There are two mindsets that often feud with one another – conventional western medicine techniques, and holistic, alternative, natural methods. Very rarely are these two combined synergistically. Yes, they are used in conjunction with one another for sure, but without the knowledge that can unlock the beauty of the two together! You are not limited – remember that. I am a scientific-minded learner, and I am still passionate about alternative, integrated, and holistic approaches. Just because you don’t have a “Dr,” “DVM,” or “PhD” next to your name doesn’t mean that you can’t get involved, dig deep, and step up to the next level of goat care!
When it comes to raising goats, one thing we often overlook is fatigue. Not our animals’ fatigue, but our own. It’s okay to get tired of raising goats, and to be discouraged. It gets tiring to chase the symptoms of your goat that keeps losing hair, or to give five different dewormers (chemical and/or natural) and not know which, if any, worked! Guessing, chasing problems, and just the feeling of not knowing what steps to take are bound to ruin us as owners.
In order to change the game, we have to play it. Researchers across the world are studying these problems in test herds…but even if you read all of those studies, and learn from them (I’ll admit, I enjoy sitting down with scholarly journals and a good cup of tea!), it still isn’t your farm, or your goat, being studied. So let’s fix that. Applied research is practical research with a targeted purpose, aimed to find a solution to a specific problem(s). You can implement applied research on your farm, and all you need to do to get started is learn about it – from a fellow farmer! Getting into this will allow you to gain answers, learn about each one of your goats and the various parts of their lives, and hopefully (and most importantly) reduce your stress and increase your confidence.
Ways to Practice Applied Research & Practical Science for Long-Term Herd Health:
- Know your herd members’ baselines
There’s no better research than this fun activity…
Go out into your herd, and grab some baselines! In order to conduct any kind of future research (such as figuring out which supplements make your herd gain weight the fastest, or determining how urgent it is that one of your goats is coughing), you need to know the baselines of each goat. Every once in a while, when everyone is healthy, go take some rectal temps on random goats in the herd. This can be the difference of knowing that a 103.8 temp is urgent (for a goat that averages 101.5), or probably nothing to worry about (for a goat that averages 103.5). Additionally, check FAMACHA scores. If one of your goats is deep red every time you check, then a light pink score later on could be an indicator of a big problem. But if another goat is usually on the medium pink side of mucus membrane color, seeing light pink once in a while may not mean anything at all. See how this research and recording of information can help you immensely when it counts?
While you’re at it, take weights too! It’s a bit more involved, but being able to compare weights to check for weight loss or gain is incredibly helpful.
BONUS: Having weights on record will also save time in an emergency, when medicines need to be dosed at proper amounts as per weight.
2. Know your variables (test water, hay, etc.)
While this isn’t as urgent as some of the other things I will discuss, and takes a bit of effort, it is so important to know how your variables are contributing to the health of your herd. Why trust what the internet says regarding an average source of alfalfa hay’s calcium to phosphorus ratio? Check your own! Be able to prevent issues like hypocalcemia (low calcium before/after kidding) if your hay happens to be a bad batch with lower calcium levels; be able to prevent urinary calculi if your hay has abnormally high calcium levels. If you know beforehand, you save time, money, and agony! To forage test, you can contact your local extension agent for guidance, check local university labs, or look for other options. Dairy One Lab is a top forage testing institution!
For water testing, start with at-home kits, and if possible, consider a more in-depth analysis. Soil testing is also something to consider, and is definitely a great conversation to have with a livestock extension agent. I have had the pleasure of recently chatting with some extension agents, and they are more than happy to help, and have wonderful guidance to share.
3. Fecal testing, FECR, and DIY Fecals
Parasites are always going to be a torturous aspect of raising goats. And sadly, the situation is not getting any better. In fact, as time passes the outlook on successfully treating and preventing parasitic infections is worsening. Chemical resistances are increasing, parasites seem to be getting more resilient, and the opposite can be said for most goats in a herd. While I could talk for hours on proper use of chemical dewormers, helpful herbal preventatives and treatments, and genetic improvement by breeding resilient goats, I want to focus on one very important thing that can change everything for a herd: fecal testing (the right way!).
Put on your metaphorical lab coat, everyone! While you don’t need to do your own fecal tests (and I recommend having a good lab like MeadowMist Lab to help confirm results while you learn), having access to affordable, fast fecal tests right in your own home is pretty helpful for the applied research techniques I’m about to discuss.
Doing regular fecals on your goats is important to know baselines. But, what is even more important, is to conduct a test by using Fecal Egg Count Reduction rates (FECR rates) anytime a goat is dewormed. This method involves taking a preliminary egg count (yes, not just an estimate) before any treatment is given, and then following up with another egg count after treatment has been given (usually as early as 5-7 days for natural treatments, and 7-14 for chemical treatments, depending on the drug used). Then, the two counts can be compared to see how effective your treatment was.
Why is this helpful? When it comes to chemical deworming, you can keep a running list of which chemical dewormers still work on your farm, which are on their way out, and which do absolutely nothing. In an emergency, you’ll be able to reach for what you know is effective on your farm, and not wait for opinions from elsewhere that won’t do you much good. Alternatively, if you’re tracking FECR rates and it already is an emergency, you know whether to give a second, different dewormer to fully treat the problem if the first was not effective enough. This is far better than staring at your anemic, scouring, skin-and-bones goat in the field after treatment and wondering whether they aren’t getting better simply because they’re weak and need time, or if there are still parasites wreaking havoc on their system!
Now, don’t go thinking I only talk about chemicals! It is important for us to prioritize natural routes as well. The effectiveness of natural deworming is a spectrum (much like chemical deworming – they both fail equally as often these days), so it is very beneficial to peek into what’s happening inside the body through fecal testing. See what makes an impact on your herd’s egg counts, and see what doesn’t! Remember, though, egg counts aren’t everything when it comes to natural deworming. While efficacy of chemicals is directly based on ability to reduce egg counts, a natural dewormer’s mode of action may be to support the goat’s body, immune system, etc. so that they can happily live with a higher egg count. In that case, you may want to go around bragging about your healthy goat who has a super high egg count…I know I would!
NOTE: Please contact me for my eBook on DIY Goat Fecals if you are not able to learn on your own. This eBook will be available for public download soon, but if you need it ASAP send an email to thegivinggoat@gmail.com.
4. Own the method of trial and error, and use it to your advantage
Trial and error is a huge part of research. A great example of times that we may use trial and error is for mineral/vitamin deficiencies of unknown causes. Because this is one specific area where testing can’t give us answers (as blood tests for minerals are flawed and not able to diagnose deficient states, and liver biopsies also aren’t very practical, or flawless either), trial and error is perfectly fine. Just do it in the same applied research mindset as with everything else discussed here. Write down what you dose, dose only one or two things at a time instead of everything, record improvements or lack thereof, and you’ll be better equipped to solve the problem at hand and resolve future problems efficiently.
Consciously practicing trial and error can help you determine which mineral blend your goats look best on, which feed they thrive on, and so much more.
5. Get comfortable with blood testing
Blood can give us a lot of answers. While it can be flawed in some areas, we need to normalize more frequent use of blood testing. No, I don’t want you to spend unnecessary money with a vet testing everyone in your herd, or just by running CBC (complete blood count) panels at the drop of a hat. But, keep blood tests in mind for your “medical mystery” goats. A failure-to-thrive goat, odd recurring infections or a sudden severe infection, severe weight loss, and more can all be good reasons to spend the extra money to get some basic blood work done. For these situations, the best place to start is a CBC panel as referenced above, which all vets should be able to easily facilitate.
Okay, not sold on the vet or CBC panel idea? That’s alright, because drawing blood yourself and mailing out for things such as pregnancy testing and basic disease testing is still a big part of this! Confidently knowing when goats are pregnant allows you to alter their nutrition and care early on in their gestation, which can be pivotal for healthy births and kids. Knowing that your goat is negative for the main diseases (CAE, CL, Johnes) can be the difference of panicking when you see an abscess, as opposed to knowing that if you already have a negative blood result, you can breathe a little bit easier while you wait for the pus test result to give you the final say. It can be the difference of panicking when you hear clicking joints in your herd queen and assuming it’s CAE, as opposed to knowing she tests negative annually and it’s probably normal (or a boron deficiency – a little bonus info for the day!).
Ultimately, this is all part of my encouragement to research your own herd. It’s okay to look deeper with your metaphorical magnifying glass or your very literal microscope, and put in the effort to fill in pieces of the puzzle with these kinds of tests. If you are looking for any guidance on any of these aspects or other parts of goat health and management, please reach out at any time through my blog or social media pages. Healthy goats are happy goats…and that makes happy owners!
DISCLAIMER: I am not a vet, nor am I a licensed professional. I am in no way a “goat expert” and my opinions are only that of personal experiences, and my insights shared are not medical treatment suggestions, care suggestions, or any directions for raising goats at all. I am simply sharing my own personal opinions. Any and all changes to your goats’ health regimen, care, etc. should be approved by a veterinary professional or licensed professional. I also believe that every goat owner has their own way of doing things, so just as my opinions are my own, and cannot apply to anyone else, your opinions are also regarding your individual goats, and I welcome you to share them in a kind, constructive manner.
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