Our Rafter O Mini Nubians are raised without compromise. Herd health is one of our top priorities. Our goats are part of our family, and we do whatever it takes to keep them healthy. We have a great relationship with the veterinarians at Chisholm Trail Veterinary Clinic in New Braunfels. A good goat veterinarian is invaluable – find one and partner with them to take good care of your herd.
We strive to stay current on research and change our protocols as needed to implement the gold standard of care for our dairy goats. The More Goat Info page on our website has lots of resources that we use daily to continue learning.
The Rafter O herd is clean. Our goats are tested every two years for CAE, CL, and Johne’s. The entire Rafter O herd is G6S Normal. You do not want these diseases in your herd, so new buyers must request these test results before purchasing animals.
While these testable diseases are important, goats are susceptible to many other issues, such as parasites, common diseases, and nutrition problems. Check out my Blog for more details on these topics.
Prevention is the most important thing. Why wait to treat if you can prevent a problem in the first place? We vaccinate our herd for CDT—it covers Clostridium Perfringens Types C & D and Tetanus Toxoid. Pregnant does are vaccinated one month before their due date. Kids are vaccinated at 9 weeks and 12 weeks of age. Dry does and bucks are vaccinated once yearly in the Spring.
We also vaccinate for respiratory issues with the Bovilis Naslagen 3-PMH. This vaccine is the first and only intranasal vaccine with viral and bacterial pneumonia protection. The viral component protects against BRSV (Bovine Respiratory Synctial Virus), while also aiding in the prevention of IBR (Bovine Rhinotracheitis) and PI3 (Parainfluenza 3). The bacterial component protects against pasteurella (respiratory disease) caused by Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida. This vaccine is labeled for Bovine but provides cross-protection for Caprines. We find that vaccinating the entire herd, including kids, in late April/early May works for us.
Raised without compromise…the Rafter O is your Mini Nubian boutique!