Mini Goats

Everything You Need to Know to Keep Miniature Goats in the City, Country, or Suburbs

Sue Weaver

• Publisher: CompanionHouse Books
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781620082119
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Animal Husbandry
• Index: Technology & Engineering

You don’t have to find a farm to find a goat these days. Goats have become popular on hobby farms and even in suburban backyards for fleece, for milk, and just as pets. Goats are known for their easy-keeping qualities and delightful personalities, and what’s easier to keep than a goat? A miniature goat! Including Pygmy Goats, Nigerian Dwarfs, Mini-Myotonics, Miniature Silky Fainting Goats, Miniature Dairy Goats, Pygoras, and Nigoras, mini goats have all of the traits that fanciers love about full-sized goat breeds in a compact size. City dwellers can even enjoy the companionship of a miniature goat—or two! In The Mini Goat Guide, experienced goat keeper and author Sue Weaver brings readers the most comprehensive and current information about selecting and caring for miniature goats.Inside The Mini-Goat Guide:The miniature goat breeds and their myriad sizes, shapes, coat types, and colorsPreparing for mini goat ownership and selecting the right goats for you The miniature goat’s behavior, temperament, social nature, and body languageHow to feed, house, exercise, groom, and provide proper health care for your mini goatsBreeding goats and raising kidsSpecial considerations for owning dairy goats

Chapter 8

Health and Hoof Care

It’s easier for you and better for your goats to keep them in the pink than to treat illnesses and accidents after they happen. And it’s not that hard to do.

Taking Precautions

Start a routine of checking on your goats at least twice a day, even if they’re out on pasture. Give each goat a quick once-over and make certain that they all appear to be healthy. Address sickness or injuries right away; don’t wait to see whether your goat gets better by himself. If you don’t know what’s wrong with a sick goat, or you’re not positive that you know how to treat him, get help.

At least once a week, walk around your goats’ housing, exercise yard, and pasture, looking for and removing anything that could be dangerous to your goats, such as toxic plants, hornets’ nests, stray hay strings, and the like. If you find sharp edges on metal buildings, broken fences, or any other sources of potential injury, make repairs right away.

Here are some more tips to keep your goats healthy and comfortable:

• • Feed mold- and dust-free hay and grain.
• • Install locks on feed room doors and double check to make sure that the doors are locked when you leave. Be aware that some goats are caprine Houdinis, and, if you have a goat like this, install multiple locks.
• • Keep goat minerals and plenty of clean water available 24/7.
• • Quarantine incoming and sick goats—no exceptions!
• • Put an injured goat where his herdmates won’t harass him, preferably in the company of a friend.
• • Be there with a doe when she kids. Assemble a kidding kit (see Chapter 9) and know how to use it.
• • Discuss vaccination and worming protocols with your veterinarian.
• • Worm as needed and mark your calendar to keep vaccinations up to date.
• • Buy from disease-free herds or have incoming goats tested for caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE), caseous lymphadenitis (CL), and Johne’s disease before they leave your quarantine quarters.
• • Protect your goats from predators by building good fence.
• • Never tether your goats unless you’re right there to protect them.

Choosing a Veterinarian

Before you buy your goats, ask goat keepers in your locale which vets they recommend. When you have some names, visit their practices and ask the following questions:

• • How much experience do you have with goats?
• • Do you make routine farm calls? Will you come to my farm in an emergency? If not, do you have facilities to board my goat? What about after-hours and weekend or holiday emergencies?
• • Will you mind if I research a problem in books or online and bring you my findings? (Some vets appreciate input; others take offense.)
• • Will you mind if I do my own routine healthcare procedures, such as treating minor injuries and giving my own shots?
• • Will you dispense prescription drugs, such as painkillers and epinephrine, if I need them?
• • Do you offer payment plans for major procedures or collaborate with a lender that does?

Once you’ve selected a vet, don’t wait for an emergency to try him out. Schedule a routine farm visit and see how that goes. Are you comfortable with his attitude and his work? If so, you have a vet!

A First-Aid Kit for Goats

It’s important to assemble a well-stocked first-aid kit and to know how to use what it contains. Keep the items in a sturdy carrier, like a tool box or a plastic food-service bucket with a lid, so you can grab it and run when you need it. Following are some of the essentials to include, but ask your veterinarian what else he suggests keeping on hand.

• • Thermometer
• • Alcohol wipes
• • Gauze sponges
• • Telfa pads
• • 1-inch-, 2-inch-, and 4-inch-wide self-stick disposable bandages
• • One or two 2½-inch wide rolls of gauze
• • 1-inch- and 2-inch-wide rolls of adhesive tape
• • Partial roll of duct tape
• • Human-grade bloodstop pads
• • Betadine scrub
• • A 12-ounce bottle of saline solution
• • Wound treatments (e.g., Blu-Kote, Schreiner’s Herbal Solution)
• • Probiotic paste
• • Blunt-tipped bandage scissors
• • Regular scissors, preferably with blunt tips
• • Folding knife
• • Hemostat or large tweezers
• • Lantern-type flashlight
• • Small LED flashlight

Keep in the house to use as needed:

• • 3 cc and 6 cc disposable syringes
• • ¾-inch and 1-inch 18- and 20-gauge disposable needles
• • 1½-inch 18-gauge disposable needles
• • 10 cc and 60 cc catheter-tip syringes
• • Epinephrine (a prescription item)
• • Additional pharmaceuticals as recommended by your vet

Vital Signs

Teach yourself how to check your goat’s temperature, pulse, respiration, and ruminal function. Learn how to measure these vital signs on healthy goats to avoid stress and confusion when you think you have a sick goat. Write each goat’s normal statistics someplace where you can find them in a hurry so that you are able to compare them to the measurements you take when a goat is sick.

When taking your goat’s temperature, have a restraint or a helper on hand to keep the goat still.

Kids’ values are generally higher than those of adults, and external conditions can affect readings. Extreme heat and humidity, fear, and anger all elevate pulse and respiration rates, and a goat’s temperature can be up to a full degree higher on hot, humid days. Plus, a goat’s temperature rises slightly as the day wears on.

Temperature

A normal temperature range for a goat is 101.5–103.5 degrees Fahrenheit. To take your goat’s temperature, you’ll need a rectal thermometer. Veterinary thermometers are better because they’re usually s...