• Subscribe to Meat Goat Mania • Email Us • Onion Creek Ranch • Bending Tree Ranch • OCR Health & Management Articles • MGM Archive

GoatCamp™ 2016 Held at Onion Creek Ranch in Texas - Oct 24-27, 2016

The 15th annual GoatCamp™ was held at Onion Creek Ranch in Texas during October 2016. Students travelled to Texas from Lousiana, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Colorado, Mississippi, Minnesota, Illinois, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Iowa, as well as from far-flung parts of Texas.

Jeffers livestock, equine, and pet supply in Alabama (1-800-533-3377) outdid themselves this year by providing students with essential goat supplies like weak kid syringes, digital rectal thermometers, kidding calculation wheels, Fortex buckets, kid milk replacer, Metro absorbent towels, non-smearing paintsticks, electrolytes, and adjustable lead halters. Jeffers is a long-time sponsor of GoatCamp™ and the best place from which to buy non-prescription goat, pet, horse, and other animal supplies. They are a family-owned operation and great people.

My thanks to the wonderful vendors who, through Jeffers' efforts, sent gifts for the students:

Allflex Ear Tag Key Chain embossed with "GoatCamp2016" (Donation from Allflex, USA); Non-smear Paintsticks (donated by Chad Anglin of Neogen); Dyne high calorie nutritional supplement (Donated by Debbie Bearden of PetAg); Gestation Calendar Wheels (Donated by Kevin Dalrymple of Ketchum); 8-qt Fortex buckets with handles (Donated by Jamie Ballester of Fortiflex); Prichard teats (Donated by Chance of Mid-States Wool Growers); 4 lb bags of Kid Milk Replacer (Donated by Manna Pro).

On Monday, October 24, 2016, Bob Glass of Pan American Vet Lab in Hutto, Texas explained blood testing for several different diseases and discussed how to draw blood from a goat. Dale Weise of Texas Vet Lab in San Angelo, Texas spoke about his company's development and US Government approval in 2012 of the first vaccine for Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL) in goats.

Tuesday's presentation was given by Dr. Jim Miller, parasitologist at Louisiana State University. Dr. Miller gave a thorough overview of internal parasites and performed fecal counts under microscopes for students to view. Dr. Miller also provided FAMACHA training and certification for students. Dan Byfield of American Stewards of Liberty gave students a good overview of the importance of property rights to those of us who raise goats. Late Tuesday afternoon, proper slaughter technique was demonstrated on a weanling buck kid.

Kent Mills, livestock nutritionist with HiPro Feeds, taught goat nutrition on Wednesday of GoatCamp™ week. Nutrition is the hardest thing to get right in any managed herd.

Thursday's instruction began with veterinarian Dr. Mike Edington of the Coleman, Texas Veterinary Clinic performing a necropsy on a 14 year old TexMaster™ doe who had reached the end of her life.

Throughout the four days of GoatCamp™ Pat Cotten of Bending Tree Ranch in Arkansas provided hands-on training to students using Onion Creek Ranch's goats. Ear tagging, tattooing, stomach tubing, clean catch collecting of goat pills for fecal examination, hoof trimming, checking for urinary calculi by examining the pizzles of bucks and wethers, proper injection procedures, goat restraints, blood draws, and catching and handling goats safely were demonstrated.

The classes that I taught emphasized the importance of learning to THINK LIKE A GOAT and how to apply that knowledge to benefit your goat-raising activities.

Staff members Carol Mathews (returning for her seventh year), Tom Thornton (his twelfth year), and Interns Kevin Jantz (Oklahoma) and Helen & Steve Tate (Georgia) did a great job of keeping GoatCamp™ operating smoothly.

GoatCamp™ will be held in 2017 during the week of October 23-26, 2017. You can sign up now on the GoatCamp™ page at www.tennesseemeatgoats.com.

My thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make this 15th year of GoatCamp™ so successful. If my current ranch has been sold by then, then GoatCamp™ will be held at the new ranch currently under construction northwest of Austin, Texas. Wherever the goats, dogs, and I are, that is where GoatCamp™ will be held. See you in 2017.

Suzanne W. Gasparotto, Onion Creek Ranch, Texas 11/7/16