Chicory Springs Farm Dairy Goats Herd Health

UPDATE: This November 2008, the entire adult goat herd was tested for CAE, CL and Johnnes. All adult does (13) and all breeding bucks regardless of age (10), were tested. Being the young offspring of all the other tested adults, 5 wethers and 9 young doelings were not tested. As expected, all the blood testing done by the WSU (Washington State University) lab came back negative (and no borderlines) for CAE, CL and Johnnes. I did not test again for Brucellosis or TB, since Washington is at this time a free state for these diseases, and previous testing in 2003 showed the herd to be clean.

Although expensive, some breeders may find it is wise practice to test every year. Since we have a closed herd, do not show, the dairy goats never leave the farm except for testing days, and the regional exposure is very low (there are only 4 goats within many miles), I do not feel the risk justifies the expense. Of course, any goat that we have received a deposit on can be tested at your request. Also, you may receive a confirmation/copy of any test, directly from our veterinary office at the Chewelah Veterinary Clinic.

In 2001, Jean was fortunate to purchase a portion of an old farm that hadn’t been used for livestock for quite some time. As far as we know, this farm was never used for goats or sheep. Random fecal tests of the dairy goat herd have shown no parasites. I believe this is due in part to the clean ground and climate, and partly due to the use of Hoegger’s Herbal Wormer.

The goat herd has shown no evidence of contagious abscess, CL or CAE. The entire herd was tested in the fall of 2003 for CAE, TB and Brucellosis with clean results. Since Washington is considered brucellosis free, I plan to retest this fall for CAE only. Our herd is closed at this time. Any individual with a sales deposit may be tested at your request.

We feed unsprayed, local dairy alfalfa which we put up ourselves, and natural (un-medicated) grains from local farmers. Organic grains would be preferred of course, but the supply and price are limiting at this time. Goats are fed outside the pens, and they don’t graze on pastures used by the cows, horses or mules. Having former veterinary experience, I keep a close eye on each individual here. Any sign of “abnormal behavior” gets immediate attention. I attend to every crisis, but don’t hesitate to call our vet in unusual circumstances.

To my dismay, in 2003, I acquired an adult doe with lice. At that time, none of my goats had lice and I was then unfamiliar with the signs, so it spread to my whole herd. (Goat lice are endemic to goats so your dog, cat or child cannot get them.) The entire herd has been treated with Ivomec orally, with good results.

Dave helps me haul hay, but I trim feet, disbud kids, wether, vaccinate, and medicate if needed. I clip all pregnant does (udder clip only in the colder weather) and occasionally get time to clip the others in the warmer weather. All kids get colostrum (either from their dam or heat-treated from the bottle if a weak kid). Most kids are dam raised, although occasional bottle feedings can improve attitude! All pregnant does are vaccinated with CD&T. All kids are vaccinated before leaving the farm. Goats are not re-introduced to the herd once they have left.

We don’t have time to show, so outside exposure to our animals is at a minimum. Foot traffic is not allowed in the pens, and car traffic is restricted to the parking area when at all possible. There are not many goat or sheep breeders in this part of the state, so our exposure to pathogens is hopefully limited.