Goats on a Dry Lot

[pattyjean73]

I am new to goats. I have 3 small breed goats. One is a Nigerian dwarf and the other two are mixed breeds. They are mostly just pets, but I was hoping to breed and milk them in the future. They have an 8x12 shed and a 30x60 paddock that they stay in. When we are outside and able to watch them we let them out to graze on our 1.5 acre lot. They get all they hay that they want and they share a 32 oz cup of grain once a day. They occasionally get animal crackers, oats, barley, or BOSS as a treat. I've only had them a few months and have already had to de-worm them three times. The vet suggested that I put them on a regular de-worming program every 6 - 8 weeks. She suggested rotating different kinds of dewormer. Here are my questions:
1. What kind of rotating deworming program are you guys/gals using?
2. What are other, more natural types of dewormers?
3. If I'm deworming every 6 - 8 weeks, is there any hope of ever milking them?

 

[OneFineAcre]

You would not want to worm regularly on a schedule, only as needed.

You've already had to worm them 3 times in 3 months?

What kind of worms and what are the eggs per gram counts?

 

[pattyjean73]

You would not want to worm regularly on a schedule, only as needed.

You've already had to worm them 3 times in 3 months?

What kind of worms and what are the eggs per gram counts?

No, I've had them roughly 6 months now. I know barber pole worms but the vet didn't go into detail. She only said that they were mildly wormy and needed to be treated again. She recommended that I put them on a regular routine of deworming since they are on a dry lot.

 

[OneFineAcre]

Someone else will have to weigh in on what to use for barber poles and what epg count you should worm because fortunately, I've never had to deal with them.

But, what your vet said about worming regularly because they are on a dry lot, doesn't make much sense to me. Quite the opposite, one would expect less of an issue with worms with goats on a dry lot.

The life cycle of the worm works this way in pretty simple terms. Goats poop out worm eggs. Eggs hatch into larvae. Larvae crawls up blades of grass. Goats eat larvae starting the cycle over.

On a dry lot, the larvae don't survive without the grass. In fact, it would be recommended if you were dealing with a worm problem to take the goats off of pasture and dry lot them while you treat so that they don't re-infect themselves with more drug resistant worms.

It may be that a couple of worming's may have been needed if they had a high count. Worming on a schedule is not considered a good practice any more in that it can contribute to drug resistant worms. Some vets are not up to date on this.

 

[Fullhousefarm]

We've had high counts of barber pole's in our herd, and one or two cases of bottle jaw pop up. We are in central Florida, and have problems with them here since we never get a hard freeze to kill them off once a year. Add that to hot weather for 9 months and rain nearly every day for 6 months and it's a perfect climate for them.

We don't worm unless their Famancha score is low (showing Anemia, a result of barber pole worms) or we do a fecal and have a high count. So far it's just been one or two goats at a time that have issues, not the whole herd.

I've seen good results with Valbazen, though everything I've heard says it's loosing effectiveness. Cydectin sheep drench (at a higher dose than for sheep) or Quest Horse wormer both use the same chemical wormer and are very effective for Barber Pole. The vet we see for health certificates recommended Dectomax injectable, but I've read from several reputable sources that it's more effective given orally at the same dose. It did work the one time I used it. Dr. Ken Brown has a great dewormer chart and he's in Florida and very experienced with goats.

I'd suggest that you try to find a Famacha class and do some research of the different management practices people use for worming in general. Here in Florida some of the extension offices offer class days for very cheap ($2- for all day, including lunch and snacks) that are really helpful. You get access to vets, professors, etc and can really learn a lot.

I'd also agree that if you use good management a dry lot should be easier to manage re:worms than a pasture. We have a dry lot pen, but they goats are out almost every day in a pasture that right now we aren't able to rotate. We are working on that.

 

[mamacole4]

I have two 4 month twin Pygmy mix goats. There in a small lot in my yard as pets. Enough room for there 7x7 shed house and room to run and play. I’ve been thinking of dry lotting to help with parasites. Is it easy to do with 2 goats? Right now I use wood shavings for there house and a dog poop claw picker upper to clean up wet and poop spots. Can I do the same if I cover there entire run area with the same stuff and clean daily like I do now? I’ve attacked a picture of there area.

 

[Southern by choice]

View attachment 40869 I have two 4 month twin Pygmy mix goats. There in a small lot in my yard as pets. Enough room for there 7x7 shed house and room to run and play. I’ve been thinking of dry lotting to help with parasites. Is it easy to do with 2 goats? Right now I use wood shavings for there house and a dog poop claw picker upper to clean up wet and poop spots. Can I do the same if I cover there entire run area with the same stuff and clean daily like I do now? I’ve attacked a picture of there area.

I posted on the thread you posted.
https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/dry-lotting-goats.37035/#post-528844