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Kids: Coccidia

Coccidia are a protozoan internal parasite, that most goats have, in small numbers. In adults, this is generally not a problem, but if kids get an overload of coccidia, it can cause diarrhea, intestinal scarring, and ultimately death, if not treated.  The first line of prevention for coccidia in kids is to keep their areas clean. This may seem like an unreasonable expectation--it's a barn, for all love--but what this means is essentially making sure the kids have minimal access to poop--they pick up coccidia from mouthing poop, soiled straw, etc. This can mean cleaning out the pen every day, or it can mean adding a new layer of straw once or twice a day, or even both. A good criteria (picked up from Deborah at the Thrifty Homesteader) is that you should be willing to sit down in the stall. Then, it's clean enough for kids. If you're not willing to sit down (while wearing "barn" pants. Not wearing a fancy dress, for instance) it's not clean enough for kids.  In...
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Pregnancy: Feeding

 Feeding during pregnancy really is not that complicated. Essentially, there are three "stages" of pregnancy, early (1-3 months) and late (4-5 months). 

During the first three months of pregnancy, feed the doe as normal. If she's in milk, feed her her milking ration. If she's dry, simply feed her the usual diet of orchard grass.

As month 4 starts, slowly begin introducing alfalfa (either hay, Chaffhaye, or alfalfa pellets). We usually start with Chaffhaye on the milking stand, since this is a good way to get them accustomed to the milking stand routine again, as well. By the time they give birth, you want them to be up to at least half of their usual milking ration (of alfalfa). (We usually try to work up to around a pound of Chaffhaye)

However, until the last couple of weeks of pregnancy, do not add grain into the diet. Feeding too much grain before the doe needs it can result in milk fever. It is possible to not feed any grain at all, either during pregnancy or during milking time, so it might be best to err on the side of less grain, even in those last few weeks, rather than more. And that's it! Not that hard. 

(For more information on grain during pregnancy, see THIS link. What works for our farm may not work for other farms!)

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