Can you treat fields to prevent parasites?

[Rashashea]

I live in good ole Kentucky....love it but hate that with the soggy ground this summer my goats seem to be getting parasites easier. Is there anything to help prevent them getting parasites? I feed them in feeders and check their eyes regularly. They drink from a spring that comes from a cave on our property could that be bad for them? Hubby thought maybe we could treat the pasture?
Varsey

[Doug Hodges]

Im going for the ride on this one. Looking to see whats said.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Divide into small paddocks and rotate horses through each paddock after the goats.

[Doug Hodges]

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

Divide into small paddocks and rotate horses through each paddock after the goats.

What does that do?

[mygoat]

I don't know of 'treatments' to put on pastures.

BUT - look up pasture management. There is a LOT you can do to prevent worms in that aspect.

[punchiepal]

Horses don't carry the same parasites that goats do. Run the goats, they poop out the eggs, move goats to a new pasture and put the horses where the goats were so the horses eat the hatched parasite eggs. Since they are not in their host animal they die and the cycle is stopped.

[Doug Hodges]

Originally Posted by punchiepal

Horses don't carry the same parasites that goats do. Run the goats, they poop out the eggs, move goats to a new pasture and put the horses where the goats were so the horses eat the hatched parasite eggs. Since they are not in their host animal they die and the cycle is stopped.

Now that's cool. Ive got to get that fence built so I can move my horses into the goat pasture and vice versa. I noticed my weeds are getting a lot bigger in the horse pasture and my Bermuda is getting deeper in the goat pasture.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Here's a magazine the I subscribed to when I had Beefmaster cattle. AWESOME information about pasture management.

https://www.stockmangrassfarmer.com/index.php

[punchiepal]

http://www.ehow.com/info_8727236_lim...e-control.html

Has anyone ever tried liming? Wonder if this works. I remembered reading about it a few years ago and just found this.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Article on parasite control with multi-species grazing.
http://www.kerrcenter.com/past-event...esentation.pdf

[mygoat]

Ugh. What if you dont like or own horses? Lmao!

[o&itw]

Originally Posted by Rashashea

Can you treat fields to prevent parasites?

Varsey

The Geneva convention prohibits the use of nuclear ordinance for agricultural purposes.

[saanengirl]

Originally Posted by mygoat

Ugh. What if you dont like or own horses? Lmao!

Follow the goats with cattle instead

[mygoat]

Yeah, I also don't have cattle... nor does any cattle owner I've asked locally even know what johnes disease is... lol.

[Phil V.]

I've used lime to get rid of fleas in the yard. Don't know if it would work on parasites or not. I have a riding lawn mower that the deck was no good on that I pulled a lawn spreader with to spread the lime with to cover ground faster than walking it.

[Clovers_Clan]

Originally Posted by mygoat

Ugh. What if you dont like or own horses? Lmao!

How about a Shetland pony? They're just like goats... same size and every bit as cantankerous! ;-)

[Bret4207]

Rotation is probably the surest way to help. Diatomaceous earth (sp) spread on the fields will help with some parasites.

[paintpony]

Rotation, and keep the goats off of that paddock and make hay when the grass gets too high. Parasites don't live in the hay. Let the paddock rest and grow back to 6 to 8 inches before putting goats back on that paddock.

[southerngurl]

If you really want to keep the parasites down, rotate yearly. They can't survive a year on pasture without a host.

[sammyd]

http://www.sheep101.info/201/parasite.html
is a pretty good page on parasites.