Updated 25 June 2010
Click here for an example of a list of goat supplies we regularly keep on hand. This list is more comprehensive than most, so you'll need to whittle through and find what works best for you.
We are very serious about bio-security!
The health of our herd and the preservation and longevity of the Nigerian Dwarf dairy goat is extremely important to us. 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 with complete test results and we quarantine new arrivals.
25 June 2010, WADDL just confirmed our entire herd still remains negative for CAE, CL, & Johne's (click here for a *.pdf copy of the latest results). Additionally, our herd was examined by Dr. Teresa Beck (North Star Animal Hospital, Palmer, Alaska), twice during the 2009 Fair and several animals from our herd have received treatment or examinations by vets at North Star Animal Hospital at various times since (most recently in June 2010). We are proud of our commitment to maintain a clean dairy herd and we are encouraged that our buyers are following our example for the good of their own herds, as well as the entire dairy goat industry.
In addition to this latest round of examinations and testing, our goats receive regular veterinary care and we practice strict bio-security. Our previous tests (also all negative) were completed in May 2009 and August 2008. In August 2008, our entire herd was examined and tested by Dr. Sammy Pittman at Alaska Equine and Small Animal Hospital and WADDL. For these reasons, we remain very confident in these test results since all our goats have only come from three clean tested, trusted herds, with long histories of whole-herd negative test results. As always, we are happy to provide to our buyers proof of these test results for our whole herd as well as for the herds from whom we have purchased goats. This is a rather large file, but you may download it here.
SEE OUR SALES PAGE FOR THE CURRENT LIST OF GOATS FOR SALE.
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, finances, and affection in
our herd and each goat is as much our family as they are our livestock. We have a
close emotional bond with all our animals and we trust them to provide us with clean, safe, wholesome food. For all these reasons, we continue 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 few past years 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, including local veterinarians and breeders, 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 and medicinal 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 sanitary 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 keep milking records 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. These records are always available for inspection and we encourage our buyers to review them!
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. We also provide loose sea salt and a high-quality mineral supplement with added kelp meal and brewer's
yeast for healthy growth and maintenance. 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 locally grown oats, Alaskan-grown barley, alfalfa pellets, flax seed, black oil
sunflower seeds (BOSS), or even cracked corn. Since the soils where our
feed is grown are deficient in certain key trace minerals, we also supplement with copper
boluses and selenium and Vitamin E (Bo-Se) injections administered two to three times annually. 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
blood draw was August 31, 2009. The entire herd tested
negative for CAE, CL, & Johne's and all adults tested negative at least once annually for CAE while still at their prior owners' farms (some farms also tested for CL and Johne's). Additionally, none of our goats or their originating herds have never had signs of Blue Tongue or Brucellosis and we are in
a TB-free state. Copies of the test results for all our goats are available via links at the top of this page.
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.
We have dedicated ourselves to the well-being of our goats, their breed, and their
industry and we hope you will join us and consider adapting similar practices for your own herd.
