Data Request

[GoatJunkie]

I am not asking for conversation here. Simply numbers.

I live on a meat goat farm with, what seems to me, an alarming rate of baby kid fatalities. The owners take it in stride, as "part of ranching." The people I know in real time who raise goats have a far less percentage of fatalities, but I only know three.

So I would like to ask how many kids you have had born to your does, how many did not survive to three months of age, and the type of goats you raise - such as full sized meat, dairy, or minis. Please include still born, malformed, and kids born early. Please exclude kids that died from accidents, such as a coyote attack.

If you are uncomfortable responding on this open forum, please, PLEASE hit me up privately.

I'm just looking for numbers.

I'd also like to ask if there is a ratio (say one-in-ten, one-in five, etc) that would cause you to re-evaluate what you are doing.

Thank You

[KrisD]

From the last 5 years we had 9 babies and lost 1 due to my stupidity (cocci) I raise Saanens, Oberhasli, and Nigerians. All Dairies. The only other one was coyote

[sandc]

We took care of a herd of boer kiko crosses for a while, and out of 46 babies -

1-still born - believed to be from a doe battle
1-dead within hours - believed to be the runt of quads

6- that survived, but required intervention from us.

Babies are money, so if the loss percentage is high it really cuts into your profit margin and you truly need to rethink your management protocols and herd management because you are doing something that is costing you money and you can correct it. ( I know it is not you, so don't feel that my answer is directed)

I helped a guy that had issues with a high infant mortality. He was pushing 50% either dead at birth or within the first 48hrs. What we found and corrected-

-he kept 4 does that were highly aggressive and were causing stillborns from butting other does repeatedly. He had kept them because their kids survived. They were penned separate and he had no stillborns that season.
-Was not providing good enough shelter for his does to kid in and the weather was taking out babies and I believe some were also recipient of the devil doe's wrath as well.

He lost 2 babies the following season. I didn't blame him because he had the farm and goats dropped into his lap, but he saw an issue and sought help to correct it. There is no reason to have a high kid mortality rate. There are factors that contribute to it and a walk around the goat area with a clipboard followed by an evening sitting around the table can usually lead to finding the reasons and ways to improve them.

[Hollowdweller]

I have 11 goats 5 milkers 3 dry yearlings and 3 bucks.

I raise saanens.

I honestly am having a hard time remembering but I'll try.

I know the last time I had a kid still born was from a doe I owned Princess Ann and she was born in 1990 and I think I sold her in 94. She was in labor and I think I waited too long to go in.

Then in 1991 or 92 I stopped giving CDT and lost 2 kids due to entero. Bad move.

I had one kid can't remember the date but probably in the 94 to 95 era I disbudded too intensely and she died.

Then I had several does over 2 or 3 years that had triplets and one of those was a dead mummy. I can't remember the other 2 but ADGAGENETICS says that the one doe I remember having one was born in 2003 so probably that was between 2003 and 2006.

From 2006 to present I haven't lost any though did nearly lose one to tetanus in 2008. I must either have not vaccinated the dam or got the colostrum to hot.

I usually have about 10 or 15 kids a year. Losing one is extremely rare here.

[yarrow]

I'll just do the last couple years (those numbers are still fresh enough for this old brain to remember)..

Dairy Goats (all Nubians)
2011 18 does kidded
38 kids born, 1 stillborn, 1 deformed (I shot him at birth)

2012.. 20 does kidded
43 kids 0 loses ...(HOWEVER, without intervention.. I would have lost 2 at birth..and 2 more several days later, when they quit sucking and needed tubed)

I expect to loose a kid, maybe two each kidding season, but any more then that is too many. I don't expect to loose ANY kids after the first few days..and if that began to happen I would be totally re-evaluating our baby raising..


susie, mo ozarks

[CaliannG]

This is my 8th year back into goats. I have had seasons of 6 kids, up to 16 kids.

~knock on wood~ I have never lost a kid.

I HAVE had to intervene. One year triplets were born during a flooding storm. I would have lost two of them to hypothermia if I hadn't brought them in and warmed them up. Two births of FFs with exceptionally huge singleton buckings that I would have lost doe and kid if I had not intervened and pulled kids.

I looked up industry standard for Boers, and 5% kid mortality rate is considered acceptable, with 10% being the mark of "You are doing something really wrong, fix it".

So, if the ranch you live on has 50 does, and they have 10 dead kids per season, they need to look at their management practices. If they have more than that, they REALLY need to look at their management practices.

[Copperhead]

This year is our first breeding season, and 2nd year of caring for goats. Out of 6 does, 1 died of pneumonia (chronic cougher, suspected viral/chronic pneumonia), 1 fevered and miscarried (bottom of pecking order, doesn't fight for food, heavily bullied by the Ebenezer the buck -- scheduled to be culled), 1 doesn't appear very pregnant (successfully raised healthy twins last year, got milked down too far), 1 delivered triplets outside during a Nor'easter (0F with 20 mph wind), and 2 delivered healthy twins. Lesson learned: Keep pregnant Does in an ENCLOSED, escape proof barn.

Our goats are meat goats with the primary purpose of brushhogging the cattle pasture to allow the grass to grow. As a result, the entire herd spends the spring, summer, fall on pasture. The boys were turned out to pasture in March. By May, all the girls had been added to the pasture. From May to September, the girls were exposed to the boys with no result. From the 3 kiddings in Feb, I suspect the girls didn't come into heat until after the boys did . . . does this sound right?

And to think, I had originally planned to pull the boys in August -- specifically because I didn't want any January or February babies. I didn't pull them because I believed it wouldn't matter, the girls should be already pregnant and due in the fall . . .

What do you all think?

[farmmaid]

I think the stats are 10% loss. This number is after "helping" if needed. Large operations may have more due to not as much personal intervention as a smaller breeder can privide.