In need of some Goat knowledge.

[#MomLife]

#MomLife
Hello, I have only been a goat owner for a little over a year now. I am a Vet Tech so I have tons of animal knowledge and experience. But goats are new for me. We purchased them for my oldest son so that he could do the 4-H program. They were not the healthiest goats when we purchased them. They were under weight a had tons of parasites and a very low color on the famacha scale. I have gotten them all healthy but today when I went into their enclosure I noticed that one of them had hair loss on the top of his head. They are not losing weight and color is good. My question for you is should I copper bolus him or treat for lice? I am wondering if lice is coming from the bedding that I use. I use coastal hay for their bedding because they don't like to eat it. They eat TNA hay. I clean the enclosure out every two weeks to try and keep the parasites down. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much and God bless!

 

[B&B Happy goats]

This time of year (and I don't know your location or climate) it's summer here in Fla.... i clean our goats area every day,..... bugs, of all types would have a wonderful time if I left bedding and berries for two weeks...
Clean water, bedding, and dry hay and pellet feed...ours are good to go, i do FAMACHA check every week, give appropriate worming when needed, and Red cell if starting to seem anemic (c (3) ) on FAMACHA chart. ..because we are in a hot humid rainy climate, the war with parasites is constant...I pick up any clumpy poo, rake soiled areas, are compost it in another area, i also use a little corrid in the water as a preventive this time of year and they get a probiotic...
If your goat is over 45lbs you can use a copper bous , i suspect bedding and lice may be where you want to check first, but still copper bolus if your area is copper deficit. ...
I hope some one else can add some answers for you, good luck, and ask all the questions you need to, we are here to help each other ...
And welcome to BYH.

 

[#MomLife]

Thanks so much for the reply! Yes we are in Fl as well.lol We replace the water every day as well as hay. But we do our deep cleaning every two weeks. That's taking everything out and disinfect. I even give them a bath. lol It's just been so frustrating! When you think all is fine then they have yet another thing going on! I give them a mix of two foods 1/2 sweet feed and 1/2 medicated to eliminate the Cord. When i notice losse stools i do a fecal egg count. All has been good. I only worm them as needed and give red cell as needed.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

Being in florida, the parasite fight is horrible, ....I have found that sweet feed gives ours (nigerians) scours , so I just stick with the pellet feed, and add BOSS, DE, to the mixture....
But seems everyone feeds diffrently...i still feed hay in the summer, lol

 

[Ridgetop]

You should also check for ringworm. Goats can contract it.

As a former 4-H mom - why are YOU cleaning the pens? LOL Those goats just suck you right in don't they? LOL

 

[#MomLife]

Yes the goats are saying "SAVE ME!" lol Sometimes kids need a hole lot of help. They enjoy the fun part but not so much the work! So I need to stay on him to get things done unfortunately. He will grow out of it I HOPE! lol

 

[#MomLife]

Yes I guess every goat is different.... idk lol. My Nigerian Dwarfs wood kill me if I took their sweet feed away! That's the only way I can get them to eat the medicated pellets!lol

 

[Ridgetop]

I loved the time our 4 kids spent in 4-H! The best time of DH's and my lives were working with the kids and their animals. SOOOO MUCH FUN! Actually why we still have sheep today.

When the whole family was out building pens, putting up fences and just working around the barns and with the animals it felt like a vacation for all of us. Wonderful family bonding and our kids remember it as a dream childhood. So glad you and your children can experience this life. Our children still have friends from those days.

 

[Fullhousefarm]

Another fellow Floridian!

Since you are new to goats I'd recommend doing a fecal to see what your worm load is since you've treated as you won't be as experienced seeing the early signs and knowing your goats. I still do fecals here and there, although most of the time my predictions are right about what's going on- but that's taken 8 years! Cleaning pens is good for lots of reasons- but if they are on any kind of grass/weeds that they eat close to the ground cleanliness won't prevent worms. Rotating pastures can help. Copper bolus will help. Generally healthy goats will help. But Florida is just brutal for goats as far as parasites are concerned.

The hair loss could just be from head butting or rubbing his head on something- I have a few who do that. Lice you can see if you look close. I use pour-on ivermectin to treat lice and it works wonderfully and fast. And lice doesn't mean you are doing something wrong- you can have no hay or shavings and get lice. Ive had 2 day old babies with them- it happens and as long as you get them right away they are super easy to treat- way easier than worms. The copper bolus isn't a bad idea but the hair loss might be unrelated.

Florida has a lot of options for shows and a really active 4H community. My daughter started with goats in 4H at 8 and this will be her 8th year showing dairy goats- mostly Lamanchas, and sometimes a Saanen or Nigerian. She has around 20. Eek! It's really grown her into a strong and capable teenager. (Yes- she cares for them. I milk in the morning) My 12 year old shows a little, my 10 year old loves and shows Nigerians and has 5. Good luck!