Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Day 28

For the second 14-day period, weight gain ranged from -5.2 to 6.2 lbs. and averaged 1.1 ± 2.3 lbs. The median gain was 0.8 lbs. ADG ranged from -0.400 to 0.477 lbs. per day and averaged 0.086 ± 0.175 lbs. per day. The median ADG was 0.062 lbs. per day. The large standard deviations indicate that there was considerable difference in gain among the 95 bucks in the test.

For the July 21-Aug 3 weigh period, the top gaining goat was 649 (Murphy, NJ). Four other goats gained 0.4 lbs. per day or more:  640 (Loos, IL), 648 (Murphy), 662 (Peters, NC) and 687 (Weber, IL).
There are three mineral feeders in the laneway.

For the first 28 days of the test, ADG ranged from -0.285 to 0.415 lbs. per day and averaged 0.118 ± 0.128 lbs. per day. The median gain was 0.122 lbs. per day. The top gaining goat is 639 (Loos).  Five other goats are gaining more than 0.3 lbs. per day:  621 (Francis, VT), 647 (Mulhall, KY), 649 (Murphy), 687 (Weber), and 689 (Whelan, KY)l.

FAMACHA© scores ranged from 1 to 3 and averaged 1.9 ± 0.6. The median FAMACHA© score was 2. Nine goats were dewormed, mostly because of the new treatment protocol which results in deworming any goat with a FAMACHA© score of 3 that loses weight during the previous 14 days. Another goat was dewormed a few days earlier. It had a FAMACHA© score of 4.
Water is kept under the hoop house to keep it cool.

Body condition, dag, and fecal consistency scores were similar to two weeks ago, averaging 2.3 ±  0.3, 2.0 ± 0.1, and 1.2 ± 0.5, respectively. Median scores were 2.3, 2.0, and 0.5, respectively. The relatively low standard deviations indicate that there was not much variation in these scores.

Fecal samples were collected from each goat. Samples could not be obtained from four goats. Two attempts are made to obtain a fecal sample from each goat. A pooled sample was collected from random goats. It was sent to the University of Georgia for a DrenchRite® test.  It will take about a month to get the results, which will include pooled fecal egg count, larvae ID, and resistance to anthelmintics (dewormers).
Usually the goats are on top of the spool.

The goats currently have access to one acre of orchardgrass and one acre of regrowth of the summer annual mix (mostly BMR pearl millet + Sunn Hemp). They are consuming approximately 0.75 lbs. of supplement (whole barley) per head per day. The goats will be worked next on Thursday, August 18. They were worked a day earlier this time, due to a scheduling conflict.

Download August 3 (day 28) report