Natural wormers

[jil101ca]

Are there natural things that you can feed a goat to help with worms? Or are the worm meds the only thing? I don't have goats yet but would like to know about preventive foods. We want to know as much as possible before we get the goats.

[themamahen]

herbs for worming
wormwood, black walnut hulls, garlic, cloves, southernwood, pine needles, tobacco, DE

Found this site today really like it.

http://www.7mfarm.com/goat-health.html

[BlueHeronFarm]

Living as far north as you do, you should be able to have good luck with herbals. Most worms thrive in warmer climates, so down here we have a tougher battle. Chemicals are a must.

No matter what you choose to use, you will want to use fecal analysis to be sure it is working.

I would suggest finding goat owners near you, visiting their herds to see how healthy they look and taking advice from people with good looking goats. Parasite management techniques vary a lot by region/climate.

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

Also remember you could worm with pickle juice when you are new. You simply won't have the parastie loads of someone with goats a really long time. You will have to worry about worms when your grass is green mid spring, and you will also have problems with winter worms that eat condition in your goats, where we rarely have problems with these down south.

Join your Canadian registry, find a goat club in your area. Find folks who have had goats, and are doing with them what you want, for years. Then find out what is working for them. Follow their management until you start fecal sampling and testing your own goats to see what may work better. Vicki

[jil101ca]

Thanks for the tips, I haven't found too many goat people around here but then again I haven't been looking very hard yet either.

[mommahen2four]

Originally Posted by Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians

Also remember you could worm with pickle juice when you are new. Vicki

Seriously!?!?! Pickle juice? Do they just drink it? Does that kill them or just inhibit things a bit or...?

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

No I mean that alot of folks are using chemical wormers and/or herbal wormers when the goats don't need either. Pickle Juice as in placebo. vicki

[mommahen2four]

Ha! I fell for it... (blushing)