| Ravenwood Ranch |
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| Where Quality Counts |
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| Ravenwood Ranch Nubians Dairy Goat Management |
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Feed
Our goats are fed a good quality second cut alfalfa hay year round. During the
summer our goats are also out on pasture. Free choice loose custom goat minerals,
salt, and clean, fresh water are provided at all times. We provide a 16% cattle dairy
ration plus Calf Manna and BOSS during 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 dairy herd has access to the 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. Our 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. Solitary goats are
seldom content goats so we make every effort to ensure everyone has a "buddy".
Breeding
We breed via live cover in October for March and April kids.
Kidding.
Our does kid out during the spring months. We monitor them closely and remove
babies at birth. Kids are fed colostrum immediately following birth and bottle raised
for disease prevention and socialization. We iodine navels and give Vitamin A, D, E
and Selenium injections to the kids at birth. We elastrate whether kids within the first
3 weeks of birth with the mindset that earlier is better. At 3 weeks of age the babies
are put onto a kid starter ration with coccidiostat as well as following a prevention
protocol of Amprol in their milk at 3 weeks and 6 weeks of age. 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 to promote
optimum health. Kids are available for purchase anytime following birth. We typically
retain replacement doe kids based on their dam's performance in our dairy 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.
Herd Health
Our dairy herd is currently CAE negative (last CAE ELISA test April 2008), Johne's
negative (last ELISA test May 2008) and CL abcess free. We have a zero tolerance
for disease in our herd. We maintain a relatively closed herd. All new animals
undergo a 30 day quarantine prior to joining our herd.
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 second cut alfalfa hay year round. During the
summer our goats are also out on pasture. Free choice loose custom goat minerals,
salt, and clean, fresh water are provided at all times. We provide a 16% cattle dairy
ration plus Calf Manna and BOSS during 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 dairy herd has access to the 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. Our 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. Solitary goats are
seldom content goats so we make every effort to ensure everyone has a "buddy".
Breeding
We breed via live cover in October for March and April kids.
Kidding.
Our does kid out during the spring months. We monitor them closely and remove
babies at birth. Kids are fed colostrum immediately following birth and bottle raised
for disease prevention and socialization. We iodine navels and give Vitamin A, D, E
and Selenium injections to the kids at birth. We elastrate whether kids within the first
3 weeks of birth with the mindset that earlier is better. At 3 weeks of age the babies
are put onto a kid starter ration with coccidiostat as well as following a prevention
protocol of Amprol in their milk at 3 weeks and 6 weeks of age. 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 to promote
optimum health. Kids are available for purchase anytime following birth. We typically
retain replacement doe kids based on their dam's performance in our dairy 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.
Herd Health
Our dairy herd is currently CAE negative (last CAE ELISA test April 2008), Johne's
negative (last ELISA test May 2008) and CL abcess free. We have a zero tolerance
for disease in our herd. We maintain a relatively closed herd. All new animals
undergo a 30 day quarantine prior to joining our herd.
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.