Find a good goat and keep it happy

Written by New Zealand Lifestyle Block magazine editor Nadene Hall. February 2010 issue.

TIP 1

Before you buy, have good fences

By good fences I mean 7-wire, 8-wire or 9-wire battened fences, preferably with a hot wire along the top and one at mid-calf height to prevent goats going under a fence, or rubbing along it.

If young goats learn to beat fences they will test every fence they ever meet, so start as you mean to go on. Never encourage kids to jump - if a goat learns to jump, it can fly. One of my goats can clear fences up to 1.6m high from a standing start.

TIP 2

Be diligent in your homework

Learn what a healthy goat looks like, and ask for advice from local members of the national goat breed societies. Junko Smith says not doing this was the biggest mistake her family made.

"Our friends in the know gave us the name of some official person from a local dairy goat breeders' association, but the title seemed too grand for us to call. After all, all we wanted was just one average 'nanny goat' for milking.

"So we contacted a seller (on Trade Me). In hindsight, it was what people call a "dairy cull," but we thought it must be a good milking goat if it came from a commercial dairy farm. We had no idea what a goat doe was supposed to look like, so we had nothing to compare."

Unfortunately, within a few months their goats began showing symptoms of a disease called CAE (Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis), an infectious and incurable virus.

A goat with CAE is very compromised health-wise, is often in terrible pain from swollen joints, and eventually will die from internal complications if not euthanised.

TIP 3

Insist on confirmation of CAE and Johnes-free

A goat breeder should be willing to prove that their animals are free of Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis and the deadly, infectious and incurable Johnes (pronounced yo-knees) Disease.

Make sure to sight the documentation (large-scale breeders may have test results on hand), or be willing to pay for tests yourself.

TIP 4

Know thy worst enemy

Goats are not like sheep, and never gain immunity to parasites as they age, so an important part of owning a goat is prevention and control of internal parasites. Chemical drenches have withholding periods for milk, up to 30 days, so you need to manage your goats well to avoid parasites.

Talk to your vet about different drench families and dosing rates (often 1.5x the rate for sheep, but some are very toxic so you must know what you are doing). Learn about grazing management and fodder trees for preventing parasite burdens.

Parasites are the number one killer of goats, so check daily for symptoms (behaviour, anaemia, scouring), and do regular faecal egg counts.

TIP 5

Hooves will need trimming

Getting someone to show you how to do this is the easiest way. Some people swear secateurs are fine; I personally prefer a pair of sharp clippers from Shoof. These cost $30-$60 but are a good investment, especially if you have small/weak hands. If you live in a humid or wet region an occasional soaking of hooves in a 10% solution of zinc sulphate is recommended.

TIP 6

Have a mentor

Every "goat person" I know has a mentor and despite owning goats for years, I'm still learning from fellow members of the Anglo Nubian Breed Society.

Junko's mentor is veteran Otago goatkeeper Irene Ramsey.

"We have gone to her for advice on just about everything to do with goats. She says that even 10 years means you're still a relative novice, and she is happy for anyone with questions on goats to email or call her."

For more information:

The breed societies cover New Zealand. To find out more about milking goat breeds:

Anglo Nubian Breed Society
www.anbsnz.org.nz
Emma Osment
241 Pukemoremore Rd
RD1, Cambridge 3493
Phone 07 827 8582
anbsnz@xtra.co.nz

NZ Dairy Goat Breeders Association
www.nzdgba.co.nz
Kath Barber
Registrar/Treasurer
34 Matheson Road,
RD4, Hikurangi 0184
Phone 09 433-9647
info@nzdgba.co.nz

Irene Ramsey
Goatkeeper & mentor
i.ramsay@xtra.co.nz
Phone 03 464-3145

Articles by Irene
www.u-sayranch.com/goats/ramsay/index.html

Rare Breed Goats in NZ
To find out more about goat breeds, or to find breeders around NZ visit:
www.rarebreeds.co.nz