keep bottle feeding past 4 months ?

motdaugrnds · #21 07/22/11, 10:53 AM

bwanaswan, don't beat yourself up. We have all had to learn and my learning curve was terrible because I put a lot of trust in the local vets. This meant that, once I learned the local vets were actually helping me kill my goats, I stopped listening to them and started watching the goats more closely. Thus, my learning was lengthened and, of course, our goats suffered as much or more than I did.

Even raising goats in different locations in this world means different grazing/feeding/medical needs are different. We can all help each other learn the generics of caring for our goats; but it is the local aspects that actually dictate what we each need to do, i.e. too much iron in our soil or water, selenium/copper deficiency in the grasses, etc.

I have been raising goats since 1997 and I am still learning.

rabbitpatch · #22 07/22/11, 11:27 AM

bwanaswan, you're not alone in that steep learning curve. I bought my first goat in Summer 2009 and it was a horrible, miserable disaster. A large part of the first year and a half was an equally horrible, miserable disaster. I have this board and a couple of local friends to thank for being patient with me and encourage me not to give up.

Somethings you chalk up to ignorance, learn from, and change your practices accordingly. Other things are beyond your control and you learn to not beat yourself up over it so at the very least you can sleep at night. I for instance, have had terrible luck with bucks. I have no idea why. No one I have talked to can tell me why. Not my vet, nothing I have read, not even my incredibly super smart goat genius friend (who used to frequent this board but I think has just gotten too busy lately), can tell me what I am doing wrong with the bucks. Maybe I was doing nothing wrong and it was all just one long evil stroke of bad luck. *shrugs* - I may never know the answer to that because it will be a long, looooooong time before I ever keep another buck long-term at my place.

All that said, the last 11 months or so have been generally uneventful around here, with even a few small successes (finally!) and things are looking up. I envy those people who get into goats for the first time and have nothing go wrong. For the rest of us, it takes time and unfortunately can be trial and error until you learn what works for your own herd.

Creamers · #23 07/22/11, 12:27 PM

Don't feel bad - You are trying to do the right thing - and back 3 years ago when I first bought goats, I have no idea about coccidia or how much and how long to bottle fed. . .
It nearly cost me my first goat kids. . . BUT they can be turned around, so don't loose hope.
keep bottle feeding past 4 months ? - Goats

keep bottle feeding past 4 months ? - Goats

We bought her at 8 weeks and by 16 weeks - this is what she looked like at that time. I had
never had goats, never heard of cocci. . . weaned them at 10 weeks - had fed whole milk, but only 30 oz a day. . .
This is the doe back in the spring:
keep bottle feeding past 4 months ? - Goats

The is from a few weeks ago.

She had no lastly effects and has proved the hardiest gal of the herd. . .
Wow! I have learned so much since then. . .

But as soon as I found out what was going on. . . I went into overdrive to learn everything I could and put it all into practice. . . started intensive cocci treatment, probios, rice bran pellets for fat. . . etc. etc. . . I regret they had been weaned at that point so long that I couldn't get her back on the bottle. . .

She was 23 lbs then - she is 130 now. . .

I believe your issues here are replacer and cocci . . .start them - even the other if he will take a bottle now that he's weaned - on whole milk, medicated pellets and do a 5 day domethox treatment and follow it up with prevention doses until 8 months

Alice In TX/MO · #24 07/22/11, 01:30 PM

I have made some horrible mistakes, too. We all do. Your post, Chris Bwanasan, sums up very well what most of us go through when we start with goats. Hey, I got my first two goats at a salvage lumber store!!

Hang in there! There are healthy goats in your future.

(Thanks for the compliments.)

motdaugrnds · #25 07/22/11, 03:34 PM

LoneStrChic23, Alice, I have called the two local stores here (Southern States and Tractor Supply) to see if they had "Sulfadimethoxine" and "Calfpro"; and both told me they did not carry those two items and could not get them.

Where do you get yours?

Alice In TX/MO · #26 07/22/11, 04:18 PM

http://www.americanlivestock.com/p-1...n-generic.aspx

http://www.americanlivestock.com/pc-...-calf-pro.aspx

http://www.jefferslivestock.com/sear...arch-submit=GO

Article that explains how the meds work:
http://www.merricks.com/tech_deccox.htm

LoneStrChic23 · #27 07/22/11, 07:11 PM

When I called around no one carried it either..

When I personally went in and rummaged through the shelves of my local vet supply store, I found a gallon jug under the brand "VetOne" in the cattle area that was 12.5% Sulfadimethoxine

I recomend buying the 40% injectable sulfadimethoxine (Di-methox).... the dose volume is less and easier to administer. When I bought mine, no one, not even online vendors had the 40% in stock so I had to go with the 12.5%.

Creamers · #28 07/22/11, 09:48 PM

Jeffers has the 40% in stock now.

Pony · #29 07/23/11, 12:45 AM

Bwanaswan, please don't be hard on yourself. We're all learning, and yes, sometimes the goats don't do as well as they could have If Only I Had Known.

We're none of us perfect, so there ya go.

Always learn, always resolve to do better.

You're a great goat person, because you're willing to learn!

motdaugrnds · #30 07/23/11, 01:04 AM

Thanks for the links and additional information. I will send for a Jeffers catalog. Those sold over the internet are beyond my grasp because we have no charge cards. I did send an email to a couple of those asking if they would take personal checks or money orders and asking for a catalog. (I just wish I had enough now to put to use and not have to wait the 2-3 weeks to get it.)

Creamers · #31 07/23/11, 10:17 AM

You might go to walmart and put cash on a pre paid card.

ozark_jewels · #32 07/29/11, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoneStrChic23

I have not used Calfpro, but chatted with Emily about it & am thinking of trying it on a few kids this season to see how I like it. This is a preventative with vitamins added, given daily in the bottle though that doesnt taste nasty like Corid/Di-Methox, which is why I reccomended a total kill product (Sulfadinethoxine) for the first round, then they could go back to prevention products like Corid or Calfpro.

I personally didn't have any luck starting out with a prevention product on the kids I bought, & was having to follow up with Sulfadimethoxine a few days after a Corid round, so now I start all bought kids on Sulfadimethoxine & use a prevention product on later rounds. My doeling born here I used Corid on, no problems.....not sure the difference, unless the stress of moving just made things worse...

Yes, prevention products are just that, they prevent cocci if started use at an early age(before cocci is established). If cocci is possibly established, use a cocci treatment *first*, then start on prevention.
I like Calf-Pro as it is also vitamins, mixes easily with milk, doesn't taste bad, and works for me.
The other prevention that I have used with success in the past is Deccox-M, but its a powder and is strictly a cocci prevention, no vitamins.

ozark_jewels · #33 07/29/11, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motdaugrnds

LoneStrChic23, Alice, I have called the two local stores here (Southern States and Tractor Supply) to see if they had "Sulfadimethoxine" and "Calfpro"; and both told me they did not carry those two items and could not get them.

Where do you get yours?

I buy "calf-pro" from my vet and two feed stores also carry it(we live in dairy cattle country), but friends who can't get it where they live order it through wedocows.com They have good prices on some other things too.

Pony · #34 07/29/11, 04:57 PM

You can get Calfpro from Jeffers. $21 plus shipping. A very sound investment in your herd.

Oh, and wedocows changed their website. MUCH better!