| Ravenwood Ranch |
| Copyright 2007. Al l Rights Reserved. Created by Taylormade Web Design. Last Updated October 12, 2008. |
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| Where Quality Counts |
Feed
Our goats are fed a good quality grass-alfalfa hay during the winter months. During
the summer our goats are out on pasture, and supplemented with hay as needed. Free
choice loose custom Meat Goat minerals, salt, and clean, fresh water are provided at
all times. Oats are provided during breeding season and lactation. We have our feed
analyzed to determine if it is adequate to meet the nutritional needs of our herd.
Feeders prevent fecal contamination and minimize wastage.
Pasture and Housing
Our meat herd lives outdoors year round. They live in a pasture near the house
during the winter. We move them to a large, willow-filled pasture during the summer
months utilizing portable mesh electric fencing. Our permanent fencing is a
combination of stucco-wire with a strand of electric around the bottom to deter
predators and keep sneaky goats in. Three sided shelters provide protection from the
elements.
Social Groups
Our meat herd consists of a large group of females. They live, sleep, eat and play
together. Goats are a very social animal and form strong bonds. It is common to see
3 or 4 generations of goats snuggled together in a family group. Doelings who
re-enter the herd after weaning always end up sleeping curled right up to their Moms.
For this reason we make every effort to keep the family groups together.
Breeding
We breed via live cover in October for March kids. Our bucks wear marking
harnesses so we can have accurate dates on the does.
Kidding.
Our does kid out on pasture during the spring months. We monitor them closely but
do not interfere if they are not having trouble. More often than not the kids will be up
and sucking in no time flat. If we do encounter a problem we have individual stalls
where we can confine the new mom and her babies till they are up and running. We
iodine navels, ear tag and give Vitamin A, D, E and Selenium injections to the kids at
birth. We elastrate our buck kids within the first 3 weeks of birth with the mindset
that earlier is better. Dams raise their kids on pasture, utilizing the abundant green
forage to provide milk for the growing kids. Kids are creep-fed from the age of 3
weeks with a starter grain ration including coccidiostat.
Weaning
We wean our male kids at approximately 3 months of age and doe kids at 6 month
pending the does body condition. We provide our kids with abundant high quality hay
and clean, fresh water to ensure optimal nutrition for growth. We continue to feed
our kids on a high plane of nutrition through finishing. Kids are available for purchase
anytime following weaning. We typically retain replacement doe kids based on their
dam's performance in our meat herd, as well as their own growth, development and
conformation. Bucks are available on a very limited basis as it is our feeling that only
the very best genetics should be retained as breeding stock.
Predator Control
We have two Maremma livestock guardian dogs that live with the goat herd full time.
The female tends to wander the perimeter and "patrol" while the male sticks close to
the herd. It is fascinating to see them work together with such a strong, natural
instinct.
Preventative Health Care
We follow a preventative health care program with our goats. We vaccinate with an
8-way vaccine and inject our does with Vitamin E and Selenium approximately 2
weeks prior to kidding. We deworm twice per year using an oral drench. We hoof
trim as needed, generally 2-4 times per year.
Herd Health
We maintain a zero-tolerance policy for disease in our herd. Outstanding herd health
is paramount, in my mind, within a breeding herd. There is no point in having
superior genetics without the health status to back it up. Our meat herd is currently
CL abcess free. We maintain a relatively closed herd with the only new additions to
our herd being bucks. All new animals undergo a 30 day quarantine prior to joining
our herd. We have begun testing our entire herd for CAE and Johnes. Our bucks
tested negative for both diseases (ELISA test) in May 2008. We have plans to test
does later this year.
Biosecurity
There is a biosecurity program in place
at Ravenwood Ranch to minimize the
disease risk to our animals. If you are
interested in coming out to view our
animals please contact us to set up an
appointment and learn more about our
biosecurity requirements.
Please do not hesitate to email
me if you have any questions about
our management system.
Our goats are fed a good quality grass-alfalfa hay during the winter months. During
the summer our goats are out on pasture, and supplemented with hay as needed. Free
choice loose custom Meat Goat minerals, salt, and clean, fresh water are provided at
all times. Oats are provided during breeding season and lactation. We have our feed
analyzed to determine if it is adequate to meet the nutritional needs of our herd.
Feeders prevent fecal contamination and minimize wastage.
Pasture and Housing
Our meat herd lives outdoors year round. They live in a pasture near the house
during the winter. We move them to a large, willow-filled pasture during the summer
months utilizing portable mesh electric fencing. Our permanent fencing is a
combination of stucco-wire with a strand of electric around the bottom to deter
predators and keep sneaky goats in. Three sided shelters provide protection from the
elements.
Social Groups
Our meat herd consists of a large group of females. They live, sleep, eat and play
together. Goats are a very social animal and form strong bonds. It is common to see
3 or 4 generations of goats snuggled together in a family group. Doelings who
re-enter the herd after weaning always end up sleeping curled right up to their Moms.
For this reason we make every effort to keep the family groups together.
Breeding
We breed via live cover in October for March kids. Our bucks wear marking
harnesses so we can have accurate dates on the does.
Kidding.
Our does kid out on pasture during the spring months. We monitor them closely but
do not interfere if they are not having trouble. More often than not the kids will be up
and sucking in no time flat. If we do encounter a problem we have individual stalls
where we can confine the new mom and her babies till they are up and running. We
iodine navels, ear tag and give Vitamin A, D, E and Selenium injections to the kids at
birth. We elastrate our buck kids within the first 3 weeks of birth with the mindset
that earlier is better. Dams raise their kids on pasture, utilizing the abundant green
forage to provide milk for the growing kids. Kids are creep-fed from the age of 3
weeks with a starter grain ration including coccidiostat.
Weaning
We wean our male kids at approximately 3 months of age and doe kids at 6 month
pending the does body condition. We provide our kids with abundant high quality hay
and clean, fresh water to ensure optimal nutrition for growth. We continue to feed
our kids on a high plane of nutrition through finishing. Kids are available for purchase
anytime following weaning. We typically retain replacement doe kids based on their
dam's performance in our meat herd, as well as their own growth, development and
conformation. Bucks are available on a very limited basis as it is our feeling that only
the very best genetics should be retained as breeding stock.
Predator Control
We have two Maremma livestock guardian dogs that live with the goat herd full time.
The female tends to wander the perimeter and "patrol" while the male sticks close to
the herd. It is fascinating to see them work together with such a strong, natural
instinct.
Preventative Health Care
We follow a preventative health care program with our goats. We vaccinate with an
8-way vaccine and inject our does with Vitamin E and Selenium approximately 2
weeks prior to kidding. We deworm twice per year using an oral drench. We hoof
trim as needed, generally 2-4 times per year.
Herd Health
We maintain a zero-tolerance policy for disease in our herd. Outstanding herd health
is paramount, in my mind, within a breeding herd. There is no point in having
superior genetics without the health status to back it up. Our meat herd is currently
CL abcess free. We maintain a relatively closed herd with the only new additions to
our herd being bucks. All new animals undergo a 30 day quarantine prior to joining
our herd. We have begun testing our entire herd for CAE and Johnes. Our bucks
tested negative for both diseases (ELISA test) in May 2008. We have plans to test
does later this year.
Biosecurity
There is a biosecurity program in place
at Ravenwood Ranch to minimize the
disease risk to our animals. If you are
interested in coming out to view our
animals please contact us to set up an
appointment and learn more about our
biosecurity requirements.
Please do not hesitate to email
me if you have any questions about
our management system.
| Ravenwood Ranch Meat Goat Management |
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