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For those raisi= ng their own:

1) Give your does a CD&T shot (2cc= ) at least 30 days before they are due to kid.

2) Provide plenty = for them to eat. A good, bagged 1= 4-16% protein feed, hay, and plenty of clean water are key.

3) Provide a clean= place for them to kid. Straw or wood chips make good bedding that is easy to clean up.

4) Dip the kidR= 17;s navel in iodine or betadine to seal off the umb= ilical cord from dirt and bacteria.

5) Give the kid or= kids a CD&T shot (2cc) at 30 days since birth and 60 days since birth.

6) Provide free ch= oice minerals (loose, blocks, or buckets) to your doe moms before and after they kid. When you can, use “goat” minerals rather than “sheep and goat.” If you cannot find goat-only miner= als, opt for beef cattle minerals instead. Goats desperately need the copper that is not found in “sheep” products.

7) After the doe k= ids, make sure her teats are open (they wax over and the kids can’t suck) = and that she passes her afterbirth. If the doe does not eat the afterbirth, clean it out of the pen. Make sure kids eat within the firs= t 12 hours, preferably earlier. The first 12 hours are the most critical and important to long-term growth.

8) At about 3 week= s of age, provide the kids with a high-quality feed (16-18% protein) at all times that the does cannot get to. = This is called “creep feeding” and many plans can be found on the internet for ideas to make such a space.&n= bsp; Providing a heat lamp (make sure it is se= cure and cannot be knocked down! F= ire hazard!) in the area will draw the kids in. Make sure the feed is available at= all times. I use a gravity feeder= like a dog feeder or a piglet feeder, something that holds a good amount of feed that cannot be slept in or pooped on.

9) Castrate male g= oats as close to weigh in as you can. Waiting lets the urethra develop and you have less chance of develop= ing urinary calculi (UC) problems.

For everyone raising a market goat:

1)&n= bsp; Find a good bagged feed at least 16% protein. Ask the breeder wher= e you bought your goat what they are feeding and try to keep it on the same feed.= If you cannot get the same feed as= your breeder, purchase a feed specially made for show or market goats and stick with it. Do not use a “sheep and goat” feed. Growing goa= ts need copper and sheep feeds do not provide enough to keep your goats health= y. Once you find a feed your goat wil= l eat and is available at all times where you buy feed, do not change the feed! Market goats will not grow steadily when their feed is constantly changed and you run the risk of sickness and potentially fatal diseases bro= ught on by feed changing. This is very important!

2)&n= bsp; When you bring your goat home give it a CD&T shot. This cannot hurt the goat and may = help it with the stress of coming to a new home.

3)&n= bsp; Regularly deworm your goats. Use a good de= wormer (we use Ivomec for cattle at the cattle dose) as often as the bottle says to. = When you get into crunch time nearing fair, change to SafeGuard or another wormer with a short withdr= awal time. Most of the growth or d= isease problems we see with the market goats could have been avoided by regular deworming. When in doubt, check the eyelids and gum lines for color. They should be a healthy pinkish red. If they are light or whi= te, deworm immediately!

4)&n= bsp; Goats must be kept in a dry area for their feet to remain disease free. If goats are constantly walking th= rough standing water, mud, or muck to get to their feed, hay, or shelter, they wi= ll develop feet trouble. Trust us—it’s much easier to avoid the problems that lead to feet tro= uble than to fix the feet. If your= barn area is a swamp like most are in the rainy season, keeping your market goat inside is a safer bet.

5)&n= bsp; Remember that clean water, feed every day, and enough hay to keep the rumen running = good are irreplaceable parts of raising a good market goat. Dirty or hot water, missing a day = of feeding, or no available roughage (hay, etc) can cause a growth delay that cannot be made up.

6)&n= bsp; Never underestimate the value of exercising your goat. Goats aren’t unlike people.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Goats need exercise to develop muscle. Goats do not win on fat. They win with muscle. Not only does your goat develop the needed muscle to win, the time spent with your goat shows in the ring with a well-behaved goat that lets the judge touch it and evaluate the animal. Lots of feed and no exercise make = a fat goat, not a winner.

7)&n= bsp; Regularly inspect your feed. Never feed= feed that has been wet or looks moldy or clumpy. Mold= y feed can cause potentially fatal diseases that can set your goat way back on gro= wth if it survives. Check your ha= y when you open it also. Never feed = wet or moldy hay. Check bagged feed = for mold or wet clumps before ever feeding to your animals. Buy hay from a reputable source. Even after all of that, you must s= till be the last line of defense between your goats and mold.<= /p>

8)&n= bsp; If your goats develop diarrhea, don’t panic. Sometimes this is just a reaction = to overeating. If the diarrhea is mostly green in color, they have overeaten on hay or grass. Simply remove the hay or access to= grass until it clears as long as the goat is still eating feed and drinking water. If it is mostly brown = in color, the cause is usually feed overload.= Withdraw the feed until it clears, making sure it has access to water and hay. If it is black it ca= n be potentially serious and this must be treated. Do not give P= epto at the first sign of diarrhea. Look at the color and determine if it can be solved another way. Pepto = upsets the rumen’s bacteria and it must be followed up with a probiotic like Probios or= FasTrack.

9)&n= bsp; Learn to use a weight tape if you do not have access to a scale. Weight tapes are not entirely accu= rate, but it can give you an estimate= of weight so you know how much medication to give or how it’s growing. The goat project book explains wei= ght tapes (also referred as heart girth measurements). You do not have to buy a special tape. A flexible tape like on= es used in sewing can be used instead and compare the inches to pounds on a chart. Such a chart can be fo= und at: http://fiascofarm.c= om/goats/weight-chart.htm.

10) For male market goats, take time to watch them pee every once in a while. If it seems like they = are straining (humping the back, groaning, etc) and the pee is not coming or ju= st dripping, call your vet and tell him/her that you potentially have urinary = calculi (UC). We may be also able to = help if the vet is not available. = This can be fatal, so don’t wait if you suspect this!!

11) Trim your goat’s feet as often as they need it.

Items to keep on-hand for market goat projects:

1) syringes and needles, just in case

2) Fortified Vitamin B. This is a liquid medication that can be found at Co-Op and online. The “fortified” kind (= also called “high potency”) is the best kind to have in case you nee= d to combat an illness. This can a= lso be used orally to help with appetite. Dosage can be found on-line, but you cannot overdose a goat on this—whatever vitamins the body does not use, it will pass in the uri= ne.

3) Probios or another paste-like probiotic (these are the same as those used for cattl= e.) This is also helpful in helping wi= th appetite problems and to keep the rumen healthy after a bout with diarrhea = or similar situations. Will need if you administer Pepto= for diarrhea.

4) minerals (discussed above)

5) CD&T. This is chea= p and good to give your goats if they travel.&nb= sp; Any goats retained in the herd will need vaccinated at least once ev= ery year after they were born. Th= e dose is 2cc regardless of age or size. Check withdrawal times if giving in July!

6) May also need penicillin and/or LA-200, if dealing with a sickness or disease. You don’t need= to keep it on hand but know where you can get it if you need it in a hurry.

We like and use Moor= Man’s ShowTec Elite, a pelleted, 17% feed that we sta= rt feeding at 3 weeks and continue to the show. Dealers can be found at: http://admworld.searchradius.com/l= ocator.php. We buy ours at Knight’s Farm Supply. Just ask for the mark= et goat feed that the Rines use!=

The goat show feed lines (Purina) that Tractor Supply now stocks have been used by members successfully also.

If your goats will eat it, pelleted feed = is a safer bet than sweet or textured feed.&nbs= p; There is a less chance of mold growth. Keep your feed dry and rodent free = and always check your feed for mold before you feed it!!<= /p>

Any questions, never be afraid to call us (304-845-4437) or a vet, not necessarily in that order. Also a lot of questions can be ans= wered by using the links found on our webpage (www.highhillacres.com/goatrabbitcl= ub.html). Chances are, if you call me, I wil= l be logging on to one of those links to find your answer. When in doubt, though, call and as= k at the first sign of trouble. The earlier something can be caught, the better the chances of pulling through = it.