How often do goats need to be wormed?

[MillsFarmFamily]

How often do goats need to be wormed?

[Sweet Goats]

I believe it depends on where you live. I am in Colorado and where I live we really don't have a worm problem. I do worm twice a year just incase. I do the fall for sure because of Bots. Some years I do a fecal float and see if any have worm problems, if not I hate to over medicate them. It really is a personal choice, but if you are in contact with a vet they would be a good one to ask for your area.

[farmergirl]

I de-worm quarterly at the moment, rotating dewormers every few wormings. The worm load is pretty heavy here in Central Texas and I do know of people deworming as frequently as once a month, but with careful management I've done ok with once every 3 mos. I make a point of NOT feeding the goats directly on the ground; I think that's helping alot. I built a feeder for hay and use a grain pan for their daily pellets. So far I have stuck with the chemical dewormers (Ivermectin, etc.) but I'm investigating switching at least partially to diatomaceous earth.

[homebirtha]

As often as they need to be...

Really, that's the answer. There is no right answer for everyone. It depends on your goats, your pasture, your weather, etc.

You can get a good idea of parasite levels by keeping a check on their eyelid color. The pinker, the better. The paler they are, the more worms. You should always deworm the day they kid, and it's a good idea to deworm before breeding. Other then that, you really should do fecals to find out what their wormload is and worm when necessary. It's also good to recheck fecals after deworming once in awhile, to make sure what you're using is really working.

farmergirl, you might to reconsider all that rotation of the wormer. That's a good way to build resistance. You really should stick to one wormer until it stops working (as shown by no reduction in worms after deworming), then switch to the next one.

[Misty]

the wetter climate you have, the more worm problems you will have. I live in Colorado also. I worm once a year and seem to do fine. If someone is showing a problem, I will worm them. I like to think the less I have to worm, the more hardy they will become genetically.

[chamoisee]

I have heard of people worming as often as once a month(!) Just guess what happens if you buy one of thse very sleek and impressive looking animals and bring it into a herd that only worms twice a year and grazes pasture.....

I think prevention (dry ground, clean feeders, not too many goats for the area) is a lot better for the goat than very frequent worming. They need to build up some parasite resistance. I typically try to worm them at breeding season and then around kidding time, too.

[Ramblin Acres]

We deworm once every 3-4 months,We also trim there feet at this time too,it is sad that alot of goats are overlooked in having there feet trimmed.I have to disagree with homebirtha tho.I was told that you should rotate between de wormers one time use ivermectin next time do cydectin and ect.I always do ivomec in the spring and fall and in between I use safegaurd,panacur or what ever I have the horses on for that rotation.This has worked well for our goats and we have never had a problem with worm overload and our schedule was reccomended by our goat vet.So far we have no worm resistancey.

We always deworm the day that the doe kids too and then the kids get dewormed the day they are weaned from mom.