CAE positive doe...

RedTartan · #1 04/26/07, 10:06 AM

Hello all,

I'm getting a great goat delivered May 10th. The problem is that she's CAE positive. Why am I buying her? Her genes are fantastic! She's won tons of awards and has been kept by an excellent breeder. She tested negative for years and has just tested positive.

She's not showing any symptoms (perfectly healthy and milking 8-9 pounds per day) and I have no interest in showing her. I just want the milk for family consumption. I'd like to sell her kids each year though. I'd practice CAE prevention with her for sure and sell the kids for reasonable prices since they came out of a positive doe. I'd also be honest with buyers about the doe's CAE status.

** Edited to remove website for breeder's privacy. **

Here's a link to the breeder's site. This page is list of all their mature does. I'm buying Mocha. She's the 6th doe down the page.

She'd be my first and only goat so I don't have to worry about exposing anyone else to the virus. What do you all think?

Thanks,

RedTartan

fishhead · #2 04/26/07, 11:12 AM

I think she'll be lonely without another goat. It sounds like a good plan to me.

**mygoat** · #3 04/26/07, 11:15 AM

she'll be lonely alone. If it's just for your family's consumption and you don't plan on starting a herd (and trust me, they're addictive) then I'd say get a wether to keep with her, and definetely get her. Good luck with her!

Feral Nature · #4 04/26/07, 11:31 AM

Yes, get her a wether for company, but don't have high hopes about selling breeding stock. Even if you can always, always be there at the time of birth and practice the strictest prevention of viral contamination at birth, and then feed the kids heat treated colostrum from ANOTHER goat who is CAE negative, your chances are not 100% on preventing the spread of CAE to the kids. To be frank, no matter how fantastic the kids were and how wonderful their pedigrees, even raised on CAE prevention, and at a fair price, I would not buy them.

RedTartan · #5 04/26/07, 11:32 AM

I am a little concerned about her being lonely. Can goats be happy with any other animals besides goats? I have chickens and ducks, but they may be too different.

I suppose a whether is my best bet... I like all my animals to contribute to the homestead in some fashion. A whether doesn't seem to. I suppose I could use it for brush control

RedTartan

P.S. I'm so glad you guys think it's a good plan. I was really worried I was making a mistake.

Feral Nature · #6 04/26/07, 11:34 AM

I think we were posting at the same time

She needs a goat for a pal....they are herd animals.

ailsaek · #7 04/26/07, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedTartan

I suppose a whether is my best bet... I like all my animals to contribute to the homestead in some fashion. A whether doesn't seem to. I suppose I could use it for brush control

Get an Angora wether or train your wether as a pack goat?

RedTartan · #8 04/26/07, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ailsaek

Get an Angora wether or train your wether as a pack goat?

THAT'S a good idea! I crochet. It might be fun to have a fiber goat and try spinning

RedTartan

TennesseeMama23 · #9 04/26/07, 11:42 AM

Buy a small wether and eat him when he is big enough- I'm sure goat fever will have set in by then and you will have other goats

Even if that is not your "plan" now.

ailsaek · #10 04/26/07, 11:46 AM

Cool, glad to be of assistance. I'm pondering acquiring this girl as a family milker and my first goat, but the reason the owners are selling a goat with such great genetics is that she's very shy and needs to go to a smaller herd, so I am pondering a Pygora wether as company for her. (I do feel a twinge of guilt for disloyalty to Giselle, the Pygora doe from my Goat Art post, though, but I can't afford two grown does.

)

trnubian · #11 04/26/07, 01:32 PM

I'd snatch her up while you can. There are absolutley NO guarentees in CAE even if you have a 100% CLEAN herd. It still happens. Trust me, it's happened to many a breeder, some just don't like to say so. Just do your best to raise on CAE prevention. There is nothing you can do besides that. As long as you know that she is posistive nw and are fine with that have fun with her!

Oh I would also recomend another goat. Other species just don't seem to cut it with goats. They like their own kind.

Feral Nature · #12 04/26/07, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trnubian

There are absolutley NO guarentees in CAE even if you have a 100% CLEAN herd. It still happens. Trust me, it's happened to many a breeder, some just don't like to say so.

I beg to differ.

**mygoat** · #13 04/26/07, 04:39 PM

CAE really can't just happen. It has to come from somewhere, wether you contaminated it with a false positive doe, or incountered it at a show, or was lied to when purchasing.

Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians · #14 04/26/07, 05:46 PM

Oh I bet the Hill's are just beside themselves with joy that you are on the internet discussing their doe who is positive

I hope you are getting her cheap. Know that the stress of the move can bring on the clinical form of CAE. Learn now before you breed her how to glean clean kids out of her if you do plan to sell. Find out how they tested because there are alot of problems with testing not everyone admits...run a PCR on her and find out for sure. Super glue teats and get a breeding date, hand breed only. You can than lutelyse her so that you are there for the kidding 36 hours later. Have a facility to raise your new clean stock in. Don't expect many to be busting down your door wanting stock from you...being new and positive...well not sure I know anyone who would want to buy from you with no reputation.

At least have help picking a buck to breed her to so you at the very least can do her bloodline justice...in fact unless you buy a buckling to raise and breed her to this fall, you had better have part of the sale free breedings from them...because I also don't know a breeder who will let a buck of their breed her. Vicki

dezeeuwgoats · #15 04/26/07, 05:50 PM

Just a thought - you WILL have to worry about exposing someone else to the virus:

Whomever you choose to breed to. That is, unless you are planning on AI'ing her. You say it is for family milking, so you will have to breed her to get milk.

I wouldn't breed her to someone's buck without informing them of her status.

I'm not disagreeing with your decision or plan, just wanted to put a word in for the buck.

Niki

RedTartan · #16 04/26/07, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dezeeuwgoats

Just a thought - you WILL have to worry about exposing someone else to the virus:

Whomever you choose to breed to. That is, unless you are planning on AI'ing her. You say it is for family milking, so you will have to breed her to get milk.

I wouldn't breed her to someone's buck without informing them of her status.

I'm not disagreeing with your decision or plan, just wanted to put a word in for the buck.

Niki

I was planning on AI or a CAE positive buck. It seems obvious to me that this could be transmitted through mating even if some people don't want to admit it.

RedTartan

RedTartan · #17 04/26/07, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians

Oh I bet the Hill's are just beside themselves with joy that you are on the internet discussing their doe who is positive

I hope you are getting her cheap. [...] Don't expect many to be busting down your door wanting stock from you...being new and positive...well not sure I know anyone who would want to buy from you with no reputation.

At least have help picking a buck to breed her to so you at the very least can do her bloodline justice...in fact unless you buy a buckling to raise and breed her to this fall, you had better have part of the sale free breedings from them...because I also don't know a breeder who will let a buck of their breed her. Vicki

Thank you for the KIND post. It was not CONDESCENDING at all. I appreciate all the thoughtful advice I've received on the matter. From your advice, I've deleted the breeder's website from my initial post.

RedTartan

Feral Nature · #18 04/26/07, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedTartan

I was planning on AI or a CAE positive buck. It seems obvious to me that this could be transmitted through mating even if some people don't want to admit it.

RedTartan

This just sounds like a really bad way to get started. Beginning your herd with two animals positive for a disease that every breeder worth their salt strives to avoid at all costs seems counterproductive.

Feral Nature · #19 04/26/07, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedTartan

Thank you for the KIND post. It was not CONDESCENDING at all. I appreciate all the thoughtful advice I've received on the matter. From your advice, I've deleted the breeder's website from my initial post.

RedTartan

RedTartan, you may need to toughen up if you intend to sell stock from a CAE positve herd. Had your original post stated that you wanted this lovely doe for a family milker, and you intended to use the offspring for homestead meat, well, that may have been much more acceptable to experienced goat people than trying to break the CAE transmission cycle and sell the kids as breeding stock.

Oldntimes · #20 04/26/07, 06:08 PM

I have to aggree, that is deffiently not the way to go. She may be a great Doe, but that is a really big risk you are taking. And trying to find a Positive Buck......
You would do better getting a cross or unreg. Doe if it is a money issue which we all come across. But seriously really think this all threw.
We dairy breeders realy crindge at the thought of CAE.
Like mentioned befor you may find that you want to add another Doe to your home and now look what you have to deal with. Then you have to make sure you are on strict prevention with your kids.It is just a mess, and why start out that way.