I got my goat so now what do I do? Questions with tons of pics

[CrimsonRose]

Hello everyone I would love to introduce you to our newest member of the family

ShadowFax! (yes I'm a major Lord of the Rings nerd!)

She's a big Gal! Have no clue what she weights but I sure can't pick her up!

Here is is with my tall 9yr old daughter and my 6yr old son!

She is registered and supposed to come from show bloodlines... On her papers there is 2 GCH and 1 CH (I'm a dumby when it comes to knowing all this stuff but I assume that means grand champion and champion right? and the dates are the years they won?)

Anyhow she is 4 1/2 years old and only freshened once. She was trained to a lead rope and to a milking stand. She does well on the lead rope but I don't have a stand yet... She is in bad need of her hooves trimmed and I tried tying her up and letting the kiddos give her a few handfuls of grain while I tried to trim them... SHE was NOT having it!!! After trying for almost an hour (I tried to do it slow so she doesn't hate me forever... so if she tugged her hoof away I let her then picked it back up again... ) I finally got the front 2 legs partially done... She tried to mow me over a few times with her fat butt... but I survived... So you guys have any tips for getting her to cooperate a little better? Or tips for me on how to trim them better?

Another thing... she tested positive for CAE but according to the gal I bought her from she has shown no symptoms... I looked her over and as far as I can tell there is no swelling in her joints and she gets around really well... Only thing I noticed were her knees... is this normal? she doesn't walk on them but she does tuck them under her when she lays down... What signs do I need to look out for to see if her CAE is progressing? and also without a vet... how do I get her blood tested for myself? and the blood of her babies to see they don't get it too??? or is a Vet visit necessary?

And for the best part... (warning picture may be considered pg-13)

As far as I can tell those look pretty good right? Thing is she won't let me touch them. I'm going to try and get a stand built soon and see if that helps... otherwise looks like I'm going to have to retrain her... it has been almost 2 years since she has been milked...

I also need to learn how to tell when she is in heat... I'm trying to look into options to get her bred... I hope I can learn it all find her a man and arrange a "visit" or something before the end of her fall breeding season....

 

[freemotion]

Looks like good hand-milking teats....and the tucking in of the knees when napping and the calloused knees are normal for any goat. You'll need to attend the birth so she doesn't even lick the kids, though, and find a source of colostrum in advance (many breeders freeze some....I have some in my freezer now. You'll want this in advance.) Get that stand built now, as you've seen, a goat trained to it expects it. I can't touch Mya's teats unless she is on the stand, and my good-girl Ginger is lately deciding that those are the limits, too.

Find someone with a stinky buck and rub a rag over his stinky beard and legs and put it in a ziploc or a jar to hold in all that lovely buck cologne. Let her have a sniff every day and when she is in heat she will respond differently to the rag....very interested, wagging the tail, peeing, etc. Once she does this once, you can start marking the calendar every 18-22 days so you can predict the cycle you want to breed on.

 

[CrimsonRose]

Thanks for the info! I'll have to start looking for a local buck...

 

[Britesea]

It's called Canned Sex...

 

[BarredBuff]

Pretty goat! But why Free should she take the kids away from her? Can you let them nurse for a couple of days then?

Im just trying to learn

 

[aggieterpkatie]

CAE is transmitted through the milk, so in order to be safe the kids should be pulled (as in taken away, not physically pulled from the doe) right away. In order to be totally safe the doe shouldn't even lick the kids. Plus, it prevents her from bonding with them and makes it an easier transition.

 

[The Old Ram-Australia]

G,day Crimson Rose,she looks to be quite a "nice" type.....Do you want her "just" for a housemilker?....There are one or two other options for the kid/s.You can share the milk with the kid or you can milk the colostrum and feed the kid with a bottle. Decide in advance what you will do if its a girl or boy,if its a girl and you want to keep her,I would raise her on the mother,if its a boy once the colostrum is gone 2/3 days I would put him on powdered milk or "raw cows milk" .....Ask where you got her from what they did ,as she may have raised a kid before......As Free said get started on that milking stand,as it makes things so much easier from the point of view of milking ,be sure you can attach something she can feed out of while she is on it.......I would before I touched those teats , would trim "all" the hair off of them,as there is nothing that will make a goat fidget more that you pulling the hairs on the udder...their are really cheap electric "home hair cutting sets " around now.At first she will jump as she feels the vibration and hears the hum of the machine......Do you know what sort of fed mix she had before you got her?......There is a trick we learned about milking goats that has "never" failed me.Get her on the stand in a "head bail",sit down on a stool beside her and lean you head against her (speaking softly to her)if your right hand is closest to the rear,with your left hand "gently" rub her tummy,well forward of her udder (start just below her ribs and stop at her "milk vein",once she will accept this,"gently bump"her just in front of the udder and rub the front of the udder..She should "arch" her back and let her milk down (this action mimics the way her kid acts)....When you get her mated and she is getting close,put her on the stand every day at the same time you expect to be milking her,once she starts to "bag up",give that udder another clip so there are "no" loose hairs. .....One or two tips. don't "leg rope" like they do cows,you can milk from behind ,sometimes it is easier once you are a confident.If you have a choice of bucks consider a Brit Alpine or a Toggie.

You have lots of time so try to spend some time with another goat-keeper who is close by,you will lean "heaps" that way and be more confident when your time comes.....good luck and keep in touch,ask as many questions as you need to ,as there are some "very" good goat people on the forum..............T.O.R......................

 

[Wannabefree]

As far as the trimming the hooves, I force it. I figure they have to learn who is boss, and getting those hooves trimmed is the best time for that. It simply has to be done, and neither of us have a choice about it. Afterwards, I hand feed a little grain to calm the goat before I turn them back out. She's a big girl, like my doe. Mine is a pain in the butt

 

[The Old Ram-Australia]

Hi, If I may ask a question "how common is C A E is US goat herds"?..In the case of C.R.'s goat ,what is the health status of herd she came from?If the herd she came from was showing positive signs ,a blood test for copper could give you a clue,"low copper" can be an indicator.

Plants with high copper can over time correct any imbalance or Seaweed Meal,or Copper Sulphfate(Bluestone)mixed in the feed ration or mineral mix...How old is C R's doe?..She does not appear to be showing any signs of "big-knee".....................T.O.R........................

 

[aggieterpkatie]

CAE is very common in the US. Most people don't even test for it.