Goat Vaccination Schedule - Pipestone Veterinary Services

June 2013
Volume 33 Issue 6
July, 2007
Sheep & Goat
Newsletter
Goat Vaccination Schedule
G.F. Kennedy
A fella sent me his vaccination schedule for goats, asking for my opinion and judgment. So I
plagiarized it a bit and came up with a goat vaccination schedule and some thoughts.
May—60 days before breeding Chlamydia—2cc subq along the rib cage.
June—30 days before breeding De-worm using, Ivermectin, Dectomax, Cydectin, or Prohibit
Lepto subq
Chlamydia follow-up 2cc subq along the rib cage
Increase feed, trim feet
August—One month after breeding Lepto
Oct/Nov—6 Weeks before kidding Vision CD—2cc subq De-worm using Ivermectin, Cydectin or
Dectomax
Nov/Dec—3 weeks before kidding Vision CD— 2cc subq Permetherin 1% Pour On
March At weaning—De-worm using Ivermectin, Cydectin, Dectomax or Prohibit
Trim Hooves
At birth—1cc Penicillin mixed with 1c of Vision CDT
Ear Tag
14 days old—Vision CDT 2cc subq
De-horn (males only)
1 month old—castrate using 1cc Penicillin per 10 pound of body weight
2cc Vision CDT subq
2 ½ to 3 months old—wean, Vision CD
Trim Hooves
Continued on page 2
De-worm mothers with Valbazen
Straight Talk
We are approaching the show season and I will try to discuss the dos and don’ts. An old friend Roger
Snyder, unfortunately not with us anymore but for those that showed sheep over the years when he was
traveling a show string he will always be remembered. There wasn’t a trick Roger didn’t know. Some despised him because he was very competitive. He said he liked the carnival atmosphere. He had a big heart
as well and appreciated a good sheep. Years back when my daughter Diane was showing the Countess ewe
at the Junior Show in Des Moines Roger walked by. We had fitted the ewe at home and Roger didn’t like
the way she was being presented. He refitted her and the ewe was never defeated again and was Louisville
Champion in the hands of Ben Huff. So much for the history lesson. History is important and demonstrates
how showing sheep can get in your blood and how important it is to promote sheep and goats and how important it is to the breed to be represented.
The Katahdin breed struggled for years and some people within the breed still refuse to participate in shows or sales where
there sheep are evaluated by a judge. We hosted the Katahdin Expo in Pipestone. At one point we were asked to hold are sheep
so I started to apologize to one of the members stating if I had known we were having a show I would have made the ring larger.
She countered, oh we don’t show the sheep we exhibit them. Come on folks, what’s the difference?
Judging of consignment sale sheep is a necessary procedure as it helps set the sale order and makes it much easier for the
auctioneers to have success in establishing a sale rhythm. It also gives buyers and additional evaluation of animals presented
beyond their own. People from other breeds other than your own also have the opportunity to observe. The Mid West Sale in
Sedalia in my judgment was an important show case for the Katahdin Breed helping it attract new members and advancing the
breed in other areas of the country.
Away from history and back to show business. For starters if you are crossing a state line you need a health certificate.
Scrapie tags in sheep are always a requirement. All animals need some type of individual identification. Sheep need to be free of
sore mouth, warts, club lamb fungus, abscesses, foot rot and be healthy.
Sale sheep may require brucellosis testing of males and codon testing while not necessarily a sale requirement is essential.
If on the exhibition schedule it can become much more complicated. Animals that travel from show to show have additional
problems. Very easy to pick up sore mouth at a show so I would suggest vaccinating show animals well ahead of the season.
When returning from show dipping feet in a formaldehyde solution 19/1 is a good idea to prevent picking up foot rot or scald. In
shorn shows it is extremely important not to use other peoples tack including combs, shearing equipment, brushes, blankets and
other equipment. A fungicide bath upon return home is indicated.
Feeding at the show, sometimes I am amazed at exhibitors offering full feed of grain. Why they don’t tip over from acidosis
is beyond me. If you haven’t fed them well enough at home now is not the time to make up. Cut back on concentrates and a
good quality grass hay with some alfalfa or clover is preferred. You don’t want them to gain in condition but you don’t want
them to lose either. Status quo is just fine. Need to have baking soda available for acidosis and therabloat for bloat as well.
From a health status you need to be ready. One should travel with your choice of antibiotics for respiratory disease and sulfa
for diarrhea. Beware of drug withdrawal periods in terminal market shows and this may influence your treatment options.
Goat Vaccination Schedule Continued...
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Coccidiosis is always a problem, I would mix 2# of 6% Deccox with loose salt and have it available all year
round. Rumensin 20 gram per ton may be added to grain mix instead of using Deccox in salt.
I would be prepared to treat clinical coccidiosis with sulfamethazine, or Sulfadimethoxine.
Keep Selenium and Iodine available in salt continuously.
Vitamin E should be provided December until pasture time, Northern States.
Can use cattle trace mineral salt to supply copper. Mix 1# (SELENIUM-IODINE PREMIX 5#) with 50#’s of
Cattle TM Salt to provide essential Micro Minerals.
Avoid untreated cow colostrum for goats, source of Johne’s not so in sheep.
The need for copper and severity of Coccidiosis and stomach worms separates goats from sheep.
Vibrio abortion is not thought to be a problem in goats.
Leptospirosis is not a problem in sheep, may be in goats.
Replacement Ewe Lambs
Dr. G.F. Kennedy
Replacement ewes are a primary part of all lambing operations. In the upper Midwest Corn Belt for years older ewes could
be reasonably purchased from the sheep flocks in the west as they became too old to perform on the range and yet were good
performers for a couple more years in farm flocks. That source continues to shrink and isn’t always available so the serious
shepherd had to come up with an alternative plan.
That approach would be retaining ewe lambs, this is good for the flock owner and good for the industry as well. There is
now an opportunity for the flock owner to control and contribute to the value of his product. The process to be cost effective
requires thought, records, soundness and management.
In the upper midwest where the Pipestone management program is often used, lambs never see grass, are creep fed, weaned
at approximately eight weeks and full fed to be marketed in 120 to 140 days weighing 120 pounds and up depending on breed
type. If there is extra grass or facilities we run more ewes. So how are we going to make replacement ewes in a cost effective
way.
First ewe lambs are selected from some of the most productive ewes that have been bred to maternal sires. In order to do this
records may be kept NSIP style or they may be barn records held in a note-book but any event one needs records and for the
good shepherd they don’t need to be sophisticated.
The next essential is to remove them from full feed by the time they weigh 80 pounds. Excess feeding allows fat to be deposited in the udder reducing future milk production. They are then offered good quality hay and a half to a pound of grain depending on condition. Ideally they are kept in dry lot till fall. Later in summer pasture can be utilized but they should still receive
grain and feeding this way opens up to parasitism and is more difficult to manage nutrition. They are now run as a separate unit
until they lamb at of an age in excess of 12 months the following year.
The biggest mistake that a lot of people make is to
run them with the ewes. In my flock I have had bad experiences running fall born ewe lambs with the ewes, they would have
had a six month advantage over spring born.
These ewe lambs when run in dry lot won’t require worming until they are vaccinated for Vibrio 30 days prior to breeding.
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Sheep Nose Bots
Dr. G.F. Kennedy
Every year and generally starting on a warm day in February I get calls from people saying my sheep are acting
strangely. They are stomping their feet and holding their heads down, shaking their heads and running from place to place
and occasionally sneezing. Generally during the warmer hours of the day. We have Sheep Nose Bots and the flies are attempting to deposit larvae in the nose of the sheep. Once deposited they develop in the nasal passages and sinuses and
when mature drop out, burrow in to soil, pupate and later on the fly emerges and the process repeats itself.
The whole process is more of an irritation than an economic threat and is seldom life threatening. Fortunately the use of
ivermectin type wormers are highly effective against all larvae stages. The use of these wormers reduces incidence of the
condition which is an annoyance at most.
Sheepletter is published yearly by Sheep World, P.O. Box 188, Pipestone, MN 56164, U.S.A. (for courier services: S. Hwy.75, Pipestone MN 56164 U.S.A.) Copyright @1990 Sheep World. All
rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited. Phone 507-825-4211, Fax 507-825-3140. ORDERS ONLY 1-800-658-2523.
Web Site: www.pipevet.com. E-mail: [email protected] Blog Site: http://askavetsheep.wordpress.com
Regular Contributors: G.F. Kennedy, DVM, J.D. Bobb, DVM, J.L. Goelz, DVM
Editor: G.F. Kennedy, DVM Research Editor: J.D. Bobb, DVM Circulation Manager: Shannon Bouman
Veterinary services, procedures, biologicals, and drugs mentioned in this publication represent the personal opinions and clinical observations of the contributing author. They are in no way intended to be interpreted as recommendations without the consent of the producer’s own practicing veterinarian. We strongly urge that producers establish a patient-client-veterinarian relationship
that allows extra-label use when there are no drugs approved for treatment or if approved drugs are not effective. This procedure allows veterinarians to go beyond label directions when “prudent
use” is necessary. The limited availability of drugs and biologics in this country is a major factor in restricting the growth of the sheep industry and allowing producers to compete in the world
market place.
Review of Research: Effect of Sorting and Feeding Management Practices on Finished Lamb Shrink Loss
(Manthei, Held, Kolthoff and Burns, SDSU)
The purpose of the experiment was to determine percent shrink in fed lambs under typical but different management scenarios. Lambs were we weighed and sorted into 3 treatment groups: control which
went back to home pen, sorted which went to different pen but had same feed and sorted with only hay
offered. Lambs were weighed 8 hours later then hauled 50 miles. The results showed 3.7% total shrink
on lambs sorted onto hay, 3.5% shrink on lambs sorted onto the same feed and 0.6% shrink on controls
which were returned to same pen and feed prior to transport (statistically significant). In the case of the
lambs moved to different pens most of the shrink occurred prior to transport. This study demonstrates
minimizing shrink and maximizing sell weight is best achieved with sorting the morning of sale. If sorting must occur in advance of marketing, lambs should be returned to their home pen as apparently the
process of moving lambs to a different environment on the farm results in shrink. Furthermore, under
correct management, shrink can be minimized resulting in real economic return to the operation.
For more information contact Dr. Jeff Held, South Dakota State University Extension
Pipestone, MN 56164
PO Box 188
1300 So. Hwy. 75
Pipestone Veterinary Clinic