Natural Goat Protocol

[Heritage Essential Oils]

Dairy Meadow's Goat Protocol (Ron & Cheryl)

Just a few things we’ve learned over nearly 20 years of goat keeping. We always go the natural way in our goat care.

Some products used are from Hoegger Goat Supply

Natural Goat Care by Pat Coleby

Our favorite goat book

Baking Soda Free choice

Golden Blend Goat Minerals (Hoegger) - free choice

Tonic Mix - top dress feed in AM ½ tsp as a mix made up of kelp, diatomaceous earth & Herbal Toner (Hoegger): 2 parts toner, 2 parts kelp and 1 part Diatomaceous Earth

Dolomite - 1/2 tsp. on their feed every morning. If the goats are initially picky about adding Dolmite, perhaps if you spritz the grain it will stick to it and they will have to eat it. Start slowly and build up to the right amount if you need to.

Apple Cider Vinegar - 1/3-1/2 cup in a 10 gal pail with rain or filtered H20

Fight Bac (Hoegger) - spray on teats after each milking

7% Iodine for baby's naval (not less than 7%)

Essential Oils:

Rosemary - 16 oz water + 8 drops Rosemary essential oil, shake well and spray on teats and dry with a paper towel before each milking

Tea Tree - cuts & mites

Peppermint - with hot packs on a congested udder after kidding, add to Lemongrass and Eucalyptus for lice (see Lemongrass below for suggested use)

Lavender - puts into a calendula  infusion salve. Uses this on cuts - it works wonders.

Lemongrass - lice, mix with Eucalyptus Radiata and Peppermint and drop oils from the base of neck to tail. Rub in with an old cloth.

Eucalyptus Radiata - lice, mix with Lemongrass and Peppermint and drop oils from the base of neck to tail. Rub in with an old cloth.

Wormer - 1st three days of every month morning and night (get from Hoegger)

Feed

½ clean oats

½ barley

Pat Coleby’s book should help you

(See additional information below)

Feed for Pregnant Doe

1 lb for pregnant does at each feeding if still milking, less if dry. For the first 3 months of their 5 month gestation they are usually still milking so the doe gets at least a 1 lb at each feeding (perhaps more if they are giving a lot of milk and need more). As you begin to dry them up, you decrease the amount of feed in order to encourage them to dry up, but then slowly raise it back up so that they are getting close to 1 lb morning and evening when they kid.

Sick Goat

Take Temperature

Nutri-Drench - give 1st thing when something is wrong

Probias - give 1st thing when off their feed

Vitamin C powder - heaping teaspoon sprinkled on food when sick

Cayenne - just a pinch in food when blood is present in milk - clears right up

Bloody Milk - use cayenne

Herbal Recipes for Farm Animals: Eyewash (May help with Pink-eye)

1 tsp Bay Berry Bark

1 tsp Red Raspberry Leaves

1/8 tsp Cayenne - draws out toxins

1 tsp Eye Bright Herb

1/4 tsp Goldenseal

Heat to almost boiling in a pot in pure water. (We guess about a cup of water - the book doesn't say how much water)

Cover and remove from the heat.

Let stand 20 minutes and strain.

Wash eyes from 1-3 times daily.

Additional Feed Information

Cottonseed + corn is a “hot” feed (although one needs to consider where you do live. You might need a different feed than we do here in Texas. 

Cottonseed - if it comes from a typical cotton crop it will likely have been sprayed with poisons, herbicides and such.

Corn - can we imagine goats in the wild eating corn? Were their systems made for such? Those are my first thoughts.

We have talked to a man in Georgia, Mr. Johnson (Hoeggar gave  us his phone number) who has had goats for many years, and he says it’s the worst thing you can feed goats. Then from a totally different place we heard that again, and that’s when  we switched over to straight oats and barley. Our goats blossomed after the switch.

Molasses - don’t use - it inhibits the assimilation of minerals and goats are a high mineral need animal.

Should I own a Buck?: Studies show that if you have less than 5 does, it doesn't pay to have a buck, but some feel that the economics of it aren't everything. If you own your buck, you know better when the does are in heat, and the does are calmer when a buck is around. The buck can be with the does for 6 months out of the year, otherwise they need a separate pasture and pen.

Old Doe? The older they are, usually the harder the birth. Sanaans usually milk for years without being bred, so you can keep milking an older doe that you don’t feel to breed again. If you do breed the older doe, always “hand breed,” which we do for all our does, meaning that you are there and know exactly when she is bred so you can calculate the exact date and be there when she starts to kid. You will likely need to assist her.

Son breed Mama?  (A question we sometimes are asked) Only if they are an exemplary example of the breed. All flaws will be magnified.

[Oily Mom]

I have been using the Top Gun blend on a dairy goat that has Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL) disease. CL is a chronic, contagious bacterial infection that lodges in the lymph nodes and creates abscesses. The Top Gun has caused one to completely go away (without bursting!) and has caused the others to shrink in size! I'm very excited at the results because this disease is very contagious, and this particular doe just kidded with twin doelings. I'm hoping to keep the kids CL free. I want to try the Lemon as well because of it's ability to cause lymphatic drainage.