# How do you quarantine?



## Burns Branch Boers (Apr 11, 2011)

I am begining to think about where to put our quarantine pen for our future new-comers. I know the best case senario is that the quarantine pen be at least 50lbs away from the herd, but where the newcomer can see the other goats. 

My question is ---if you only purchase one new goat or say for instance a weanling baby how do they do being separate? Our next purchase will be a wether for my daughters FFA and I don't know if my heart can stand separating it-on it's own-for a few weeks before putting it in with my herd?

I am curious as to how others handle this transition at their ranches and if there is a way to ease the "isolation" for the newcomer. Thank you in advance!


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## ()relics (Dec 25, 2010)

First off let me say that everyone has their own methods/ideas about quarentine...Some people don't believe it is necessary. That said I will give you My quarentine Regime. I have a clean herd, has been for 10 years, so I do What I do and really dont care if someone Disagrees because, For Me, it works. 
Before I bring the animal to my farm I have a pen set-up and cleaned for it. A pen with a concrete floor, for easy clean-up and disinfecting. A pen that is Impossible to escape from IMPOSSIBLE. The pen is No Where near the rest of my herd, if a disasterous situation arises with the new animal I want my herd Far AWAY.
The day I bring the animal home I start it on 12.5% sulfa dimethoxine, for coccidiosis and respiratory infections, 5 days dosed at 1cc/5#. I only feed the animal hay, all it wants, and fresh water, durring this initial 5 day period. Day 6 I begin to introduce My feed ration and also give a dose of Probios to restimulate the gut flora that may have been damaged by the sulfadimethoixne. Day 7 I give a dose of Cydectin, every area/farm is different as to doses and parasite resistance. I use my regular dose as I have not alot of History on the particular animal in queston. I AM NOT concerned with Fecal Floats durring a quarentine. I treat Every Animal is if it was the Typhoid Mary of the goat world. By day 15 the goat should be up to the level of my ration determined, to either grow/maintain/or shrink the animal to fit into my ideal body score. Also by day 15 I have started throwing shavings into the pen from the rest of my herd. Idea being to introduce Her to My bugs. Day 28 I dose her with Ivomec, again Not interested in a float. Day 30 if she has had No Issues at all and is healthy and eating she is introduced to part of my herd, probably yearling kids that will accept her more quickly than older does. After she has been with the herd for a month I dose her 1 last time with Safegard and then she just follows along with the rest of the herds program...I currently have a doeling in qurentine Now. It is a long process but worth your effort, IMO...Easier if there are 2 animals. I have My new doeling penned with an orphaned calf but your could use one of your own goats instead.
A wether would be a different story. There should be No Reason to ever introduce them to your breeding herd. They are terminal market animals, they may be shown but are essentially terminal nothing more. They would not be fed in the same way you feed your breeding herd so It is best to simply raise them seperately. Buy 2 and you will be much better off...No Hay and LOTS of Pellets. completely seperated from everyone else until their show day, then GONE...No Need to risk a qurentine and then exposure, for no reason...JMO...My wethers were born here and they are seperated at 100 days, Permanently.


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## PznIvyFarm (Jul 25, 2010)

Thank you for bringing up this topic. I will (hopefully) be getting a buck and was thinking about what i'd do.

I was concerned about him flipping out by being alone. I was wondering if I could keep him in a pen adjacent to the others - i have the pens divided by 2 x 2's set up like crib bars (had a lot left over after making a fence for the backyard) Then I started thinking if they could touch noses that might not be very safe. When I borrowed a buck the last time, I just put them all together - he came clean of CAE, CL and Johnnes, and looked healthy so I didn't think of any type of quarantine - I needed my girls bred asap anyway. I suppose I could put up boards to make a solid barrier. Would that work?

I am reluctant to use any method that is killing off their gut flora. It seems a bit extreme. I am not big on using antibiotics unless there is a demonstrated need for them. At least for the buck I am looking at right now, the owner is very careful about the health of her herd and I would be scared of doing anything that might make him sick. I do have another pen that is pretty small but away from the others. (it is about 3 ft by 8 ft, built under a set of stairs - i believe in using every bit of spare space in my barn lol) I thought I could use that for the babies at night when they are away from mom, it's good for sleeping, but not much else. I suppose I could use that for him at night and take him outside during the day. I do have plans for another pen as soon as I sell my silkies - over time I have realized that chickens on the same floor as goats is not working, chickens create a lot of dust and I am constantly dusting/vacuuming down there, more than I do in my own house sometimes. 

So I am looking for other ideas. I can keep him separate, and monitor his health, but for how long should I do this? Two weeks? A month? What if I don't get this buck, an adult, and get a baby instead? I don't think that would be a good idea to keep him isolated from everyone else.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

What I do is always try and bring in 2 or more newbies so they have a friend for the quarantine month or longer. I set up a safe escape proof pen far from my others like Orelics. Remember that some issues can be spread by poop... I wear a different pair of shoes in the newbies pen and never wear those shoes in my feed barn or by my herd and vise versa. You could also set up a pan to step in with a bleach solution or something like that but I have young kids and can't risk them getting in it. I don't treat them unless needed. As soon as I pick them up I give have a fecal done and then repeat it after a week just incase buggers come out from the stress. I keep them in quarentine at least a month and would do longer if any issues; like if I had to treat worms I would do that until I had a clean fecal to release even if this took a long time (I only test and treat soI would hate to introduce more buggers to my herd and then have to treat them all). I do give them probiotics upon arrival. I always ask for some of the sellers food and slowly mix this in with mine. The house they have in quarentine and the buckets are never used for anyone else. I like Orelics putting in shaving from your goats that is a great idea! Thats what I do; and so far so good. Have fun with your new one/ones and good luck.


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## PznIvyFarm (Jul 25, 2010)

I think if I got two right now, my husband would kill me


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Understand that :wink: 
Personally I would just keep him alone then he may be a tad lonely but the health of your herd is most important. But like Orelics said everyone has their own methods and some people don't quarantine at all.


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## Burns Branch Boers (Apr 11, 2011)

Thanks everyone, these are some great ideas. I think I am going to set up my quarantine "center" in the corner of the pasture which is directly across from the fence to were my herd's pasture begins. Thus the newcomer can see all activity and see the other goats--but no touchy no sneezy on the others-lol!

I like the idea of fecals and completely deworming the newcomers with a full 3 rotations of deworming-each 10 days apart. That is a full month and if no other diseases or symptoms rear their ugly heads during that time then I would feel fine that they be released into the existing herd. I also vowed to give each newcomer a CD/T and the pneumonia vaccination upon their arrival at our ranch--that way I know it has been done. 

I also like the idea of putting shavings from my herd in with the new goat--super idea!!! 

and re: the numbers--durn' that means I will just have to get 2 at a time-hu? lol!!!!!


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

If you do CD&T and don't know if they have had it before you have to repeat it 3-4 weeks after otherwise it will not be affective. 

1 other thought is if you are bringing in adults as I will be later this summer I am going to test them for CAE, Cl and all that stuff even though they are from a "clean herd" that will give me some extra assurance. The tests are only reliable in goats over 6 months old. 

Yep it looks like 2 at a time might be "necessary" :hi5:


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## ()relics (Dec 25, 2010)

Ok I think maybe you are missing some of the point to quarentine...EVERY farm has parasites/infectious antibodies/germs. Your goats build up Site Specific immunities to the "stuff" they are exposed to daily. A closed herd would mean all your animals have built up some sort of resistance to Your specific bugs and have adapted to cope with them. I said earlier My Herd is clean...But my animals still carry a certain amount of cocci, 13 different varieties, and have some amount of worm load but they all have adapted to My specific Enviroment. Add one of My goats to your herd and it could be disasterous for your herd OR the new goat because they or your herd are being exposed to New possibily more virulent strains...That is why I use the No Float method. I want ALL the oocyst and adult parasites DEAD...I don't just want an acceptable Load I want No Load. I don't want to endanger my herd by introducing a super parasite/infection/disease from a newcomer. As I said even a clean herd has Bugs. A bug that my goats live and thrive with possibly might kill your goats...Quarentine is Your Time to KILL everything EVERYTHING foreign inside your new goat before they have the chance to spread it to your herd...jmo...CDT is a good idea as well, as mentioned. As is cleaning and disinfecting your boots. Nose to Nose and manure contact has to be Zero...


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## Burns Branch Boers (Apr 11, 2011)

How do you test for CAE & CL? Does a veterinarian send off samples to a lab for you or can you do it yourself? If you can do it yourself is there somewhere I can read about how to prepare the samples ect.? That is also an EXCELLENT idea!


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Both of those tests require a blood sample. Your vet can do it and send it off or if there is a experienced goat person near you that can show you how to draw the blood. There are other things like Brucelosis and Johne's that I personally would also test. Here is a link to WADDLE where lots of people send their tests... http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts_waddl/caefaq.aspx


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## Burns Branch Boers (Apr 11, 2011)

cool! Thanks!


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