Lets talk about goats!

[creaturelife]

an some one tell me a good price for me to have my goat tested for caprine arthritis encephalitis, caseous lymphadenitis, johne's diseasee

 

[chickengirl1193]

an some one tell me a good price for me to have my goat tested for caprine arthritis encephalitis, caseous lymphadenitis, johne's diseasee

I just got my goats tested. The breeder that told me about the test said that if you send it away it should cost around $25 but I don't know how to draw blood so I asked my vet to come out thinking it would only be the $25 plus the farm call. Well I got my bill and it was over $400 to test 2 goats... I was so shocked that I haven't even looked at the breakdown on the receipt they sent :/ but my vet is really over priced on everything...

 

[SA Farm]

I just got my goats tested. The breeder that told me about the test said that if you send it away it should cost around $25 but I don't know how to draw blood so I asked my vet to come out thinking it would only be the $25 plus the farm call. Well I got my bill and it was over $400 to test 2 goats... I was so shocked that I haven't even looked at the breakdown on the receipt they sent

but my vet is really over priced on everything...

YIKES!

 

[SilkiesForEver]

You'd just said the diet consist 'mainly of grass', you worded it in a way that made it sound like they ate mostly grass first, then browse. Perhaps I misunderstood what you wrote, so at least there is clarification out there now.

Yes, I worded it incorrectly. My fault.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[SilkiesForEver]

Quote: We feed a mix of grass hay and alfalfa. Why would you think pasture grazing/browsing affects the milk?
Sweet cob is a mixture of grain and corn (I think), and molasses. I'm not positive on the ingredients though. We get a big bag if cob at our local feedstore, and it lasted quite awhile for three does since we only gave it as a treat.

 

[creaturelife]

will any of those diseases pass down to her babys or could i just pull them away as soon as they are born and they wont have it i was told i could do this and it would not pass down to her babys

 

[cassie]

Goats are ruminants, and don't exactly handle grain well. A wild goat's diet consists of mainly grass and whatever they can find on trees and bushes.
It's just a personal preference, and we do feed our goats a little bit of sweet-cob after milking so they get rewarded for good behavior, but that is not their main diet.

Goats are ruminents, but they handle grain just fine. If they don't, nobody told my goats that. Not all goats need grain though. Young growing stock does if you are planning to breed them at a year and milking goats need grain unless they are fat does that are lacking in dairy character and don't milk much.

 

[creaturelife]

one time i had a sane goat and she gave me 1 gallon of goat milk but i sold her last year i am getting me a nubian milk goat on the 1st and her baby cant wait for me to get some milk back i really miss it

 

[cassie]

will any of those diseases pass down to her babys or could i just pull them away as soon as they are born and they wont have it i was told i could do this and it would not pass down to her babys

The only one of those diseases you mentioned I would worry about is CAE. If you PM me, I will give you a CAE preventon protocol. The most obvious signs of CAE are swollen knees and hard swollen udders at kidding.

 

[chickengirl1193]

We feed a mix of grass hay and alfalfa. Why would you think pasture grazing/browsing affects the milk? 
Sweet cob is a mixture of grain and corn (I think), and molasses. I'm not positive on the ingredients though. We get a big bag if cob at our local feedstore, and it lasted quite awhile for three does since we only gave it as a treat. 

I had read somewhere that cows that are only fed grass produce a better tasting milk than cows fed corn. Thats why I.thought goats on browse only might produce different tasting milk.
Does anyone have a body condition index.type thing for goats? Im starting to shed my goats out and they feel a bit boney under all that.hair and im not sure if I should up their feed or not