Showing posts with label Goat Farming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goat Farming. Show all posts

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Goat Farming Tips


Biosecurity

Dear all
We all take different precautionary measures to protect our wealth. Our farm animals are also our wealth  & we must protect them  against diseases. The measure we adopt to protect our farm animals from disease are called Biosecurity. It is a planned integrated approach to reduce disease incidence in a farm. Here are some important biosecurity measures for sheep/goat farm
1-   Control cat, dog ,rodent & insect population inside farm premises as they carry & spread diseases.  Cats should be kept away from sheep & goats  as they are major carrier of toxoplasma which causes  abortion .
2-   Limit visitors into your farm as  disease causing organisms enter farm through their shoes sole. Visitors must disinfect their shoes in antiseptic foot bath before entering in to the farm.
3-   Limit entry of vehicles in to your farm as disease causing organisms enter farm through contaminated  tyre  of the wheel. Disinfect tyres of vehicle entering in to your farm by spraying  a disinfectant liquid.
4-   Feed of sheep & goat should not be moldy. If moldy feed is found in a farm it should be buried.
5-   Deworm your animals at regular interval  after faecal sample examination
6-   Vaccinate your animals against contagious diseases 
7-    Do not mix sick animals with healthy animals. Isolate sick animals in a separate pen.
8-   In case of abortion in ewe/Doe Remove the  dead fetus & placenta immediately  & burry it. The lambing/kidding area should be disinfected with an  antiseptic lotion.
9-   Do not mix newly purchased animals with other farm animals, New animals should be housed separately for 21 days to one month & watched for presence of disease. Trim the feet of newly purchased animals & treat it locally with 10% zinc sulphate.
10-   Do not mix your animals with animals of other farm.
11-   Do not share  your farm equipments with other farmers
12-   Disinfect farm equipments before sharing if it is unavoidable 
13-   Do not allow ewe/doe of other farms to breed with buck/Ram of your farm &  vice versa.
14-   Avoid taking your animals to shows/exhibitions as there is increased chance infection in shows/exhibitions
15-   Conduct post mortem examination by a veterinarian In case of death of a farm animal .If death is due to any  contagious disease  take preventive measures accordingly in consultation  with the Vet.
By taking these biosecurity measures you can reduce disease incidence in your farm & maximize your profit.          Dr.A.K.Kar

Deworming In Sheep & Goats

Dear All
Sheep & goats are  susceptible to worm infection due to their grazing habitat. Deworming is one most important disease prevention measures for them.  Internal  Parasites harbours  in alimentary track & other internal organs(liver ,bile duct etc.) of sheep &  goats. They suck blood , digested nutrients ,damage tissue  & make animals week , emaciated. Helminthes parasites of sheep & goats can be broadly divided in to three Categories Round Worms ,Flukes & Tape Worms. Out of the these  Barber pole worm (Haemonchus) a type of round worm   , is the  most important & dangerous  internal parasites of sheep & goats. In heavy worm infestation animal may die without any symptoms in some other cases death occurs after diarrhea & colic. Worm infestation is more after rainy season. You can follow the following principles for  deworming of your flocks.
i.   Randomly collect fecal sample of 10% animals get it examined to find the parasitic load
ii.   Choose appropriate dewormer in consultation with a veterinarian
iii.   Use appropriate dose (under dose may create drug resistance & over dose may kill your animals) 
iv.    Deworm your animals at least twice in a year.
v.   The first deworming should be conducted before rainy season in the month of June & July. Repeat drenching of drug on 21st day of first deworming .
vi.   The second deworming should be conducted  after rainy season in the month of October.
vii.   Use a drenching gun/ syringe for effective drug delivery
viii.   Conduct fecal sample examination on 10th day of deworming to know the effectiveness of the drug.
ix.   Change  deworming drug every time to prevent drug resistance.
x.   Do not sell your  dewormed animals during  withdrawal period 
                                                                                                  DR.A.K.KAR

Control of coccidiosis in sheep & goat
Dear All
Coccidiosis is a parasitic disease of sheep & goats .This disease is caused by single cell protozoa Emeria sp .The parasite remains  in small intestine & damage  lining of small intestine. This parasite affects lambs & kids  from 2-6 months of age. Affected lambs and kids suffer from diarrhea stained with blood & mucus. Death occurs in kids & lambs due to dehydration. Some animals do not show any symptoms externally but there is stunted growth. Outbreaks of coccidiosis occurs due to over crowding & poor sanitation. You can follow to following steps to prevent coccidiosis in your farm
1-   Provide adequate floor space to sheep & goats as over crowding is a major cause of the disease
2-   Prevent contamination of feed & water  as adult  sheep & goats are carriers of the parasite. They  shed oocyst  in their feces which is the major source of infection for  kids and lambs.
3-   Preventive dose of coccidiostat can be given to given to kids and lambs in consultation with a veterinarian. Coccidiostart can be mixed with feed as a preventive metod.
4-   Treat the infected animals with  anti coccidial drugs as per prescription of the veterinarian
5-   In case of outbreak clean & disinfect pen daily this will reduce source of infection
                                                                            Dr.A.K.Kar

Control of external parasites in sheep & goats
Dear All
External parasites like Tick, Lice. Mite & fleas & flies reduce profit  & cause economic loss of sheep & goat farmer .They cause following losses to the farmer.
1-They suck blood from animals causing ill health & anemia.
2-They damage the skin for which skin becomes unsuitable for leather & its value reduces greatly.
3-Skin injury causes irritation & discomfort to animals
4-There is loss of wool in case of sheep.
5-They transmit disease 
External parasites can be controlled by Dipping or spraying with insecticides & by good managemental practices. Three to four dipping or spraying is essential every year  for control of these parasites.
The following insecticides are mostly used for control of ecto parasites.
1-Deltametherine (Butox) 2ml/litter of water  Spray or dip
2-Cypermethrin (Ektomin. Cyprol, Tikkil, Tik-out, Pektocide) 1 ml/litter of water for spray or dip. (for flies 5ml/litter animal dip, For spraying animal house 20ml/liter of water is used)
Ivermectin injection (Neomec, Ivomec, Ivectin, Avertin) is also used as sub coetaneous injection at the dose of 0.5ml/25 Kg body weight
Doramectin (Dectomax) 1ml/33Kg Body weight can be used as intramuscular injection.
Precautions:-
1-Read all manufacture warnings & instructions before using insecticide
2-Provide adequate drinking water before Dipping else animal may drink insecticide poisoned water
3-Do not use insecticides on sick, weak animals or animal with damaged skin.
4- Do not use insecticides in kids and lambs up to 6 months age
5-Conduct dipping/Spraying in morning hours 
6-In case of poisoning symptoms contact your veterinarian immediately for treatment Dr.A.K.Kar

Vaccination
Dear All
Vaccination is one import disease prevention measure. Many fatal diseases of sheep & goats can be prevented by timely vaccination. It is the cheapest method of disease control .Vaccination increases immunity of the animal against disease for which they do not suffer from disease even after entry of disease coursing organisms in to the body. It also reduces economic losses associated with illness of animal. I am giving below vaccination schedule for sheep & goats
FOOT & MOUTH DISEASE(FMD):-This viral disease can be prevented by vaccination. First vaccination for FMD is done at 3-4 months age. Booster vaccine is given four months after first  vaccine .This vaccine should be repeated  every six months. Oil adjuvant FMD vaccine can provide  immunity up to one year.
PPR :-(Goat Plague or Peste des Petits Ruminants)  This is a viral disease & is highly fatal. This is the most important disease of sheep & goats as It results in large scale mortality. This disease can be prevented by vaccination. First vaccination is done at four months age & is repeated every 4th Year.
GOAT POX –Vaccination for this viral disease is done at 3-5 months of age .A booster vaccination is given to goats after 3 weeks of first vaccination. Repetition of vaccination is done every year.
SHEEP POX :- Sheep are vaccinated at 3 months of age against the disease. Repetition of vaccination is done every year.
ENTEROTOXAEMIA :- Sheep are more prone to this bacterial disease. First vaccination against the disease is done at 3-4 months age for both sheep & goats. Booster vaccination is done after 15-21days of first vaccination. . Repetition of vaccination is done every year.
HS( Hemorrhagic septicemia):-This is an acute bacterial Disease of sheep & goats. First vaccination against the disease is done at 3-6 months of age & is repeated annually .Vaccination against HS should be done before onset of monsoon.
ANTHRAX :-This is a fatal zoonotic disease of sheep & goats. This disease can spread from animal to man. Vaccination against this disease is done only in endemic areas. First vaccination is done at 4-6 months age & is repeated annually.
                                                                                           DR.A.K.KAR

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

About Goats


General Information
The domestic goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep, both being in the goat antelope subfamily Caprinae. Domestic goats are one of the oldest domesticated species. For thousands of years, goats have been used for their milk, meat, hair, and skins over much of the world. In the last century they have also gained some popularity as pets.
Female goats are referred to as does or nannies (or, less frequently, as mishas), intact males as bucks or billies; their offspring are kids. Castrated males are wethers. Goat meat from younger animals is called kid, and from older animals is sometimes called chevon, or in some areas mutton.    Read more general information about goats.
 


Dairy Goats
The American Dairy Goat Association recognizes eight breeds of dairy goats in the USA — Alpine, LaMancha, Nigerian Dwarf, Nubian, Oberhasli, Saanen, Sable, and Toggenburg. There are also many minor breeds found here and abroad, including Golden Guernsey, Kinder, Stiefelgeiss, and others. They range in color from light to deep red with black stripes down the forehead and black legs below the knees. The Alpine, Saanen and Toggenburg breeds originated in the French and Swiss Alps and are often referred to as the "Swiss" type breeds. They are very similar in conformation, all having upright ears, straight or slightly dished faces and an alert, graceful, deer-like appearance.


Alpine
Alpine dairy goatThe Alpines are composed of several varieties including the most popular French Alpine and the less numerous British, Rock and Swiss Alpines. They are medium to large in size, with color variations from pure white through shades of fawn, gray, brown, black, red buff, and combinations of these colors in the same animal.
Click Here to learn more about Alpine dairy goats


Golden Guernsey
Golden Guernsey dairy goat The Golden Guernsey is a rare breed of goat from the Bailiwick of Guernsey on the Channel Islands. They were first brought to Great Britain in 1965 and a sub-breed has evolved known as the British Guernsey.
The exact origin of these animals is uncertain but since goat bones have been found in dolmens (a type of Megalithic tomb) as old as 2000 B.C. on the islands, it is likely that the breed began to evolve into its current form about this time.
Click Here to learn more about Golden Guernsey dairy goats


LaMancha
LaMancha dairy goat The LaMancha is a type of dairy goat noted for its apparent lack of, or much reduced, external ears. The LaMancha breed is medium in size, and is also noted for a generally calm, quiet, and gentle temperament. The LaMancha face is straight, with ears being the distinctive breed characteristic. A Roman nose, that is typically a characteristic of a Nubian goat, is considered a moderate to serious breed defect of the LaMancha goat.
Click Here to learn more about LaMancha dairy goats


Nigerian Dwarf
Nigerian Dwarf dairy goat The Nigerian Dwarf is a miniature goat of West African origin. Their small stature means they do not require as much space as their larger dairy goat counterparts and their gentle and friendly personalities make them good companion pets. They are easy to handle; even small children can be at ease with these little goats.
Click Here to learn more about Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats


Nubian
Nubian dairy goat The Anglo-Nubian, or simply Nubian in the United States, was developed in Great Britain of native milking stock and goats from the Middle East and North Africa. Its distinguishing characteristics include large, pendulous ears and a "Roman" nose. Due to their Middle-Eastern heritage, Anglo-Nubians can live in very hot climates and have a longer breeding season than other dairy goats.
Click Here to learn more about Nubian dairy goats


Oberhasli
Oberhasli dairy goat The Oberhasli is a breed of dairy goat from the eponymous district of the Canton of Berne (Switzerland). The name loosely translates as 'highlander'. Oberhasli are a standardized color breed, with warm reddish brown accented with a black dorsal stripe, legs, belly, and face. Occasionally a black Oberhasli appears as a result of recessive genes.
Click Here to learn more about Oberhasli dairy goats


Saanen
Saanen dairy goat The Saanens are white or light cream in color with white preferred. Spots on the skin are not discriminated against. Small spots of color on the hair are allowable, but not desirable. They are medium to large in size with rugged bone, plenty of vigor yet feminine throughout. The ears should be of medium size and carried erect. A tendency toward a roman nose is discriminated against.
Click Here to learn more about Saanen dairy goats


Sable Saanen
Sable Saanen dairy goat Sables are Saanens that are not white. They come in many colors and combinations and have been a part of the Saanen heritage for as long as there have been Saanens. The first Sables in the US arrived on the same ship with the first Saanens and have been here ever since.
Click Here to learn more about Sable Saanen dairy goats


Toggenburg
Toggenburg dairy goat The Toggenburg is a breed of goat, named after the region in Switzerland where the breed originated, the Toggenburg valley. Toggenburgs are medium in size, moderate in production, and have relatively low butterfat content (2-3%) in their milk. The color is solid varying from light fawn to dark chocolate with no preference for any shade. They are the oldest known dairy breed of goats.
Click Here to learn more about Toggenburg dairy goats




Help us grow!
If you know your goats, and would like to help us expand the information about any of the listed breeds, or any other dairy goat breed, please contact thewebmaster@dairygoatjournal.com. Thank you!



How to Tube Feed a Weak Kid

By Sue Reith
CarmelitaToggs


The prospect of tubing a weak kid probably sounds pretty frightening if you have never tried it. Perhaps it's because I have been doing it for so long, but I find the procedure very comfortable. I'd like to share with you what I have found works simply and quickly for me.

Having prepared in advance for the possibility that at some point I may need to tube a kid, I have on hand a "Sovereign" brand #10 French Feeding Tube/Urethral Catheter. A #8 tube is smaller (good for tiny puppies) but will do the job, and a #12, though it is a bit larger in diameter than the #10, will work also if the kid is fairly good sized (i.e., a dairy goat kid as opposed to a Pygmy kid). These tubes are often available from veterinarians, kept on hand by them for tubing weak puppies. But if you cannot obtain one locally I will be happy to email information on where to order one from a catalog. This small, semi-rigid #10 catheter is 16" long and 1/8" in diameter. Unlike the supple, pliable rubber tubing I have seen in most catheters intended for human use, this tube is semi-rigid, so while I can bend it into a coil for storage, it won't collapse easily like a rubberband does. In my view, the semi-rigidness of this particular catheter is largely what makes the tubing process so easy. I'd like to reiterate to the reader that a feeding tube is best obtained before it is actually needed, to be kept on hand for emergencies. To wait until the last minute to search for one might prove disastrous.

Now to the process

The first step in tubing a weak kid is to stretch the little guy out flat on its side on a table or other flat surface, with its neck and jaw in a straight line stretching forward as though, if the kid were standing up instead of lying down, it might be looking up at the stars. This allows me to measure accurately from the kid's mouth clear back to its very last rib, which is how far the tube must be inserted in order to tube the contents into the stomach. I mark that distance with a magic-marker on the tube itself, so when I am inserting it I will know when it has reached the correct point. Keep in mind that since the kid's lungs are much closer to the mouth than is the stomach, if the tube inserts easily until it reaches the mark you have made, you can be confident that it is safely in the stomach.

Having determined the type and amount of fluid I want to tube into the kid, and pre-warmed it to normal body temperature (generally by placing the prepared syringe into a container of very warm water), I attach this syringe of warmed fluid to the end of the catheter. I use cooking oil on a cotton ball to coat the tube so it is very slick.

Next, I have a choice of two approaches that can be used for positioning the kid for this procedure:

If the kid is pretty flaccid (weak) I lay it down on that table or other flat surface on its side on a towel and have an assistant hold it flat, with its neck and jawline in the same position it was in while I was measuring the distance to the last rib. Then I gently open its mouth with a forefinger and thumb, and start sliding the semi-rigid tube smoothly and slowly in, along the right side of the throat.
For a sturdier kid, an alternative to lying it on its right side would be to sit it in my lap, facing forward in the same direction I am facing, as though it were a child and we were watching tv together. I elevate the head and neck gently upward towards the ceiling, and then slowly slide the tube down the inside of the baby's mouth on the right side.
In either position I find that the tube slides down the right side of the throat (I am left-handed) easily, with the kid swallowing co-operatively as I do so. Occasionally, if the kid struggles in annoyance at this invasive procedure, its head will move and the tube will start down the left side of the throat. When that happens I know about it right away, because it is headed for the lungs and the kid reacts by starting to cough instantly. The tube itself will irritate the lung area, causing a cough response, so no other test is needed to determine this. In addition, a tube accidentally headed for the lungs will not slide smoothly. If I see these signs, I immediately pull it back out and start over. (By the way, his happens very rarely.)

When the tube is going where it should, the entire length of it will slide easily for the full distance to the place I have already pre-marked on it. When first learning this procedure, if unsure that the tube has actually gone into the stomach it's okay to wait until after it is in place before attaching the filled syringe, so as to be able to blow some air into the open end of the catheter. With one hand gently resting on the kid's stomach it is easy to feel and sense the air being blown into it. Comfortable that the tube is indeed in the stomach, I slowly plunge the liquid contents from the syringe smoothly into it, and if I have chosen the "lying down" position for this procedure, the moment I finish tubing the liquid into the stomach I pull the tube back out rapidly, and quickly move the kid into an upright position, and that's that.

One of the amazing things that I notice upon completion of this process is that the kid, generally fretting and struggling throughout this experience, suddenly takes on a quiet, contented demeanor. It's really quite precious.

I suspect that by now many novices, and perhaps lots of long-time goat owners as well, will be gasping in anxiety over the prospect of performing this procedure. But tubing is really not all that scary! And when you see that little kid take on a new, brighter and more alert expression shortly after having received that dose of nutrition and its accompanying increase in energy level, you will "feel 10 feet tall" and be glad that you have learned this new management procedure.
 

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