New goat mom!

[First Time Goat.Mum]

Hi! I just adopted two Nigerian Dwarf wethers from, unfortunately, a less than trustworthy farm. The kids came with what we think is worms, lice and what we think was an eye infection. I finally decided to join a goat forum group to get some experts advice on them! My instagram where I will post more regular updates is @pamster.gram (dedicated to my Flemish Giant).

 

[Latestarter]

Greetings and welcome to BYH! So glad you joined us. There's a wealth of info, knowledge and experience shared in the multitude of threads. Browse around and see what interesting stuff you can find. By all means post away when the desire strikes you, especially if you have questions (provide as much detail/info as possible and pictures truly help)... With all the great folks here, generally someone will respond in no time at all. Please make yourself at home!

How old are the wethers? How much do they weigh? Some pictures would really help.

Oh, if you haven't done so already, PLEASE put at least your general location in your profile. It could be very important if/when you ask for or offer help or advice. You know, climate issues and such. Old folks like me will never remember & look there first. To add it, mouse hover over Account top right and a drop down will appear. Click on Personal Details and scan down. You'll see the spot for Location. Then go to the bottom and save changes. Thanks! Hope you enjoy the site!

 

[OneFineAcre]

Why do you think the farm isn't trustworthy?
Moving goats in itself could cause a worm bloom and an eye infection
If you have a problem why don't you contact them ?

 

[First Time Goat.Mum]

Thank you so much for the info! I will definitely do so. I did post a thread about their disbudding earlier today. The boys are 3 weeks old tomorrow, they both way exactly 7 pounds. I’m in the Seattle area so pretty cold and rainy during winter and fall. Look forward to hopefully hearing more from you down the road!

 

[First Time Goat.Mum]

Why do you think the farm isn't trustworthy?
Moving goats in itself could cause a worm bloom and an eye infection
If you have a problem why don't you contact them ?

The farm we got them from gave us the instruction to feed them 8 ounces 4 times a day, we decided to take their word for it. When we took them into an emergency vet we were told that was twice as much as they should be fed. They also did not alert us that the goats had lice nor that both were having scours. I would have suspected that they had lice from being moved but I first spotted them on the drive home. Unfortunately they also did not give us a list of any vaccinations they recieved so we are not sure what they still need. Not to mention, throughout the process they lost half the down payment we had paid for. Sorry to drag it on but finally, we did contact them asking if they had dewormed them or were aware of anything that was happening and they told us that they were too young to get worms to which our vet has since said otherwise. This may not sound like much but for a first time goat owner and the very large amount of expenses it has brought on I have become less fond of the farm. Thank you for the questions!

 

[Latestarter]

Awww... sorry it hasn't gone ideally for you. I think once you get past all the BS (that you should NOT have had to deal with) you'll find that goats are (almost) as good as a dog. They really make great, fun pets. Good side benefits are that you don't need to clean up (or worry about stepping in) their poop as it's "cool" and great fertilizer. They will eat weeds, vines, and some grass for you, but... they also will eat all your decorative plants and the bark, leaves, limbs, buds off any tree they can get to .

 

[Tatiana Blackburn]

Scours can be the result of the change in feed. If they were pulled off their mom and went straight to bottle fed that would definitely account for the diarrhea. Normally you would wear them off mom slowly by supplementing her nursing with a bottle or two a day until their tummies adjusted