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In this post I'll be sharing some very important facts about goat health. I got them when I was doing some goat research as I'm planning to start a goat farm.
1. Offer kids feed containing coccidiostat from 2-6 weeks of age. Also offer it when they are weaned.
Examples of coccidiostat and their dosage (mg/kg body weight) in braclet include:
amprolium (50 mg/kg body weight . For 5 days)
monensin (0.75g per 44kg body weight or 15g/ton feed. This is fairly toxic. Should be fed throughout feeding period)
Sulfa drugs (include dimidine, guanidine, methazine, quinoxalin,) Reduce dose by half on subsequent days and treat for 3-5 days.
Lasalocid (20-90g/ton feed)
Decoquinate (0.5mg/kg feed for 28 days. No withdrawal period needed before animal is slaughtered)
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2. Give ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) to male goats to avoid a kidney problem called urinary calculi. 1 level teaspoon daily per 68kg body weight.
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3. If you notice exctoparasites like ticks, dip them in gammatex, supona etc two times in 2 weekly intervals or as recommended by the manufacturer.
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4. Pregnant goats should be dewormed so that they don't infect their kids. Do so using Fenbendazole 15-30 days before birth time. Safe dewormers for pregnant goats include: Fenbendazole (5-10mg/kg body weight), thiabendazole (44-66mg/kg BW, many worms are resistant to this one), oxibendazole (5-10mg/kg BW), mebendazole (13.5mg/kg BW), levamisole (8mg/kg BW, be very careful with this one. Don't overdose or use in milking goats!)
About 1 week after deworming pregnant goats, wash them and transfer them to a new, clean pen.
Deworming of kids can start when they are 1 month old.
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Easy way to give medications to goats
The following applies to oral medication and goats that are not so sick that they reject feed.
Goats need medications like dewormer or antibiotics etc. Simply mix it in a little concentrate feed and give to them. Mixing in molasses will make it more palatable. Don't forget to give the correct dossage and feed them separately. This can also work for cattle and sheep.
If they are very sick and could not feed, tube feed them along with the medication. Tube feeding is a process whereby you insert a soft tube (the type used in hospitals) into the stomach via the mouth and throat. There are several youtube videos that demonstrate it. Anyone can do it.
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Acidosis in Ruminants: Causes and Prevention
Grain overload is also known as acidosis or grain poisoning. It occurs when ruminants (cattle, sheep or goats) eat large amounts of grain. The large amount of carbohydrate that get released into the rumen will ferment rapidly rather than digesting normally. Lots of lactic acid is produced, leading to acidosis, slowing of the gut, dehydration and often death.
Symptoms of Acidiosis:
1. Diarrhoea
2. Depressed appearance
3. Lying down
4. Dehydration and thirst
5. The left side of the abdomen will appear bloated
6. Staggery or tender gait and 'sawhorse' stance
7. Deaths.
Treatments for Acidiosis
Treatment will depend on how serious it is. Treatments include intravenous fluids, drenching with bicarbonate solution or milk of magnesia, intraruminal antibiotic injections, thiamine or steroid injections, and surgery for very valuable animals. You'll need a vet if you don't have the experience.
Healing
If successfully treated, it can take up to 6 weeks for the rumen lining to heal. So affected animals will show poor growth rates during this time.
Some animals may develop infections like abscesses in the liver and other organs. These animals may need to be culled because they may become unproductive for life.
How to Prevent Acidiosis
1. Don't Crush grains into a meal as this will encourage rapid fermentation in the rumen. Grain forr cattle may should be cracked because they will likely swallow it whole while grain for goats should be left as is since they will chew it.
2. Introduce grains slowly. Start with small amount and gradually increase it to the recommended level. This should take about 2 weeks. To introduce grains faster, give them an antibiotic that selectively reduce the numbers of acid-producing bacteria in the gut. If grain is being introduced too fast, you will see signs like scouring, depression, lethargy and lameness
3. Ensure that your flock don't accidentally come across grains as they graze or browse.
Diseases with Similar Symptoms:
1. polioencephalomalacia
2. salmonellosis
3. pulpy kidney (enterotoxaemia)
4. regnancy toxaemia
5. hypocalcaemia
6. lupinosis.
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I like the way u concentrate all the info. Keep sharing.
