Bad mother for not bathing her goats?

CarolynRenee · #1 05/06/08, 08:41 PM

Was outside putting the goats up for the night, figured I'd spend some quality "scratch'n" time with them & brush them. Then I realized that I have not given my goats a bath. Ever. Not that I've had them terribly long (under 2 years), and I do brush them several times a week, but am I supposed to be bathing them? Or just if they get really, really dirty? They are not show goats, and I'm sure show people give their goats a bath, but mine are just homesteading gals.

Alice In TX/MO · #2 05/06/08, 08:44 PM

HHHmmmmmm. I've only had goats just over a year, but I haven't bathed one, either.

Minelson · #3 05/06/08, 08:45 PM

Thank you for asking this question..I have wondering the same thing. I have had Gretta since Fall and now the babies...they are pretty dirty and Flossie actually has grease on her back from going under the tractor. I have been wanting to wash it off... when I scratch them my hands get real dirty. I do brush them regularly...I have no clue on how to give a goat a bath and figure they won't like it a bit and I will have a fight on my hands

Goat Servant · #4 05/06/08, 10:01 PM

The only time I bathe a goat is if its summertime and she is going to a show...sometimes I spot clean them with "Cowboy Magic" Otherwise a little brushing does wonders.
Grease? Maybe some of that mechanic's stuff.
And no they don't really like it either! Thats when a utility stand comes in right handy!

RiverPines · #5 05/06/08, 10:20 PM

I never bath goats. Goats hate water.
I dont think the goats running free in their native lands are bathing.
If any livestock gets that dirty that they have to be cleaned, a simple hosing down in good enough.

The bathing chore is saved for the 'pets' like the dogs!!

LomahAcres · #6 05/06/08, 10:41 PM

Yuk, my goats hate getting wet, and I don't like wet unhappy goats.

I've bathed a few kids in the sink, colostrum is sticky, and first meals can be messy, but never an adult goat.

I guess maybe if you're going to the shows, or your goat has a skin condition, or you're just a weird sort of neat freak, then you might. But other wise, I'd skip it. Come to think of it, I don't really brush them much either. Sure their bellys and udder get a go over before every milking, but that's about it.

My goats love to roll in the dirt, and it doesn't bother me.

CarolynRenee · #7 05/07/08, 10:40 AM

Now that I think about it, I guess goats really DO hate water. When it rains (or even a drizzle) the goats are in their barn & WONT come out, not even for grain. Apparently they think it's acid rain.

Acid rain! Run away! Run away!!!

Backfourty,MI. · #8 05/07/08, 04:33 PM

I have had goats going on 4 yrs & never bathed one of mine. I think I'd be wetter than they would by the time we were done. I just brush them & they love that.

Minelson · #9 05/07/08, 04:49 PM

Whew! This is great...now I can scratch "bathing goats" of my to-do list

CookingPam777 · #10 05/08/08, 07:51 AM

Our place got real muddy and my doe was in heat and meant murder to my baby and stomped it's face in the mud so I had to give it a bath. It was okay. When that doe is in heat she's a mad monster. The baby is now older and almost her size. I told her she better watch out cause when the baby gets a little bigger she'll beat the snot out of her and unless she would get hurt or die I ain't helping her out. You know just bullying around stuff. Right now she rams the baby out of nowhere. I have had to spank her and she has calmed way down. If I give the baby food I must go with a stick in hand. And they are just afraid of the stick so they don't have to get in trouble and don't even mess with her. So yes I give my goats a bath from time to time. I would do it once a year when it super hot outside as I find they think it's refreshing.

tioga12 · #11 05/08/08, 12:10 PM

Can't say as we've ever bathed goats here either...
well, there was one last year who had been scouring pretty badly after kidding, and as spring came on her skin was flaking a lot, likely due to lack of nourishment during the weeks she was down...so I got out some of my goat milk, honey, and oatmeal soap and scrubbed her down. She looked (and I think felt) better after that.

**mygoat** · #12 05/08/08, 01:29 PM

I keep all my goats clean and clipped during the summer. I bathe them before each haircut. They don't like being hosed down, but the bathing doesn't bother them all that much. Just make sure it's warm out, like 70* and sunny. I put mine up in the milkstand for the entire process, restraint keeps them calmer.

I just like to bathe and clip them, they look nicer and are more presentable. Dark goats also don't overheat so much with clipped hair - I always feel bad for unshaven, heavily pregnant goats. And, If/When I do pack them up for show, it's just a bathe and a quick shave a few days before we leave and they're ready.

Also, in spring my buck looses patches of hair from rubbing, trying to get his cashmere to come out. I just bathe and clip him to prevent TOO MUCH hair loss, lol. Right now he's looking all patchy but he'll get his hair back in a few weeks here.

I usually dust my goats all after their first haircut to prevent lice infestation after the long winter.

The dark accumulation on your hands after a good goat-scratching is dust/dirt and their natural body oils, nothing to worry about.

Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians · #13 05/08/08, 01:39 PM

Even our non show goats get a bath before their summer clipping. Getting all that winter hair off, makes them not only look better, but they feel better. Bath one day, clipped the next with a good brushing they are bucking through the pasture. We tease that nobody would steal one of our shaggy goats during the winter here, once shaved they are a completely different looking animal.

But you are right, good brushing down to the skin is enough. It stimulates their skin to produce oils that keep out dandruff. If you are plagued with lice and mites thought, a bath a shave and a good barn cleaning, no more lice or mites. Vicki

Cygnet · #14 05/08/08, 02:30 PM

I bathe my pack goat, but I think that's more for my benefit than his. LOL. I HATES it, but if I'm going to be in close company with him on a hike, he's gonna get a shampoo beforehand.

One thing to keep in mind with is that if you bathe a goat, you strip the natural water-repelling oils from their hair. This is not an issue if you have a dry barn. With my pack goat, I wait a couple of days before taking him out on the trail if I expect him to get wet -- either from rain or swimming a creek. If his coat has had time for the natural oils to work back through it, he dries off a lot faster and doesn't get nearly as cold, even if he's in water up to his ears.

(And yeah, goats can swim. Reluctantly.)

-- Leva

Jillis · #15 05/08/08, 06:24 PM

Giving goats baths...hmmm...somehow I got a picture in my mind of a goat reclining in a Victorian claw foot tub with a plastic pouf on its head and a back scrubbing brush in its hoof.

I have never given a goat a bath!

Jillis · #16 05/08/08, 06:30 PM

I have had goats in my bathtub, though.

You know you're a redneck when you have goats living in your bathtub.

crazygoatgal · #17 05/09/08, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jillis

I have had goats in my bathtub, though.

You know you're a redneck when you have goats living in your bathtub.

Not just goats, though. How about rabbits, guineas, chickens, ducks, and a hamster(all were babies of course). A friend came over recently and asked what I now had living in my bathroom before she would go in there. I guess my reputation precedes me.

Starsmom · #18 05/09/08, 01:25 PM

I have bathed mine on occassion. Usually around fair time or just before clipping to make it easier. I have given them bathes right from the hose and they really hate that. So, here is what I do, I fill a small trough with water in the morning and let it sit until it warms up. Then I get them into the tub...not always an easy task, but after a time or two they figure it out. Then I bathe them in that and they don't get chilled with warm outside and cold water. Yes, wear a rain suit as you will get just as wet as they do!

Jillis · #19 05/09/08, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazygoatgal

Not just goats, though. How about rabbits, guineas, chickens, ducks, and a hamster(all were babies of course). A friend came over recently and asked what I now had living in my bathroom before she would go in there. I guess my reputation precedes me.

Oh yes, I remember your incontinent bunny. It looked dead every time I went in there. I thought it was a smelly decoration for the longest time.