Raising Goats For Dummies. Cheryl K. Smith
had a goat whose baby died during birth and had to be removed from her body. She saw the dead kid at the vet’s office, but after she got home she ran to the kidding pen, looking around and then yelling at me. She recovered physically from the ordeal but took months to get over it emotionally. Some goats whose babies are taken at birth for bottle-feeding (usually dairy goats) or die later respond the same way, while others seem unconcerned.
If a goat is truly hungry or thirsty, his bleat is persistent. I always hear these cries as my wake-up call in the morning if I’m not out by 7:00 a.m. and in the evening at the same time. They know they’re due to be fed. Who needs a traditional alarm clock?
A sick goat sometimes moans or makes a stressed-out sounding cry, but more often you notice that she isn’t crying but is away from the herd suffering silently.
Bucks in rut will make some of the craziest snorting, bleating noises you’ve ever heard. Some does cry out in little short bursts when they’re in heat and wanting to get bred.
Does that are kidding can also be quite noisy, although some approach the task silently. During the first stage of labor, they whine more than cry, especially if they want you there with them the whole time. Others are pretty discreet until it’s time to push the baby out and then they let loose with a loud, long cry to tell you over the baby monitor that it’s time.
Finally, a goat that is trapped or injured (or got through the fence and can’t get back in) will make sure you know it with loud, frantic bleats. This is the kind of cry that sends you running to its source because time is of the essence. If a kid is the victim, the mother will often chime in to let you know that something is wrong.
Listen, and learn your goats’ cries; the knowledge will serve you well.
Determining normal temperature
A goat’s normal temperature is around 102°F to 103°F but can be a degree higher or lower, depending on the individual goat. A goat’s temperature can also go up or down throughout the day. On a hot day, you can expect some of your goats to have higher temperatures.
A temperature that is too high or too low indicates illness in a goat. A goat with a high temperature often has an infection and can quickly become dehydrated, while a goat with a low temperature (hypothermia) may have rumen trouble or is so sick that he is unable to stay warm. This goat needs to be warmed or he will die.
Figuring out what’s normal for your goats
In order to determine what’s normal for each of your goats, take their temperature several times when they’re healthy and note the number in their health records. Make sure you measure their temperatures on a hot day and a normal day so that you get an accurate baseline to compare with if a goat gets sick, as well as an idea of what variations might occur in that goat.
Taking a goat’s temperature
Taking a goat’s temperature is easy. You need either a digital or traditional glass thermometer that you can buy from a feed store, a drugstore, or a livestock supply catalog. Either type is fairly inexpensive.
To take a goat’s temperature, grab a thermometer, the goat’s health record, and take the following steps:
1 Immobilize the goat.You can hold a small kid across your lap. Secure an adult in a stanchion (a metal device to lock a goat’s head in place), have a helper hold him still, or tie him to a gate or fence.
2 Lubricate your thermometer with K-Y Jelly or Vaseline.
3 Insert the thermometer a few inches into the goat’s rectum.
4 Hold the thermometer in place for at least two minutes.
5 Slowly remove the thermometer, read the temperature, and record it on the goat’s health record.
6 Clean the thermometer.Use an alcohol wipe or a cotton ball that has been wet with alcohol.
Using ruminations as a health indicator
Because rumination is an essential part of how goats digest food (see the section “The digestive system”), you can use cud-chewing as an indicator of goat health. A ruminating goat is eating and generating heat and energy. You can determine whether a goat is ruminating in two ways: by looking for cud-chewing and by listening to the goat’s body.
A goat’s rumen is located on the left side of the abdomen. You can watch this area or feel the side of the abdomen for movement.
The best way to determine whether a goat is ruminating and the strength and frequency of rumination is to listen. Often, ruminations are loud enough that you can hear them by just sitting next to the goat. If you can’t hear them, put your head up to the left side of your goat’s abdomen. If you still have trouble hearing ruminations, use a stethoscope. You can purchase an inexpensive stethoscope from a livestock supply catalog.
Look around your herd to see whether each goat is chewing her cud. I’ve found that a good time for this is the early afternoon, when the goats are resting before their last go at the pasture for the day. Usually at least two-thirds of them will be ruminating at the same time. Take a closer look at any goats that aren’t chewing cud. If they don’t look well in some other way (see the section, “Signs of a Healthy Goat”), go up to them and listen for rumination sounds.
Taking a goat’s pulse
Pulse indicates the goat’s heart rate. Normal pulse for a goat is 70 to 90 beats per minute. Kids’ heart rates may be twice that fast. To take your goat’s pulse:
1 Make sure she is calm and resting.
2 Find the goat’s artery below and slightly inside the jaw with your fingers.
3 Watching a clock, count the number of beats in 15 seconds.
4 Multiply that number by four to get the pulse rate.
Counting respirations
The normal respiration rate for an adult goat is 10 to 30 breaths per minute and for a kid it is 20 to 40 breaths per minute. To count respirations, simply watch the goat’s side when she is calm and resting. Count one respiration for each time the goat’s side rises and falls.
Recognizing