A few common farm animals consist of sheep, pigs, horses, and chickens. Some people tend to look over goats. What they don’t know is that goats are very beneficial to the farm owner, they can provide meat, dairy products, soap, and many other items. Some dairy breeds that are common in Nevada are lamanchas, nubians, alpines, toggenburgs, and  Nigerian dwarf goats. There are multiple meat breeds as well but the most common breeds in Nevada are the boer and kiko goats.
Goats are very susceptible to diseases because they spread very easily among the herd. Caseous lymphadenitis, or also known as CL, is a chronic disease that is extremely contagious to goats. A characterized sign of this disease is abscess formations internal and external by the goat’s lymph nodes. Once the ground is exposed to the disease the bacteria remains in the ground for an extremely long time, the bacteria has genetically adapted to harsh conditions. Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis, also known as CAE, is now considered one of the greatest threats to all breeds of goats in the U.S., especially dairy goats. CAE is transmitted during the neonatal period from an infected mother to the kid through nursing natural colostrum. It is possible that CAE is also transmitted from goat to goat through saliva, nasal secretions, urine, and feces. Coccidiosis is a disease that results from overcrowding, dirty and/or wet pens, and unclean water. Coccidiosis is highly contagious and spreads through a herd rapidly. A sure sign of Coccidiosis is diarrhea. (tennesseemeatgoats.com). Keratoconjunctivitis, also known as pink eye, is inflammation inside of the eyelid. This is mainly caused by the microorganisms Mycoplasma conjunctivae and Chlamydia. These are not the same microorganisms that occur in the cattle version of pink eye, so the vaccines for both species are very different. This infection is highly contagious through contact. Some major signs of pink eye are cloudiness and pink-gray coloring inside the eyelid. Diseases of all types can be preventable by clean pen hygiene and responsible vaccinations.
The diet that goats have to have is quite complex compared to other animals. All goats need certain minerals like copper, calcium, selenium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, iodine, manganese, and sodium. Some ways goats can get these minerals is from a copper bolus, a mineral block, or loose minerals. Most people believe goats can chew through anything and that is true. The best way to protect your plants and other yard decorations from being destroyed by your goats is to fence it off with chicken wire or some sore of wire fencing.
In conclusion, all this effort and time that goes into goats always can make a great experience for the long run.
Katie Cullen