The Importance of Quarantining New Goats
If you’re adding goats to an existing herd, you need to quarantine any new goats you purchase for at least 30 days. This means that you need an area with adequate shelter that completely separates your herd from the new goats. Quarantine protects the other goats from any unknown or undisclosed health problems that the new goats might have.
During the goats’ quarantine time, do the following:
Have them tested for CAEV or any other diseases you want to test for, unless the seller has provided you with documentation that the goat has been tested and had negative results.
Observe the goats for signs of any disease, such as soremouth lesions or abscesses.
Watch how the goats adjust to your feeding and management program.
Do a fecal analysis and deworm if necessary. If you’re unable to do a fecal analysis, routinely deworm all goats in quarantine
One particular symptom you should keep an eye out for is shipping fever. Blood tests show that a goat needs about three hours after being transported to stop having a physical stress response, but the move's effect on the goat's immune system can last longer. This immune response can, at worst, lead to shipping fever.
Shipping fever can cause pneumonia and sometimes diarrhea. Signs to look for include temperature of over 103.5° Fahrenheit, nasal discharge, coughing, rapid breathing, or rattling in the chest. Contact a veterinarian if your new goat has any of these signs.
Goat Glossary
abscess
An inflamed collection of pus caused by bacteria.
Goat Glossary
brood doe
A female goat that is kept for breeding purposes.
Goat Glossary
Goat Glossary
buckling
A young male goat.
Goat Glossary
cannon bone
The shin bone.
Goat Glossary
Caseous lymphadenitis CLA
A highly contagious disease caused by a bacterium, Cornybacterium pseudotuberculosis.
Goat Glossary
chaffhaye
Roughage that has the added benefit of containing good bacteria that aid in digestion.
Goat Glossary
chine
The are of a goat's spine directly behind the withers.
Goat Glossary
colostrum
A rich, immune-system-boosting fluid that kids need during their first days after birth.
Goat Glossary
Goat Glossary
Goat Glossary
doeling
A young female goat.
Goat Glossary
enterotoxemia
A disease also called overeating disease because it comes about when a goat eats too much grain, lush grasses, or milk.
Goat Glossary
escutcheon
The area between the back legs, where the udder lies in a doe.
Goat Glossary
foreudder attachment
Attachment of the front of the udder by the belly.
Goat Glossary
foundation stock
The stock you start your breeding program with.
Goat Glossary
Goat Glossary
fuzzy goat show
A goat show held in the early spring in a part of the country where the weather is still cold; you only need to do minimal clipping.
Goat Glossary
hypocalcemia
Often called milk fever, this is a deficiency of calcium in the blood that arises when a doe doesn’t get enough calcium in her diet to support her needs and the needs of her unborn kids.
Goat Glossary
ketosis
A metabolic imbalance that usually goes hand-in-hand with hypocalcemia. It is caused when a goat doesn’t get enough energy because she has stopped eating.
Goat Glossary
kid
A goat less than a year old.
Goat Glossary
mastitis
An inflammation of the udder, often caused by bacteria.
Goat Glossary
milk stand
A piece of equipment that a goat stands on with her head secured.
Goat Glossary
pannier
A pair of baskets or bags designed to carry loads on the backs of pack animals.
Goat Glossary
pasteurization
The heating of milk to destroy bacteria and other harmful organisms.
Goat Glossary
polled
Naturally hornless.
Goat Glossary
precocious milker
A doe that has udder development and milk production without kidding.
Goat Glossary
registered goat
A goat that meets the standards of appearance for its breed and is recorded in the herdbook of the goat association for that particular breed. A registered goat usually is a purebred but may be a crossbreed (called an American or an Experimental).
Goat Glossary
rolag
A cylindrical roll of wool or fleece that is used to spin yarn.
Goat Glossary
roving
A long strand of ready-to-spin carded fiber.
Goat Glossary
ruminant
An animal that has a stomach with four compartments and chews cud as part of the digestive process.
Goat Glossary
scours
The term that livestock owners use to talk about diarrhea in their animals.
Goat Glossary
sire
A goat's father; the act of fathering a goat.
Goat Glossary
stifle joint
The equivalent of a knee in a goat.
Goat Glossary
thurl
The hip joint, usually referred to in relation to the levelness between the thurls.
Goat Glossary
wether
A castrated male goat.
Goat Glossary
withers
The area of a goat's spine where the shoulder blades meet at the base of the neck.
Goat Glossary
yearling
A goat that is between one and two years old.
