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Fair Skies Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats

     About Fair Skies

          You are viewing information about herd health

     Dairy production

     Does

     Herdsires (bucks)

     Breeding goals

     Kidding schedule

     Sale & reservation policies

     Miscellaneous sales items

 

The health of our herd and the preservation and longevity of the Nigerian Dwarf dairy goat is extremely important to us.

As herdkeepers, we are charged with the humane stewardship of our goats; an obligation we do not take lightly!  We have invested considerable time, energy, and finances in our herd and each goat is as much our livestock as they are our family.  We have a close emotional bond with all our animals and that's why we take extra steps to ensure their health and protection.

Before we purchased our goats, we spent several months learning about their needs and care and we are constantly working to improve our knowledge of practical and optimal herd health and husbandry.  We've learned a great deal in the past year and we hope to learn much more.  We are very fortunate to have the support of an excellent team of patient, willing, and outgoing experienced mentors and local veterinarians, without which our education and development would not be possible.  In recognition of this great gift, we believe in paying it forward and helping other goat owners as best we can.   One of the best things we can do to help others, is to set a good example.

Each day we give our best to our animals and strive to achieve still better care.   Our daily routine includes carefully handling all animals at least twice daily for socialization, inspection, supplementation (if necessary), and training.  Our thorough maintenance regimen helps us promptly identify and treat any illnesses or injuries.  This not only helps keep our animals healthier and heartier, but helps minimize our veterinary expenses for preventable issues.

In addition to the aforementioned practices, lactating does are hand-milked to empty twice daily at 12-hour intervals.  We have so much confidence in the health of our herd and our milk-handling practices that we always drink our milk raw (unpasteurized) and we have never suffered any ill effects.  We weigh each milking in pounds (to the 1/10 of the pound) on an official, certified milk scale, and measure the volume in ounces.  We also record each milking and this gives us an idea of the trendlines in our girls' lactation curves, helping us identify what factors may influence their production.  As participants in the Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) program through Langston University, American Goat Society (AGS), and American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA), we also have a licensed third party visit once monthly to witness two consecutive milkings and sample our does' milk for testing under the Standard (Code 20) program.  These records are permanently filed in a public database and we believe this is vital to assisting us in achieving our breeding goals for consistent, high-level milk production.

We feed our goats a premium diet of imported, alfalfa hay, with local brome and timothy hays offered as a supplement between meals to keep these browsers occupied throughout their day.  They always have free-choice access to fresh, clean water, as well as loose sea salt and a high-quality mineral supplement with added kelp meal and brewer's yeast.  Depending on their lifecycle stage (birth, growth, weaning, maintenance, breeding, kidding, lactating, or recovering from an illness or stress), they may be offered a custom-mixed grain ration once or twice daily.  We adjust the ration as needed, but often use high quality whole ingredients, such as flax seed, black oil sunflower seeds (BOSS), cracked corn, alfalfa pellets, a high-quality, salt-free vitamin and mineral supplement, and locally grown barley and oats.  Since the soils where our feed is grown are deficient in certain key trace minerals, we also supplement with copper boluses administered twice annually and selenium and vitamin E (Bo-Se) injections as needed.  We also keep our medicine chest fully stocked with emergency supplies and we often consult with our local veterinarians for support.

We routinely test our goats for infectious diseases.  The date of their last negative blood tests for CAE & Johne's was March 22, 2007.  All adults tested negative for both CAE & Johne's while still at SilverAurora.  SilverAurora tests all adults annually and they have never had a CAE- or Johne's-positive goat.  Additionally, they have never had signs of CL, Blue Tongue, or Brucellosis, and we are in a TB-free state.  Dr. Teresa Beck at North Star Animal Hospital in Palmer, Alaska performed the March 22, 2007 tests on all adults in the SilverAurora herd.  Our next tests at Fair Skies, including tests for CL, are scheduled with Dr. Theresa Beck at North Star Animal Hospital in Palmer on all adults for Summer 2008.  Copies of the test results for all our goats are available upon request.

Part of keeping our herd healthy includes maintaining a bio-secure facility.   Untested adult goats and sheep, or goats and sheep that have been in contact with untested, suspicious, or distrusted animals are never allowed on our property.  Additionally, we only buy goats from trusted herds and we always quarantine new arrivals.

We have dedicated ourselves to the well-being of our goats, their breed, and their industry and we hope you will join us and adapt similar practices with your own herd.

You may email us at: FairSkies@AllISawFarm.com

You may call us at:
907.232.5414 (local call from Mat-Su)
or 907.441.1851 (local call from Anchorage)
Please note the current time in Alaska (we are 4 hours BEHIND the East Coast of the United States).