Reminder: Cocci, worms and Summer kids.

[ozark_jewels]

Just a reminder for anyone who is having late kids(late May through August), to keep on top of cocci prevention and treatment and worming. Summer is hard on young kids and the cocci and worms will both be bad in most areas of the country. Even if you don't normally use cocci *prevention* on early kids, it would be a very good idea to do so on summer kids. Cocci combined with the stress of summer heat and a worm load can kill or stunt a kid very easily.

[harplade]

we use sweetlix loose minerals with rumensin (which is a cocci preventative, right?) is this enough for the babies? Just wondering as I'm not real sure about the minerals,etc

thanks,
Harplade

[Raftercat5]

Ozark, how often after goat kids are weaned, should you give them a cocci prevention treatment? We used Dimethox on them when they were on baby bottles, but we have triplets that are now 4 months old. How often to treat them? How much? What is your drug of choice? Thanks in advance.
- Kathy

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by harplade

we use sweetlix loose minerals with rumensin (which is a cocci preventative, right?) is this enough for the babies? Just wondering as I'm not real sure about the minerals,etc

thanks,
Harplade

As a general rule, kids won't eat enough of medicated mineral to prevent cocci overload. If they are older kids, maybe, if they are younger, then no.

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by Raftercat5

Ozark, how often after goat kids are weaned, should you give them a cocci prevention treatment? We used Dimethox on them when they were on baby bottles, but we have triplets that are now 4 months old. How often to treat them? How much? What is your drug of choice? Thanks in advance.
- Kathy

Hi Kathy, this should probably be answered by someone else. I have had very little cocci problems as a general rule and only treat for cocci until kids are weaned. I use prevention in their milk until I wean(usually 4-5 months for doelings, 3 months for bucklings). Then I have not had to use anything in all these years.
I do worm with Valbazen and Cydectin on kids.

[fishhead]

If healthy 3-4 month olds are going onto a clean pasture is cocci a concern?

[Raftercat5]

Originally Posted by fishhead

If healthy 3-4 month olds are going onto a clean pasture is cocci a concern?

Fishhead: I wish we had 'pasture' for our goats. We only have a small yard for our young kids. The older goats have about 3 acres of woods to browse in, but we have no 'pastures'. We're in the Sandhills of South Carolina, where there's just....well, SAND. I've tried planting stuff, but unless it's fenced and covered, our 13 guineas will eat the seeds. Not to mention any crows, or deer.

Our kids are healthy, get grain and all the hay they can stuff in their round bellies. Was just wondering if they needed any kind of booster prevention for coccidiosis, that's all. Thanks.
- Kathy

[Jim S.]

I dunno, maybe it is a regional thing, but I seem to have no problem with cocci in summer or fall. It is only in spring when I'd better get something in the water as a preventative. The cold/wet/mud and washy new grass just seems to set up the conditions at that time. February here is the coldest month, and then just when I think late March is easing up and I am home free and kidding nicely, that's when cocci and disease can nail my new kids. March and April are touchy months. Then it seems to diminish.

[cjb]

How do you know if you have issues with cocci? and what is the best preventative? I have only wormed my goats with Iver on regular intervals. We have 3-4 week old babies now and have not wormed them or their mothers since birth and all look fine.

Recommendation?

[Jim S.]

Here ya go, cjb:

http://www.sweetlix.com/user_files/F...s/Goat_005.pdf

[cjb]

Thank you - good read. So I should provide a coccidiostat or other preventative meds since the kids are still 3-4 weeks old? Do i dose the moms too? Do I have to discard milk while the moms are being treated?

[chamoisee]

I haven't had good luck with what I'd call intermittent cocci treatment, in other words, corid or the others that you does them with once in a while. Cocci isn't like worms, it can do a lot of damage in a very short time, and once an animal's intestines have been scarred, it's nearly useless, won't grow, won't thrive, stunted, might as well cull it unless it dies first.

So I use the medicated lamb starter in a place where the adult goats can't get to it. Just dole it out once or twice a day and if they're dam raised, it helps tame them down, too.

I think the area where our goats live is a little extreme. It is damp, there's a pond uphill of it and a swampy area next to it, and tons of old manure and lush, rich grass. If your area is less conducive to cocci, you might not need to feed every day, but I had better results with that than waiting for symptoms, because by then the damage is already done and fairly irreversible.

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by fishhead

If healthy 3-4 month olds are going onto a clean pasture is cocci a concern?

Usually not...if they have plenty of room and the weather is relatively dry. Its the warm, wet, humid conditions especially if crowded that brings on outbreaks of cocci. Any type of stress can bring it on.

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by cjb

Thank you - good read. So I should provide a coccidiostat or other preventative meds since the kids are still 3-4 weeks old? Do i dose the moms too? Do I have to discard milk while the moms are being treated?

I would for the kids, but I wouldn't for the does unless you see signs of cocci in them. You mentioned you hadn't wormed them after they freshened? I would take a really close look at their coloring(lower inside eyelid) if its not dark pink I would worm them. If your having the heavy rains we have been getting, the weather is perfect for a worm burden to rear its ugly head. Better to prevent than cure.

[christij]

I don't recall but what is the dosage for Valbazen?

[Feral Nature]

Valbazen is 1cc per 10 lbs.

[Milk n' Honey]

Correct me if I'm wrong but Ivermectin doesn't affect coccidiosis at all. We learned this from a very experienced and quite anal goat breeder and it works really well......use a feed for your kids that has Rumensin in it (she says the Deccox type is really bad b/c it depletes the thiamin in their systems which can lead to polio). Just the feed is not enough b/c most babies are just nibbling at it and not ingesting enough to prevent anything. So, also add to your creep feed area, a Rumensin block. The kids will love it...it has molasses in it. Our kids lick on that and also get some from the feed. We haven't had any problems since and we were having problems before. That blocks are only $10-$11 and it lasts a while. It is well worth it and so much easier than dosing with albon and such. It is also more dependable than the water method where much is wasted b/c water gets dirty and has to be replaced so often and when kids are nursing, they just don't drink a lot of water. It is good to have a creep feed area that only the kids can go. That way, you have more control over who gets medicated and who doesn't. I don't want to unnecessarily medicated anyone!

[chris30523]

I have never heard of the "rumensin" block .Where do you get yours. The feed I use has decox in it and I have yet to have any problems with Thiamine deficency. The block sounds much easier though .

[Milk n' Honey]

chris30523 - Lot of people use decox feeds and I guess have no problems. That is just what she told me. There are feeds with Monensin or Rumensin instead with is, according to her, the safe kind. So, I figured better safe than sorry and that is what I look for in my feeds. We actually use both on our kids....the medicated feed and the Rumensin block. However, we are getting ready to have a ton of feed mixed and we are not going to medicate it. Instead we are going to topdress the kids' feed with some medicated calf starter and also use the block. That way, I don't have to medicated everyone. The Rumensin block I have came from the grain elevator where we buy our feed. It is made for cows but works for goats too. When I called asking about it, she told me, "It isn't approved for goats." She knows I have goats. She told me that like 2-3 times and I finally told her I didn't care and it would be fine. A breeder with 20+ yrs experience told me about it. It works great. It is like buying insurance!!

[MamaDee]

O.K., so I've got a doe due in three weeks. Could someone walk me through this stuff?

On the kids....I do a cocci preventative like Di-Methox or a treatment type thing like Sulmet? And I need to de-worm them? What's the best? Hoeggers has dectomax, safe-guard, fenbendozole and ivermectin. How long after they are born do you start all this?

And for Mom.....de-worm her, too? But them, can I drink the milk? And...no treatment for cocci unless she shows symptoms, right? If I'm going to de-worm her, how long after kidding?


Oh, and the post about kids who have had cocci needing to be culled scared me a bit. We had a three month old who got it this spring (our worst time, too) She was treated with Albon and then Sulmet three weeks later. She seems fine now.....growing well and happy. Is she really damaged goods for life?

Dee