Dairy goat seminar held in Berks
BY ROBIN PHILLIPS
Staff Correspondent
USES PORT Dairy Goat
breeders from several counties
gathered last Saturday, at the
Berks County Agricultural Center,
Leesport, to hear the latest on goat
management practices. With a
veterinarian, a professor, and
several extension personnel as
speakers, the day-long seminar
featured topics of nutrition, birth,
innoculations, colostrum and
mastitis.
Titled “Kidding Time”, the
meeting was aptly named as Dr.
Lynn Sammons, Willow Creek
Animal Hospital, Reading, began
with his presentation concerning
difficult births. According to Dr.
Sammons, 85 to 90% of all births
are normal but “multiples coming
at the same time is probably the
biggest problem.” He suggested a
sound breeding program where the
does are both old enough and big
enough to handle kidding.
To enhance his presentation, Dr.
Sammons had constructed a box
that he used to demonstrate how to
pull kids from the doe. With the
help of a stuffed toy lamb, Dr.
Sammons was able to clearly show
the different methods used to
alleviate problem births. “My
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trick is to get in there and shake
them up a bit,” he stated, referring
to the problem of several kids and
many different limbs to handle
when pulling out a kid. “Go for the
closest end and the head end if you
can get it,” he said. Pull down,
Sammons told the breeders, and
after the kid is out, hold it upside
down and shake it and clean the
nose off. He also suggested always
reaching back inside the goat to
make sure that there is not another
one inside.
Some of his tips in handling
births are;
1. After the doe is in labor one
half hour to one and one-half hours
and nothing happens, reach inside
the doe and determine if help is
needed.
2. After you pull one kid, pull
them all. The doe is probably
exhausted and will not try
anymore.
3. Sometimes it helps to place
bedding or a sack filled with
sawdust under her hind legs or
rear end, if she is laying down, so
the front end is down hill. This may
help the kids to get properly lined
for presentation.
4. Checked for cleaning and any
tears in the uterus.
3. In any assisted deliveries, put
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antiobiotic powder in the uterus, or
use antiobiotics in the muscle.
Dr. George Haenlein, University
of Delaware dairy specialist, was
on hand to discuss drying off the
doe, proper nutrition, and proper
management practices. He also
discussed current worming
practices and the management
that could eliminate worms. “It
wasn’t until man superimposed
himself on goats and took away
their normal avoidance of rein
festation,” Dr. Haenlein stated,
that goats had a problem with
internal parasites. “I prefer to
worm the does once they’re fresh
... if I deworm at all,” Dr. Haenlein
stated.
“You cannot take housing plans
that work for cows and make them
a little smaller for goats,” he
stated. “We have to change our
housing plans accordingly.” “A
goat is more like a horse than a
cow,” he continued discussing
some mutual similarities. “We
have to try to treat a goat like a
unique individual.”
“They don’t need bedding,”
Haenlein said when discussing
slatted floored pens. He also ad
vocated fresh forages and a
variety for the goats to feed on
alternately.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 9,1984—A29
ipei jairy _y hk
Sammons, of Reading; and George Haenlein, University of
Delaware.
Coordinated by the Berks,
Montgomery, and Lehigh County
extension services, the seminar
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Main Location
PH: 717-656-6133
2998 West Newport Rd.
Ronks, PA 17572
2Vi miles East o< Leota
Along Rt. 772
also included a question and an
swer period, and many pamphlets
on goats management to those
attending.
Berks milk
promo Wednesday
LEESPORT A softball milk
promotion will be held at the
Reading Sunners diamond,
Leesport, at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Exhibition games between the
nationally-known Sunners and All-
Star teams will be held. Between
games at about 8 p.m. a contest
will be held to guess the annual
production of a cow brought to the
diamond. Winner will receive a
free month’s supply of milk, either
home delivered or through
coupons.
The Berks dairy farmers’ milk
shake trailer will also be present.
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