Boer goats and CAE prevention

TexCountryWoman · #1 05/05/06, 01:11 PM

I raise LaMancha dairy goats and have a full understanding of the importance of raising the babies with CAE prevention techniques. I have a very small starter Boer herd that I have a question about. This goes out mainly to you Boer breeders. Do yall ever raise your Boers on heat treated colostrum and bottled pasturized milk like dairy goat people do to keep your herd clean? Is this an issue with Boer people? If you do, do you just let your Boer doe dry up after kidding? Are other Boer breeders concerned about CAE when purchasing stock? How do you implement CAE prevention in a large Boer herd? What is the general consensus on this issue?

homebirtha · #2 05/05/06, 08:00 PM

Sitting down next to TCW waiting to hear more....

We're thinking about using meat goat bucks on our LMs and was wondering the exact thing. I figure Boer folks don't worry as much, since most kids aren't around long enough to show signs of CAE or CL. But it would be an issue for the breeding does.

6e · #3 05/05/06, 08:08 PM

I don't know about CAE, but around here I know people vaccinate for CL. Our vet is in total disagreement with it though. His belief is you don't vaccinate for something until you start having trouble with it and that the CL vaccine was not developed for goats and can have serious side effects for goats. We are undecided on the issue. I know it's a big issue for the people that show because their goats are exposed to so much. But I have heard also that if you give goats the CL vaccine they will then test positive for CL. I'll be curious to see what the other breeders do as well.

susanne · #4 05/06/06, 09:13 AM

another reason why in dairy herds cae is a bigger problem is because kids are always pulled at birth because does have to be milked. kids than get pooled milk and it only needs one doe to infect the whole kid crop. boers are raising their own kids and if a doe is positive she most likely will be culled because she is not able to raise her kids. infection risk is highest to only her own offspring.
maybe this is the reason why boer breeder don't see it as important as dairy breeder

TexCountryWoman · #5 05/08/06, 02:40 PM

I bumped this thread back up because i am hoping to hear from more Boer breeders. I have culled my Boers way down and will pull kids if i have to to bottle raise to get a for sure clean herd, just really don't want to. My Boers are good mammas and I don't have extra energy and milk to bottle raise Boers. But I don't want any diseases on my place. I am working with crossbreeding LaManchas and Boers as well, producing a few "LaBoers" for experimental purposes and don't want any chance of CAE to get into my dairy stock.

homebirtha · #6 05/08/06, 04:44 PM

Ok, not to take a total thread drift.. but this brings up another question I have. We were thinking of crossing our LMs with a Boer buck, but after talking to an experienced LM breeder, we're reconsidering. He said he knows of several folks who lost their does in kidding with a Boer buck. The shoulders are so broad, they can cause problems for the LM does to deliver. His recommendation was a Kiko buck, since they are generally smaller boned and the kids are usually smaller at birth.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

Jcran · #7 05/08/06, 06:03 PM

We do blood tests for CAE and ask for any goats coming onto property to be tested first or show proof of CAE testing. My goal this year is to learn to draw own goat blood samples so it is cheaper. Anyone out there draw their own blood? Website recommendations?

TexCountryWoman · #8 05/08/06, 06:06 PM

I have a couple of smallish LaMancha does that I would be hesitant to cross with my Boer buck, but my 1/2LM 1/4 Nubian 1/4 Boer doe makes good crosses with a Fullblood Boer. I also have a LM buck to cross with my Boer does. I would only cross a Boer buck with a larger LM doe though, I agree.

I would be interested in the Kiko crosses too. Has anyone crossed Kiko with lamancha, I would also like to know?