Frequently Ask Questions
These are the most common questions we receive on our Goat Web Site
1. What is a wether goat ?
A goat that has been castrated or banded that can no longer reproduce, his main value is for producing goat meat often called cabrito or chevron. A show wether goat is a goat that has superior carcass traits, that has been trained and fitted for show. A show wether has often been bred especially for superior traits that are needed to be competitive in the show ring.
2. Why want my goat eat ?
There are several reasons a goat can go off feed, the most common are: A goat penned by itself will often not eat well, goats are herd animals and best to keep another animal preferably another goat with it to compete for feed. A goat that has recently been moved will many times go off feed for two or three days and start eating again once comfortable with new surroundings. A change in food or hay that is moldy can cause a goat to go off feed, this can be helped by mixing the new feed with old and gradually changing to the new goat feed and doing away with moldy hay. . A buck in rut and or a doe in season may go off feed for a short time, nature will usually take care of itself, might want to keep the bucks away from does until breeding season, "out of site- out of mind". Extremely hot weather can slow down a goats diet, try and get them in the shade or cooler location. A sick goat will go off feed, check for temperature, bottle jaw and parasites. A doe that is close to kidding will many times quit eating in the last 12 to 24 hrs. Dirty or stale water will have an effect of how much feed a goat will eat. Keep water fresh and clean. Many times a goat will not drink from a muddy pond.
If you are wanting to give a goat an appetite, make sure you are not over looking an illness, most often an animal, goat , pig, etc., will eat like there's no tomorrow when given vitamin B-12.
3. My show goat / Buck will not eat and is drawn up in it's stomach and having trouble urinating.
This is most often caused by urinary calculi, sort of like a kidney stone in the urinary tract of male goats, usually caused by large amounts of continuous grain. The best prevention is to make sure the goats feed contains potassium chloride or ammonium chlorine in the feed to keep the urinary tract clean. The illness can be cured by some veterinarians who understand what is taking place with the goat. Make sure when buying commercial prepared goat feed to read the label to see what is under the medicated listings.
4. My goat has a swollen jaw and is scouring what should I do ?
The goat probably has a large parasite count, especially if it has reached the point of bottle jaw, the goat must be wormed immediately. The goat could have an abscess and infection but the most common cause of bottle jaw is parasites in an advanced stage.
5. How long does it take for does to have there babies ?
The average is 150 days, give or take a day or two from time to time, especially if there's a weather change expected. Be on the lookout early in the morning about dawn and from 3 to 4 in the afternoon, for some reason this is the most popular time for kidding around our barn.
6. At what age should wethers be dehorned ?
We dehorn around 10 days to two weeks, this is not a pleasant task and I wish that tipping the goats horns would be sufficient in all shows.
7. At what age should I buy my show wether or doe ?
As a rule goats will loose there baby teeth from 12 to 14 months, buy your show goat planning on using a wether no longer than 12 months of age. You will want to factor in that most Show wethers and or does are usually weaned between 60 and 90 days old. Many states have two show seasons, it's not a bad ideal to purchase show goats in the fall and spring in order to keep a goat that is looking fresh at all times.
