Animal health

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
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. 

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.