal circumference
 Worm egg count

1. Conformation FRAME SIZE

 Withers - highest point of spine at base of
neck and between shoulder blades; should
be high and sharp with tightly adjoined
shoulder blades.  Front Legs (Side View)
 Heart Girth - measurement of body depth
or circumference behind elbow; should be
full at point of elbow due to long, well-
sprung fore ribs and wide chest floor.
 Rump - surface area of pelvis, framed by
hips (front), thurls (side), and pin bones
(rear); should be long, wide and nearly level
in length and width.
  Pastern
Body Condition Score (BCS)
 BCS 1 – visually emaciated and weak.
- (Backbone) highly visible & forms a
continuous ridge
- (Flank) hollow & (Ribs) clearly visible.
- No fat cover & fingers can easily penetrate
into the intercostal spaces.
 BCS 2 – (Backbone) still visible w/ continuous ridge.
- (Ribs) still seen & felt and intercostal spaces
are smooth, but can still be penetrated.
- Small amount of fat cover.
 BCS 3 – (Backbone) not prominent.
- (Ribs) barely discernible & intercostal
spaces are felt using pressure.
- An even layer of fat covers the ribs.
 BCS 4 – (Backbone & Ribs) cannot be seen.
- Animal Side is sleek in appearance.
 BCS 5 – (Backbone) buried in fat & (Ribs) not visible.
- Rib cage is covered with excessive fat.
Factors to Consider when Selecting Replacement Stocks
 Doe and Buck’s pedigree history
 Overall health and condition
 Easy-keeping animals
 Body structure or body condition score
 Teat quality & Weaning weights
 Quarantine new goats for a minimum of 7 days
to avoid spreading diseases.
Criteria For Culling
 Does - poor reproductive performers with low
profitability.
- present frequent prolapsed uterine, or the
version of the internal uterine layer to the
outside the doe’s vagina.
- poor or low milk production & incapable of
rearing kids to wean.
- fail to maintain adequate body condition.
 Bucks - poor conformation such as cryptorchidism.
- Signs of genetic abnormalities such as
hypoplasia or undeveloped testicles.
- Watch for orchitis, an inflammation of the
testicles (can cause sterility).
HOUSING & SELECTION
 Shed or Shelter – goat house
 Paddock – small enclosure or field of grassland,
especially one used to exercise or graze animals.
Importance of goat housing
 To keep goats healthy.
 Clean and hygienic environment on the farm gives
better health to the goats.
 Weight of the goats & their kids increases rapidly
with good hygiene and shed management.
 It decreases medical expenditure
 Profit also increases
5 requirements of good housing for Goats
1. Building should be adequately ventilated but not
drafty.
2. Walls and ceiling should be free from condensation
3. Bedded area should be relatively dry and clean
4. Hay, grain, and water receptacles must be well-built
and located so that feed is not wasted or
contaminated
5. Facilities should provide easy access to the animals
and require a minimum amount of labor.
How to make Goat House
 Constructed in a well-drained elevated plain area
with easy access to transport, electricity, and water.
 East-West Orientation
 Soil floor (recommended). Bamboo, wooden slats,
or plastic floors are utilized in raised goat houses
built in high rainfall, high humidity, and flood-prone
places.
Floor Management
 Remove the topsoil once in 3 months.
 Use lime powder once in 10 days to reduce the
moisture content.
 Provide bedding to the kids up to 3 months of age
to prevent soil licking.
Roof
 Thatched roof is the best-suited one due to cheaper
cost and durability.
 Tiles, cemented sheets, or thermally insulated GI
sheets.
Walls
 side walls & length of the shed - 4 feet, with the
remaining height left open for installing iron mesh
for free air circulation.
Shelter Surrounding
 maintain the green vegetation and greenery all
around the shed adjacent to the goat shelter.
 separate provision of water and feeders of fixed or
movable type.
 under the thermal comfort zone so that productivity
will be optimum.
 Run area should Double the width of covered area.
 Design the facility so that there is less distance
involved while carrying and removing manure or
other sources of contamination such as soiled
bedding from the sick area.
Ventilation Space
 Air is essential for the animals' oxygen requirements
& the elimination of moisture, humidity, and other
gasses from the shed.
 During the hot and rainy seasons, optimal
ventilation should be supplied throughout the day
and night.
Space Requirements
Types of Housing
1. GROUND FLOOR SHED PLAN - largely used in the
world & commonly seen in countries with no
flooded areas.
2. ELEVATED GOAT HOUSING PLAN - important in high
rainfall and flooded areas. Remains clean & hygienic
because the manure of goats goes down from the
floor and the shed remains dry every time.
3. PLASTIC SLATTED FOR GOATS - considered good for
the goats because the floor is elevated from the
ground. Less labor & management are required in it.
All the litter of goats goes down the ground & floor
remains hygienic for 24 hours and the Goat remains
healthy and disease free.
Required for the Pregnant goat and male breeder of
the flock & helps much in growth and weight gain.
4. HIGH ALTITUDE COLD CLIMATE SHED PLAN - closed
type sheds and only for cold climate Goat breeds,
these sheds are much more expensive than normal
sheds.
Floor Materials
 Plastic Slatted Floor – available anywhere.
 designed for goat farming.
 Elevated sheds at 4 to 6 ft above the ground.
 Wooden Slatted Floor
 designed for low weight animals
 Elevated sheds at 4 to 6 ft above the ground.
Cleanliness
 Shed cleaning – 3x in a day.
 Shed washing – 2x a week.
 Spraying dewormer & lime powder - every month.
 Coloring boundaries with whitewash
 Burning shed - every 3 months to kill bacteria
Feeders – feed goats 2-3x a day. Not overlap each other
during feeding time, otherwise, some goats will be left
hungry and some will be overeating.
Drinkers – used in open paddock areas. Washed every
day. Goats don’t like the wet area so drinkers may be
outside the house of goats.
Housing Dairy Goats
1. Temperature – comfort zone 55-77°F (milk
production, feed consumption is not affected) but
80°- above (reduce feed intake & milk output)
2. Ventilation – remove heat, moisture, and odors.
Pneumonia problems occurred in poor ventilation.
3. Light – windows are essential in a closed barn.
Sunlight for warmth and drying & provides a source
of vitamin D for the animals.
2 Housing system used for Dairy Goats
 Loose Housing - run loose in a pen or shed.
 Stall Barns - confined in a small box stall or tie stall.
MILKING AREA - have a concrete floor to make cleaning
easier. 15- 18 inches in width. 3- ½ ft in length for each
animal to be tied. Manger 6 inch deep & 1 ft wide.
FENCING - keep goats in and dogs out & keep foraging
goats away from your trees and shrubs.
WASTE MANAGEMENT – remove goat waste since it
attracts or when added to hay it is the perfect
environment to lay eggs of flies & insects. Excellent
fertilizer for herbs, vegetables, trees and other crops.
NUTRITION
- consume more feeds of up to 6% of their live weight
compared to 2-3% in cattle.
- browsers with inquisitive feeding behavior and tend to
select a variety of feeds.
- can tolerate bitter taste better than cattle, adjust
feeding behavior based on the accessibility and
availability of feeds, and can efficiently digest fibrous
feeds.
 Ad libitum – unlimited or liberal feeding.
 Antibiotic – a substance produced by molds, which
inhibits growth or kills bacteria.
 By-pass protein – dietary protein, which has passed
or escaped rumen undegraded.
 Forage – anything suitable as feed for ruminants,
usually with lower nutritive value and
digestibility than concentrates.
 Gestation – preggy, a period from fertilization-birth.
 Lactation period – a period during which the dam
produces milk from the time of
delivery of her young until
normal milk production ceases.
 Nutrient – applied to any food constituent, or group
of feed constituents of the same general
chemical composition, that aids in the
support of life.
 Pasture – land with herbage or forage crops for
grazing animals.
 Ration – feed allowed for given animals for a day of
24 hours, whether it is fed at one time or in
proportion at different times.
 Roughage – feed that is relatively high (at least 18%)
in fiber and low in digestible nutrients.
 Silage – any feed material preserved in silos.
FEEDS FOR GOATS
 Roughages. Cheapest source of nutrients for goats.
Roughages include grasses, legumes, crop by-
products, and tree/shrub leaves.
 Concentrates. Feeds low in fiber and high in energy
content. While rains (corn) and oil meals (soybean
oil meal) are excellent sources of energy and protein
for ruminants, respectively, they are best utilized in
swine and poultry rations.
The following by-products of agro-industrial processing
are more suitable for goat feeding:
 Rice bran - feeding value is related to the amount of
finely ground rice hull mixed with the bran.
 Corn bran - similar to rice bran in feeding value, but
has a lower fat content.
 Copra meal - a good source of both energy and
protein for goats. Availability and price are the
limiting factors in its use as goat feed.
 Cane molasses - a good energy source, but low in
protein content. Also used in concentrate mixtures
to reduce dustiness.
List of some cultivated and indigenous fodder species:
Cultivated:
1. Ipil Ipil (Leucaena leucocephala) – a fast-growing
tropical tree that is a source of fertilizer, animal
feed, and timber.
2. Kakawate (Gliricidia sepium) - known as madre de
cacao. Many folkloric uses in the Philippines such as
wound healing, skin itching, or dermatitis.
3. Calliandra (Calliandra calothyrsus) - small tropical
legume tree valued for its multipurpose attributes.
Used in agroforestry systems, it yields many
products and provides services.
4. Desmanthus (Desmanthus virgatus) -highly variable
perennial legume. Morphology and habit range
from a prostrate herbaceous plant, less than 50 cm
high.
5. Rensonii (Desmodium rensonii) - used most often
as a fodder tree in a system of hedgerows and alley
cropping. As a legume, it produces nitrogen-rich
foliage (crude protein- 20-22%).
6. Flemingia (Flemingia macrophylla) - Perennial,
deep-rooting, leafy shrub, 0.5‒2.5 (‒3) m high.
Prostrate to erect growth habit, numerous stems
arising from the base.
7. Katuray (Sesbania grandiflora) - flowers of a small
tree with light foliage that thrives in arid and tough
conditions.
8. Amarillo (Arachis pintoii) - is a perennial tropical
legume useful for pasture, ground cover and as an
ornament.
9. Stylo (Stylosanthes guianensis) - tropical legume
shrub widely grown for forage throughout the
tropics and subtropics.
Indigenous:
1. Binunga (Macaranga tanarius) - small- to medium-
sized dioecious tree up to 20 m.
2. Kalios (Streblus asper) – rigid & densely branched
tree, 4 to 15 meters high. Leaves are oblong-ovate
to subrhomboid, 4 to 12 centimeters long, very
rough on both sides.
3. Anabiong (Trema orientalis) - medium to large sized
tree, growing in the average 20 meters and attaining
diameters of 60 cm at breast height.
4. Anonang (Cordia dichotoma) – a tree growing to a
height of 5 to 10 meters, deciduous and smooth
5. As-is maya (Ficus angustissima) - a stately house
plant with plain green, glossy evergreen foliage
6. Hauili (Ficus hauil) - an erect, small tree, growing 3
to 8 meters high, smooth, with more or less hairy
young shoots.
7. Aratiles (Muntingia calabura) - a popular edible
fruit in the Philippines. A fast-growing tree, 5 to 10
meters high, with spreading branches.
Use of UREA in goat diets
- efficient in utilizing nonprotein nitrogen in the diet.
- High concentration of ammonia in the blood is toxic
and fatal to ruminants. Hence, urea as a supplement
for goats must be used with caution.
The following guidelines are recommended for the safe
use of urea:
Add fertilizer-grade urea at not more than:
 1% of the ration (DM basis)
 2–3% of the concentrate mixture (air-dry basis)
 25–30% of the total dietary protein
 Give adequate sources of energy (molasses, corn)
 Provide sufficient amounts of minerals in case
molasses is used.
 provide a daily allowance of urea in small amounts
throughout the day instead of just one feeding.
 Mix urea well with other feed ingredients.
Suggested Feeding Guides for Goats
Feeding concentrate mixture one month prior to
lambing until the does are bred again results in the
following:
 Bigger kids with higher survival rates;
 More milk from does result in heavier weaning kids;
 Early and regular post-lambing estrus;
 High succeeding pregnancy rate;
 Better body conditions of does and kids during
lactation period.
BREEDING & REPRODUCTION
 Doe - A female goat
 Buck - A male goat
 Doeling - Female goat less than a year old
 Buckling - Male goat less than a year old
 Kids - Baby goats
 Wether - A castrated male goat
 Rut – a mating season for goats; when a buck is "in
a rut" he experiences an increase in testosterone
and heightened sexual interest in female goats
 Kidding – an act of giving birth of goats
 Freshening - occurs when a doe is preggy, starts
lactation, comes into milk; the 1ST time experiences,
she is referred to as a "First Freshener" or "FF".
Breeding Management
 Goat - characterized by being seasonal polyestrous.
 Set of puberty: 6-8 months of age (does) & 4-6
months of age (bucks)
 Sexually mature: 4-6 months
 In season (when Does are fertile): September &
March; fertility lasts up to 3 days. Once mated,
goats can stay in milk for 2-3 years.
 No. of offspring: 1-3 Kids
 Duration of Standing Estrus: 36 hours, but it can be
24–48 hours depending on age.
 Ovulation: 9–72 hours after the onset of estrus,
typically toward the end of standing estrus.
 Weaning (coming off milk onto solids): not usually
weaned any earlier than 10 – 12 weeks.
 Handling: Goats are sensitive, intelligent animals
that should be handled in a smooth, calm manner.
 Companionship: Goats are social and happier in
pairs. They do have a ‘pecking order’.
 "Flushing," or "focused feeding": a nutritional
boost is supplied in a short period of time to
enhance reproductive efficiency in ruminants
without affecting body condition.
 August-December breeding season, especially late
Summer & early Fall, goats have the highest fertility
& semen quality & volume.
 Male-female ratio: 1:20.
 Young males can be put into experienced older
goats to younger ones which helps in better mating.
 Males must replace or exchanged once in 2 years to
avoid inbreeding.
 Breeding goats of indigenous breeds: 18-24 months
depending upon their body condition.
 Breeding too young results in more weakling &
higher lamb loss.
 Body weight of a goat at breeding: less than the
adult body weight of that breed.
 Gestation length: 145–155 days (average 150 days)
and can be affected by breed, litter weight,
environment, and parity.
 First-kidding does: 1 or 2 kids & in subsequent
kiddings, triplets & quadruplets are not uncommon.
 Progesterone production for maintenance of
pregnancy depends entirely on the corpus luteum,
with a drastic decline in progesterone occurring 12–
24 hours before kidding.
Estrous Cycle
 "Alpine" type breeds; originated from colder
climates, including La Mancha, Saanen, Alpine,
Oberhasli, and Nubian, will pretty much only breed
during the typical goat breeding season which runs
from August to December each year.
 "Equatorial Breeds" that originated from hotter
climates, like miniature breeds including Pygmy
and Nigerian Dwarf, as well as meat goat breeds,
can breed year round.
 Go into heat: every 17-24 days. It occurs in a doe
about every 21 days & can last 12 to 48 hours.
 Some of the typical signs of a doe being in heat
are:
 Flagging tail
 Clumped/wet hair on the side of her tail
 Mucous discharge from vagina
 Swollen red rear end
 Yelling (more than usual)
 Fighting Mounting other does& letting
them mount her
 Interest in a buck or a "buck rag”
Buck Rag - created by taking a rag, rubbing it all over a
buck, then keeping it in a jar & using it to help does
come into heat. Just by letting a doe smell the rag, can
sometimes trigger her to come into heat.
Rut – in bucks it is characterized by a strong odor, the
Does do not have it unless the Buck has rubbed his
scent onto them.
Gestation Period
 After the female goat has given birth, she will eat
the placenta which gives her most needed
nutrients, helps to control blood flow and also
reduces the birth scent to predators.
 A healthy Doe will produce 6 pounds of milk per
day while she is in ‘milk’.
 Signs of pregnancy include:
 Missed heat cycle
 Puffy vulva
 Goat appears wider than normal
 Movement felt on goat's right side
(movement on left side is rumen)
 Udder starts developing (often about a
month before kidding)
 Other ways to detect pregnancy in goats include:
1. Blood Test
  need a blood sample from your doe and you
can send it off to a lab to test for pregnancy.
2. Milk Test
 send a milk sample to a lab that does this
kind of testing and the lab can let you know if
your doe is pregnant again.
3. Urine Test
4. Goat Ultrasound
 one of the most reliable tests for goat
pregnancy. However, it tends to be more
expensive since it usually is performed by a
trained vet technician
Care for Pregnant Goat
 Keep pregnant animals separated from others.
 Provide adequate nutrition, an easily digestible and
laxative diet.
 Do not allow them to fight with each other.
 Do not allow them to mix with recently aborted
animals.
 Shortly before the doe is due to freshen, clip hair
around the udder, hindquarters, and tail for greater
cleanliness.
 If the goat continues to produce milk, dry her off at
least 6 to 8 weeks before expecting kidding.
Preparing for Kidding
 Minimize injury and infection. Keep pregnant does
in a separate clean shed or new pasture.
 Disinfect feeding bottles, supplementary colostrum,
heating lamps, towels, disinfectant soap, water,
lubricants, gloves, iodine navel dip, tube feeder,
scissors, injectable vitamin E/Selenium, syringes,
and needles
 For the handler, trim nails and clean hands with
soap and water, and use gloves before touching the
kids or does.
 Call a veterinarian if necessary.
3 Stages of Kidding Process
A. Stage One – The Preparatory Stage – kid should
rotate into the upright position & the cervix will
start to dilate. The doe will become restless as her
uterus starts to contract.
 Mature doe - 4-8 hours
 First time Mothers - 6-12 hours
B. Stage Two – The Delivery Stage – water sac will
appear first as the kid enters the birth canal. The
water sac will then rapture and the front feet and
head should appear. Then the kid is delivered.
 Mature doe - less than an hour
 First time Mothers - up to 4 hours
C. Stage Three – The Cleaning Stage – doe’s straining
decreases as the attachment between the uterus
and placenta relax and separates. The placenta then
is expelled from the doe. Placenta is commonly
called the "afterbirth".
 can last to 1 – 8 hours
Normal Birth
The kid can be delivered in two normal presentations;
1. Anterior Presentation - head is first with front legs
extended out of the birth canal. The majority of
births occur this way.
2. Posterior presentation - the hind legs extended
through the birth canal at the back end coming first.
Abnormal Birth
Caring for Does After Birthing
 Give the doe time to rest.
 Give a bucket of warm molasses water.
 Offer water with electrolytes.
 Catch the placenta on a tarp or feed bag so she can
easily eat it without getting mixed into the bedding.
 Let the doe lick the kid. This helps in bonding.
 The does will need good nutrition and should
receive the highest quality hay if green pasture is
not available.
After the kidding process
 Umbilical cord should break on its own after the kid
is completely out. Preferred length: 1.5 inches.
 Pour or spray antiseptic (tincture of iodine) on the
kid's navel to protect from infection.
 Make sure the kid is breathing by cleaning the
mouth and nose.
 Dry off the ears and tail to avoid freezing.
 Check the teats of the mother to see if they are
open and have milk.
 Kids that show signs of illness or do not appear to
be as active need to be checked.
Colostrum
 The first milk produced after parturition. Contains a
high content of immunoglobulins.
 ability of kids to resist disease is greatly affected by
the timing of colostrum intake, quantity and quality
of the colostrum ingested.
 Newborn kids should ingest 10-20% of their body
weight in colostrum during the first 24 hours of life
or preferably within 6-12 hours of birth to obtain
passive immunity.
Post-Natal Care
 Kids should be provided solid food: in 1ST 3 weeks of
life to stimulate rumen development & for early
weaning and forage consumption.
 Provide feed with at least 16 percent crude protein-
free choice.
 6 weeks of age, and 3-4 weeks later, give the kids a
Clostridium perfringens vaccination and tetanus
vaccine (toxoid)
 If to be sold, castrate them by at least 45 days old.
 Make sure premises are safe from predators.
Management of the Lactating Doe
 Keep milk-type goats in a quiet environment.
 Clip hairs in the udder regularly
 Separate the buck from the milking herd to avoid
taint in the milk
 for best milking results the following are important:
○ quickness ○ quietness
○ gentleness ○ regularity of the milking process
Weaning Management
 Weaning age is between 3-4 months depending on
market plans and desired weight gain.
 Weaning is a very stressful time for kids and does.
 Coccidiosis outbreaks in the kids and mastitis in the
does may occur.
 Use 4x4 woven wire on pens and well-bedded pens.
 Drinking water height: 12 inches for weaned kids.
 Move kids with their dams into the pens for
weaning for a few weeks before separating them.
 Good idea to have 2 pens available to separate your
buck and doe kids after weaning.
 Good hay and concentrate supplements are often
continued for a time when they are rapidly growing
to ensure the kids are getting their nutritional needs
met.
 After weaning, utilize your records to select the
animals you want to keep in the herd for
replacements and start managing them for that
purpose.
HERD HEALTH MANAGEMENT
Individual Goat Identification & Records for Herd
Management
 ID: tattoos, ear tags, neck tags, etc.
 Accurate record-keeping: creation and utilization of
action lists, performance evaluation, and changes in
herd status over time
 Records: Kidding log books, calendar notes,
spreadsheets and databases.
Records Systems and Health Management Plans
 commercial software programs are available for
pedigree and herd management use.
 Dairy cattle records programs for DHI (Dairy Herd
Improvement) testing and herd management.
 veterinarian can play a vital health management
role in formulating routine procedure protocols
(e.g., milking procedures, kid-rearing procedures),
treatment protocols for common diseases
(pneumonia, diarrhea, mastitis, etc.), and in devising
treatment records, which will allow evaluation of
disease incidence and response to therapy.
 Records are also needed to ensure adequate meat
and milk withdrawal periods for treated animals.
Routine Vaccination Programs
 Most goat herds are routinely vaccinated for tetanus
and for enterotoxemia (Clostridium perfringens
types C & D).
 Decisions to incorporate additional vaccines for
abortifaciens (Chlamydophila abortus,
Campylobacter spp.), contagious ecthyma
(soremouth, orf), abscesses (Corynebacterium
pseudotuberculosis), gram-negative bacteria or
respiratory disease into the herd health plan will be
based on the individual needs of the herd and the
likely risk of each disease in the herd.
 Comprehensive herd surveillance is needed before
the cost: benefit ratio for vaccination can be
determined; purebred herds of high genetic merit
may elect for more comprehensive vaccination
programs despite a relatively low risk of disease.
 Thoughtful consultation with the herd owner is
advised to avoid misunderstandings in the case of
an adverse vaccine reaction.
Vaccines in Common Use
 Caseous D-T: overeating disease (type D),
lumps/abscesses (Caseous lymphadenitis), and
tetanus.
 Vision CD-T: overeating disease/enterotoxaemia
(type C&D) and tetanus.
 Case-Bac: or Caseous lymphadinitis (CLA or
abscesses)
 Tasvax 7 or Vision 7 (7-way vaccine): overeating
disease and/or enterotoxaemia (type C & D),
tetanus, black leg, malignant edema, infectious
necrotic hepatitis (black disease), and lamb
dysentery.
 Covexin 8 or Tasvax 8 (8-way vaccine): overeating
disease or enterotoxaemia (type C & D), tetanus,
black leg, malignant edema, infectious necrotic
hepatitis (black disease), lamb dysentery, and
baciliary haemoglobinuria.
*It is important to keep epinephrine or antihistamine on
hand as some adverse reactions may occur after giving
the vaccine to the goats.
Vaccination Schedule for Enterotoxaemia and Tetanus
 Breeding or mature does: 4-6 weeks before kidding,
annually.
 Kids: get their first shot at 8 weeks of age. If the
breeding does were not vaccinated or due to
unknown status, the kids should get their first shot
as soon as possible, usually by 2 weeks of age. Kids
should always get their booster shot 4 weeks after
their first shot then 2nd booster 6 months after
their first shot.
 Breeding Bucks: Once annually
Predator Protection
Major losses in goat herds are caused by predation. 
When possible, predator-secure fencing and frequent
monitoring for fence damage and predator activity are
recommended.  On farms near populated areas,
domestic dogs are often responsible for the majority of
predator losses.  Guardian dogs or llamas have been
used with success.  Owners should be sure dog food is
protected from goat access.  The goat herd health
program should also include plans for the routine health
maintenance of guardians and working dogs and other
animals on the farm.  Rabies vaccination, routine
deworming, heartworm prevention, and
spaying/neutering of dogs (and cats if applicable) should
be included in the herd health plan
Infectious Disease Control Programs  Many of the
chronic infectious diseases of goats are acquired near
the time of birth.  Infectious disease control programs
start with planning kid-rearing strategies to minimize
infection of the neonate.  For example, in the dairy
animal, pasteurized rearing strategies are commonly
used to prevent mycoplasmosis and caprine arthritis-
encephalitis virus (CAEV); however, pasteurized rearing
(with age segregation) also reduces the risk of Johne's
disease (Mycobacterium paratuberculosis) and caseous
lymphadenitis (CLA, Corynebacterium
pseudotuberculosis).  Pasteurized rearing of
replacement kids may be used to break a CAEV or
mycoplasma infection cycle, in order to harvest low-risk
replacement kids from infected or high-risk does. 
Johne's disease risk management plans similar to those
for cattle are appropriate for goat herds. Unit 2. Goat
Production  Pregnancy toxemia in goats is similar to
that in sheep. This condition occurs during the final 6
weeks of pregnancy, when 80% of fetal growth occurs
and energy demands are highest.