Daniel Laney works with local government and nonprofit organizations to provide veterinary supplies, basic tools, and best practices training to local herders. Through the registered nonprofit Fair Trade organization, the Women’s Skills Development Organization, Pokhara (WSDO), it has been working since 1975 to empower marginalized Nepali women. WSDO provides fair wages and a safe working environment, while maintaining ecologically sustainable processes.

The California Mastitis Test (CMT) screens for possible mastitis infections. It works well for goats, but the interpretation information is for cows, not goats. The CMT reagent reacts with leucocyte cells in milk to form a gel. While some mastitis screening tests do not work well for goat milk because they cannot distinguish between leucocytes, a sign of infection or irritation, and normal epithelial cells which goat milk may have in large numbers. The CMT distinguishes between these cell types.

A "good dairy goat" is not just a doe with a pretty udder or one that milks 4,000 pounds a year. A "good dairy goat" must have a combination of positive qualities, all of which allow her to produce lots of milk, have numerous kids, and live a long productive life. Many traits go together to make a "good" goat, and if you learn to recognize these traits, you'll be able to improve your breeding program and purchase better goats.

Some exceptional does produce seven or eight quarts of milk a day when they're fresh. Other does have nice personalities or spots, but the best they can milk is less than three quarts a day in peak production. Obviously, milk production varies.

Milk fever appears just prior to kidding. It is a result of a lack of calcium as she gears up for milk production. Symptoms may include a staggering or wobbly gait, or the doe may just "go down." While experienced goat owners may be able to treat milk fever themselves, most goat owners should contact their veterinarians at the first hint of milk fever. Feeding a low calcium diet before kidding may allow does to convert calcium in their bones more readily to calcium available for milk production.

You can make butter without a cream separator or mechanical churn. Put fresh milk in wide-mouth quart jars in the refrigerator. The next day, skim off the cream that has risen, and do this until you have enough cream. You can freeze the cream to save it.

Goat temperature? 102 - 103 degrees F. A goat's normal temperature is 102 F to 103 degrees F. If you have a sick goat, the first thing you should do is take its temperature. If the temperature is above normal, there's probably an infection. Antibiotics might help. Below normal temperature could mean a critically ill animal. If the temperature is normal, that's important information too.

Over the years, our customers have sent in hints about all aspects of keeping goats. Below we share with you some of the most helpful ones we've received.

Ketosis is a metabolic ailment. It can hit a doe suddenly during the last month of pregnancy and kill her in a day or two if you don't recognize the symptoms and start treating her immediately .

Lice can be serious skin parasites. If a goat scratches, it probably has lice. Some goats are more susceptible to lice than others. Often the single emaciated kid in a pen has a huge load of body lice.