4 – Intro to Goat Industry Flashcards
1
Q
Goats are a multi-purpose animal
A
- More people eat goat than beef
- More people drink goat milk than cow’s milk
- Provide hides AND fiber
- *like a sheep with a cow’s udder and a poor immune system
2
Q
Goat behaviour
A
- Very social animals with distinct hierarchy
- Curious
- Like affection
- Easily accept humans
- Escape/jump
- Eat just about anything
- Cannot be driven
3
Q
Breeds
A
- At least 70 breeds worldwide
- Very few seen in Western Canada
4
Q
Saanen
A
- Prolific milker
- ‘Holstein goat of the world’
- Big and white
5
Q
Alpine
A
- Relatively good milker
- ‘Ayrshire’ of goat world
- White nose, with brown body
6
Q
Nubian
A
- General purpose breed
- Good milker
o Higher protein and fat - Roman nose with droopy ears
7
Q
Toggenburg
A
- Used for milk production
o Especially cheese manufacture
o *don’t drink it=tastes bad - Recognized by lines on side of face
8
Q
La Mancha
A
- Small Spanish, multi-purpose goat
o Milk and meat - ‘brown swiss’
- Has NO ears (hard to ID w/no ear tags)
- (sub-group with short ears)
9
Q
Golden guernsey
A
- Rarer breed
- High protein and fat milk
10
Q
Boer
A
- Typically white with brown markings
- Standard MEAT-GOAT
11
Q
Pygmy
A
- Small and cute
- Favourite of acreage owners
12
Q
Cashmere
A
- Used for FIBER production
o Don’t shear, just BRUSH - Mainly in China and Turkey
13
Q
Angora
A
- High quality fiber production
14
Q
Fainting goats
A
- Breed for congenital myotonia
- Collapse when frightened: ‘faint’
- Specific competitions
15
Q
Required facilities for goats
A
- Shelter
- Pen space
- Goats do NOT sweat (require SHADE!)
- Need shelter from the cold
- Really dislike rain
- Prone to predation
16
Q
Goat meat
A
- Production essentially the same as sheep
- Final market is generally Mediterranean, Mid-easter and Asian
- *producers have to develop their own markets and make arrangements for slaughter
17
Q
Goat’s milk
A
- Highly digestible
- Non-allergenic: different casein proteins
- AA profile similar to humans
- Naturally homogenized
- Low in folate, B12 and lactose
- Accepted as being good for babies
18
Q
Milk production
A
- Essentially the same as cattle
- Seasonal breeders
- Use an adapted parlor
- *last a long time: due to lower bacterial load
19
Q
Blood in milk
A
- Common
- Caused by ruptured blood vessels in the udder
20
Q
What might cause rupture of blood vessels in the udder?
A
- Common post-partum
- Kid trauma
- Mastitis
21
Q
What is a problem in milk production?
A
- TAINT
o NOT a bacterial or hygiene issue
22
Q
What might taint be due to?
A
- Buck
- Certain feeds
- Exposure to UV light
- Breed: Toggenburg
- Chemical odors
23
Q
How can you prevent taint?
A
- Supplement vitamin E
o Anti-oxidant - Pasteurization
- Rapid cooling
24
Q
What are some abnormalities with milk production?
A
- Witch’s milk
- Maiden’s milk
- Gynacomastia
- Run through
- Stimulation of milking
25
Witch’s milk
- Very young (neonatal) females
26
Maiden’s milk
- Females reaching puberty
27
Gynacomastia
- Lactation in the buck
- May even get mastitis
- *do NOT milk it
o Leave it alone and it will sort itself out
- Due to genetics for high milk production
28
Run through
- Continue to milk them and they will keep going
- More so older ones
- *a way to continue milk production in the ‘off season’
29
Stimulation of milking
- If put an ewe in a pen with hungry kids, she will start to produce milk
30
General management
- BCS id difficult
o Much of fat is stored in abdomen
o Goats always look skinny
o Involves lumbar region and brisket
31
What should the BCS be for a kid?
- 3-3.5
32
What should the BCS be mid-lactation?
- 2
33
What should the BCS be at dry off?
- 2-3.5
34
Milking: production period and size
- 10 month production period
- Average production
o 10lb per day
o 3000-3500lbs in a lactation
35
What are 3 things you do to kids?
- Castration
- Disbudding
- De-scenting
36
Castration
- At 24 hrs
- Slightly more difficult: scrotum is shorter
37
disbudding
- Usually do in first 5 days of life (grow fast)
- difficult
o 2 nerves=2 nerve blocks (cornual branch of infra-trochlear and lacrimal)
o Skull is very thin: can get trauma to cerebral hemispheres (‘cook the brain’)
o *sensitive to lidocaine toxicity (max 2ml dose)
38
De-scenting
- At same time as de-horning
- *good for bucks
o Still have other scent glands
o Will piss on their own head
39
Reproduction
- Essentially same as sheep
- Puberty 5 months: don’t breed until 8 months
- Seasonal breeders: influences milk supply
- Estrus: 21day cycle, 36hr estrus
40
Estrus
- 21 day cycle, 36hr estrus
- Signs of estrus and it’s length dependant on buck exposure
- Billy rags: odor of a buck and wave it under their nose: if stops and waves tail=in estrus
41
Pregnancy
- 150 days
- Abortion: similar to ewes (EAE can cause continual abortion in Doe)
- Twins common
- Ultrasound after 50 days
42
What are some common disease of goats?
- Caseous lymphadenitis
- Caprine Arthritis and Encephalitis (CAE)
- Johne’s
- Parasites
- Clostridial
- Mastitis
- Abortion
- *not really any licensed products for goats (extra-label use)
43
Caseous lymphadenitis
- Like sheep, but lesions occur around the HEAD
o *spread by rubbing on sharp objects
44
Caprine arthritis and encephalitis (CAE) (like Maedi-Visna in sheep)
- Retrovirus infection spread in milk
- In young, you get arthritis
- Older sheep: encephalitis and mastitis
45
Parasites
- Roundworms
o Typically infections are more severe
o Never mix with sheep
- Coccidiosis
- *like sheep but MORE
46
Clostridial
- As sheep
- Vaccine is typically less effective
o May need to be repeated every 6 months
47
Mastitis
- Essentially same a sheep
- CAE: lymphocytic infiltrate=’hard bag’
- CMT will not work
- Staph common
- Streps and Pasturella
48
*treatments
- almost no licensed drugs for goats in Canada
-everything you use will be off label (need to give a lot of thought about withdrawal periods)
