Supplement for a better coat?

[Chickenfever]

OK, I have a four year old mini manchi whom I think is about 9 weeks pregnant. I'm new to goats, but to me her coat looks awful. It looks very dull and it her hairs don't look healthy, kind of like she has split ends, and her skin in very dry. Is she lacking something in her diet. Is there anything I can give her as a supplement to give her a shinier healthy coat? Our one year old mini mancha's coat looks much healthier.

 

[ksalvagno]

BOSS - black oil sunflower seeds

I give it to mine daily. Probably around 1/2 to 1 cup per day is what mine get. I mix BOSS in with my regular feed.

 

[()relics]

...BOSS works well but if she has never had it before I would start it VERY SLOWLY...especially since you think she is gestating. I would start by crushing some up finely for her to try then slowly go to whole seeds...SLOWLY...you don't want a fat gestating goat , as that may end up stressing her developing kid, especially with a Mini breed...If you aren't offering a loose free choice GOAT mineral you might look into getting some...A dull coat sometimes suggests a mineral deficiency...

I nearly forgot my favorite quote..." the only change that will happen overnight will be for the worse"

 

[helmstead]

Three things come to mind before a feed additive...

Worms
Copper
Selenium

I do agree, if you discover these are not the root...BOSS will bring on the shine...but it will take awhile to see the change. I don't know what your weather is like in AZ, but when it's warm enough, I'd shave her down to get rid of the old coat so you can see how her new coat grows in (and you can bathe her with a conditioning shampoo, then be able to apply skin conditioners - some goats do just get 'ashy' over winter).

 

[Chickenfever]

OK, thanks everyone.

They do have free choice minerals all the time.

I don't have the equipment to check for worms myself, but I am wanting to start them on Molly's worming herbals, just for prevention and overall health (from what I've read it works well).

Here in Arizona it is extremely dry most of the winter, temps usually in the 50's. i think that would be a good idea to try shaving her and get rid of that old coat to see what happens this summer.

I actually do have a bag of black oil sunflower seeds that I have not tried to give the goats yet. The funny thing is I didn't realize that was what people meant when they said BOSS. (that's a newby for you)! Cupcake is not thin so if I do this, I'll do as suggested and crush and do just a small amount.

 

[cmjust0]

They do have free choice minerals all the time.

Loose mineral? If so, what kind, and how often do you refresh it?

I ask because I learned the hard way that bad mineral set out in large quantities and trusting that the goats will "use it as they need it" is tantamount to providing no mineral at all.

If the mineral's old and stale, or otherwise soiled in some way, they won't use it regardless of how bad they need it. And if it's not high quality mineral, it won't do them any good even if they do use it.

Good loose mineral set out in small quantities and refreshed often typically disappears quickly. For me, and for most I've spoken with on the subject, that's what seems to work best.

FWIW, if you want an example of BAD mineral, go read the label on a bag of "American Stockman Big 6" at TSC.. Stuff's horrible. Mostly salt, with a concoction of six other minerals in their least bio-available forms.

I don't have the equipment to check for worms myself, but I am wanting to start them on Molly's worming herbals, just for prevention and overall health (from what I've read it works well).

You can get an idea of what kind of barberpole worm load you're facing by using the FAMACHA system, and barberpoles are arguably the most dangerous worm a goat's prone to get. With FAMACHA, you basically just check the color of the inside of their lower eyelids. The way I interpret the lower eyelid color is like this:

White = life-threatening; use Red Cell and deworm very carefully to avoid bleeding them out internally

Pale pink = heavy worm load; worm soon

Pink = OK, but keep an eye on this one; may require deworming soon

Dark pink = pretty good shape; no immediate worries

Almost red = really good shape


I've never had a white eyelid on my place, but I've seen them. And when I say white, I mean WHITE...I've seen them on other farms such that you can scarcely tell where the eyelid ends and the eyeball begins.

Pale pink, I've had...but only out of a few. Some are prone to get pink and stay pink for a while, and that's mostly OK with me, though I'll only let that go on for so long before I'll deworm.

Most of mine stay dark pink to almost red, all the time these days. I think it's got to do with rotating dewormers, deworming primarily on an individual as-needed basis, good feeding practices, and making good mineral available.

I will say this, though.. I recently had a goat who would go clumpy, then back to pellets, then clumpy, then pellets..over and over again. Her eyelids were always great -- almost red -- and her coat, appetite, and attitude were fine...but she just clumped up off and on, continually.

We used probios on her for a while when she'd clump up, but it kept coming back. Finally I came to the conclusion that she must have had a decent little load of strongyloides or some type of stomach worm other than barberpoles, so I dosed her orally with Dectomax injectable @ about 1ml/30lbs of body weight.

Her poo not only went back to pellets, but the pellets themselves got smaller, dryer, and darker almost immediately. Her attitude, while never bad per se, improved as well. She just seems a tad bit brighter since being dewormed.

What I'm getting at is that I understand FAMACHA isn't the be-all, end-all diagnostic tool for judging a goat's parasite load...been there, done that, got the tee-shirt....but it is helpful. And even though it's "failed" me once, I'll still use it as my primary parasite diagnostic tool.

 

[Chickenfever]

cmjust0,
very helpful, thankyou!

 

[lkmartin1230]

I put ACV(apple cider vinger) in my goats water bucket, and it helps rid of lice, and fleas, and it really makes the coat look shiny, and beautiful. And you can get it at your regular store for like $2-3.

 

[Pioneer Chicken]

When was the last time you gave her copper? Also, I agree with checking for worms too. And, personally, I do prefer to leave my loose minerals out free choice. Never had a problem with it and my goats do regulate themselves. If they have dry, flaky skin could also be iodine deficiency so I give kelp which really does the job. ( :

 

[dwbonfire]

Where can I get kelp? I have a for with dry flaky skin and a dull coat. They have been dewormed twice so maybe they just haven't bounced back, they are putting weight on and eating well but just a dull coat. I put DE on them and give ACV in water sometimes. They get seaweed meal and some loose minerals as well. But I haven't seen anywhere carrying kelp and Id like to try that. Thanks