Managing kids and goats to improve health outcomes

Posted on November 6, 2023 in Dairy Goat Performance
Attention to kid care and management can reduce immunological stress and will increase the survival rate of kids.  During her Vita Plus Dairy Goat Seminar presentation, Kate Stollen, DVM, Stollen Veterinary Consulting and Holsum Dairies LLC, reviewed challenges associated with birth and youngstock care.

Transition doe management

Posted on October 2, 2023 in Dairy Goat Performance
The transition period for dairy goats is the three weeks before kidding to three weeks after kidding. During his Vita Plus Dairy Goat Seminar presentation, Kevin Wellejus, VMD and partner at Calumet Goat Company, explained that during this transition from the dry period to milking, the doe’s physiology changes dramatically.

Advancing rumen development in dairy goat kids during the nursery and grower phases

Posted on August 23, 2023 in Dairy Goat Performance
As a Vita Plus dairy technical specialist, Noah Litherland, Ph.D., has long been interested in rumen development and the physiology of growth in youngstock.  He applies that interest to his family’s farm as they raise dairy goats.  During his Vita Plus Dairy Goat Seminar presentation, Litherland focused on starter intake as a key component of youngstock nutrition and management.

Dairy goat farm focuses on raising healthy, high-producing kids

Posted on May 19, 2023 in Dairy Goat Performance
With the goal of raising healthy, high-producing dairy goats, the team at Blakesville Dairy Farm in Port Washington, Wisconsin, focuses on care and management of kids to enhance lifetime health and performance while continuously being progressive in their farming practices.

Make the most of the dry period: Nutrition (part 2)

Posted on October 18, 2022 in Dairy Goat Performance
Proper management of a doe’s dry period can have significant impacts on the doe’s longevity and productivity as well as kid survival. In this second article in a two-part series, experts discuss nutrition strategies that can lead to success in the dry period.

Make the most of the dry period: Management (part 1)

Posted on October 12, 2022 in Dairy Goat Performance
Proper management of a doe’s dry period can have significant impacts on the doe’s longevity and productivity as well as kid survival. In this first article in a two-part series, experts discuss management factors that can lead to success in the dry period.

5 key points in understanding and managing coccidiosis

Posted on July 14, 2022 in Dairy Goat Performance
By Dr. Danielle Mzyk, Janesville Animal Medical Center associate veterinarian | Coccidiosis is caused by microscopic protozoan parasites called coccidian (Eimeria spp.). These parasites cause severe damage to the intestinal cells of goats, leading to diarrhea, clinical disease, and reduced growth and production. Here are five key points in understanding and managing coccidiosis.

Colostrum management (part 2): Successfully feeding high-quality colostrum

Posted on February 14, 2022 in Dairy Goat Performance
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By Dr. Noah Litherland In part 2 of our colostrum series, we look at efficient ways to heat-treat, store and warm colostrum. We also review the steps for processing newborn kids and feeding colostrum.

Colostrum management (part 1): Start with the doe

Posted on January 28, 2022 in Dairy Goat Performance
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By Dr. Noah Litherland We only have one opportunity per doe to harvest colostrum and to feed her kids quality colostrum, so let’s develop a plan to do it right! Do you have opportunities to manage colostrum more effectively this year?

Virtual Farm Tour: Drumlin Dairy LLC

Posted on November 18, 2021 in Dairy Goat Performance
[gallery ids="16836,16837,16838,16839,16840,16841,16842,16843,16844,16845"] Drumlin Dairy LLC focuses on kid health, year-round production Wisconsin leads the nation in dairy goat production, yet not enough goat milk is produced in-state to make all the goat cheese crafted by Wisconsin cheesemakers.  A few years ago, processors approached the owners of Holsum Dairies, LLC in Hilbert, Wisconsin, to see if they

Managing heat stress in dairy goats

Posted on July 13, 2021 in Dairy Goat Performance
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By Dr. David Carlson
Heat stress is a costly condition for many species of livestock, causing suboptimal health and productivity.  Dairy goats experiencing heat stress will compensate in several ways to maintain body temperature, both by accelerating heat loss and decreasing heat production.  These critical management strategies can help animals cope with heat stress.

Caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE) mitigation strategies

Posted on November 30, 2020 in Dairy Goat Performance
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By Sarah Adamson
Caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE) is a contagious – and potentially fatal – viral disease in goats.  It can be transmitted in several ways and, without a specific treatment, it is best to follow a strict mitigation program to decrease the frequency of CAE-infected animals on your farm.

Detection, treatment and prevention of coccidia

Posted on June 1, 2020 in Dairy Goat Performance
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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.

Checklist: Newborn kids

Posted on February 3, 2020 in Dairy Goat Performance
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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.

Checklist: Maternity pen and fresh does

Posted on January 15, 2020 in Dairy Goat Performance
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By Sarah Adamson
Kidding season is right around the corner - are you ready?  Having a maternity pen and doe checklist can help ensure a smooth delivery for the animals and make sure staff are prepared. 

The stages of involution and an effective dry period

Posted on November 19, 2019 in Dairy Goat Performance
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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.