[benkt]

Hi All,


Looking for a bit of advice here, I wasn't particularly planning to mate any of our goats this year as I believed they had all kidded this year. However, one of our BS, Data, has been dropping of in milk production for a month or so. I still milk her twice daily because I'm doing the others then so just stuck to the routine but she really doesn't need it. This morning was leaping around and making a dreadful racket and she's a bit pink down below, so my guess is that she's ready for a billy.


On to the questions:


Can I choose not to mate her - and if so what should I do?


If I choose to do so, then presumably I need to get her CAE retested so its up to date and find a nearby billy (in Cambs) - any thing else?


Do girls normally go to the boys or the other way round? If the latter then it means I need to build/move/refurb another shed for them....


Thanks,


Ben

[kja]

ben has she got a cae ? if its still in date that will surfice if not you will need to get one done.

if her milk is dropping she could dry up

the norm is female to male not all goat keepers are at open stud but you could ring mum if you still have her number she may be able to direct you.

is this one of ellies goats ?

[benkt]

If she has a cae, I don't have it (she is one of ellie's and so the handover was a little confused!)- so would get one done to make sure. I've still got your mum's mobile so may give her a call for finding a stud.
Thanks!

Ben

[Anke]

I think it would be very much depending on her condition - if she kiddded this year was it a single or triplets? How thin is she? Although goats shouldn't be fat when mated, if she had for example triplets this spring and been milking quite well, it may be best to let her build up again before putting her back in kid.
But if she is in good fettle, and you are keen to have kids from her, then maybe best to dry her up and take her to see a boy in three weeks time - you should be just about able to do it before Xmas! Also enough time to get a CAE done quickly.

[goosepimple]

I questioned our vet on the CAE thing recently - he said in the 180 years he had been at that practice, no goat had ever been found to be cae positive and that he wouldn't bother.  Don't all throw your hands up in horror - he said unless we had just brought a goat over from Africa and it was going to meet a large herd then it wasn't worth it. 
 
There are very few things a goat can be tested for and cae is one of them and so people feel obliged to do it - he considered that when small herds were involved it was unnecessary.  And before you all get shirty, check it out with your own vet.  There is a tendancy to think better checked than never, but it would be interesting perhaps to find out from the BGS just how many were found positive in the last decade.

[Carl f k]

About time he retired 180 years??

[sokel]

I questioned our vet on the CAE thing recently - he said in the 180 years he had been at that practice, no goat had ever been found to be cae positive and that he wouldn't bother

we where going to buy an alpine nanny in 2009 from the lakes  and insisted she was tested before we took her, she came back positive

[Brucklay]

Funny I was talking to a lady on the phone re this today - I have show goats tested as we have to before they can go - last time it was the head vet that did them and he asked why I was doing it and I explained for shows and he said he's never come across a positive test and hadn't heard of one in his time as a vet (and he is over 50) It doesn't bother me getting it done, just one of those things but it does make you wonder.

[ballingall]

The BGS does have stats on number of reactors. There were many reactors in the 80's but it has dwindled ever since then. I do think the stats they get are quite out of date, you know, 3-4 years old etc. certainly it is not the big worry it once was, but it is still out there.


Beth

[kja]

The BGS does have stats on number of reactors. There were many reactors in the 80's but it has dwindled ever since then. I do think the stats they get are quite out of date, you know, 3-4 years old etc. certainly it is not the big worry it once was, but it is still out there.


Beth

beth your correct in saying there were cases in the 80's i can name at least 8 breeders one of them being my parents it all came to light when someone tried to export had hers tested and it came back posative they then tracked down all the breeders that had brought her goats. the reason it is not a problem now is goats are tested and if one is posative the kids are taken away at birth it is passed through the mothers milk. my parents had to do this for 4 years they then got the all clear. they were going to cull but the vet talked them out of it, it was only the side of the herd that was brought in and breed from they had clear from their old breeding lines.

i think it is important to keep testing to prevent such cases again.

[Lesley Silvester]

About time he retired 180 years??

[ballingall]

i think it is important to keep testing to prevent such cases again.

Yes I agree with you completely. I don't even like the schemes for testing every second year- you could end up with a goat producing kids before it even ever gets a CAE test done.


Beth

[goosepimple]

Yes, interesting seeing what you all think, I am in both camps like most people I should imagine - will it come back into goat society if you don't test, or was it an 80's thing and now it's been dealt with and won't come back.  Is it less important if you have pygmies and are only breeding animals as pets and more important if you have milkers?  I expect they can get other diseases we can't test them for (yet), this is just one we can, so does that make it that we should?  Or do we take our vets advice? (and you can have a lot of experience if you live to 180  ).

[kja]

Yes, interesting seeing what you all think, I am in both camps like most people I should imagine - will it come back into goat society if you don't test, or was it an 80's thing and now it's been dealt with and won't come back.  Is it less important if you have pygmies and are only breeding animals as pets and more important if you have milkers?  I expect they can get other diseases we can't test them for (yet), this is just one we can, so does that make it that we should?  Or do we take our vets advice? (and you can have a lot of experience if you live to 180  ).

well i think its pretty obvious its not just 80's thing its now kept under control because people are testing and take direct action if a positive result is found if testing stopped it would come back and bite you on the bum. we have all seen drs talking about rising numbers of whooping cough measles etc due to lack of immunisations.

just to add the livestock vets around here think its a valuable test to have done its not expensive and it keeps quality breeding stock safe.

[Anke]

I whole-herd test evey year, and do insist on any stock that I am buying to come with her own certificate. I think it would be very easy to lose track of it if testing were to be stopped, and could spread quite rapidly again. As most breeders will (bottle)feed pooled milk to their kids, it can be passed on to your entire next generation from one single bought-in adult!
Also it is one of the show requirements, so it gets done!
I just wish hey would develop an equally easy and cheap/reliable test for Johne's too (I don't have it - I think - but it is again an easy disease to bring in, takes a few years to develop and stays in the ground for ages...)