Goat Health

As the saying goes... a sick goat is a dead goat.  So you need to take goat health seriously.  Whether you are a farmer and ship goat milk and/or meat for profit, or whether you are a goat lover and keep them as pets, the health and happiness of your goats is of the utmost importance.  If they become unhappy or unhealthy, your milk and/or meat will not reach their full potential, your profits will decrease and you will do poorly for yourself and your goat.

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How can I ensure my goat's health?

There is always more to learn about a better way of doing things - never stop learning! click here for a list of helpful goat resource books, forums, and other places to learn more about goats.

There are several important regular maintenance practices that you should set in place: 

• Provide Proper Bedding. Add to/change their bedding. 
• Good Diet. Provide a proper diet that meets their nutritional needs. Read more here: Feeding Your Goats
• Vaccinate.  We have several vaccinations that we recommend.  It's also a good idea to talk to your vet about recommended vaccines.
  
• Antibiotics. Use antibiotics as needed to stop infections, mastitis, and other sicknesses.  Follow your vet's recommendations.
• Probiotics. Use probiotics in order to promote good gut health and provide a strong immune system.  A strong immune system will be better equipped to fight any sicknesses that your goat will be exposed to
• De-horn. There are good reasons both for and against de-horning. Click here for more on methods of how to de-horn goats, the pros and cons, and what to do with scurs should they develop
  
• Hoof-trimming. Trim their hooves in order to avoid damage to joints. This is especially important if your goats are housed indoors at all times, as they do not have a way to wear down their hooves.  Get someone in, or do it yourself (see How to Trim Hooves)
• Udder Health. Be sure to implement udder health measures. For more on caring for your dairy goat, click on Udder Health for Dairy Goats
• Male Goat: Male goats have certain specific things that can go wrong when not given proper nutrition. Click here for more on Caring for Your Male Goat
• Goat Pastures: the needs of goats in pastures will vary from the needs of goats housed in barns. Click here for more on goat pastures.

Each of these tips and guidelines will greatly impact your goat health and improve productivity and quality of life for your goats. 

In order to optimize production, it is imperative to take care to give your goats all that they need. Goats are temperamental animals, and stress can very quickly ruin production and cause discomfort and even death in extreme cases.  

So be proactive - take the necessary steps to prevent sicknesses and infections. Provide what your goat needs to be a happy and healthy animal.

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