Dairy Goat Performance

By Sarah Adamson
Dry doe nutrition is an important part of a successful dairy goat operation. However, many producers don’t invest enough time and/or resources into this important stage of a dairy goat’s life to capitalize on the benefits it provides.

By Sarah Adamson
While any number of factors can cause diarrhea and scours, coccidia becomes the more likely cause when goat kids are between 3 weeks and 5 months of age. Since it is nearly impossible to completely eliminate coccidia form the environment, it is best to understand the impact is has on your herd and then develop a herd-specific treatment and prevention plan.

By Sarah Adamson
Previously, we discussed how important it is to have a maternity and fresh doe checklist. Now we will address the items you should have on a newborn kid checklist to ensure a safe start to life.

By Sarah Adamson, Vita Plus dairy goat specialist
While most producers know it is important to give their does a dry period, many only give them 40 days. Is that long enough? Research shows it can take between 40 and 60 days to complete the necessary stages before a doe is ready to be an efficient producer again. In this post, we look at the stages of the dry period and explain why it needs to be longer.