Please give me your worming schedules .

[Helena]

Need to have some ideas for a new worming schedule for my goats. Please tell me what you all use and the amounts and how often. And for kids too. Have posted the last few days about the problems with my girls and worming on this forum. Thanks !!

[rhjacobi]

Hi Helena,

Worming schedules should be by when you need to worm and this may very during more parasite prone periods of the year. Most folks will determine the need to worm with fecal samples or by some physical signs such as the whitening of the gums or changing of hair coat hues. The fecal sample test is the most effective and it would tell you what parasites you are dealing with. The fecal sample tests will also let you know if your wormer is working.

We are currently using Ivomectin injectible (1cc/50 lbs), Safeguard (double the cattle dose per weight), Cydectin pour on -USED ONLY AS A DRENCH (5 ml/100 lbs) and Levesole (I'm not at home at the moment to check my notes on the dosage). The Ivomectin is our main wormer. The Safeguard is used only twice or three times a year for Barber Pole worms. There has been a lot written about resistance built up to Safeguard so we use it infrequently to try to avoid that. The Cydectin is a good wormer, but we have found one parasite that it is not effective against. There has also been some discussions about frequent use, such as in heavy parasite loads, could be harmful. We only use the Levesole on older and bigger kids and adults. This is because there may be a upper limit that could be toxic for goats that doesn't leave as much room for error as most other wormers. For example, there was a study that suggests that Ivomectin did not reach toxic levels in cattle even at 25 times the normal dosage. Unfortunately no one hardly ever seems to study goats.

If you are having a problem with a heavy parasite load, many would recommend a second worming in anywhere from 10 days to three weeks and perhaps again in another in another 10 days to three weeks. The fecal sample testing would help to confirm when you are starting to get the upper hand on it. I have saved a few heavily infested auction goats with even more frequent wormings with Ivermectin injectible.

I hope that this helps some.

Bob
Lynchburg, TN.

Originally Posted by Helena

Need to have some ideas for a new worming schedule for my goats. Please tell me what you all use and the amounts and how often. And for kids too. Have posted the last few days about the problems with my girls and worming on this forum. Thanks !!

[big rockpile]

Now this might sound like a bit much.But the test run just as much or more than the wormer,so I was Worming every month,just switch Wormers,so they would work better.

I know I did use Ivomectin can't remember what I switched off with.

big rockpile

[Jen H]

My worming schedule probably wouldn't help you at all, because everybody's set up and parasite load is different. I worm two times a year using Ivomec. If it looks like that isn't getting all of the parasites I add another worming with Safeguard (except it didn't work last time so I switched to Cydectin).

Watch your goats. That's how anyone figures out their worming schedule. Is one of them starting a dry cough with no symptoms of being sick or allergies? Are the droppings getting kind of soft without any change in the feed or pasture? Mark those things on your calendar and next year plan on worming them 2 weeks before that date.

[okiemom]

Hi,

We too have been fighting worms from day one. We are in the process of adding rotational grazing to our program. We were spending so much money on worming that I had to find some way to not deworm so often. we were worming every 6 weeks w/ ivemec and Cydectin. That gets expensive.

the changes we have made so far help.

Before does kid ( week) worm them and place them in a clean pen/pasture. This helps keep kids from getting infected so quickly.

If there is a heavy load ( given by fecals) worm and then worm again 10 days later.

Moving their shelter every so often also helps. Worm eggs can be damaged if desicated.

If able I would try to burn off the pasture every spring. most times this is not practical.

We are now breeding for and culling worms that take too frequent worming. i am wanting to make the goats resistant naturally. There is much research on this. Some breeds seem to be worse than others.

What works for the guy down the street very will might not work for you. Find your goats comfort level on worming. Just some of my ideas. katharine