VANCOUVER ISLAND GOAT ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER Winter 2011 – Spring 2012

Once again it seems like the past year want by very quickly. We members of VIGA have been pleased to look back at what was accomplished in 2011. Between facilitating and attending sanctioned goat shows, hosting regular meetings with topics of interest, going to various workshops and in general networking with fellow members and other people and agencies, the year was pretty busy for most of us. It seems to me that December festivities were barely over before we started turning our thoughts to pregnant does and the kidding season just around the corner. Not to mention that planning and preparing of the veggie garden should have already started – unfortunately not even my broad beans have made it into the ground – but then again our relatively mild winter has thrown us a curve, with a few days of rainy, snowy, windy weather to remind us that mother nature likes to keep us on our toes. So I hope the past few months have been good to everyone, you’ve all prepared for the year ahead and are looking forward to bouncing baby goats and warmer weather.

Editorial: Not Just Kidding Around I know everyone has goats for different reasons and everyone has different facilities and ways of taking care of them. Some people have larger operations, others only a goat or two. We keep goats for milk, meat and fiber, we show them and train them, they amuse us or offer companionship for ourselves or other animals. We may be drawn to specific breeds for their looks, traits, abilities or we may love them all to some degree. One thing that we need to keep in mind, no matter how we view these capricious creatures, is that ultimately it is ourselves who have a large say in the welfare of our charges. If we are going to be the proud owners, be it of one or one hundred, it is incumbent on us to strive to be the best care providers possible. It is sometimes too easy to put off the little things until they become bigger problems – so remember the old adage of “a stitch in time saves nine”. We lead busy lives but need to remind ourselves to take a good look at our girls and boys on a regular basis – be it on the milking stand, in their stalls, or just spending a few minutes outstanding in your field. Sometimes noticing a change in behavior or attitude can forestall major consequences. Get to know each goat if you can – if you do then sometimes just that “feeling” that something isn’t right is enough to warrant a closer look. And of course we all would like to avoid unnecessary vet bills and anxiety attacks over something that could have been avoided or at least minimized. There will always be those “oh poop” moments that occur through no fault of our own (or at least not because we didn’t mean well), but I don’t think there’s anything worse than regretting something nasty that we know could have been avoided if we had only made that extra effort to do the right thing. Networking with other goat owners (need I remind you that joining VIGA is a good way to source out other experienced and knowledgeable people) can be of great help. Reading literature and

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checking the internet all provide information, but sometimes talking to someone who has “been there, done that” helps clarify things or at least gives you another point of view to consider. And different points of view you will get – opinions can be divided at times – use your best judgment but remember we all have different circumstances and sometimes what works for you or me might not be the best for someone else. (The article by Jaki Ayton on kidding that follows in this newsletter is an example of an experienced goatkeeper taking the time to pass on information she hopes will be of benefit to other goatkeepers and their goats.) It is also a great idea to have a good working relationship with a local veterinarian, no one needs to be faced with a medical crisis in the middle of the night and not know who to call – so check around and try to find one who is knowledgeable about ruminants and is easy to talk to. As the caretaker of your beasties, remember to keep up with all the things that need doing on a regular basis - hoof trimming, deworming, vaccinating (or not by your choice), etcetera can be done in a timely manner if you write yourself notes on a calendar (hopefully a nice big one in the barn or other place where you will check it daily). Note to self: the calendar is not useful if you put it somewhere out of sight/out of mind. Also keep last years calendar as you may want to refer back to it! Some of you are of course even more organized and have proper books in which you write all the information you need to record about your herd. You may want to take the time to have a short overall “plan” for your herd. I don’t know that you even have to write it down, but it can be helpful to make some short point style notes for your own benefit. Think about why you have goats, what you want to accomplish and how and in what time frame you may be doing this. Do you need to provide more facilities – better pasture, a barn, how about fencing? Consider also feed and supplements, any equipment that is needed or would be useful, and long term planning for breeding. There are always books to be read and seminars to look at attending. And this all takes time and/or money. Do you have enough of both? (Of course not, that’s always wishful thinking!) Think these things through before you acquire your goats or expand your herd. A cute kid may win your heart but they will be a long term commitment, sometimes involving twice daily milking, and other such dedications of time and money. That sun filled vacation plan could turn into payment to the vet or towards a ton of hay. Goats don’t always pick the most convenient time to kid or get up to some mischief that needs to be attended to immediately. The purchase price of a goat can be the least of your commitments! How will you support your hobby or business? Give some thought to how big your herd will be and how you will limit or grow it. We are often faced with the choice of keeping someone who is not “paying their way” or having to decide what to do with them – be it the older doe who is no longer producing or the bucklings that always seem to outnumber the doelings from our latest batch of kids. You do no one any favors by not making the hard decisions, and although we are sometimes ruled by our hearts and not our heads we need to each find that balance between the practical and the emotional that lets us carry on doing what we love with our goats. Practicing good animal husbandry is a major undertaking but well worth the effort.

Kidding and After Care for Does and Kids – by Jaki Ayton Here’s an article by Jaki Ayton – one of our more experienced goatkeepers who lives in Fanny Bay and, along with her partner, Karen, has a small dairy operation. Check out her new website at: ww.snapdragondairy.com. Kidding Preparation Rule #1 – Don’t panic! Doe goats have been kidding by themselves successfully for the last 10,000 years of domestication. Some stats: A doe is pregnant for 145 to 155 days – you need to be ready for babies anytime during that window.

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Most goats will have twins or triplets – this is normal. A baby goat can weigh from 3 to 12 pounds but most will be about 8 lbs. Active labour – when the doe is straining and puffing – is very quick – about 15 minutes. If longer than 15 minutes with no results (i.e.: a baby), you may need to intervene. Intervening – not often required, we kidded 19 does last year and had to help one. Supplies to have on hand: Old clean towels/rags to wipe baby’s faces. Strong (7%) iodine to spray/dip umbilical cords/navels & an egg cup to dip with. Paper towels, lubricant, gloves in case you need to help the doe. Name & phone number of an experienced goat keeper. Name & phone number of your veterinarian. A towel lined cardboard box to put the baby in while the doe has the second kid. I have a sports bag where I keep all my supplies together. As the years go on my bag has become bigger as I have more than the basics in the kit. Maternity Ward Most does will kid, by themselves, in about 15 minutes. It’s been my experience to notice a doe getting ready to kid, go in the house to get my kidding bag and come back out to see the doe already standing up with a couple babies on the ground. A long-time goat keeper, Dott Todhunter (now passed) got me onto feeding my pregnant does at night; now they tend to kid during the day. Most does will want to be alone but some will want you with them. Kidding should be a quick process once a doe lays down and strains. Once the babies are born and you’ve cleaned them off/taken care of them, you need to turn your attention to the doe. We offer our does a bucket of warm water and will put a blanket on her if she is shivering. We made our blankets out of polar fleece but you can put an old sweater or even a big towel on her. Make sure milk is coming out of the teats if you leave the babies with her. You will probably want to milk her a bit if her udder is tight – it’s harder for the babies to latch if the udder is under a lot of pressure. Wash and wipe her udder and milk into a very clean container – the first colostrum is “liquid gold” and you want to save it. Do NOT milk her out! Just milk enough so there is less tension/tightness. Colostrum can be frozen and kept for a couple years in the deep freeze. We put it in a small container (about 125 ml/0.5 cup), put the lid on then put it into a freezer baggie with the date and name of the doe it is from. If you are raising the babies yourself – get them into a box or playpen first, start warming your frozen heat treated colostrum from last year and go back out to take care of the doe. Give her some nice warm water first. Then clean her udder off and milk her into a clean bucket – only take about ¼ of the colostrum milk from her at this point. An older doe or a doe that is a heavy milker can develop “milk fever” which is a lack of calcium in her blood. If you have heavy milkers you need to talk to your vet and read up on this. I don’t make the doe got up on the milk stand for this milking. She will be sore and won’t want to move around much – milk her where she kidded. Once you milk her, you will become her “baby” and she may call for you once you leave – expect to be “mothered” for awhile. You can offer her a ½ ration of her grain at this point. Some eat, others won’t. The doe will pass the afterbirth within the next 12 hours or so. I try to take it away and not let her eat it as it can upset her stomachs. If the placenta is still hanging off her the next day, give the vet a call & discuss what to do. Check on the doe every couple hours after kidding, you want to make sure she is done and no more babies are born, also check that she is able to stand and walk a bit and she’s not chilled. The majority of does have no problems but it’s an important time to keep a close eye on her. Milk her on your regular schedule the day after kidding but don’t empty her out – think about how little those babies would eat. I slowly increase how much I milk her and after about 7 days I am milking my does out completely. The 2nd days colostrum is worth saving as well but after that we feed it to the chickens. Real milk is coming on about day 4 but taste it, colostrum will make milk taste bitter. We de-worm our does one the day they kid or the next day. Ivomectin is a good product as is Valbazen. You need to check on the milk withdrawal period if you are going to drink it yourself. Safeguard has no withdrawal on some of its products but it can taint the milk. At the dairy we use the pour on Eprinex and it seems to work well. I also give the doe an injection of 5 mg of Selenium/E when I de-worm.

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Kidding problems: A doe is most vulnerable to illness/death in the 3 weeks prior to kidding and the 3 weeks afterwards. This is a critical time for her and you need to be on the job and paying attention to her. When a doe is kidding, she lays down and strains. You should see the baby’s toes within 15 minutes. If no toes are showing, you have to wash your hands, wash the back of the doe (warm soapy water), put on gloves and lubricate you hands. Using just a couple fingers, you will gently feel in the doe’s vagina. You should feel toes, closely followed by a little nose. If not, you will need to check deeper into the doe or stop and get help NOW. Call your good goat keeping friend or call the vet. It generally takes another person to hold the doe if you have to move kids around inside of her. It’s not for the faint hearted but remember – the kids have to come out. The idea is that if the doe has more than one kid inside there may be a traffic jam so you carefully feel around and try to get one kid with those front feet and head presenting so things can proceed to a happy ending. Brand New Baby Goat Care Before your kids are born you will need to decide whether you are letting the doe raise her kids or if you will be bottle feeding the kids. There are pros and cons on both sides. We bottle raise our kids at our dairy for a few reasons. One is a CAE disease prevention program – kids fed heat treated colostrum and pasteurized milk/milk replacer are far less likely to have CAE. Next we want to milk the does and know how much milk each is producing, so we can keep the good milkers, cull the poor milkers and improve our herd. We also want the babies to bond with humans. As our doe kids will grow up and be milked, they need to trust people. A baby raised by hand has a much greater tolerance of stress and can handle many more situations without panic than a dam raised kid can. They also are just friendlier. But I know lots of goat keepers who are very successful in dam raising their kids and producing lovely, milky goats. It is up to you and what kind of time commitments you have. Hand raising is a huge amount of work and time input at the beginning of a kids’ life but we feel it pays off and we are able to put in the time. Initially the handling of the newborns is the same. Clean the baby’s face off if the doe doesn’t. Wipe the baby dry briskly using your clean towels. If the baby is struggling to breathe (all snotty and sneezing) place the baby in the frog position on a clean towel. Which looks just like it sounds – baby laying on its tummy with front legs forward and slightly spread for balance and back legs spread & back – this reduces the pressure on the lungs and lets the baby hack up any fluid in their lungs. Keep on with the brisk rubbing to dry it off. Until you dip that umbilical cord, try to keep it from touching dirty hay/poo/muck, it is an open conduit to the blood stream and you don’t want infection. Fill your egg cup with iodine and dip the umbilical cord asap. Make sure the entire cord is in the cup and you bring the cup right up to the belly of the baby, bathing the attachment area and the whole cord. The babies will need colostrum as soon as possible. They are born with very low blood sugar and also need the colostrum to provide immunity to their bodies. If the kids are staying with mom, you should squirt a bit of milk out of her udder to make sure it is flowing. There usually is a waxy plug in the teat canal that protects any bacteria from getting into her udder. Squirt that out and you can also rub a bit of her milk onto her teats. The babies find the teat by smell and it helps direct them. You can assist the baby to find the teat but don’t push their heads toward it – they automatically resist and pull away. If they are wobbly, hold them under their bellies to steady them and you can gently guide their heads by cupping under their chin. A baby will wag its tail as it sucks and gets milk. It may only suck a bit then need to rest for a few minutes. You want to keep checking on them for the first couple hours and make sure the kids can stand and nurse on their own. Once the kids have fed, they begin to feel better and can handle the weather/cold much better. If it’s very cold then a little polar fleece or wool coat will help as well. Check out the thrift stores or have a friend knit you a dog coat – the 15 to 20 pound size works well but a bigger one is okay. The kids don’t need them for long. If you are raising the babies yourself, you can take them almost as soon as they are born. I tend to let the doe clean the first one and wait until she has the second to whisk the first baby into a playpen I have set up in my kitchen. If you take the first baby immediately, the doe will search for it and not settle down to having the second baby. Once she’s finished kidding, I take the rest of the kids away but leave behind some of the wet rags/towels to distract her. She will look for the babies for awhile & is pretty sad but will perk right up once you milk her. My babies get heat treated colostrum that I have added some of the “Head Start” colostrum replacer to. It was recommended to me by Susan Barker who has a large dairy on the mainland and has used it

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successfully for a number of years. It has some antibodies that my does may not have, so is a bit more added protection for the babies. My kids get colostrum for a couple days and then go on to pasteurized milk. We generally don’t use the milk replacer until they are about 3 weeks old. Even then we try to have 1 of the 3 feedings a day be pasteurized milk. Last year was the first time I’ve used milk replacer (Grober’s – from Top Shelf in Duncan), and I have some of the biggest yearlings I have ever had. The bottle kids are fed 4 or 5 times a day for the first few days and then it gets cut down to 3 times a day when they are about 10 days old. They stay in the playpen in the house for a couple days, or until it is too crowded. Then they move out to a little barn with deep bedding, two heat lamps that are about 3 feet from the floor, lots of other babies and some insulated boxes to sleep in. The babies appreciate boxes to rest in and play on. Strong cardboard works well, dog kennels undone and the halves on the ground are good as well. It’s just a draft free place to cuddle into. You need enough that they aren’t squishing each other. We also separate the bigger kids from the littles because the big kids knock them around a bit & I want the littles to get pasteurized milk. After about 3 weeks of age, the little kids are bouncy enough to get away. On the first or second day the babies will also need their Selenium/E injection. Each baby will need 3 mg. Do not skip this. There is no selenium in the forage on the Island. Lack of selenium leads to “White Muscle” disease and is fatal. Most of the babies will need disbudding in their first week of life as well. You can check their heads and see if you can feel horn buds developing. Don’t wait until the little horns are appearing to disbud as the horns grow very quickly and can become too big to remove with an iron. If you wait too long you will need the vet to remove them and that will involve aesthetic and money. Most experienced goat keepers will disbud for you – make some calls now. Have fun with your babies!

Just remember, common sense (sometimes I think the goats have more than I do) and taking the time to think things through will get you through a lot of situations. And often we go to the barn to find a mom with her kids and a look that says “what’s all the fuss about – I just did what comes naturally”. The picture below is from Diane Olsen, one of our members who has Angoras and San Clemente Island goats. She was happily surprised by finding mom with these cute new babies one day!

Especially as the momma goat is a brown San Clemente –guess they look like the daddy!

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(Pictures copyright Diane Olsen)

VANCOUVER I SLAND GOAT ASSOCIATION MEETING DATES Here’s a schedule of the VIGA meeting dates set for this year. We welcome you to attend a meeting to see what we’re all about. For more information contact me at [email protected] or one of the other executive. Once again I would like to clarify that joining our registered society entitles you to also be a member of the British Columbia Goat Breeders Association and to receive a copy of that great magazine, GoatKeeper. There is a $40 annual membership fee and you can get a copy of the membership application form by e-mailing Jenny Sterckx, our Membership Chairperson and Treasurer, at [email protected]. You can also join our website at www.vancouverislandgoatassociation, which is free, but is a separate entity and does not include the affiliation with BCGBA or the magazine. We are very happy to report that our membership is steadily growing, and the Annual General Meeting back in January was well attended. Mike Dietrich ([email protected]) is our new President, with Diane Andiel taking over as Secretary. Jenny Sterckx remains as Treasurer and in charge of Membership. Stephen Boyd is Vice-President and Directors-at-Large include myself, Al LaMontagne, Lulu Abbott, Gail Marthyman and Jaki Ayton. The February meeting at my home saw about 20 people show up, a tight fit for my living room! Good to see so many people made the effort to attend, and we welcomed some new people as well. After the meeting Jaki Ayton gave a talk on kidding, with helpful input from other experienced members. Little Valentine my orphan baby goat was a more or less willing demo model. And I would like to report that the babies in the downstairs shower stall did make it out to the garage and finally to the barn, so no more house goats for the time being. We try to cover various topics of interest and answer questions after each meeting, as there is always something to learn from fellow members, not only for those new to goats but also those of us who have shared our lives with them for some time. The wonderful and sometimes challenging thing about our organization is that it includes lots of interesting people with a diversity of opinions! Ultimately it’s all about promoting goats and networking and helping out when we can. We hold the meetings at the homes of various members up and down the Island, so if you can feel free to attend a convenient meeting to see what we’re about.

VANCOUVER ISLAND GOAT ASSOCIATION

Regular Meeting Dates 2012 Regular Meeting:

Date

Day

Time

Location

Theme/Topic

February 19

Sunday

11:00 am

Marion Woloschuk, Whiskey Creek

Kidding

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March 18

Sunday

11:00 am

Jaki Ayton, Fanny Bay

April 22

Sunday

10:00 am

Coombs Fairgrounds – (Farm Auction day)

May 27 June 24 July

11:00 am 11:00 am

Diane Andiel, Victoria Bill Johnston, Duncan

Sept. 2

Sunday Sunday No meeting No meeting Sunday

11:00 am

Oct. 14

Sunday

11:00 am

Saanich Fairgrounds, Saanichton Janet Thony, Hilliers

Nov. 18

Sunday

11:00 am

Joan Mercer, Errington

December

No meeting Sunday

August

Classification, hoof trimming, tattooing Come enjoy the auction & support your local farmers Cheese making Nutrition, deworming

CAE testing Bucks, genetics, artificial insemination Marketing, recipe swap

Annual General January 20, 11:00 am Vi Brunskill, Duncan AGM - Elections! Meeting 2013 THE WEBSITE OF PENN STATE UNIVERSITY HAS AN INTERESTING ARTICLE REGARDING MILK FLAVOR PROBLEMS. CHECK IT OUT AT: http://www.das.psu.edu/research-extension/dairy/pdf (This gets you to the site for Dairy & Animal Science, shows other articles available as well. Scroll down to “Troubleshooting Milk Flavor Problems” and click on the article heading.) Worth noting: “Dilution or processing will not make good milk out of bad.” Good to think about for the home dairy!

And on the topic of milk, there’s always the ongoing debate regarding raw vs. pasteurized milk. Again I will note that there is a diversity of opinion on matters. All I want to say is be informed and make your decisions with as much information as you can. Only you know what works for you personally. As someone who has goats for the pleasure of their company, I do have girls that provide our milk on a seasonal basis, and am very careful about cleanliness around the whole process. Be sure to clean the doe and equipment properly and strain and cool the milk quickly. It’s nice to be able to use the freshest milk possible, so I only keep it for our use a day or two in the fridge. Extra milk is fed to calves or chickens so nothing goes to waste. I like to know where my food comes from, so growing some of my own fruit and veggies, beef, eggs and milk gives me the most control over what goes on the table. I also like to connect with local farmers and get to know them a little so I can be aware of their philosophy and practices around food production. I think it’s a good thing to buy locally and straight from the producer whenever feasible, for all the reasons I’m sure you already know about. There has apparently been some interesting chatter on the site of http://www.cybergoat.com/NubianTalk, with references to the following: http://www.naturalnews.com/035039_raw_milk_pasteurized_CDC.html

Speaking of what we consume, here’s a recipe sent in by Sharon LaMontagne for a nice chevon stew. She and her husband Al

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have a small herd of very nice Toggenburgs. Check out their website at www.dogwoodridgefarms.com. Chevon Stew For us we set a pound of cubed deboned goat meat and 2 cups of liquid, (water or tomato juice, or beef broth) in the crockpot in the evening on low to slow cook through the night. In the morning add vegetables; one cup of onions, 2 cups of diced potatoes, 2 cups carrots. Add spices of choice - steak seasoning, salt & pepper, curry or chili spice. Let cook till lunch time and enjoy. (We found our 70 pound buck kids cooked like this are very close to beef tasting). Our November meeting will have a recipe swap and discussion on marketing, so I hope to have some more tasty treats to feature in upcoming Newsletters.

MEMBER PROFILE: DIANE ANDIEL – Secretary and Past President of VIGA Diane Andiel lives on a small acreage in the West Saanich area of Vancouver Island. She moved there with her partner, Ed, in 2000, trading a “city” home for the country lifestyle. With no farming experience, the move proved to be an interesting but rewarding experience. The new property came with a tractor, and she got started with Nubian goats as a result of trading tractor work for her first goats. The next year Diane was introduced to Vi Brunskill at the Saanich Fair, and it followed from there that she was soon a member of the Vancouver Island Goat Association. She quickly took an active role, being either Vice-President or President for a number of years, and as past President and currently Secretary she continues to contribute her time and expertise to our organization. The meeting with Vi led to a firm friendship that has flourished for both. Diane bought her foundation does from Vi, and the two have worked closely together in their involvement with the Nubian breed, sharing bloodlines and helping each other in and out of the show ring. They strive to improve various aspects of their herds – from udders and body

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conformation to milk production. In 2003 Diane started showing her does, and she likes to say that winning in the show ring pays for hay for the girls. (picture below of 2011 babies with Zeva the Sarplaninac livestock guardian dog, copyright Diane Andiel)

Besides working full time for the District of Saanich, Diane is super busy at home. They produce mixed farm veggies, meat birds, eggs and beef and have a Jersey cow as well as the goats. Diane also makes bread and other goodies, and makes cheese from the milk produced on her farm. Although she has had up to nine does milking, Diane has downsized this season to try to keep things manageable. Her long term goal is to retire to their acreage up Courtenay way, a move she is looking forward to as she will continue to take part in a lifestyle she takes pleasure in and that will afford her the privacy she also values. Diane has been very helpful to other VIGA members, as she willingly passes on some of the practical advice that only hands on experience brings. She also has attended lots of workshops on various topics, as she has a keen interest in learning about many matters – information she also shares with other people. Check out our website at www.vancouverislandgoatassociation.com for a short video she made that shows how to milk goats with a milking machine! (Picture below of “ Woofer” Nickolai with Nubian kids, copyright Diane Andiel)

Diane advises that it’s always a learning experience – you don’t know everything overnight, and, like the rest of us, she has had her share of disasters. That’s why she feels the networking and sharing of information through VIGA membership is so important. For example, through attending workshops she has learned about artificial insemination techniques that she has passed on to other members. The May regular meeting will see her demonstrating her skills at cheesemaking, and no doubt she will continue to be a source of inspiration for us in the future.

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We would like to let Diane know that as fellow members of VIGA we appreciate all her time and efforts on our behalf.

_____________________________________________________________ You may have already heard, but thanks in great part to the efforts of Jaki Ayton, the Vancouver Island Goat Association will be convening a sanctioned goat show at Port Alberni this fall. We are pretty excited about this and will send out more information in the next newsletter. Thanks Jaki for all your hard work.

________________________________________________ Hay kids, did you know that goats develop accents? Apparently goat kids learn to mimic their social groups (well, are we surprised – have you listened to a group of human kids lately – don’t know why goats wouldn’t want to fit in too…). Get the scoop from http://culturecheesemag.com/news/goats_with_accents or The Vancouver Sun article: http://www.vancouversun.com/touch/technology/story.html?id=6186403&utm_source=dl vr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Some of the kids enjoying elusive sunshine.

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Not hers, but she is preggie

Thanks to everyone who contributed ideas and articles to the newsletter. Have a great spring and remember to take time to appreciate the “little” things in life. Marion Woloschuk Director, VIGA [email protected]

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