This is just a compilation of what we have found works best in caring for our goat herd. Take what you can, and discard what you don’t like. :)

1) Feeding Lactating Nannies: We feed our nannies a 10% protein ration of sweet feed. 2 qts per milking, per doe. Access to plentiful green pasture or high quality grass hay with a small amount of alfalfa hay or alfalfa pellets to supplement if needed.

2) Feeding Dry Nannies or kids/yearlings until first kidding: We feed ADM/Tindle Total Goat Pellet Medicated 16% with Decoquinate. (Medicated feed cannot be fed to nannies while humans are consuming milk.) 3cups per, head per day. If nannies are thin, additional feed may be required. Access to plentiful green pasture or alfalfa/timothy or brome hay and alfalfa pellets supplement if needed. (For calcium. )

3) Feeding Bucks: We feed ADM/Tindle Total Goat Pellet Medicated 16% with Decoquinate. 3cups per head, per day on the same schedule as our nannies. Then switch to the 10% protein sweet feed, 3 cups per head per day, while nannies are also on this. Year round they have access to plentiful green pasture or just high quality grass hay.

4) Feeding bottle kids: For the first week we feed our newborn kids colostrum 3 times a day for singles or twins and 4 times a day for triplets. Then switch all kids to three times a day after the first week. Offering them all the colostrum/milk they want each feeding. At two weeks of age we start offering minerals, feed, and hay free choice at all times and continue until weaned or they are eating full ration amounts daily. At 1 month of age we switch to two milk feedings per day, all they want. At 3 months of age we begin limiting their milk amount to around 1 ½-2 qts per feeding. We wean between 4-6 months of age.

5) Vaccinating/de-worming kids: We de-worm our kids using Molly’s Herbal De-wormers (purchased online-comes with de-worming schedule) starting at 2 wks of age until 6 months of age, when we begin using a commercial de-wormer on them. We also (this is probably far more important than even de-worming) begin adding to their milk liquid Sulfadimethoxine at 5 day intervals. On for 5 days, off for 10 days, etc. Until they are old enough to eat a considerable amount of the medicated feed. This helps prevent the deadly coccidiosis. Which can cause a kid to die before you even know they are sick. It also helps to vaccinate kids with a CD&T at 6 wks of age, and again 4 wks later. Then again after weaning/6 months of age.

6) Prior to breeding-schedule for adults: We de-worm our entire herd 2 weeks prior to breeding/releasing the bucks with the does. We have found Cydection/Moxidectrin sheep de-wormer at 30cc per average-weight head to be most effective for our herd. (Each herd/location geographically varies as to what de-wormer types work best. It is wise to have a vet do fecals on your herd a couple times a year to ensure what you are using is effective for your herd.) Along with giving each head over 6 months of age a copper bolus for coccidia prevention and we also give a selenium and vit E injection, under the skin, to each head also over 6 months of age. For Bo-Se we give 1cc per head. For Mu-Se ½cc per head. (Increases fertility and multiple births.) Trim hooves.

7) 3 wks prior to kidding: We again give the selenium and vit E injection, under the skin, to each head over 6 months of age. (This is very important to ensure strength during birthing for the does, and prevent white muscle disease in the kids.) For Bo-Se we give 1cc per head. For Mu-Se ½cc per head. Then we vaccinate our entire herd with a CD&T booster vaccine 3 weeks prior to expected kidding date. (You should never vaccinate prior to breeding-this lowers fertility. We only vaccinate once a year.) Trim hooves.

8) Post-kidding. Immediately after kidding, we give 1/2cc Oxytocin injection under the skin. 3cc vitamin B-complex injection under the skin. And give 2 oz. cal/mag oral cattle paste. And 2oz. per kid they birthed of MAGIC. (2 parts black strap molasses, 1 part corn oil, 1 part corn syrup-heat in sauce pan, whisk, and pour back into jugs to have on hand.) Switch to 10% sweet feed. Then we de-wormed our nannies with Cydectin/Moxidectrin and repeat de-worming our nannies 2 weeks post-kidding. After all our nannies have kidded for the season we again copper bolus our entire herd, those over 6 months of age, (about 6 months from their last copper boluses. )

9) Minerals & supplements. We offer our PBR mineral mix free choice daily to our entire herd. Or no more than 1 cup per head per day.

A) 50lbs ADM 12/12 cattle breeder mineral.

B) 50lbs Kelp.

C) 50lbs Diamond V Nutritional Yeast.

D) 150lbs Whole Flax Seed or Whole Black Sunflower Seed.

E) 2lbs/1 bottle blue Copper Sulfate Crystals (can be purchased at Home Depot/Lowe’s-in the plumbers dept. and labeled for Root Killer, must be 99.5% copper sulfate, either ROEBIC K-77 brand or ZEP brand )

This chart is helpful in judging a goat’s health. I generally check their eye color weekly, if not a couple times a week while they’re in the milking stanchion to make sure their eyelids show bright and healthy. The lighter the color, the heavier the parasite load or it may be an indication of something else going on. While they can handle a reasonable amount of parasites, too heavy a load can be fatal. You also have to pay attention to each goat’s ‘normal’ color. I may have one goat that always seems rather pale, but for her it’s normal and she’s healthy as can be. Others may normally be bright pink, and later, pale, and the goat’s appetite has noticeably changed, etc.Know your Goat. :) Again, it’s wise to have your vet do fecals on your herd routinely. To determine if your herd is within acceptable levels of parasites or coccidiosis. You may have a sick goat and de-worm it, with no improvement. This could easily mean your problem is not worms but coccidosis, and you need to treat for coccidia instead.