Lets talk about goats!

[Stacykins]

A few charts on body scoring, you can use google images to find bigger versions (or click on them). Basically, it is all looking at how visible/palpable the spinous process and hips are.

You have to remember that milk production is hard on a goat, especially long term. It takes a great deal of energy to put that milk in the bucket. So a lactating doe should be supplemented with something more than hay. It will improve her health, and it it will improve the quality of the milk you are getting. Some does are such heavy producers that they become skin and bones after a long lactation cycle.

 

[chickengirl1193]

Okay thank you very much! I'll use that when I go back out to them later.

I found the breakdown of charges for testing my goats.
The CAE was $59/goat
Johnes was $18/goat
CL was $50/goat
Then they charged me a $69 house call and $65 herd examination....

 

[cassie]

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

The only reason I can think of that a cow would produce better tasting milk on an all grass diet with no grain is because of the lower milk production that results. A dairy animal tends to produce about the same amount of butterfat per day throughout her lactation. I said amount, not percentage. As the amount of milk produced goes down the percentage of butterfat will go up. High butterfat milk tastes better to most people. That is why the milk from Jerseys and Guernseys is so good. Those two breeds produce rich milk.

 

[Stacykins]

Okay thank you very much! I'll use that when I go back out to them later.

I found the breakdown of charges for testing my goats.
The CAE was $59/goat
Johnes was $18/goat
CL was $50/goat
Then they charged me a $69 house call and $65 herd examination....

Holy wah! That vet charged you a massive amount for tests that don't actually cost that much!

In the future, if you do test again, just have the vet draw the blood and give you the blood samples. Send them to WADDL yourself, it is easy. There are a few things you need to do, like double bagging samples, etc. but they aren't anything too difficult. Obviously, keep them in the fridge and send them out promptly. You can even buy your own red top tubes to ensure the vet doesn't do a huge markup on those. I provide my own tubes for the vet. She charges me $50 for the farm call, then $15 per goat to draw however many samples I need.

If you look at the list of fees on the Washington Animal Disease Diagnosis Lab (WADDL), even the out of state fees for each test, they are much less that what your vet charged. Here is the breakdown:

CAE - 4.20 per goat in Washington State, 6.30 per goat out of state.
CL testing - 6.30 per goat in Washington State, 9.45 per goat out of state.
Johne's testing - 4.20 per goat in Washington state , 6.30 per goat out of state.

Each 'batch' of tests you send in does have an additional $10 fee for the entire lot. That is not $10 per test, but $10 per lot of samples. So if you send ALL the samples in a once, you have to pay one $10 fee.

 

[chickengirl1193]

The only reason I can think of that a cow would produce better tasting milk on an all grass diet with no grain is because of the lower milk production that results.  A dairy animal tends to produce about the same amount of butterfat per day throughout her lactation.  I said amount, not percentage.  As the amount of milk produced goes down the percentage of butterfat will go up. High butterfat milk tastes better to most people.  That is why the milk from Jerseys and Guernseys is so good.  Those two breeds produce rich milk.

That makes sense. I had read about a grass fed Guernsey cow

Holy wah! That vet charged you a massive amount for tests that don't actually cost that much!

In the future, if you do test again, just have the vet draw the blood and give you the blood samples. Send them to WADDL yourself, it is easy. There are a few things you need to do, like double bagging samples, etc. but they aren't anything too difficult. Obviously, keep them in the fridge and send them out promptly. You can even buy your own red top tubes to ensure the vet doesn't do a huge markup on those. I provide my own tubes for the vet. She charges me $50 for the farm call, then $15 per goat to draw however many samples I need.

If you look at the list of fees on the Washington Animal Disease Diagnosis Lab (WADDL), even the out of state fees for each test, they are much less that what your vet charged. Here is the breakdown:

CAE - 4.20 per goat in Washington State, 6.30 per goat out of state.
CL testing - 6.30 per goat in Washington State, 9.45 per goat out of state.
Johne's testing - 4.20 per goat in Washington state , 6.30 per goat out of state.

Each 'batch' of tests you send in does have an additional $10 fee for the entire lot. That is not $10 per test, but $10 per lot of samples. So if you send ALL the samples in a once, you have to pay one $10 fee.

Wow.... well the paper says that they sent the samples to Cornell. So maybe Cornell has much higher prices.... well now I know. Thank you! I might look for another vet because when my goats kid I'm going to need help banding and disbudding and I wont be able to even break even when I sell the kids with this vets prices....

 

[cassie]

I'd be willing to bet Cornell's fees are in line with everybody else's. You can contact them and ask. Your vet just took the fee he was charged and increased it for you. BTW, you can band and disbud your kids yourself. It isn't difficult. When you are ready you can contact me and I can walk you through it. You can probably find an experienced goat keeper in your area that would be willing to help you. I would find another vet if I were you. And I would also tell your vet why you are going elsewhere. I believe in paying a fair price for services rendered, but your vet is engaging in price gouging, nothing less.

 

[chickengirl1193]

I'd be willing to bet Cornell's fees are in line with everybody else's.  You can contact them and ask.  Your vet just took the fee he was charged and increased it for you.  BTW, you can band and disbud your kids yourself.  It isn't difficult.  When you are ready you can contact me and I can walk you through it.  You can probably find an experienced goat keeper in your area that would be willing to help you. I would find another vet if I were you.  And I would also tell your vet why you are going elsewhere.  I believe in paying a fair price for services rendered, but your vet is engaging in price gouging, nothing less.

I will find another vet for sure... that was the vet recommended to me but I think they revamped everything recently. Even getting a fecal done is $36 when its only $12 at my dogs vet...
I know I can do the banding myself but.the dis budding im a bit nervous about and I want to have my ducks in a row when its.time to kid.
Plus my goats were disbudded.by a vet and one of them has scurs... so I want my kids to be dis budded correctly

 

[Stacykins]

I'd be willing to bet Cornell's fees are in line with everybody else's. You can contact them and ask. Your vet just took the fee he was charged and increased it for you. BTW, you can band and disbud your kids yourself. It isn't difficult. When you are ready you can contact me and I can walk you through it. You can probably find an experienced goat keeper in your area that would be willing to help you. I would find another vet if I were you. And I would also tell your vet why you are going elsewhere. I believe in paying a fair price for services rendered, but your vet is engaging in price gouging, nothing less.

Aye, I actually just looked at Cornell's fees and they are about the same. Amazing how much of a markup that vet charged. I understand the increased cost to actual make a living. But for example, the CAE test was subject to a markup of 836%! Absolutely ridiculous!

Hopefully you can find a good vet that doesn't send you into debt for routine care.

 

[Anna6]

Look who arrived today. Justice, American Registered Nubian, had triplets, all of them does! Virginia, Paris and Little Italy are all doing well as is the mother goat.

 

[chickengirl1193]

Aye, I actually just looked at Cornell's fees and they are about the same. Amazing how much of a markup that vet charged. I understand the increased cost to actual make a living. But for example, the CAE test was subject to a markup of 836%! Absolutely ridiculous! Hopefully you can find a good vet that doesn't send you into debt for routine care.

I guess they are taking advantage of people who are new to goats and don't know any better... ill actually talk to my aunts equine vet to see if he can recommend someone better

Look who arrived today. Justice, American Registered Nubian, had triplets, all of them does! Virginia, Paris and Little Italy are all doing well as is the mother goat.

Congrats