Goating into 2024

I’m not a big one for New Years resolutions, but I do have some idea of the things I want to do differently in 2024. Yesterday I wrote more of a review of 2023, and this post is about the new things I want to try in 2024.

New in kid rearing

Ad libitum milk for kids

In 2023 lambars were the big change for us in terms of kid rearing. They made a huge difference. I still felt like I was spending a lot of time warming milk, feeding kids, washing milk receptacles. I want to try free feeding milk in 2024 also known as ad libitum milk.

Many commercial dairies do ad libitum this and I’m curious to see if it work for me. Key is that the milk is cold so the kids don’t stuff themselves on it. I’m going to to have build a set-up for this and haven’t quite decided what I will use yet. I read a blog post from Pholia Farm about their attempts using this and their other kid management. The kids had a higher quantity of urine output making things pretty sloppy. I’m curious to see if I will see the same results with my Nigerians.

DECCOX-M

My coccidiosis management went much better in 2023 that in 2022, but I still had kids have active cocci which I treated with Albon. The prevention I used was feeding medicated feed with decoquinate in it. Decoquinate works as a preventative but not a treatment for cocci. My thought is that some kids simply didn’t get a high enough dosage to be effective when they first began eating pellets.

There is a formulation designed to be put in milk called DECCOX-M. I plan is to buy a bag of this and start adding it to milk 2x a day. What I haven’t figured out is if it is okay to do this with the ab libitum milk feeding. If I have to pick one thing to try it will be the deccox.

Milk Test

I don’t plan to change much about milk test other than to be strategic about which does I keep in milk for how long. Milking fourteen goats twice a day was a lot for me. I think if I had dried up some sooner it would have been easier.

I do think it is important to keep first fresheners in milk for at least six months. It also makes sense to me to milk does until they get stars and to keep them in shape for showing. Anyone else if they don’t need a star and they aren’t showing then I make a decision as to how long to milk them. This mostly will apply to some of my older does. I think in the case of some of the younger I need to decide if I am going to keep them or sell them in milk to keep numbers down.

ADGA Convention

I plan to go to ADGA Convention in 2024, I intended to go in 2023 but was still milking quite a few goats so it was hard to get away. I am kidding much earlier in 2024, so that shouldn’t be an issue.

I’m extra drawn to go in 2024 specifically as it is at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Lake Geneva was the site of my great-grandmother’s hotel and while I have never been it is the site of many stories from my mother and uncles.

Overall

I tried to not set too many goals so that I am able to stay focused. The one overarching goal is not to commit to do too many things. This could be taking too many animals to a show or attending too many shows. Or trying to keep too many does in milk for test. Whatever it is I want to make sure competitive goating stays fun in 2024.