[langdon]

please please can anyone help me here before i pull my hair out
had the vet do the c.a.e. test, was sent to the lab in scotland ( inverness ).
the problem is that when i rang up asking when they would be ready as i was waiting to take milly to a billy, they said that they were
waiting for me to send the paper ( s ) up to be checked and stamped.
this was my first time to be made aware that i needed to do this. ( first thought was why did vet not say when doing the bloods ).
anyway i rang back asking could they help ( lab ) and they sent back a PREMIUM SHEEP & GOAT HEALTH SCHEME FORM.
i read and filled out the form to best of my understanding and then noticed that it said there is a cost of each goat per year.
i rang and explained that i only had two goats and therefore did not see the need to apply for membership.
i also explained that we are only wanting to breed from only one goat also.
they told me to ring the B.G.S. who told me to download the SUBMISSION FORM.
this form is for C.A.E.,
when i filled out this form and faxed it off ( speed things up hopefully! ) i rand to see had they recieved it and the lady on the other side said that they had
but does not know of any kind of form and was no better of than i was.
im getting so upset as im feeling that im taking one step forward for breeding and three back all the time.
please can anyone help me with this and tell what i need and what i need to do to get it on the right track, as i thought it was as simple as taking
milly to the vet to get bloods done, them sent to lab and they take care of the rest,
I WISH.
thanks for any help and advice as i dont want to miss out this breeding season.
LANGDON 

[little blue]

wish I could help mate.  the vet sent in the samples for us, then the lab returned the results straight to us.  It took a while, but they said it because they test loads at once and there arent many in our area or something ?!

It sounds like the BGS want to register your girl as CAE free (but you dont have the results yet?!) .  Is she a registered pedigree?
And the kids will be crosses anyway.... so I dont know why the BGS would be so interested.  I know the form you're talking about, but ours arent registered (well Cesar is) so I never bothered with it.

Sounds a bit obvious, but do check the billy is negative tested too.

[langdon]

thanks littleblue its a nightmare, they are registered.
we are now talking about getting in a billy as the new home we are going to has three to four acres to accomadate a billy on his own.
was trying to get in touch with the b.g.s. today but could not get any answer- 01434 270 866.
is this the right number as i do want to run things over with them to see can anyone help.
they did say say that they dont NEED the c.a.e. test done, stud owners will ask, thats something that i do know!
so thats why we are thinking of getting a billy.
i know that alot of you have told me of the cons of having a billy, but in this situation i see the pros- billy and milly allready on
the same holding.
thanks langdon.
was thinking of a.i.

[little blue]

can of worms here we come....   

ok, here goes.

AI is a great option IF you... can afford it, can administer it - or are close & friendly with someone who can, can store it properly if needed, can clearly tell when Mrs goat is in standing heat. and most importantly, it is available when you need it.

not many goat owners will recommend keeping your own billy.
however... we REALLY struggled to find a local billy stud (our girl was late in season) and the one we did manage to  arrange became stuck on a farm during a standstill - I think because of Bovine TB.

  we found Cesar by chance and luck, his owner is local & lovely, she brought him, left him, and said if we wanted to keep him it would basically save his newly discovered Manhood, as he would have to be castrated if she had him back.
It saves us the yearly hassle of trying to find a local boy, and the transport problems. And separating the girls to go to stud.
Cesar was very timid, (though he is a right little poser!) which  prevents him being bolshy with us - he's more likely to run away than square up!
And he is dead small - just a size up from a pygmy really. 
so everything is in miniature - the smell, the showing off for the girls, the amount food  etc!

For us, it was the right thing to do to have him, at the time.
 especially with Margo dying, as Geraldine would have been all alone... she wasnt mated right away.

 but we have just one girl, and one billy and one castraste.... where we'd prefer (and intended to have) 2 girls mated alternate years.

on the other hand, we need milk, not kids so its not important that they'll not be pure (even though Gera is pure - bred and Cesar is a registered pedigree)

If you feel you can house a billy, with a pal, and are prepared to double your feed costs for just one to be in milk (on the assumption that your poorly girl wont be mated) then get looking!
And will you want pure breed kids? 

look into AI - you may be luckier than us, down in sunny Wales.... 

hope this helps... and doesnt just make your choice harder!  and dont miss out on the local billy - even just as a contact!

[langdon]

umm jees those blood samples are getting the best of me
i really thought it was going to be simpler than this.
i am thinking of a billy, i will hold out and really be a pest on the phone and see can i sort this prob out.
will let you how things go, say a prayer
langdon

[ballingall]

The lab in Inverness would look for a form to complete to give you the results on. Your vet should have sent this with the samples- but normally you would this in and give it to the vet. http://www.allgoats.com/downloads/cae_non_monitored%20.pdf


I would complete this, get the vet to fax it up to Inverness, and they can return it to your vets with the results.



Beth

[wytsend]

As Beth said the bloods should have been submitted with the form - the Vet should know better !

The chances are that the bloods will have to be taken again as I expect SAC will say they cannot identify/lost the samples etc.,

The time taken for testing/results is usually around 10 days.

Every year I submit in excess of 35 samples, so I normally download the form and fill in the details --- goatname/tag number etc prior to the Vets visit.

Be careful that you down load the CORRECT form  - otherwise you will end up in another pile of trouble.  You need the annual test form.

No billy owner should accept any female without sight of the official results,  CAE can be transmitted to the billy .
Never use a billy that isn't negative himself otherwise you will have the reverse - your goat now infected.

The best thing you can do, is put a date in the diary for next year, but much earlier, to make sure your tests are done well in advance of the breeding season.

[jinglejoys]

I remember when all this CAE panick started.Someone wanted to use my billy and insisted I had him tested.As my goats never went anywhere,didn't drink other goats milk and weren't kept on top of each other I said O.K. if they paid for it.
   Even taking the billy into the Vets it cost £20!!!!!!!!Bloomin woman then said she didn't want to use him but paid anyway.I worked it out that to get my whole herd tested (3 times over 18mnths to begin with and then yearly after that)would cost about £1200 at that rate just for the first 3 tests,needless to say...forget it!Goats have never had CAE,there are things far easier to catch that can be vaccinated against and no one seems to do anything about

[Anke]

I do my CAE tests as an "private" tests, no form other than the one my vet sends in - needs eartag number and breed, age. Costs about 30 quid per goat, incl taking the blood sample. I bring them down to the vets though.

Your goats do not have to be CAE tested to be registered with the BGS, but any responsible owner (billies and nannies) w(sh)ould make sure that the tests are done. If you only mate your goat every other year, you only need to test every other year.

Btw you are not too late by any means for mating, they will come into season well into January, even February. Just be prepared and get down to the billy owner when she comes into season, but she is usually in season for about a day, so if you notice (and hear!) her in the morning, going in the afternoon, getting there in the early evening is fine. Some people say that the later in her season the female is mated the more likley you are to have girls... not sure that theory holds up though!

If you are not the original breeder of the goats you cannot register them in the herdbook section (if they are crosses thats where they would be), you as the owner could only register them in the supplementary register. Unless you know their pedigree and they are VERY valuable I would think that's not necessary, as long as you only want the milk.

[wytsend]

It is amazing how the costs vary around the country considering the actual Lab test fee is fixed .  Cant remember off hand the exact figure but it is about £7 per sample.

Last April I had 20 blood sampled here on the farm - taking 8 males to the Vet was not an option! - and my Vet charged £160 which included the lab fees.  True I had all the paperwork done in advance so all he had to do was take sample & put the label on the sheet.

I have blood tested every year since testing began back in 1983 and the figures have proportionately stayed the same.

Just because goats do not leave the farm, DOES NOT mean they are clear of CAE.  This is a disease that can take up to 6 years to show any symptoms.  It is maternally & sexually transmitted as well as contact dangers.
It is the most horrible,&  painful disease for the animal and it still exists in UK.