Keep your goats fit and well during the long winter months

David Harwood BVetMed, FRCVS. provides practical pointers to providing the best care for your livestock in the cold (and wet) weather

- David Harwood

It does no harm to remind all goat keepers of their legal (yet very practical) obligations under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Prior to this animal welfare law in the UK was largely reactive and action could only be taken once an animal had suffered unnecessarily. In an attempt to improve the welfare of all kept animals, Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act places a duty of care on people to ensure they take reasonable steps in all the circumstances to meet the welfare needs of their animals to the extent required by good practice. This not only applies to our goats, but to all kept animals such as dogs, cats, and rabbits. This legislation came up with what are recognised as the "welfare needs" of kept animals, these are the:

• need for a suitable environment.

• need for a suitable diet.

• need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns.

• need to be housed with, or apart, from other animals.

• need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury, and disease.

Each of these "needs" must be constantly protected to ensure that your goats remain fit and healthy, but your input may need to vary depending on the seasons. As a simple example, worm control may need to be a priority during the warmer months of the year when goats are outdoors and on pasture but will cease to be a priority once goats are housed for the winter. Conversely there are problems such as pneumonia that will tend to be confined to periods of housing in poorly ventilated buildings.

You may have also heard of the "Five Freedoms," that were developed in the 1970's and have the same objectives, but these have now been largely replaced by these welfare needs.

WHAT MAKES A SUITABLE GOAT ENVIRONMENT

Any goat housing particularly during cold damp spells through the winter must provide: