Equipment lists

I just thought of another planning question ....

What equipment do you consider essential and what equipment is nice to have?

I will be breaking my list down to three categories - before bringing home, before breeding/kidding and other. And then in each category break it down further to must have, good to have and luxury. 

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  • Here is a list that "we" all compiled a while ago!

    http://nigeriandwarfgoats.ning.com/forum/topics/my-goat-kit Deb, IDK if you want to pin this in the message boards?

    Here's the gist of it:

     

    BASICS:

    • Large "tool" box (it's actually like a tote with a tool boxish lid.)
    • Iodine
    • Blood stop
    • Hoof trimmers
    • Dollar Tree "grater" for feet (to use as a hoof rasp)
    • Pet Trimmers
    • Digital Thermometer
    • Ivomec Eprinex Ivermectin Wormer
    • Copper Bolus
    • Brush/De-Shedder
    • Needles/Syringes
    • Vitamin B
    • Nasal aspirator
    • Pro Biotic
    • Udder cream

     

    KIDDING SPECIFIC:

    • Old "Tshirt" style sheets cut up into smaller sizes for drying off kids. Any old rags will do.  (I plan to wash and reuse but a friend of mine throws them away)
    • Baby Monitor
    • Shoulder length gloves
    • Lubricant
    • Nutri Drench
    • Unsulfered Black Strap Molasses
    • Heat Lamp/hut for cold weather kidding
    • Kid Box (just a wooden box for kids to snuggle in that a friend made/gave me... the kids like them, I hear.)

     

    MILKING SPECIFIC:

    • Today (medication for mastitis)
    • Peppermint Oil (also for mastitis treatment)
    • Henry Milker (great for getting some colostrum from a doe that is too exhausted to stand)

    I have a cooler for daily milking. I bring hot soapy water for udder cleaning, and have ice for fast cooling in there too.

     

    I'll add some photos after a while... anyone think of anything I'm missing? I know I have more... just need to get it all together. I'll add the other stuff as I remember.

     

    Ideas I didn't list from you guys:

    • Selenium E gel
    • CMPK - Calcium in a tube usually given before and after kidding
    • Turkey injector- we use this without a needle to give the CMPK or when we need a large dose of something like nutri -drench for a laboring doe that's getting tired.
    • Tube feeding kit- A 30cc syringe with a little tube attached for feeding a week kid. Good to learn how to do this. I got the vet to show me but there are videos on youtube.
    • Pritchard nipple - just in case you have to bottle feed somebody ::added:: Empty soda bottles or beer bottles for the Pritchards Nipple
    • Injectable Penicillin - just in case. I used it on Indiana when she got Mastitis because I didn't have any Today.
    • Tetanus Anti-Toxin - just in case. Also good if you are going to disbud and tattoo. If you do it yourself you will need this equipment sometime in the future. Also some method of castration for the bucks that don't meet your standards.
    • Baby Wipes
    • Latex (or alternative) gloves
    • Activated Charcoal to remove toxins if you suspect poisoning
    • Epinephrine (prescription) consider it an essential to have on hand if you vaccinate. Any vaccination, at any time, regardless even of whether they have received that vac before, has the potential to cause an anaphylactic response. It is rare, but it CAN happen. Epinephrine is given IM. The dosage varies, so know your dose/concentration. The med cannot be left in the barn with all the temperature fluctuations...refrigerate it.
  • Hmm ... a whole paragraph disappeared when I hit "add reply." After the kid survival paragraph above, I wrote that you probably won't ever need any of those supplements that I marked out. Each year I milk a doe or two at 12-24 hours after she gives birth and then I freeze the colostrum in 2 ounce increments to use in case of emergency. Since we always have goats in milk, I don't worry about keeping milk replacer on hand. The only thing you would initially would be colostrum for the first 24 hours, which would give you plenty of time to buy milk replacer, if you needed it.

  • I did a strike-through on things that you can probably not buy anytime soon so that the list is more affordable. If money is no object, then go for it! :) With only a few goats, you really don't need to buy any drugs to keep on hand. They'll probably expire without ever being opened. That also means you don't need to buy the syringes to keep on hand. You can buy them if/when you need to buy an injectable drug, assuming you have a farm supply store in your area and don't have to order everything online.

    The ob leg snare makes me a little nervous with new people getting it. I never used one until I'd had goats for 11 years. Yeah, I just used one for the first time this past spring. I feel like you need to see a few dozen normal births before you start using things like that. It doesn't give you a whole lot more traction than simply grabbing the kid's feet with a towel. And if a birth is more complicated than that, you should probably have someone talking you through it. Remember, 95% of births don't require intervention, so odds are good that you won't need it.

    And there is an equipment list on here somewhere! I think it was started by Rachel a couple years ago.

    Lisa Cotter said:

    I'm also a major planner & love sales. I found this site http://www.caprinesupply.com/ and they have kits available. I'm not sure how good the kits are or if this is the place to buy from, but it gave me ideas of what I might need.

    So I started looking at the kits to see what they included in them and reviewed my one goat book I have, atm. Waiting on Deb's. If anyone else has some book recommendations I'd love to hear about them.

    Right now I'm in the same planning stage as you Colleen, on the kidding schedule for 2 does in May 2014. It would be great to have a list of must haves / wants / etc., in different categories. I've written out a brief list of what I think I need.

    First Aid

    digital thermometer, 6-3 cc syringes, 6-6 cc syringes, 6-1" needles, 6-1/2" needles, 1 Vetwrap, 1 package of electrolyte powder, 1 Blu-Kote antiseptic, (I put hydrogen peroxide on any type of wound, human or animal) 1 balling gun, 4 pairs of surgical gloves, 2 weak kid syringes, 1 surgical scissors, 1 scalpel, 1 pt. of tamed iodine

    (this taken from that site, not sure if everything is in this that is needed or what should be swapped out / in)

    Kidding

    Kidding - 1 o.b. leg snare, 2 pr. surgical gloves, 2 disposable scalpels, 1 ketocheck to test for ketosis, 1 pint of propylene glycol to treat ketosis, 1 navel dip cup and 1 pt. iodine tincture for dipping navels, 1 80 cc tube of probiotic paste

    Kid Survival - 2 flutter valve nipples, 2 pop bottle nipples, 1 weak kid syringe, 1 packet of nutritional supplement, 1 tube Achieve, 1 tube of colostrum gel, 1 four pound bag of milk replacer, 3-3 cc syringes with 1" needles 

    (this taken from that site, not sure if everything is in this that is needed or what should be swapped out / in)

      Lots of towels,  Molasse's,  Disbudder,  Castrating equipment

    Milking

      Milking Stand,  Grain bucket (specific name, but can remember),  Small Strainer,    Filters,

      Stainless Steel Pails,  Strip Cup,  Scale - Digital Preferred,  Udder Wipes,  Udder Care,(we just use washcloths) Hair Trimmers,

      Henry Milker - (a want),  Mastitis test

    Hoof Care

      Hoof Trimmer,  Hoof Plane,  Hoof Heal

    Goat Care

      Goat monitor (baby monitor),  Loose minerals - copper, selenium (sp?),  Baking soda

    Fecal test,  Bolus equipment,  Medication (names),

    Books (recommendations or run don't buy that one)

    Any advice is greatly appreciated and specific brands used with recommendations. Once the list is put together it would be great to have it stickied so others could find it easily.

  • I think your list will very depending on how close your local grain store is located and how well stocked it is. Our locally owned store is very well stocked and will even deliver to our home once a week so I try to keep the items with an expiration period to a minimum. One big ticket item that I would recommend is a stanchion or milk stand even if you don't have any milking does. I went about a year without one and regret it. you cant beat it for trimming hooves or giving shots. it has made these tasks 80% easier.

    I did buy a bolus gun but don't use it as its just easier for me to top dress there grain with what ever I need to give them.

     

    I also think a baby monitor is a key item. After spending this year (my first year) running out to the barn every 2 hours checking on new kids in -30 degree weather for  several nights I  will be investing in a TV monitor before this years kidding season.

     

    I am also holding off on a clipper, disbudder, and castrator as I have a local lady who is willing to show me how to do these thing for the first couple of years.

    I would also say to look into your options as somethings have much cheaper alternative. Such as a strip cup/tuna can, udder wipes/warm soapy water, milk filter/reusable coffee filter, I also use small glass ginger ale bottles that work wonderful with a pritcheard nipple for bottle feeding babies.

     

    I think the general upkeep of my goats (grain, minerals, hay, medications, fencing exc.) can be coastally in the beginning so anything I don't need immediately  I've been trying to postpone till later. We also live in a selenium deficient area so that requires at least a yearly vet visit which can be a bit pricy in our area.

     

    good luck with your lists.

  • I'm also a major planner & love sales. I found this site http://www.caprinesupply.com/ and they have kits available. I'm not sure how good the kits are or if this is the place to buy from, but it gave me ideas of what I might need.

    So I started looking at the kits to see what they included in them and reviewed my one goat book I have, atm. Waiting on Deb's. If anyone else has some book recommendations I'd love to hear about them.

    Right now I'm in the same planning stage as you Colleen, on the kidding schedule for 2 does in May 2014. It would be great to have a list of must haves / wants / etc., in different categories. I've written out a brief list of what I think I need.

    First Aid

    digital thermometer, 6-3 cc syringes, 6-6 cc syringes, 6-1" needles, 6-1/2" needles, 1 Vetwrap, 1 package of electrolyte powder, 1 Blu-Kote antiseptic, 1 balling gun, 4 pairs of surgical gloves, 2 weak kid syringes, 1 surgical scissors, 1 scalpel, 1 pt. of tamed iodine

    (this taken from that site, not sure if everything is in this that is needed or what should be swapped out / in)

    Kidding

    Kidding - 1 o.b. leg snare, 2 pr. surgical gloves, 2 disposable scalpels, 1 ketocheck to test for ketosis, 1 pint of propylene glycol to treat ketosis, 1 navel dip cup and 1 pt. iodine tincture for dipping navels, 1 80 cc tube of probiotic paste

    Kid Survival - 2 flutter valve nipples, 2 pop bottle nipples, 1 weak kid syringe, 1 packet of nutritional supplement, 1 tube Achieve, 1 tube of colostrum gel, 1 four pound bag of milk replacer, 3-3 cc syringes with 1" needles

    (this taken from that site, not sure if everything is in this that is needed or what should be swapped out / in)

      Lots of towels,  Molasse's,  Disbudder,  Castrating equipment

    Milking

      Milking Stand,  Grain bucket (specific name, but can remember),  Small Strainer,    Filters,

      Stainless Steel Pails,  Strip Cup,  Scale - Digital Preferred,  Udder Wipes,  Udder Care,  Hair Trimmers,

      Henry Milker - (a want),  Mastitis test

     

    Hoof Care

      Hoof Trimmer,  Hoof Plane,  Hoof Heal

     

    Goat Care

      Goat monitor (baby monitor),  Loose minerals - copper, selenium (sp?),  Baking soda

      Fecal test,  Bolus equipment,  Medication (names),

     

    Books (recommendations or run don't buy that one)

     

    Any advice is greatly appreciated and specific brands used with recommendations. Once the list is put together it would be great to have it stickied so others could find it easily.

     

     

     

     

  • I plan to get 2 does in Spring 2014 that I will breed in Jan or Feb 2015. I was thinking of milking equipment as something I need to have before the kids are born in 2015. Hmmm ... probably need a category of "consumables" (not feed, just things that need to be replaced after being used)

    I tend to over plan and I hate paying full price. That means lists of items needed and the normal cost so I can take advantage of sales ... plus it gives the hubby a reason to wander thru TSC without me rolling my eyes quite as much.

  • You will need milking equipment too! If you look through previous discussions you may find some of these. But we will work on them here too. Tell us exactly what you plan to get first. how many sex and ages- that will determine some things

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