The goat update!

I got their registration forms in the mail today, but the breeder forgot to sign the transfer portion, so I sent them back, but hopefully I will have them back to send off to NDGA by Monday or Tuesday. I talked with the registration office and they said it will take about a week for me to get the papers back from them. I am also sending in the membership and herd name application. Hopefully we will get our first choice! :) If the parents are only registered with NDGA it looks like I won't be able to register with ADGA or AGS until I buy some that are already registered with them. Disappointing, but not horrible, I think. Once I get the Herd name app back I should be able to set up a website.

The goat house is done, and can be moved with a dolly....very cool! With neighbors to the North and South where most of the wind blows, David is not sure where he wants to put the buck house. We will probably put the bucks on the east side of the property, and the does on the west, when we get them. Will Sam and Stan be so stinky that the neighbors will be begging me to get rid of them, you think? I will get some pictures up soon!

Sam's leg is nearly healed. He uses it all the time now with a slight limp...except when eating he holds it up about an inch...don't know why standing still is an issue. At least it is getting better and better every day. Their heads look less hideous now, and it looks like I get to deworm for the first time on Friday. Not looking forward to that part, but it has to get done. The feed store is closed tomorrow, and since we only have one car, I won't be able to get there until Friday morning. Does any one have any suggestions about which wormer (s) to start with... According to what I have read...I have to do it Friday the 23erd and again on August 2ed, and then again September 1st... should I use 3 different ones?

If you want to eventually register goats with ADGA and AGS, you should become a member of both now and see if you can get your herd name with them. ADGA is a huge registry, so a lot of herd names are already taken. When Nigerians were first accepted for registration, a lot of us had to change our herd names, which was a pain.

Once you're about 50 to 100 feet away from bucks, you can't smell them much, so I doubt your neighbors will complain. The stink dissipates a lot as you get farther away from them.

As for deworming, it sounds like you're reading some old info. Rotating dewormers on a schedule was standard advice five to 20 years ago, and they've discovered that doing so simply creates worms that are resistant to the dewormers, so eventually you're in a position where none of them work any longer, and your goats start dying because they have no natural resistance to internal parasites. Current advice to to use only one dewormer, and use it until it stops working, which should be a few years, unless you're using it too often. You should only use it when the goats are showing negative effects of a high worm load, such as weight loss and anemia. The inside of their eyelids gets pink when they become anemic. Normally, it's a pinkish-red. White is severely anemic. Gums are not as accurate because they tend to be lighter in color anyway. With only a couple goats, I'd suggest using morantel tartrate, which is a feed additive. It is one of only two dewormers labeled for goats. In other cases, you will be using a sheep or cattle dewormer, and you'll have to adjust the dosage for goats. You can get morantel tartrate at Tractor Supply and places like that. Rumatel is one of the brand names, but there are others. Giving it to them is no big deal, because it's feed, so they just eat it up. For more info on worms, you can find current recommendations and research at http://www.wormcontrol.org. There are two dozen researchers from colleges, vet schools, the USDA, and ATTRA, who contribute to the site, so it is very credible.

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Comments

Deborah Niemann-Boehle July 31, 2010 at 1:39pm

It's been a few years, but I think it might be on the membership form. If you call ADGA, they can tell you.
Melissa Johnson July 28, 2010 at 1:24am

I revisited the website and see that if you join in September your membership doesnt expire until December of 2011 - so not so bad. But I dont see where you request your herd name.
Melissa Johnson July 28, 2010 at 1:08am

Deborah, do you have to be a member in order to get your herd name registered? I saw that its $36.00 to become a member, then addl. $15.00 to register your herd name? That was ADGA.
Deborah Niemann-Boehle July 24, 2010 at 11:44am

If you want to eventually register goats with ADGA and AGS, you should become a member of both now and see if you can get your herd name with them. ADGA is a huge registry, so a lot of herd names are already taken. When Nigerians were first accepted for registration, a lot of us had to change our herd names, which was a pain.

Once you're about 50 to 100 feet away from bucks, you can't smell them much, so I doubt your neighbors will complain. The stink dissipates a lot as you get farther away from them.

As for deworming, it sounds like you're reading some old info. Rotating dewormers on a schedule was standard advice five to 20 years ago, and they've discovered that doing so simply creates worms that are resistant to the dewormers, so eventually you're in a position where none of them work any longer, and your goats start dying because they have no natural resistance to internal parasites. Current advice to to use only one dewormer, and use it until it stops working, which should be a few years, unless you're using it too often. You should only use it when the goats are showing negative effects of a high worm load, such as weight loss and anemia. The inside of their eyelids gets pink when they become anemic. Normally, it's a pinkish-red. White is severely anemic. Gums are not as accurate because they tend to be lighter in color anyway. With only a couple goats, I'd suggest using morantel tartrate, which is a feed additive. It is one of only two dewormers labeled for goats. In other cases, you will be using a sheep or cattle dewormer, and you'll have to adjust the dosage for goats. You can get morantel tartrate at Tractor Supply and places like that. Rumatel is one of the brand names, but there are others. Giving it to them is no big deal, because it's feed, so they just eat it up. For more info on worms, you can find current recommendations and research at http://www.wormcontrol.org. There are two dozen researchers from colleges, vet schools, the USDA, and ATTRA, who contribute to the site, so it is very credible.

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