To worm or not to worm?

MamaDee · #1 04/26/07, 11:18 PM

O.K. so we've been goat owners for a year and never dewormed.

But we recently bought two Kinder does and more recently bought a three month old kid. Don't know much about the kid's background. The two Kinders came from a good home but looked a bit scruffy. We have never seen any problems with our two original Nubian does. But....one has always been thin. Now she is pregnant and still the thinnest one.

I'm wondering with all the new additions we shouldn't think about deworming. What is safe to use on pregnant and lactating does?

We have tried to use Hoegger's natural wormer in the past....no one will eat it. I'm considering using a chemical wormer just b/c we never have.

Or should we take fecal samples to the vet and have it tested? Or just go ahead and deworm? Can you drink the milk of a doe who has been dewormed with a chemical?

Thanks,

Dee

fcnubian · #2 04/26/07, 11:40 PM

We all do things differently.
We use safeguard horse wormer on our goats. I also use Ivercare horse wormer. I switch between the two. You will get alot of "Safeguard doesn't work" But in this area it does seem to work. It all depends on where you are located.
There is other wormers such as ivomec and valbazen. I have never used these two wormers.
Also I have no clue about milk withdraw on any of these wormers. The milk is used for the kids not us so Im not worrying about it too much.
I usually just go ahead and worm. The only time I took a fecal to the vet was when I bought a buck kid that I was going to wether and keep as a pet from the sale barn. He looked thin, scruffy, sickly and just felt sorry for the poor guy and bought him brought him home wormed him with safeguard 2x and then took a fecal to the vet and he was clear. He started gaining weight pretty good.

Liese · #3 04/27/07, 07:03 AM

If you do a google about internal parasites of goats you will find lots and lots of info to research. The GA (university or state) site is very good with lots of new info, many of the practices people do can actually lead to resistance, just like antibiotic use has. Fiasco Farm has a very good tutorial on doing your own fecals - here a vet charges $16, so buying a used scope was worth it. I have no problem seeing the eggs - once you find one, they are very distinct from anything else, and then you just start counting. Besides expensive, dewormer is also not great for the enviroment-they have found using Ivermecton products kills some of the insects like dung beetles that actually are very helpful. Also do a search about FAMCHA - very easy to learn and no you don't need a card, just common sense. If you have to deworm then the current advice is to deworm selectively, not wholesale and use the dewormer for the kind of parasite you have. Obviously you can go with someone else's advice but I'd rather learn why to do something. Around here many will say "that's how my Daddy or Uncle did things" but they have no idea why. Dairy Goats Plus forum has some archived articles from Sue Reith (?) - some alternative thinking here. Maryland Sheep & Goat has a wealth of links.

moonspinner · #4 04/27/07, 08:29 AM

I would take fecal samples to the vet first asap. I'm betting your new additions will show wormload, and don't discount coccidia as well. A friend just had a thin adult with perfect stool and glowing coat have coccidia in numbers too high to count. Do not use Valbazen on pregnant does. Once you get the fecal results then you can proceed to use the correct wormer for the parasite.

MamaDee · #5 04/27/07, 08:39 AM

O.K. so if I take a fecal sample to the vet.....how fresh does it have to be? I shouldn't have to sit and wait too long to get a sample from everybody--seems they just walk around a poop! But how fast do I need to get that to the vet? Can a vet check for all the types of worms there are? Will they dectect cocci if I tell them I just want them to check for worms in general?

Dee

moonspinner · #6 04/27/07, 11:24 AM

I'd probably just get a sample from your pregnant doe and one from a newcomer to compare. You'll need to worm your whole herd if worms are found even in just one goat. And yes the fecal float will test for all types of worms (except lungworm) as well as coccidia. As fresh as you can get - generally a morning sample will do for the day.

mtn.mama · #7 04/27/07, 11:26 AM

Hoeggers wormer goes down easier when you mix it with molasses...

southerngurl · #8 04/27/07, 11:34 AM

Really, it would have been best to hold the new goats in a different area, and have them wormed if needed,then moved in with the others. I know that's no help now, but something to think about for next time.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" . Have them tested and see what you have.

materursa · #9 04/27/07, 02:54 PM

Does anyone have experience with the herbal wormer that Fias Co Farms sells?
http://www.fiascofarm.com/herbs/wormer.htm

southerngurl · #10 04/27/07, 02:57 PM

I'm using it. Worms are really bad in humid climates such as ours, so I typically double the dose. After I ran out of the first batch of the #1, I bought the herbs organic and mixed my own. I will start doing that with the #2 soon, but since there are more ingredients I haven't bought them yet.

fishhead · #11 04/27/07, 03:34 PM

I found my goats would poop right after getting up from chewing their cuds. Also, my vet said that samples need to be run within 10 hours.