03/16/07, 06:14 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 146
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians
We heat treat and pasteurise colostrum than milk, and pull kids for alot more than CAE. Not only does it give us a dog tame kid to sell, or keep and show, but as a milker herself she has a soft udder, is staph mastitis free, does not have any communicable disease passed by raw goats milk and is a pleasure for us or someone else to milk. The market I sell to, which includes many forum members here and on my forum, demands testing and the raising of stock on pevention. I sell lots of goats with contracts that contain 30 day gurantees that the milker will test negative at her new home, when the doe herself will be moving into an untested herd. All kids are sold with negative tests on does here who are milking.
Buy goats, breed goats, raise goats however you want. Nobody is forcing anyone to do anything. For me and my farm I will always heat treat and pasteurise, the kids are better....for me. The does udders are better being milked, less uneven.
I have a purchased dam raised kid, she had better come into a show udder or she will be sold, a wonderful pedigree, tested negative for everything, and guess what she will sell for less than a compariable doe the same age from my herd because she will be dicounted for the fact she is wild. No she was not wild for the man who raised her, I saw him with her, but she is wild for me. She will wear a drag roap the day she kids so I can stop her from running out to the back 40 at every milking time until she finally learns the routine. How attractive is that!
So for all the wringing of hands all you have with questions about why we would continue to use prevention, I have the same exact feelings about how you manage your goats. Difference is I can sell to all of you, and you will never sell to anyone who demands goats come from a herd that does prevention. Bottom line, it hurts sales. And once again, it is alot more than just CAE that I do this for. Vicki
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Vicki,
Do you think that maybe when you first started out in a very small farm environment that those first kids would be more "wild" if they were handled everyday? Does it become too burdensome to go out there if there is not something larger (like feeding)driving you one once the doe kids. Or is it simply that you are required to handle them SOO much when you feed?
As you can probably tell this has less to do with your situation than with mine. We are looking at our first kidding season this early summer and I am having a hard time deciding whether to bootle raise or dam raise. My does were bottle raised and ARE THEY SWEET! I did have to get to know them but after 2 weeks they came when I called they were really great. Now my new buck is taking a lot more work and he is supposed to be the tamer one of the two that I am getting. So I do understand the importance of getting that easy handling. But I didn't realize about the more softer teats but that does make sense. So long story short, how soon do you notice a difference in the kids when you bottle feed as far as their demeanor goes?? Thanks
Kerrin
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