Health concerns to watch for when you bring your new baby goats home
We’re sometimes contacted by new goat owners asking questions about health concerns they have with their new babies. Others may not even realize that there are things they need to watch out for in their goats to keep them healthy. We love helping new goat owners learn to properly care for their goats. We are always happy to answer questions and help in any way we can. But since there are certain basic concerns with goats and we get the same questions over and over I wrote this article to cover the things I feel are vital for all new goat owners to know and be prepared for.
Goats are adorable, highly intelligent and affectionate animals. Unfortunately they are also highly susceptible to stress and illness. The “goats can survive on tin cans or moldy hay” line is a myth! They need excellent care and feeding and close monitoring to ensure they stay healthy. Aside from proper nutrition, reducing stress is the number one way to keep goats healthy, but unfortunately that can sometimes be a challenge.
The first step to healthy goats is proper nutrition. Our goats are fed high quality hay and organic loose CraftsMin minerals. Our baby goats drink fresh, raw goat milk from their dams. If a kid has to be bottle fed they receive goat milk from does that we are milking. Kids will be eating alfalfa hay and loose minerals and will be able to go without milk when they go to their new homes. That’s why we don’t wean at 8 weeks like some farms do. We keep our kids longer to give them the best start possible.
We don't generally feed grain to our kids and they don't need it when they go to their new homes. Overfeeding grain can cause digestive upset (diarrhea) and grain isn’t recommended at all for wethers or bucks because of the risk of urinary calculi. We usually only feed grain to milking does. If you want to give your goats a treat we suggest alfalfa or grass hay pellets.
Anytime there’s a change in a goat’s routine or environment it can cause stress. These changes can include weaning, giving birth, wide and rapid changes in temperature, wet and cold weather, very hot weather, a sudden change in the type or amount of feed, overcrowding, going to a new home, adding new herdmates and more. Stress in goats can cause them to be more susceptible to certain illnesses, particularly respiratory infections including pneumonia, and digestive upset. It also can lower their resistance to parasites including worms and Coccidia.
All goats, even healthy ones, carry a certain amount of parasites in their bodies as well as bacteria that cause respiratory and digestive illness and other diseases. Usually they don't cause any problems at all. It’s when the goats are stressed that these parasites or bacteria begin to multiply in numbers larger than the goat can handle, causing illness. That’s why you will sometimes see diarrhea or respiratory symptoms in your goat within a few days of taking them home, because weaning and moving to a new home are (unfortunately) the two biggest stressors for baby goats. (Weaning has to happen sometime but we minimize the stress the best we can.) Particularly with Pneumonia and Coccidiosis a goat can be perfectly fine and within hours be very ill or even dead.
ALL NEW GOAT OWNERS NEED TO KNOW THE SIGNS OF THESE ILLNESSES AND HAVE A PLAN FOR TREATING THEM BEFORE BRINGING HOME THEIR GOATS. WE CAN’T STRESS THIS ENOUGH!
This plan should include lining up a good small ruminant vet in your area and being aware of their hours and policies for emergency calls BEFORE you need them. Most vets don't do after hours calls for goats, sadly, and many vets don't even treat goats. You should also have certain medications on hand in case you need to treat your goat when your vet is closed. Many medications you’ll need are prescription only so you don’t want to be caught without them when you need them. Here are a few links to suggested lists of goat meds to have on hand:
•10 Goat Medicines no Goat Owner Should be Without
•Goat Medications and How to Use Them
•Goat Medicine Cabinet
•Medical and Goat Supplies
At a minimum you should have a dewormer and something to treat Coccidiosis on hand. (We prefer Toltrazuril but there are several choices so ask your vet what he recommends.) We also highly recommend an antibiotic (we prefer Nuflor Gold) to treat respiratory infections and Banamine for fever and pain. You will have to get these from your vet. Also, Fortified Vitamin B Complex (injection or oral) is very useful for treating stressed goats and preventing secondary thiamine deficiency (Goat Polio) from goats going off feed and is available OTC. We give ALL ill or stressed goats Vitamin B complex, in addition to any other medications. Probiotics are also important in treating sick or stressed goats or for giving after they finish antibiotics to repopulate healthy gut flora.
Some goat owners vaccinate for Tetanus and Enterotoxemia (Overeating Disease) with the CDT vaccine. We manage our herd as holistically and naturally as possible, focusing on excellent nutrition and proper management, therefore we do not routinely vaccinate our herd with the CDT or any other vaccine. We DO keep CD and Tetanus Antitoxins on hand for emergency use. (We've never had to use them as we have never had these diseases in our herd.) If you would like your kid vaccinated you can obtain the CDT vaccine at any feed store or Tractor Supply and give it yourself. (It's very inexpensive.)
The decision to vaccinate or not is a very personal choice and is dependent on many factors. There's no "right" or "wrong" choice so we suggest you do your research and decide if you want to vaccinate or not before you pick up your goats. Even if you choose to vaccinate you should still keep Tetanus and CD antitoxins on hand to treat these diseases should they occur. Even vaccinated animals can contract Tetanus and Enterotoxemia and it's the Antitoxin, NOT the toxoid, that treats these diseases. For more info please read these articles:
•Should You Vaccinate Your Goat
•CD&T Vaccinations for Goats, Neccessary or Not?
•Fiasco Farms on Vaccinations
Sometimes your new goat will get diarrhea (or soft clumpy stools like dog poop instead of goat berries) soon after bringing them home. This is often from a change in diet: a different food than they’re used to or more than they needed. Some greedy goats get it when they eat more than their share. Babies might get it because they suddenly aren’t competing with as many goats for the food when they go to their new homes. Or maybe because you added a grain they aren’t used to.(If you decide to feed grain introduce it VERY slowly, a handful at a time. We occasionally get calls from people saying their new goat has diarrhea only to find out that someone in the family has been too generous with the grain.☺️) Too much fresh grass can also cause digestive upset. If it’s diet related it should resolve in a few days. But do your best to make diet changes very slowly and you might avoid problems. Please see our pages on bringing home your new goats and feeding baby goats for more info on how to avoid digestive upset in your goats.
For general info on diarrhea in goats read this article.
Two other common things that can cause diarrhea - especially with babies - are worms and Coccidiosis. All goats have worms and coccidia in their systems but the numbers usually stay low and they show no ill effects. But stress, such as from weather, weaning, going to a new home, etc can lower their resistance and allow the parasites to multiply rapidly. Then you’ll see the diarrhea. If your goat has extreme diahrrea and there hasn't been a change in diet it could be parasites.
We do not routinely deworm our goats (or horses), as this can lead to dewormer resistance and is not recommended by experts. We only deworm based on fecal results or clinical signs. (FAMACHA scores, diarrhea, unthriftiness, poor coat.) Because of our hot, dry climate (worms need hot moist climates to thrive) and rotational grazing, worms are not usually a big concern here but we are prepared for them if we need to be, with medications on hand at all times. We rarely need to use them.
For more info on worms see this article.
Coccidiosis can be life threatening for baby goats. Some amount of Coccidia live in ALL healthy goats but typically only kids are affected by them. Stress (weather, weaning, overcrowding, going to a new home, etc) can cause them to multiply in the kids’ bodies almost overnight and can cause extreme illness or even death if left untreated. We monitor our kids very closely, keeping medication on hand and treating immediately at the first sign of diarrhea. Our motto with suspected Coccidiosis is “treat first, ask questions later”! We also practice Coccidiosis prevention, starting at 3 weeks old and every 3 weeks thereafter. We treat with Toltrazuril as it is very effective and economical and the kids actually seem to like it! We also treat again right before they go to their new homes, in an effort to prevent weaning/moving stress induced Coccidiosis outbreaks.
WE RECOMMEND ALL NEW GOAT OWNERS KEEP COCCIDIOSIS MEDICATION ON HAND! Buy some before you pick up your babies! Dewormers don’t treat Coccidiosis. You can get the medication from your vet. Keep some on hand in case the vet is closed when you need it! We use Toltrazuril but you can use whatever your vet recommends.
For more on Coccidiosis read this article.
The other big concern for all goats is respiratory illness, specifically pneumonia. Again, goats are very susceptible to stress, and stress lowers their resistance to bacteria already in their bodies and the environment. The biggest stress we've experienced in our goats that's caused pneumonia is the wild, hot and cold temperature swings we get in spring and fall. Baby goats can also be stressed by weaning and moving to new homes and unfortunately, kidding season falls right within the crazy weather season, too. We monitor all of our goats very carefully during this time of year, especially the babies. We suggest all new goat owners learn the symptoms of pneumonia and are prepared for it BEFORE they bring home their babies! This includes having a good vet lined up, knowing their availability and having medicines already on hand if possible.
Goats with pneumonia will sometimes have a runny nose or (rarely) a cough but that can be just allergies. (And a cough can be just being a goat. They cough a lot!) But a seriously ill goat can have no runny nose at all, in the case of Interstitial (Silent) Pneumonia, the most dangerous form. What they will have is a very high or very low temperature. (Normal temperature is 101.5 - 103.5) And they will usually be standing off by themselves, acting lethargic and not eating. We carefully observe all our goats at feeding time. Any goat that doesn't come running to eat gets it's temperature taken, as well as any goat with a snotty nose. IMMEDIATELY. (I keep a thermometer in my pocket.) If they have a fever and any symptoms they get treated, IMMEDIATELY. We do not mess around with Pneumonia. We keep antibiotics on hand and start treatment at the first sign of illness. We use Resflor Gold along with Fortified Vitamin B Complex shots (to prevent thiamine deficiency) and Goat RX drops. You should learn to recognize the signs of pneumonia and know how you will get the medications after office hours, should you need them, because a goat can die of pneumonia very quickly.
For more information on Pneumonia and how to treat it see this excellent article by Onion Creek Ranch.
And because we frequently get questions from new owners about coughing goats, which actually is VERY normal in goats and isn't usually a concern, please read this article below:
Coughing Goats, by Onion Creek Ranch
Those are what we consider to be the biggest health concerns with goats. There are more, of course, but these are the ones new goat owners are most likely to see and that are most likely to affect your goat. We wrote this article to make you aware and prepared BEFORE you bring your goats home, as well as to refer to later if you need it. We love our goats and we do our best to raise healthy babies. It's no easy task, but we think it's worth it. If you have any questions or concerns about your new goats (or would like to know more about something mentioned in this article) please feel free to contact us. We are NOT experts but we'll do our best to help you.
Goats are adorable, highly intelligent and affectionate animals. Unfortunately they are also highly susceptible to stress and illness. The “goats can survive on tin cans or moldy hay” line is a myth! They need excellent care and feeding and close monitoring to ensure they stay healthy. Aside from proper nutrition, reducing stress is the number one way to keep goats healthy, but unfortunately that can sometimes be a challenge.
The first step to healthy goats is proper nutrition. Our goats are fed high quality hay and organic loose CraftsMin minerals. Our baby goats drink fresh, raw goat milk from their dams. If a kid has to be bottle fed they receive goat milk from does that we are milking. Kids will be eating alfalfa hay and loose minerals and will be able to go without milk when they go to their new homes. That’s why we don’t wean at 8 weeks like some farms do. We keep our kids longer to give them the best start possible.
We don't generally feed grain to our kids and they don't need it when they go to their new homes. Overfeeding grain can cause digestive upset (diarrhea) and grain isn’t recommended at all for wethers or bucks because of the risk of urinary calculi. We usually only feed grain to milking does. If you want to give your goats a treat we suggest alfalfa or grass hay pellets.
Anytime there’s a change in a goat’s routine or environment it can cause stress. These changes can include weaning, giving birth, wide and rapid changes in temperature, wet and cold weather, very hot weather, a sudden change in the type or amount of feed, overcrowding, going to a new home, adding new herdmates and more. Stress in goats can cause them to be more susceptible to certain illnesses, particularly respiratory infections including pneumonia, and digestive upset. It also can lower their resistance to parasites including worms and Coccidia.
All goats, even healthy ones, carry a certain amount of parasites in their bodies as well as bacteria that cause respiratory and digestive illness and other diseases. Usually they don't cause any problems at all. It’s when the goats are stressed that these parasites or bacteria begin to multiply in numbers larger than the goat can handle, causing illness. That’s why you will sometimes see diarrhea or respiratory symptoms in your goat within a few days of taking them home, because weaning and moving to a new home are (unfortunately) the two biggest stressors for baby goats. (Weaning has to happen sometime but we minimize the stress the best we can.) Particularly with Pneumonia and Coccidiosis a goat can be perfectly fine and within hours be very ill or even dead.
ALL NEW GOAT OWNERS NEED TO KNOW THE SIGNS OF THESE ILLNESSES AND HAVE A PLAN FOR TREATING THEM BEFORE BRINGING HOME THEIR GOATS. WE CAN’T STRESS THIS ENOUGH!
This plan should include lining up a good small ruminant vet in your area and being aware of their hours and policies for emergency calls BEFORE you need them. Most vets don't do after hours calls for goats, sadly, and many vets don't even treat goats. You should also have certain medications on hand in case you need to treat your goat when your vet is closed. Many medications you’ll need are prescription only so you don’t want to be caught without them when you need them. Here are a few links to suggested lists of goat meds to have on hand:
•10 Goat Medicines no Goat Owner Should be Without
•Goat Medications and How to Use Them
•Goat Medicine Cabinet
•Medical and Goat Supplies
At a minimum you should have a dewormer and something to treat Coccidiosis on hand. (We prefer Toltrazuril but there are several choices so ask your vet what he recommends.) We also highly recommend an antibiotic (we prefer Nuflor Gold) to treat respiratory infections and Banamine for fever and pain. You will have to get these from your vet. Also, Fortified Vitamin B Complex (injection or oral) is very useful for treating stressed goats and preventing secondary thiamine deficiency (Goat Polio) from goats going off feed and is available OTC. We give ALL ill or stressed goats Vitamin B complex, in addition to any other medications. Probiotics are also important in treating sick or stressed goats or for giving after they finish antibiotics to repopulate healthy gut flora.
Some goat owners vaccinate for Tetanus and Enterotoxemia (Overeating Disease) with the CDT vaccine. We manage our herd as holistically and naturally as possible, focusing on excellent nutrition and proper management, therefore we do not routinely vaccinate our herd with the CDT or any other vaccine. We DO keep CD and Tetanus Antitoxins on hand for emergency use. (We've never had to use them as we have never had these diseases in our herd.) If you would like your kid vaccinated you can obtain the CDT vaccine at any feed store or Tractor Supply and give it yourself. (It's very inexpensive.)
The decision to vaccinate or not is a very personal choice and is dependent on many factors. There's no "right" or "wrong" choice so we suggest you do your research and decide if you want to vaccinate or not before you pick up your goats. Even if you choose to vaccinate you should still keep Tetanus and CD antitoxins on hand to treat these diseases should they occur. Even vaccinated animals can contract Tetanus and Enterotoxemia and it's the Antitoxin, NOT the toxoid, that treats these diseases. For more info please read these articles:
•Should You Vaccinate Your Goat
•CD&T Vaccinations for Goats, Neccessary or Not?
•Fiasco Farms on Vaccinations
Sometimes your new goat will get diarrhea (or soft clumpy stools like dog poop instead of goat berries) soon after bringing them home. This is often from a change in diet: a different food than they’re used to or more than they needed. Some greedy goats get it when they eat more than their share. Babies might get it because they suddenly aren’t competing with as many goats for the food when they go to their new homes. Or maybe because you added a grain they aren’t used to.(If you decide to feed grain introduce it VERY slowly, a handful at a time. We occasionally get calls from people saying their new goat has diarrhea only to find out that someone in the family has been too generous with the grain.☺️) Too much fresh grass can also cause digestive upset. If it’s diet related it should resolve in a few days. But do your best to make diet changes very slowly and you might avoid problems. Please see our pages on bringing home your new goats and feeding baby goats for more info on how to avoid digestive upset in your goats.
For general info on diarrhea in goats read this article.
Two other common things that can cause diarrhea - especially with babies - are worms and Coccidiosis. All goats have worms and coccidia in their systems but the numbers usually stay low and they show no ill effects. But stress, such as from weather, weaning, going to a new home, etc can lower their resistance and allow the parasites to multiply rapidly. Then you’ll see the diarrhea. If your goat has extreme diahrrea and there hasn't been a change in diet it could be parasites.
We do not routinely deworm our goats (or horses), as this can lead to dewormer resistance and is not recommended by experts. We only deworm based on fecal results or clinical signs. (FAMACHA scores, diarrhea, unthriftiness, poor coat.) Because of our hot, dry climate (worms need hot moist climates to thrive) and rotational grazing, worms are not usually a big concern here but we are prepared for them if we need to be, with medications on hand at all times. We rarely need to use them.
For more info on worms see this article.
Coccidiosis can be life threatening for baby goats. Some amount of Coccidia live in ALL healthy goats but typically only kids are affected by them. Stress (weather, weaning, overcrowding, going to a new home, etc) can cause them to multiply in the kids’ bodies almost overnight and can cause extreme illness or even death if left untreated. We monitor our kids very closely, keeping medication on hand and treating immediately at the first sign of diarrhea. Our motto with suspected Coccidiosis is “treat first, ask questions later”! We also practice Coccidiosis prevention, starting at 3 weeks old and every 3 weeks thereafter. We treat with Toltrazuril as it is very effective and economical and the kids actually seem to like it! We also treat again right before they go to their new homes, in an effort to prevent weaning/moving stress induced Coccidiosis outbreaks.
WE RECOMMEND ALL NEW GOAT OWNERS KEEP COCCIDIOSIS MEDICATION ON HAND! Buy some before you pick up your babies! Dewormers don’t treat Coccidiosis. You can get the medication from your vet. Keep some on hand in case the vet is closed when you need it! We use Toltrazuril but you can use whatever your vet recommends.
For more on Coccidiosis read this article.
The other big concern for all goats is respiratory illness, specifically pneumonia. Again, goats are very susceptible to stress, and stress lowers their resistance to bacteria already in their bodies and the environment. The biggest stress we've experienced in our goats that's caused pneumonia is the wild, hot and cold temperature swings we get in spring and fall. Baby goats can also be stressed by weaning and moving to new homes and unfortunately, kidding season falls right within the crazy weather season, too. We monitor all of our goats very carefully during this time of year, especially the babies. We suggest all new goat owners learn the symptoms of pneumonia and are prepared for it BEFORE they bring home their babies! This includes having a good vet lined up, knowing their availability and having medicines already on hand if possible.
Goats with pneumonia will sometimes have a runny nose or (rarely) a cough but that can be just allergies. (And a cough can be just being a goat. They cough a lot!) But a seriously ill goat can have no runny nose at all, in the case of Interstitial (Silent) Pneumonia, the most dangerous form. What they will have is a very high or very low temperature. (Normal temperature is 101.5 - 103.5) And they will usually be standing off by themselves, acting lethargic and not eating. We carefully observe all our goats at feeding time. Any goat that doesn't come running to eat gets it's temperature taken, as well as any goat with a snotty nose. IMMEDIATELY. (I keep a thermometer in my pocket.) If they have a fever and any symptoms they get treated, IMMEDIATELY. We do not mess around with Pneumonia. We keep antibiotics on hand and start treatment at the first sign of illness. We use Resflor Gold along with Fortified Vitamin B Complex shots (to prevent thiamine deficiency) and Goat RX drops. You should learn to recognize the signs of pneumonia and know how you will get the medications after office hours, should you need them, because a goat can die of pneumonia very quickly.
For more information on Pneumonia and how to treat it see this excellent article by Onion Creek Ranch.
And because we frequently get questions from new owners about coughing goats, which actually is VERY normal in goats and isn't usually a concern, please read this article below:
Coughing Goats, by Onion Creek Ranch
Those are what we consider to be the biggest health concerns with goats. There are more, of course, but these are the ones new goat owners are most likely to see and that are most likely to affect your goat. We wrote this article to make you aware and prepared BEFORE you bring your goats home, as well as to refer to later if you need it. We love our goats and we do our best to raise healthy babies. It's no easy task, but we think it's worth it. If you have any questions or concerns about your new goats (or would like to know more about something mentioned in this article) please feel free to contact us. We are NOT experts but we'll do our best to help you.
