The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: tattycat on April 08, 2014, 08:09:10 pm

Title: what to give girls before kidding?
Post by: tattycat on April 08, 2014, 08:09:10 pm

Anyone innoculate, selenium injections etc.....

Title: Re: what to give girls before kidding?
Post by: jaykay on April 08, 2014, 08:37:48 pm

I give mine Heptavac P at the same time as I do my sheep, so about 6 weeks before lambing/kidding, and I worm then too. After that, I try to reduce the stress of wrestling handling that accompanies drenching, with my goats. So I up their powdered mineral and leave things til they've kidded, when I will give them a cobalt/selenium drench.

Title: Re: what to give girls before kidding?
Post by: Anke on April 08, 2014, 09:02:48 pm

Mine get a Lambivac booster 3 weeks before kidding (I booster every 6 months) and also a separate Ovipast one, again repeated every six months.

I also vaccinated in autumn all females that were to kid against Schmallenberg.

I have last year given them about 6monthly mineral/multivit drenches, but as quite expensive I have not bought another bottle this year. They get a good mix of feed, some garlic/Caprivite/seaweed (not all eat it though.. :-\), plus loads of greenery as soon as available.

Unless yours show distinctive signs of some mineral lacking (and if you suspect vet can bloodtest) and/or of you live in a known area of a specific deficiency they shouldn't need anything in particular.

If the milk tastes awful, they probably could do with a Cobalt/Selenuim drench

Title: Re: what to give girls before kidding?
Post by: tattycat on April 08, 2014, 09:28:05 pm

Thanks. I wormed/fluked them with Albex about 2 mths ago, nd they have a Rocky lick..also on Allen &Page feed which is quite good on mineral content.
Where would I get a cobalt/selenium drench from  I'm in Ireland....Also same as with garlic/seaweed, nd wild garlic just coming out!!

Title: Re: what to give girls before kidding?
Post by: Anke on April 08, 2014, 10:39:48 pm

Garlic powder/granules and seaweed in the horsey section of the agri merchants, mine unfortunately only stocks NAF, but other companies do it too, NAF is probably at the higher end of price spectrum. But the packs do last ages.

Mineral drench - any sheep drench with added Copper is fine for goats. Best to use either a proper drenching gun or one of the large syringes that come with screw-on drenching cannulas. Goats are much more difficult to drench than sheep, in my experience.