Preventive Measure Management in Raising Boer Goats

We do preventive measures that will allow our animals have optimum growth and health performance with the minimum amount of our labor and expense. Each breeder must determine what is the most important preventive measures for their situation. The type of preventive measures taken by breeders can vary widely according to the following:

• Category of goat business they are pursuing.
• Type of geography where animals are raised.
• Type of weather.
• Amount of grazing space available.
• Amount of time breeder wants to put into working with animals.

Our Preventive Measures

• Annual vaccine with Bar-Vac CD/T. For immunizing against tetanus and overeating disease. We give 2 cc per animal. The first time an animal is given the vaccine it must have a booster shot 30 days later. We vaccine newborn kids at 20+ days old and booster shot 30 days later.
• Annual vaccine with TriangleŽ 9 + Type II BVD -  For immunizing against 9 different types of respiratory problems. We give 2 cc per animal under the skin. There must be a booster shot for the first time given. Kids must be at least 2 months old.
• Drench newborn kids with Bar-Guard-99. Used for the prevention of colibacillosis caused by K99 strains of Escherichia coli. Our vet told us this can also help prevent Floppy Kid Syndrome. We drench newborn kids immediately after they have their first mother's milk. We give them 2 ccs.
• Preventive De-worming for internal parasites. We de-worm  as little as possible to try and have our animals build up resistance to internal parasites. We treat our does about 2 weeks before kidding.
• Regular barn cleaning. We clean our barns about every 2 weeks to give our animals as clean of environment as possible.
• Treat animals with Pro-Bios when they are given antibiotics to ensure the rumen continues to work properly.
• Lab testing of any Abscess. Any abscess we find on an animal is reviewed by our vet and the abscess content is tested to see if it is CL. Any animal that tests for CL will be eliminated from our farm but not sold to our customers. We do not manage CL, we eliminate it.

Preventive Measures we do not take

• Vaccinate for Sore Mouth. We do not vaccinate for Sore Mouth. If you have not had Sore Mouth on your farm, vaccinating for it brings live bacteria on your site and will require annual vaccinations to protect animals. If you have had Sore Mouth on your farm, any animal getting it will become immune to it when they do get it. It only lasts for around 3 weeks. We will monitor for any serious infections.
• Hoof Trimming. We only trim hooves on exception. We want to have animals that do not require regular trimming. If an animal does have hooves that get bad and may cause problems, we will trim them as required. We prefer that the hooves break off or chip during normal movement.

Additional Material

• Atlas of Parasitology
• Disease Management
• First Aid Kit
• Herd Health Program

07/21/09