Hi Melanie,
re vaccinations: the only thing to know is that goats need a 6 monthly booster for clostridial diseases (sheep are annual), so usually one just before mating /autumn and another one 4 weeks before kidding, so that the immunity can be passed in the colostrum to the kid(s). I use Lambivac, but others use Heptavac P+. I have one bottle of Lambivac in the fridge with the seal taped up and use a fresh needle for every injection. As my goats kid quite far apart and I know the kidding date I do them individually for the spring shot, all together for the autumn one. 2ml each time, under the skin. Best done while they are munching something special on the milking stand. Kids should receive an intial dose of 2 x 2ml vaccine at 4 - 6 weeks apart to develop immunity, and I normally do mine when they are about 2 months old, as their immunity from the colostrum will by then be wearing off. If switching from Heptavac to Lambivac or vice versa an initial double dose is needed.
worms: I routinely worm my goats soon after kidding, atm with yellow wormer. Then a worm count at 10 days post worming to establish if it has done the trick, if not use an alternative wormer on vet's advice. I also find that a second flush of worms is present on my field in June, so I now keep them inside for that period. Any sign of loose droppings, rough coat and fall in milk yield another worm count done quickly (I can deliver mine just to SAC down the road, so it is usualy a same day service). Normally would also do a worm count in autumn, but this year all of mine seem to be looking very well and droppings look a´what the should do. So left it. I also feed garlic daily, it doesn't tain the milk.
Cows and goats can share the same field - they have different worms. Goats and sheep shouldn't share, as they have the same kind of worms, and goats are more affected by them than sheep are. If you buy in (bottle)lambs fresh after lambing they should be ok as they will not have been out to grazing, and so don't carry any worms. if you plan to buy sheep I would worm them with an ivermectin on leaving the seller's premises and then have them in isolation for a few days until all the worms have come out. Once the sheep worm counts are clean you should in theory be able to mix them with the goats, but I wouldn't if at all possible.
When you get your first few worm counts done for the goats ask for fluke counts as well, just so that you know if your goat field carries them, if yes you will have to trea the goats with Fasinex too. (and any sheep of course).
CAE testing: Is done anually by blood sample taken from the neck. I take the animals down to the vets for it. Vets send it off to SAC. Kids are covered on their dams certifictae until they are 1 year old. Was recently given the advice to take all my females pre-kidding for the CAE test, so if one dies during kidding the kids are still covered and can be shown/sold with the certficate of the dam. Certificate needed for mating too.
Topic: vaccinations, wormers etc (Read 3714 times)
