Husbandry of Dairy Animals – Goat: Replacement Management

Raising replacement dairy kids begins with prenatal care of the doe. The doe needs to be properly vaccinated before kidding, be in proper body condition, and have good nutrition, including vitamins and minerals. A program to prevent caprine arthritis encephalitis must be instituted, which involves removal of the kid from the doe at birth, feeding heat treated colostrum the first day of life, and feeding with milk replacer, heat treated milk, or a mixture thereafter. Milk should be fed generously (3 times a day) to 2 weeks of life. Milk consumption can become limited by feeding 0.5 l per feeding, twice a day. More milk can be fed, by feeding 3 times a day or using acidified or cold milk procedures. A high-quality starter feed should be fed beginning the second week of life. A kid must be a minimum of 6 weeks of age to be weaned, weigh at least 10 kg, and have a starter intake of at least 250 g day(−1). Kids can be transitioned to weaning by reducing milk feeding to one time a day. After weaning, the kid should be fed 360 g of starter feed per day and all of the high-quality hay they can eat. The kid should gain 150 g day(−1) from birth and weigh 35 kg by 7 months of age when they can be bred. Kid health problems can be prevented by consumption of adequate colostrum, well-ventilated environment, avoiding crowding, and good sanitation. Attention needs to be given to making gradual changes in feeding.