The other diseases can be known by inspecting the herd and looking out for signs and symptoms. You can also approach a farm veterinarian to make sure that the goats are checked for diseases. Once the diseases are identified, you’ll need to get medications and treatment for your goats from the vet. You can stock the medicine cabinet with certain medications such as antibiotic ointments for pink eye. 

This helps you in having the medications ready as soon as you notice any symptoms. It is best to have a farm medicine cabinet, where all these medications can be kept. You must separate the sick goat from the herd if it has a contagious disease. Consult the vet if you need to have any of your doubts clarified. Here are some of the common goat diseases:

1. Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (CAE)

This is a contagious and incurable disease, which is devastating for your goat herd. It’s quite similar to HIV in humans. This disease compromises the immune system of a goat and this is why you must buy CAE-free goats. A test for CAE would help in identifying whether the goat has been infected with this virus.

2. Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL)

This is a contagious and chronic disease, also known as ‘abscesses’. Goats infected with this disease have pus-filled infections or abscesses formed around their lymph nodes. With the bursting of the abscesses, other goats can be infected by the pus. As the test for CL is not often accurate, you must buy goats that are free from the disease.

3. Coccidiosis

The young ones affected by this parasite can suffer from diarrhoea, rough coats, and general ill-health. Sometimes, the diarrhoea can be bloody. Albon is used to treat the affected goats. You can also feed them a coccidiostat as a preventative.

4. Pink eye

Just like humans, goats can get pink eye. The rules for taking care of the affected goats is the same as in humans. Keep the sick ones away from the rest of the goats in the herd. Make sure you wash your hands well after handling the goat with pink eye. You can get the goat treated by taking it to the vet.

5. Enterotoxemia

This condition is caused due to bacterial imbalance in the rumen of the goat. It can result from overfeeding, sudden changes in feed, sickness, or digestive problems. Enterotoxemia can be fatal for the goat. So, make sure that you vaccinate your goat herd against enterotoxemia. It’s always good to have CD antitoxin handy for emergencies.

6. G-6-S

This is a genetic defect, which is seen in Nubian goats and Nubian crosses. Young ones among goats with this defect usually die early. Only some of the breeders have their goats tested for this and sell them as ‘G-6-S Normal’.

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These friendly farm animals also have higher intelligence and bond well with humans. Besides, it can be great fun watching them as they are curious and agile animals. Here are a few things you must do if you wish to raise goats:

1. Choose a good breed of dairy goat

If you intend to raise dairy goats for milk, this is the first step. Take some time to learn about the standard breeds of dairy goats. You’ll come across several breeds, but only a few are commonly raised for milk. Among the popular ones are the Saanen, Alpine, Toggenburg, and Oberhasli breeds. 

All of them have their origins in the Swiss mountains. They adapt well to cooler climates and not-so-perfect conditions. If you wish to have goats that have tropical origins, consider the Nubians. They generally do well in hot summers.

2. Fencing and housing dairy goats

A clean and dry place is essential for raising dairy goats. It must be protected from unpleasant, cold winds. Have an enclosed barn that’s warm enough to make the goats comfortable during winters. Make sure you provide a lot of forage for your goats. This would go a long way in keeping them healthy and happy. It’s also important to have extra-sturdy fencing for your goats.

3. Feeding your dairy goats

Grasses, woods, and shrubs are the foundation of good forage for goats. Places with these three things give them plenty of opportunities to roam around and eat well. There are times when you won’t have fresh forage available for them. In such situations, you can feed them high-quality hay. 

You must also learn some tips and tricks that are necessary to keep your goats well-fed. The foraging area must be kept free from plants that are considered toxic for goats. You can get in touch with your county extension agent. This would help you identify these plants in the forage area if there are any.

4. Keep your dairy goats healthy

Keeping your goats free of illnesses and diseases is extremely important while raising them. There’s a lot of truth in the good old saying, ‘prevention is better than cure. This is especially true when it comes to goats. Many goat owners don’t realize that it’s much easier to keep these animals healthy. 

It would be extremely hard to heal them once they develop a disease or illness. You must learn the basics of keeping them healthy and know when to take them to a vet.

5. Managing milking

Goats typically give birth to their young ones about 150 days after breeding. They often have two or sometimes three baby goats. After the young ones are born, mother goats begin to produce milk. If continuously milked, they’ll lactate for nearly ten months. You need to give them a break for at least two months before they breed again. 

Goats produce greater quantities of milk. You’ll still have a lot to take even after your babies are fed. Most of the goat owners milk in the morning after confining the young ones overnight. After the milking is done in the morning, the babies can nurse on demand.

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These animals are believed to have been domesticated about 10,000 years ago. Over 200 breeds of domestic goats are found across the world in recent times. Goats of different species have varying colours and sizes. Usually, they feed on tree trunks and grass. Here are some of the other interesting facts about goats you probably don’t know:

1. They like smiling faces

A simple experiment revealed that these domestic animals prefer happy faces. The details of this experiment were published in the Royal Society Open Science. As a part of the experiment, researchers placed photos of the same face on the wall at a goat sanctuary. One was a happy face while the other was an angry one. Goats were seen avoiding the photo with an angry faces. 

However, they had a strange attraction towards the happy face and explored it with their snouts. It was already known to the researchers that goats understood human body language, but this behaviour was quite unexpected. It took things a little further. Goats could clearly distinguish between the expressions and they obviously liked smiling faces.

2. They’re picky eaters

You might be under the impression that goats would eat anything. In many of the cartoon or comic series, you must’ve seen a goat gnawing on a tin. You must understand that this is far from being true. Goats are actually quite picky when it comes to food. They go for the most nutritious offerings and are very resourceful. They like tree bark, as it is rich in tannins. The thinnest patches of grass are also eaten by them.

3. The shape of their eyes have a purpose

Some people don’t like the odd pupils in the eyes of goats. A study was published in Science Advances in the year 2015. The researchers examined the eyes of more than 200 land animals as a part of this study. They found an astonishing correlation between the shape of goats’ pupils and their ecology. 

Their side-slanted eyes help them while feeding on grass. They give them a wider field of vision without absorbing as much light coming from above. So, their vision is not affected by the sun’s rays. It also helps them in keeping an eye on their predators.

4. Goats are quite emotional

Many people are not aware of the fact that goats are very emotional animals. They’re surprisingly intelligent and can learn to perform a task within about twelve attempts. Another amazing fact about goats is that they can identify their companions just by hearing their sounds. By listening to the calls of other goats, they can also understand their emotions. 

A study published in ‘Frontiers in Zoology’ had some interesting details. It was found by researchers that goats have different physiological reactions based on emotions heard from other goats. It’s a social phenomenon called ’emotional contagion.

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This would help them to grow into healthy and happy adult goats. Caring for them would involve many things, such as managing their birth, feeding, and shelter. 

Right after birth

Your presence is necessary when the baby is born. This helps you as well as the baby goat to come in contact with each other for the very first time. From that point, the baby goat gets accustomed to human contact. As soon as the baby goat is born, you must allow the umbilical cord to break naturally. You must only trim it if it’s more than four inches long. 

The cord must be about three to four inches in length. If you’re trimming the cord, make sure you use a sterilized pair of scissors. Once the cord is trimmed, the cord must be cleaned with iodine. The stub must be allowed to fall off the natural way. Leave the baby goat with its mother to let them bond. The mother goat will lick the young one clean. You must stay and monitor the situation from a distance. 

Make sure that the mother goat feeds its baby within the first hour after its birth. If the baby goat doesn’t feed, you’ll need to bottle-feed its colostrum. It’s the early milk that’s high in nutrients and has elements for building immunity. Colostrum can be taken from the mother or another goat. It can also be purchased from a feed store.

Feeding the baby goat

Even before the baby goat is born, you’ll need to decide how it’ll be fed. You can either bottle-feed it or allow the mother goat to nurse and raise its baby. Bottle-fed goats develop a sense of attachment to humans caring for them. Leave the baby goat with its mother for a few days even if you want to bottle-feed it. 

This would ensure that it gets the colostrum rich in nutrients into its body. Having the mother goat nurse its baby has many advantages. You’ll be freed from the responsibility of feeding the baby goat. It’ll grow healthier, as it’ll get its mother’s care and all the required nutrients.

Bottle-feeding 

If you’ve decided to bottle feed the young one, it must be taught how to drink from the bottle. The baby goat will associate the bottle with milk if milk is squirted into its mouth. In the first month, these young ones must be fed at least four times daily. In the following months, the number of feedings can be reduced to three. 

You can follow the advice of the vet on the exact amounts of milk to be fed. The vet can also advise you on feeding other supplements. For bottle-feeding the baby goat, you’ll require a goat baby bottle. Other requirements are lamb or kid nipple and goat milk replacement formula. Colostrum replacement may also be required if necessary.

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