| Author | Message | ||
     Cindy Hance New member Username: chance Post Number: 16 Registered: 10-2005 Rating: N/A |
We've heard of all different kinds of shots people give their newborns and we're looking for some solid info. We've heard B-12 shots help the kids a lot, is this something we should look into? Cindy | ||
| Maggie Leman Moderator Username: maggieleman Post Number: 233 Registered: 07-2005 Rating: N/A |
I don't give my newborns anything if they are apparently healthy and vigorous. I try to feed the doe a well balanced diet so that she can provide everything a kid needs, just as nature intended. If the doe is apparently healthy and especially if she has access to a quality loose mineral formulated for goats or beef cattle (this makes a good substitute if you can't get a good goat mineral) she will easily provide all the B vitamins the kids need. I vaccinate my expectant does with a CDT vaccine about 6 weeks or so before they are due to raise the level of antibodies for those diseases in her colostrum so to better protect the kids. Some people vaccinate their newborns but vaccinating newborns is pretty much useless. Here's why: For a vaccine to work it must stimulate the immune system to create antibodies to fight the disease the vaccine is for. Newborn goats (and many other animals) do not have a functioning immune system, so a vaccine has nothing to stimulate. SOme vaccines may actually do more harm than good, using up the antibodies the kid got from the colostrum fighting a "disease" that actually doesn't exist. Antibodies can't tell a killed bacteria (such as would be in a vaccine) from a live one. I don't like to mess with Mother Nature, she's been doing this much longer than I have! And I sure don't like to stick a needle in a little kid if I don't have to! Maggie Leman Goat 911 Capri Medic |