Supplies for a goat herder

I walked around my house and barn and took pictures of all the supplies that I use for my herd of Nigerian Dwarf goats. Taking pictures was the easiest way for me to catalog all the items I use. I have things stored in different places. Please don't let all this stuff scare you if you are starting out and deciding what to buy. I've been raising goats since 2004, so I have accumulated a lot of things. But, that also means I've gotten a good idea of which things are actually needed. There are some items, like the long plastic sleeves for kidding, that really aren't necessary, but we buy when we are new to the hobby because we see them in a catalog.

These are items I keep in the kitchen. Everything except the Valbazen and LA-200 are kept in the refrigerator.

• Ivomec: an antithelmintic (de-wormer) that I use after my does kid. 
• Valbazen: also an antithelmintic that I used before breeding. You cannot use it once the does are pregnant as it may cause abortion.
• Vitamin B Complex is great for goats feeling a bit under the weather.
  
• Liquamycin LA-200 is an antibiotic. I keep it on hand but haven't needed to use it.
  
• Ephinephrine: This is a very old, expired bottle. It is used to revive a goat that has a reaction to a vaccine. My current vet does not like to prescribe it, so I hang onto the bottle I bought back in Oregon.
• CDT toxoid is a vaccine that all goats get once a year (2 CC) before the grass greens up. Kids get two boosters if their mom had a dose when she was pregnant (as she will pass some of her immunity through her milk). Otherwise, they will need three doses.
  
• Penicillin is another antibiotic that I have on hand but haven't needed to use yet...knock on wood.
• Bo-Se is a selenium supplement that is needed for goats that live in areas that have selenium-deficient soil.
• In front, I have some leftover prescription eye cream that I had used on one of my kids.
  

These are my clippers for giving summer trims and also for shaving udders. I've had them for almost a decade and use them all the time because I also have Angora rabbits and a Llasa Apso. I've only had to have the blades sharpened once in the time I've owned them. My Aesculap red clippers are one of the very best investments that I have ever made! I keep the toothbrush to clean the blades. I take good care of both my clippers and the blades. I have sent the clippers back once for maintenance. I had the insides cleaned out well and new bushings installed. The little Fiscar scissors are great for making tails look perfect.

These are my milking supplies. I keep them in the kitchen.

• In the front, you see my very old EZ Milker. I bought this when Buck Wheeler was still in the development stage and had just come up with the small inflations for the Nigerians. It still works great after all these years (since 2007), though it is probably due for new gaskets as it doesn't hold the vacuum as well as it did when it was new.
• The stainless-steel bucket is from Caprine Supply. I put ice in the bottom of it to chill the bottles of milk while I'm out in the barn.
  
• I use the scale for DHIR milk test. Each year, you need to get the scale calibrated. Keep the receipt of the calibration as proof that you had it done.
  
• Bottles of all types. In the rear are the non-vac lamb bottles. The Nigerians tolerate them. The kids prefer the bottles in the front with the Pritchard nipples (red and yellow). Those are actually glass club soda bottles. I've had them for years and years. They wash up great and keep on going. There is also a grey lambar nipple that the Nigerians tolerate but don't prefer. Those last longer than the Pritchards.
  
• Foaming acid wash for cleaning the milk bottles and equipment.
• Stainless-steel milk filter from Caprine Supply. It fits nicely on top of a Mason jar.
  
• Paper filters to use in the stainless-steel filter. You can buy these at the farm stores. I noticed the box is a different color now, so don't let that throw you off.
  

Ta-da! Here is my brand new Ultimate EZ Milker. I am so excited. I will have six does on milk test this year (instead of just milking one doe for our family), so I splurged. I also bought some small bottles and lambar nipples. These lambar nipples are black, but they are the same as the grey ones in the previous picture. The idea here is that I will collect the milk directly into the small bottles, which will fit better under the smaller Nigerians, and then pop a lambar nipple into the top of the collection bottle. I can feed the kids out of the same bottles that I use to collect milk! We will see how well that actually works in practice.

Here is my tired, old tattoo kit. A very exciting event for me was when my husband found this piece of Styrofoam that I could fit into a small plastic bin. I used to have all the letters tangled up in a Ziploc baggie. I usually also keep a piece of cardboard with it for testing the tattoos before I apply to the goat. Believe me, it so very much worth the extra step. When you are putting those letters and numbers into the clamp, everything is backwards. So, it's easy to make a mistake. I have some rubbing alcohol down in the basement to use for sterilizing. I also hang on to old toothbrushes to use for rubbing the ink into the holes in the ear. Those get tossed after all the tattoos as they get stiff from the dried ink.

In the basement bathroom, I keep a bottle of molasses. I haven't ever moved it. Where ever you put your kidding supplies, don't move them. If you are like me, you will need to be able to do things without thinking too hard during kidding season. You will be tired. I can be in the middle of copyediting a book on nanotechnology or some other highly technical subject and hear some newborn noises over he intercom. I find it is hard for me to be consistently successful in immediately changing my thought pattern from copyediting to kidding. That is a fancy way of saying that I get scatterbrained. Anyhow, each doe gets a bucket of warm molasses water right after she kids. Molasses is full of wonderful nutrients to help her regain her strength, and the does love the treat. One year, I went out early in the morning when Poetry kidded, cup of hot coffee in hand as I had just poured it when I heard the baby noises on the intercom. I thought I could sit down, enjoy my coffee, and watch the baby goats nurse for a few minutes. Poetry was mad that I did not bring her warm molasses water. She came over to me, screamed in my face, and then proceeded to drink all my coffee. Who was I to argue?

It is also wonderful if you can install a utility sink in your basement, garage, or barn. There are often things you need to wash that are either too big or too "barnish" to want to clean in your kitchen sink. Here, I really need to get to this week's rabbit dishes.

While we are still in the house, my order from Jeffers came today. Here are a few things that I needed to replenish:

• Plastic collar and ID tags
• Marker for writing on the ID tags
• Vitamin A, D, E, B12 gel for does and kids after kidding
  
• Replamin gel (vitamins and amino acid chelated minerals) for boosting immune systems
  
• CMPK gel (Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Potassium for the does after kidding)
• MFO in case of milk fever
  
• I also got a show lead because I'll be taking some of my goats for linear appraisal. You can use whatever you like, but I'll be visiting a host herd that shows, so I figured I'd try to fit in.
  

Now, we are out in the garage. I keep the goat coats out here, but they are buried, so no picture of them. We had a very mild winter and never had to pull them out this year. But, here are some things I keep in these bin shelves. I don't use these items on a weekly basis (those sorts of things are kept out in the barn).  I have a blue tote that I can fill with items from here to take out the the barn if needed.

• Extra latex gloves
• Aspirin powder: I've only had to use this twice in 11 years--when I've had a buckling that seemed like he was hurting after banding.
• Small needles/syringes for baby goats
• Vet RX: herbal treatment for respiratory issues
• Bag Balm
• Activated charcoal
• Scissors (I have scissors in each of the barns and the feed room as well.)
• Pill splitter in case your vet gives you pills. Albon used to be prescribed in pills. I haven't had it prescribed for a decade, so I'm not sure if it still comes that way.
• Copasure cattle boluses: Save money by buying the larger cattle boluses and then distributing 2 grams per goat into gel capsules.
• An extra bottle of Fight Bac, used to clean teats. I also use it on wounds as it is just chlorhexidine and glycerin.
• Iodine for wound cleaning and navel dipping
• Vanodine: a disinfectant for feed dishes, buckets, pens, etc. I also use bleach. Though, don't mix the two!
  
• Vet wrap in case of leg injuries
• Small plastic containers (in this case a small Play Doh container) for holding iodine for naval dipping. I toss them when I'm done.
  
• Drenching syringe
• Permethrin concentrate for delousing pens
• Extra needles/syringes in 20 and 22 gauge sizes
  
• Scrapies ID clamp and tags for wethers (I don't tattoo wethers with my ADGA/AGS tattoo.)
• Newborn kid coat
• Nanny Manicures booklet for instructions on hoof trimming
  
• Plastic chain collars
• California Mastitis Test paddle
• Goat hobble (because Reverie has impatient kicky-feet during milking)
• Extra collars
• Banding clamp and bands for castrating bucklings
• Extra syringes in all kinds of sizes
  

Out in the barn, here are the tools I use:

• Pitchfork
• Bedding fork
• Rake
• Grass rake
• Snow shovel: Yes, really. The combination of snow shovel and grass rake works just like a broom and dust pan.

This is the shelf in my grooming/milking pen. One of the shelves is empty: That is where I put milking supplies like extra bottles and teat wipes during milking season. There is also a fishing tackle box full of goodies that I will show you in the next picture.

• Various brushes. The rake is wonderful for pulling out that winter undercoat.
• Extra caribiners: I use them all over the place for securing buckets and gates, etc.
• A hoof pick: I believe these are meant for horses, but I love them. They save wear and tear on your hoof shears if you use them to clean the hoof first.
• Latex gloves
• Clock: This is partly because I lose track of time and need to be back in class by the time homeschool recess is over. I also use it during milk test.
• Orange tote on bottom shelf of various bottles: I will show you these in detail in another picture.
  
• Extension cord on shelf behind tackle box for use when I clip the goats.
• My blue tote with bottle of bleach and bucket brush. I fill it with items from the garage when needed, or whatever. Totes are great.
• Also, I have a roll of paper towels mounted on the wall and a shop light hanging overhead.
  

This is my "go to" tackle box that I keep at hand. Some of the items are just for kidding season, but I leave them where I can find them close by (as I mentioned before--scatterbrain-itis during kidding season). The items I use all the time are those for monthly grooming. I'll list approximately from top to bottom, right to left.

• Cloth diaper. Well, because who doesn't need a cloth diaper on occasion? They can be used for all kinds of jobs.
• Kid puller still in package. I've never used it, probably never will. I bought it, along with the elbow-length plastic gloves, when I was new to goats. My fingers work better than any dumb bit of rubber cord. The gloves don't get used either.
  
• Extra collars and leads
• Balling guns for dosing copper boluses--the jury is still out on whether these are of any use or not.
• A couple bottles of OB lube
  
• Weigh tape
• Goat-sized Copasure boluses for when I am too lazy to make up my own
• Assorted needles and syringes (refilled from boxes of 100 in garage)
• Orange-handled hoof shears and belt sheath
• Fiskars scissors for trimming tails and beards nicely
  
• Hoof pick
• Dental floss for tying off umbilical cords
• Digital thermometer
• Scalpel and sterile scissors (never used either but could be useful)
• Vet wrap
• Sharpener for hoof shears: I keep it in its original package to take care of it. Everything out in the barn gets grungy.
• Diaper rash cream for does who've had a rough kidding
• Stethoscope and headlamp kept in a plastic bag so they stay clean
  

Here are the contents of the orange tote:

• Hand sanitizer: I don't use this but keep it in case kids visit the farm.
  
• Betadine: a disinfectant
• Iodine for dipping navels
• Blood stop powder in case I trim a hoof too close to the quick
• Mineral oil: I've not ever used this, but it is in case of poisoning. When I had goats eat Rhododendron once, I drenched liberally with vegetable oil. Vegetable oil is my first choice. But, if I have a goat retching from being poisoned, I'm not going to take the time to run to the house for vegetable oil. And, I don't keep cooking oil out in the barn because it would go rancid.
• Kaolin pectin suspension: This is the animal version of Pepto-Bismol, used for loose stools.
• Saline solution in case a goat gets something in its eye
• Bloat relief drench. The bottle is shaped so you can just pour it right into their mouth.
• Hydrogen peroxide for disinfecting
• Corid for prevention of coccidiosis
• Vanodine: a disinfectant
• Probios: probiotics for ruminants
• Vitamin A, D, E, B12 gel
  

Here is a shelf in the doe barn. There really isn't any reason why these things are here rather than in the grooming/milking area other than I forgot to put them away.

• Generic Pepto-Bismol for scouring
• Permethrin dust for delousing
• CPMK drench for does after kidding
• Iodine for dipping navels
• Goat drench for weak kids
• Curry comb because Hailey insists I comb her, often. She loves to be combed.
• Hammer
• Extra lead
• Extension cord for heat lamps
• Heat lamps are hanging high out of reach of bouncing goats when they are not being used
• Paper towels
  

Water is a very important supply for your goats. Did you think about that one? Please do. I keep these barrels filled with water (add a splash of bleach) in case of emergency for the goats and our livestock guardian dog.

Ignore the kiddie pool. I don't store water there. We had a frog lay her eggs in our pool. I made my husband rescue all the tadpoles before he the treated the pool with chemicals. Yes, I am a freak.

Collect pet kennels. You can often find them at garage sales. I have them in all different sizes. Not only are they for transporting goats, but I also use them for housing sick or baby goats in the house. And, baby goats love to have a warm, protected place to sleep out in the barn. Just ensure you put the kennel some place where the bigger goats won't jump all over it. I have had kennels broken by goat play before.

This is my wellness command center out in the rabbit/kid barn. I bought that portable stand at a rabbit show. The scale is wonderful for keeping track of kid weights to ensure they are growing well. There is a baby goat coat there as well as the leather gloves I use when disbudding. The disbudding box (created by my handy husband from plans bought at Hoegger) and the iron are in the lower left. I have a metal cup for measuring grain and a pair of scissors for trimming the nails on the rabbits. In the small compartment behind the scale, I keep ball-point pens and a sharpie marker. Sometimes, I will use the sharpie to write in someone's ear for ID purposes. There is a handy roll of paper towels and a thermometer mounted on a post. The thermometer is mostly for the rabbits. If the temperature gets below freezing, their water bottles will freeze. So, that is when I bring in my electric oil-filled radiator to heat the room up just enough to keep the drinking water liquid.

Well, there you have it. That is a complete tour of all my goat stuff. I hope it was helpful.