Long-time Boer Goat breeder Janine Miller understands the importance of a good mineral program. She had been brand-loyal to one company for the nearly 15 years she’d been raising goats in south central Pennsylvania. That was until September 2017 when one ingredient in the DuraFerm® Goat Concept•Aid® caught her attention, she made the transition and hasn’t looked back.
“One of the best decisions I ever made was to switch that day,” Miller said. “I switched initially due to the B12 in the DuraFerm.”
Miller admits she didn’t know much about Amaferm® at first, but now that she’s been feeding DuraFerm, and her goats are maintaining their performance on less feed, she fully understands the Amaferm advantage. Amaferm is a precision prebiotic designed to enhance digestibility by amplifying the nutrient supply within for maximum performance.
Miller says that in her area near Newville, Penn., she places emphasis on nutrients in her herd of 60 where she raises purebred goats that her daughter Katie shows competitively around the country. They are deficient in selenium and copper in their area, and a good mineral program is key to preventing parasites and keeping does on feed while carrying and birthing multiple kids.
“I was never worried about the price. I want them to have the mineral they require. Feed is important, don’t get me wrong, but I think the most important thing in an animal is water, and then you’ve got to have the right mineral to balance it out and then worry about your feed,” she said.
She said many people in the goat business battle toxemia, especially during kidding season, and attribute the challenges to overweight does. However, Miller said she feels like nutrition plays a bigger factor in toxemia than body condition or tribe size. She said that her daughter’s former showmanship doe, “Fat Winnie” has had triplets each year, but has never had any health challenges. Another BioZyme® product she’s discovered is the Vita Charge® Paste (transitioned to Vita Charge® Gel July 2019). She administers each doe that kids a dose of Vita Charge after they kid, and she claims they typically will start eating within the hour, rather than waiting two days after birth, like they had in the past.
Having goats that are high performing and does that are good mothers is important to Miller who raises everything together and only separates her herd by age, and not quality. But regardless of age or gender, one thing is consistent at her farm – each pen has a DuraFerm Goat Concept•Aid in a free-choice feeder.
“Our goats have to produce well in the show ring plus in the field. We don’t have separate pens we pull these show goats out from. We pen by age – yearlings have their own area, aged does have their area and bucks have their own area, unless they are breeding,” Miller said.
She stressed the importance of keeping the mineral feeders up high where the mineral stays free from dirt, feces and urine. She said every goat from her bottle-kids to her best producing does gets free-choice mineral and that won’t change.
A third BioZyme product that Miller uses is from the Sure Champ® line – Sure Champ Climate Control (transitioned to Vita Charge® Climate Control Gel July 2019). She said that Climate Control works wonders on show goats and they always have a tube of it in their show box when they travel to a show. She tells of one incidence where a friend had a show buck that was overheated so she gave him some Climate Control. Within 15 minutes, he had stopped panting, was calmer and acted cooler.
From a free-choice supplement to quick-recovery products for kidding does or show animals, BioZyme makes products for every phase of production for your goat operation.
