Visit us on FaceBook for current news

FROM THE DESK OF SUZANNE W. GASPAROTTO . . . .

There are several items of interest this month that don't justify an entire article by themselves, so here goes:

1) Penicillin is going prescription sometime in 2022. It is almost impossible to find right now; even some vets are having trouble obtaining penicillin. . Jeffers has had penicillin backordered for months. Note: Jeffers received a small supply of penicillin in early December. Check with them at 1-800-533-3377 for availability.

2) My treatment protocol for Listeriosis and Goat Polio involves using procaine penicillin. In an effort to find an alternative, I've been told by one goat raiser that he successfully used LA300 in place of procaine penicillin, dosing SQ at 6 cc per 100 pounds bodyweight, for 5 consecutive days and it worked. I don't know if this will be successful on a goat whose diagnosis was delayed by several days before LA300 usage began. The dexamethazone and vitamin B1 dosing in my original article remain unchanged.

3) Feeding grain does *not* cause urinary calculi. Grain that has too much phosphorus in it can cause urinary calculi. Grain should have a 2.5 to 1 calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.

4) Feeding alfalfa does *not* cause urinary calculi. The problem is phosphorus (see #3 above).

5) Other than the chance of putting too much FAT on them, there is no reason to avoid feeding weight-appropriate amounts of grain to males. Ditto on alfalfa.

6) Don't feed alfalfa or any feed high in calcium to does in the last month of pregnancy. When the udder begins to develop, the doe's body needs to pull calcium from her bones. High-calcium hay or feed lets her body pull calcium from the feed, resulting in an imbalance of calcium called Hypocalcemia (milk fever). This is a pregnancy disease that is caused by improper feeding.

7) I've found help in controlling algae in water troughs by using Barley Straw Treatment for Livestock Water Tanks. STOCK TANK SECRET is the brand name carried by Tractor Supply, which surprisingly is the most cost effective seller that I've found so far.

8) Copper wire boluses for goats can help control Haemonchus contortus (barberpole) worm load. However, use this product in conjunction with doing your own fecals and proper deworming. Goats need copper, but no one knows what the toxic level of copper is for goats.

December 5, 2021

LOOKING FOR ACCURATE INFORMATION ABOUT RAISING MEAT GOATS?

Are you having trouble finding accurate management and health information about meat goats? You aren't alone.

There are many websites, discussion groups, and social media sites on the Internet that provide information about raising goats. Most of them give out incorrect and sometimes dangerous information. Unfortunately some of this wrong information comes from university and veterinary sites.

Since I began raising goats in 1990, I've known two (2) vets who had any knowledge about goats. The veterinary situation isn't going to get better, because we've gone from 12 million goats in 1990 to less than 2 million goats by 2013. The numbers continue to decline, despite increased demand for goat meat. There are several reasons, the biggest two of which are that goats are the hardest livestock to raise and most people don't have nearly enough land on which to raise goats properly.

Goats are DEER in how they live and interact, so they need lots of space to avoid STRESS and avoid barberpole STOMACH WORMS that cause anemia, deoxygenate the body's organs, and kill them. The number of goats that you can run per acre is based upon these two criteria and not on how much there is available for them to eat. Meat goats cannot be feed-lotted.

Just because someone raises goats doesn't mean they know what they are doing. Before accepting advice on how to raise, feed, and care for your goats, find out if the person giving the advice has a successful track record of raising goats. Check backgrounds. Find out how long they have been in the goat business. Get references. But remember that successful people always have detractors, so use your common sense when making evaluations. Be suspicious of anyone who constantly speaks negatively of specific individuals and their animals unless they have provable facts to back up their statements. Successful people don't have time for gossip.

This shortfall in finding accurate information about raising goats has caused me to establish a CONSULTATION SERVICE to help other goat raisers. For a monthly fee subscribers can contact me by phone, text, or email on any topic related to raising goats. I prefer phone calls so I can ask questions that allow me to help you quickly. The number of contacts per month is unlimited. I am not a vet, but I've been raising goats since 1990. I KNOW GOATS. Based upon the information you provide and your answers to the questions that I ask, I will tell you what I would do under similar circumstances and you will use the information at your own risk.

You can sign up by contacting me at onioncrk@centex.net and providing your name, address, and phone contact information. I will call you and provide sign-up details. The consultation fee is $20 per month, based upon current date to December 31 of the calendar year in which you subscribe. The quickest way to subscribe is the download the CASH app to your phone and send the money to $SuzanneGasparotto but you can mail a check made payable to Suzanne W. Gasparotto to 300 Happy Ridge Rd, Briggs, Texas 78608.

You will need to establish a relationship with a vet in order to purchase prescription medications. Non-prescription medications and supplies should be purchased from the family-owned and friendly Jeffers Supply in Alabama. 1-800-533-3377 or www.jefferslivestock.com. Super people at Jeffers. I've been a Jeffers customer since the early 1990's.

Raising meat goats is a wonderful adventure and can be an excellent business if you are prepared and have the resources you need. Having access to a person who can help you is important. You don't have to re-invent the wheel. You will make enough mistakes on your own, so learn from the mistakes of those who came before you. I am here to help when you need it.

Suzanne W. Gasparotto, Onion Creek Ranch, Texas 12.1.21