Lessons Learned Prior to Owning Kikos
I dont claim to be an expert......
There is a good "Goat Emergency" Facebook site out there. This wasn't available when I went through all of my hard lessons. It's filled with great information on almost anything that you might experience with goats....from cuts, pinkeye, scours, deworming, retained placenta, etc. You can search the site and almost certainly find your goats ailment. I highly recommend finding the site and keeping it handy. The site administrators have a wealth of knowledge. Be careful of what you read out on the web, but if you can find this Facebook page, it is solid. The Onion Creek Ranch website also has good information.
When we started in the goat business we didn’t know about the Kiko breed. Many of our goats were Spanish cross or Boer cross. We also had milk goats…Nubian and Saanen. I really like the appearance of the Boer goat. However, I have not found them to be very hardy. My Boer cross goats were much more susceptible to hoof issues and worms. One day they would appear to be doing fine and the next day one was scouring, losing weight or limping. Kikos are not bullet proof, but are just less susceptible to having issues. I suspect if I had started with Kikos I would not have as much experience dealing with the issues described below. What works for me, may or may not work for you. I also realize that what has worked for me may not continue to work in the future.
Weak Leg Syndrome:
One of the issues in the Houston area (and many other areas of US) is a deficiency of selenium in the soil. A selenium deficiency leads to “weak leg syndrome” in new born babies. The first time I experienced this was with a Boer cross nanny that had triplets. The babies had a strong appetite, but could not stand to nurse. The babies laid flat on their side, unable to stand to nurse. I held each baby under the mother’s bag that night to ensure each one got their first couple feedings of colostrum. The next morning they appeared no closer to standing, but had a great appetite. I googled and found that they likely had a selenium deficiency (although the mom had available loose minerals that contained selenium). I went to CVS and purchased selenium tablets and vitamin E capsules for humans. I crushed the pills and opened the capsules and mixed this with a bit of milk and fed the mixture to each baby. They were standing within 6 hours. Did this actually help??.... who knows.
I wanted to be more prepared next time, so I purchased Bo-Se injectable (vet prescription). I have successfully used this Bo-Se several times to help a newborn kid stand. It usually works within an hour or so. You can also proactively give your nannies Bo-Se injections (or paste) 2-4 weeks prior to birthing. If you have trouble getting Bo-Se, they also sell a Selenium/ Vitamin E paste online without prescription. However, oral doesn’t work as quick/ efficient as the injectable. Kidding usually occurs during the winter and there's nothing like having births at night in the cold and the baby cant stand. Too much selenium can be harmful so dont just give Selenium if you dont know you need it. The key is to ensure you are using a good free choice loose mineral that contains Selenium.
Kids: 0.1 mg of Se and 50 IU of Vitamin E
Adults: 1 mg of Se and 500 IU of Vitamin E
Scours:
I agree with most others …. avoid using meds each time a goat gets the scours. I’ve tried many of the remedies that are described on the web. Here is what has worked best for me. If you are patient, it will likely go away within a day or two. However, you don’t want to wait too long. If the scours are thick, you have more time. If the scours are extremely runny, start Sulmet right away....assuming it's not due to another obvious reason. I’ve had most success with Sulmet solution given orally 3-5 days to adult goats. Sulmet is no longer available over the counter and now requires a prescription. Tractor Supply has similar sulfur based antibacterial solutions and boluses for calves that should work. I pen them up, with plenty of fresh water, hay and goat feed during treatment. If you suspect worms may be the issue, then deworm first and watch for improvements. Deworming has not worked for me, and I typically just go to Sulmet. I give them Sulmet for 5 days typically (or at least 1 day after the scours have stopped). They are normally “dropping pellets” within 2-3 days. This almost always works. If they are eating good, you dont need to give anything else other than the Sulmet. Sulmet can also "kill" the rumen activity, so you may want to give probiotics. Be aware, that the Sulmet must taste awful, so be prepared to force them to swallow all of it, or they will spit, gag, and fight to avoid swallowing it.
I’ve had a few cases (all during the same time period after I purchased a goat that already had the scours) where deworming and Sulmet didn’t work. I ended up injecting them with C&D antitoxin (not C&D Toxin…the vaccine). The antitoxin stopped the scours within a day. I now vaccinate my goats for CDT, and hope not to face this scare again.
C&D Antitoxin is great to keep on-hand. It helps the goat purge toxins from their system when it gets disturbed. I always keep some available for an emergency. Once you give a goat C&D Antitoxin, the goat must be revaccinated with CDT (toxoid) later.
Sulmet (12.5% solution), now requires a prescription. I think Di-Methox 12.5% Sulfadimethoxine also requires prescription.
Tractor supply sells boluses for calves called Sustain III for calves, that is chemically the same. I'm not sure if it just as effective and whether it can be dissolved and given as a drench, or given as a bolus. I would try the bolus if you have nothing else.
Day 1: oral 1 ml per every 5 lbs of body weight
Day 2-5: oral 1 ml per every 10 lbs of body weight
Bottle feeding
We try to get at least some of the mom’s colostrum into the baby within the first hour. When we first started bottle feeding, we mixed 1 gallon of whole milk with 1 cup of buttermilk and one cup of evaporated milk. We eventually started using whole milk (straight from the grocery store) with no additives. This works fine. Avoid use of powdered milk replacer. We use Pritchard nipples because kids drink from them easily. In addition, the nipple will screw onto a standard 20 ounce plastic Coke bottle. We typically feed 3-4 times per day for the first few weeks then go to 2-3 times per day. We have not had to bottle feed any of our Kiko babies yet, but I’m sure we will get the opportunity at some point.
Hoof rot/ limping:
My Boer cross goats were notorious for slightly limping on one foot. I trimmed the hoof (although they didn’t appear to look bad), and then applied a copper sulfate solution (I bought a solution at Tractor Supply called Thrush for horses) to bottom of the hoof allowing it soak into the hoof for a few seconds. One bottle costs around $20 and will treat hundreds of hoofs. I would either pour the solution to bottom of the hoof while holding the hoof upside down or I would use a paint brush to apply it to the bottom of the hoof. Avoid getting it on your hands, clothes, etc. After one or two treatments, it would solve the problem within a day. It got to the point that when I trimmed my goat’s hooves 2-3 times per year, I would just go ahead and “paint” the bottom of every hoof with the copper sulfate solution. Once I started this, I would seldom have to treat anything between hoof trimmings. I stopped the treatments once I started raising Kikos, but is easy to do if needed. Raising goats in Houston area can be tough due to the wet muddy rainy seasons.
Mosquitoes:
Mosquitoes in the Houston area go from none to awful in just a day or two. They can get so bad at times that you need to breathe through a cloth to avoid pulling them into your mouth/ nose. It doesn't help that we live adjacent to rice fields where there is standing water. I’ve tried many of the homemade solutions that you find on the web, with mixed results. I use a pump-up sprayer with Permethrin solution. Each spraying doesn’t last long. If I don’t spray the goats directly, I at least spray the areas where they are likely to sleep. When mosquitoes get really bad, I may have to spray them every day or two. I’ve used a pour-on called Cylence for biting flies, but not sure how effective it is for mosquitoes.
Flies:
Same as above with Mosquitoes. However, you can also use a pour-on that will help with biting flies (Ivermec, Cydectin, Cylence (1 cc/30 lbs))
Ticks:
We have never had an issue with ticks. It may be partly due to owning guineas. There is an article about ticks on the sheep and goat website (link above).
Deworming dogs:
We use Safeguard for Goats at 1.1 cc per 5 lbs of body weight for adults and puppies. We give this dosage for 3 consecutive days
General:
Use of antibiotics can kill activity in the rumen, causing loss of appetite and shortage of vitamin B1 (Thiamine). It is good to have on-hand a good injectable vitamin B complex. B-12 (vet prescription) and Complex B vitamin is good to have to treat a goat that has become anemic due to worms or has lost appetite. Complex B vitamins do not contain much B12, so having B12 can be helpful.
Normal goat temperature taken rectally, is 102-103F. Temperature above this can be indication that antibiotics are warranted. Low temperature is even more difficult to treat. Low temperature is an indication that the rumen has stopped functioning. We've used B-vitamins, heating pads, probiotics and drenches for energy.
Red Cell is good to have on-hand for an anemic or sick goat. Red Cell is primarily sold for horses and is available at Tractor Supply. For a 100 lb goat, give 6 cc orally for first 4 days, then 3 cc afterwards. Be careful not to give for too many consecutive days (>10 days) because Red Cell contains lots of metals, that can buildup and cause toxicity. The metals are beneficial for recovery (like iron, copper, selenium, etc), but too much can become toxic and hard on the liver.
It’s also good to have probiotic paste to help with a goat that has lost its appetite. You can make your own probiotic: with yogurt, corn syrup and amino acids (if you have them)
Copper bolus: Adults (over 1 year) - 4 grams, and kids (>4 months old)- 2 grams – I do this 2 times per year, and have continued this with my Kikos. Barber Pole worms build resistance to many of the dewormers, but as I understand it, they do not build resistance to copper. This may or may not be true. I’ve never tested before/ after, so I don’t know how effective the copper works. I buy my copper boluses from Santa Cruz Animal Health website. They have 2 and 4 gram boluses. They also have cheap plastic bolus guns. If you only have 4 gram boluses, the bolus can be opened, 1/2 of the copper poured-out and the bolus re-closed and used for a kid goat.
Make you own drench to give a sick goat energy: 1 cup molasses, 1 cup corn oil, 1 cup corn syrup, and couple tsp of baking soda. I dont give anything unless the goat has no appetite and wont eat good quality hay.
It is important to keep a good loose mineral available for goats at all times. The loose mineral needs to have a high copper concentration. Don’t’ use minerals made for horses or sheep as this does not contain enough copper. Compare copper content and select one with high copper.
There is a good "Goat Emergency" Facebook site out there. This wasn't available when I went through all of my hard lessons. It's filled with great information on almost anything that you might experience with goats....from cuts, pinkeye, scours, deworming, retained placenta, etc. You can search the site and almost certainly find your goats ailment. I highly recommend finding the site and keeping it handy. The site administrators have a wealth of knowledge. Be careful of what you read out on the web, but if you can find this Facebook page, it is solid. The Onion Creek Ranch website also has good information.
When we started in the goat business we didn’t know about the Kiko breed. Many of our goats were Spanish cross or Boer cross. We also had milk goats…Nubian and Saanen. I really like the appearance of the Boer goat. However, I have not found them to be very hardy. My Boer cross goats were much more susceptible to hoof issues and worms. One day they would appear to be doing fine and the next day one was scouring, losing weight or limping. Kikos are not bullet proof, but are just less susceptible to having issues. I suspect if I had started with Kikos I would not have as much experience dealing with the issues described below. What works for me, may or may not work for you. I also realize that what has worked for me may not continue to work in the future.
Weak Leg Syndrome:
One of the issues in the Houston area (and many other areas of US) is a deficiency of selenium in the soil. A selenium deficiency leads to “weak leg syndrome” in new born babies. The first time I experienced this was with a Boer cross nanny that had triplets. The babies had a strong appetite, but could not stand to nurse. The babies laid flat on their side, unable to stand to nurse. I held each baby under the mother’s bag that night to ensure each one got their first couple feedings of colostrum. The next morning they appeared no closer to standing, but had a great appetite. I googled and found that they likely had a selenium deficiency (although the mom had available loose minerals that contained selenium). I went to CVS and purchased selenium tablets and vitamin E capsules for humans. I crushed the pills and opened the capsules and mixed this with a bit of milk and fed the mixture to each baby. They were standing within 6 hours. Did this actually help??.... who knows.
I wanted to be more prepared next time, so I purchased Bo-Se injectable (vet prescription). I have successfully used this Bo-Se several times to help a newborn kid stand. It usually works within an hour or so. You can also proactively give your nannies Bo-Se injections (or paste) 2-4 weeks prior to birthing. If you have trouble getting Bo-Se, they also sell a Selenium/ Vitamin E paste online without prescription. However, oral doesn’t work as quick/ efficient as the injectable. Kidding usually occurs during the winter and there's nothing like having births at night in the cold and the baby cant stand. Too much selenium can be harmful so dont just give Selenium if you dont know you need it. The key is to ensure you are using a good free choice loose mineral that contains Selenium.
Kids: 0.1 mg of Se and 50 IU of Vitamin E
Adults: 1 mg of Se and 500 IU of Vitamin E
Scours:
I agree with most others …. avoid using meds each time a goat gets the scours. I’ve tried many of the remedies that are described on the web. Here is what has worked best for me. If you are patient, it will likely go away within a day or two. However, you don’t want to wait too long. If the scours are thick, you have more time. If the scours are extremely runny, start Sulmet right away....assuming it's not due to another obvious reason. I’ve had most success with Sulmet solution given orally 3-5 days to adult goats. Sulmet is no longer available over the counter and now requires a prescription. Tractor Supply has similar sulfur based antibacterial solutions and boluses for calves that should work. I pen them up, with plenty of fresh water, hay and goat feed during treatment. If you suspect worms may be the issue, then deworm first and watch for improvements. Deworming has not worked for me, and I typically just go to Sulmet. I give them Sulmet for 5 days typically (or at least 1 day after the scours have stopped). They are normally “dropping pellets” within 2-3 days. This almost always works. If they are eating good, you dont need to give anything else other than the Sulmet. Sulmet can also "kill" the rumen activity, so you may want to give probiotics. Be aware, that the Sulmet must taste awful, so be prepared to force them to swallow all of it, or they will spit, gag, and fight to avoid swallowing it.
I’ve had a few cases (all during the same time period after I purchased a goat that already had the scours) where deworming and Sulmet didn’t work. I ended up injecting them with C&D antitoxin (not C&D Toxin…the vaccine). The antitoxin stopped the scours within a day. I now vaccinate my goats for CDT, and hope not to face this scare again.
C&D Antitoxin is great to keep on-hand. It helps the goat purge toxins from their system when it gets disturbed. I always keep some available for an emergency. Once you give a goat C&D Antitoxin, the goat must be revaccinated with CDT (toxoid) later.
Sulmet (12.5% solution), now requires a prescription. I think Di-Methox 12.5% Sulfadimethoxine also requires prescription.
Tractor supply sells boluses for calves called Sustain III for calves, that is chemically the same. I'm not sure if it just as effective and whether it can be dissolved and given as a drench, or given as a bolus. I would try the bolus if you have nothing else.
Day 1: oral 1 ml per every 5 lbs of body weight
Day 2-5: oral 1 ml per every 10 lbs of body weight
Bottle feeding
We try to get at least some of the mom’s colostrum into the baby within the first hour. When we first started bottle feeding, we mixed 1 gallon of whole milk with 1 cup of buttermilk and one cup of evaporated milk. We eventually started using whole milk (straight from the grocery store) with no additives. This works fine. Avoid use of powdered milk replacer. We use Pritchard nipples because kids drink from them easily. In addition, the nipple will screw onto a standard 20 ounce plastic Coke bottle. We typically feed 3-4 times per day for the first few weeks then go to 2-3 times per day. We have not had to bottle feed any of our Kiko babies yet, but I’m sure we will get the opportunity at some point.
Hoof rot/ limping:
My Boer cross goats were notorious for slightly limping on one foot. I trimmed the hoof (although they didn’t appear to look bad), and then applied a copper sulfate solution (I bought a solution at Tractor Supply called Thrush for horses) to bottom of the hoof allowing it soak into the hoof for a few seconds. One bottle costs around $20 and will treat hundreds of hoofs. I would either pour the solution to bottom of the hoof while holding the hoof upside down or I would use a paint brush to apply it to the bottom of the hoof. Avoid getting it on your hands, clothes, etc. After one or two treatments, it would solve the problem within a day. It got to the point that when I trimmed my goat’s hooves 2-3 times per year, I would just go ahead and “paint” the bottom of every hoof with the copper sulfate solution. Once I started this, I would seldom have to treat anything between hoof trimmings. I stopped the treatments once I started raising Kikos, but is easy to do if needed. Raising goats in Houston area can be tough due to the wet muddy rainy seasons.
Mosquitoes:
Mosquitoes in the Houston area go from none to awful in just a day or two. They can get so bad at times that you need to breathe through a cloth to avoid pulling them into your mouth/ nose. It doesn't help that we live adjacent to rice fields where there is standing water. I’ve tried many of the homemade solutions that you find on the web, with mixed results. I use a pump-up sprayer with Permethrin solution. Each spraying doesn’t last long. If I don’t spray the goats directly, I at least spray the areas where they are likely to sleep. When mosquitoes get really bad, I may have to spray them every day or two. I’ve used a pour-on called Cylence for biting flies, but not sure how effective it is for mosquitoes.
Flies:
Same as above with Mosquitoes. However, you can also use a pour-on that will help with biting flies (Ivermec, Cydectin, Cylence (1 cc/30 lbs))
Ticks:
We have never had an issue with ticks. It may be partly due to owning guineas. There is an article about ticks on the sheep and goat website (link above).
Deworming dogs:
We use Safeguard for Goats at 1.1 cc per 5 lbs of body weight for adults and puppies. We give this dosage for 3 consecutive days
General:
Use of antibiotics can kill activity in the rumen, causing loss of appetite and shortage of vitamin B1 (Thiamine). It is good to have on-hand a good injectable vitamin B complex. B-12 (vet prescription) and Complex B vitamin is good to have to treat a goat that has become anemic due to worms or has lost appetite. Complex B vitamins do not contain much B12, so having B12 can be helpful.
Normal goat temperature taken rectally, is 102-103F. Temperature above this can be indication that antibiotics are warranted. Low temperature is even more difficult to treat. Low temperature is an indication that the rumen has stopped functioning. We've used B-vitamins, heating pads, probiotics and drenches for energy.
Red Cell is good to have on-hand for an anemic or sick goat. Red Cell is primarily sold for horses and is available at Tractor Supply. For a 100 lb goat, give 6 cc orally for first 4 days, then 3 cc afterwards. Be careful not to give for too many consecutive days (>10 days) because Red Cell contains lots of metals, that can buildup and cause toxicity. The metals are beneficial for recovery (like iron, copper, selenium, etc), but too much can become toxic and hard on the liver.
It’s also good to have probiotic paste to help with a goat that has lost its appetite. You can make your own probiotic: with yogurt, corn syrup and amino acids (if you have them)
Copper bolus: Adults (over 1 year) - 4 grams, and kids (>4 months old)- 2 grams – I do this 2 times per year, and have continued this with my Kikos. Barber Pole worms build resistance to many of the dewormers, but as I understand it, they do not build resistance to copper. This may or may not be true. I’ve never tested before/ after, so I don’t know how effective the copper works. I buy my copper boluses from Santa Cruz Animal Health website. They have 2 and 4 gram boluses. They also have cheap plastic bolus guns. If you only have 4 gram boluses, the bolus can be opened, 1/2 of the copper poured-out and the bolus re-closed and used for a kid goat.
Make you own drench to give a sick goat energy: 1 cup molasses, 1 cup corn oil, 1 cup corn syrup, and couple tsp of baking soda. I dont give anything unless the goat has no appetite and wont eat good quality hay.
It is important to keep a good loose mineral available for goats at all times. The loose mineral needs to have a high copper concentration. Don’t’ use minerals made for horses or sheep as this does not contain enough copper. Compare copper content and select one with high copper.