New doe is a mess...

[Cheryl in SD]

When she arrived the gal told me she has been kept in a lot with 50 other goats. She is giving good milk, but her coat is dirty and awful.

Specifically this means that while I could find no sign of fleas, we did worm her. She has a layer of dead skin and hair under her hair. What is the best way to clean her up? She can't be comfortable like that! She is sure a gentle thing. Already comes to see me when I can after just a couple of hours and is letting the kid we have stick right with her.

She is gentled to milking too. They were getting about 3/4 a gallon of milk morning and evening.

My question is...

Can I brush her out? Will daily brushing help? Should I give her a good washing?

Thanks,
Cheryl in SD

[mpillow]

By all means brush her....

You can bathe her too but be forewarned that goats hate water. Be sure to do it o a nice warm day with warm water so she doesnt get chilled and has time to dry before sunset.

She sounds much nicer than the first one!

[dale anne]

howdy....wait for a really warm day and give her a medicated bath..make sure she is dry by night fall....brushing a goat is always a good thing....if your weather is really warm this time of year ya may consider shaving her down so air can hit the skin and a new healthy coat can grow in....but only if real warm including nights...if the goat gets a chill illness will follow and can be hard to get rid of a times....can also add wheatgerm oil to food to help with skin conditioning and coat...i promise ya will see a huge difference in the coat if ya use the oil...dale anne

[Milking Mom]

I bathe my girls with Johnson's Baby Shampoo so I can wash their face and ears and everything without burning their eyes. I put them on the milk stand, trim their feet and then give them a bath. When I get them soaped up I use their brush to scrub down into their hair if they aren't shaved up yet. I use the waterhose on them, but like mentioned make sure it is a nice warm day and do it early enough that they will dry before night fall. Warning: Some goats like to run and jump in the sand while they are wet. :haha: Then....all that work was for nothing... :haha: Glad you like her. She sounds like a sweetheart. Black Oil Sunflower Seeds (WalMart) also helps with their skin coat and hair. I give each one of my girls about a cup morning and night over their grain when they are on the milk stand.

[BlessedMom]

Originally Posted by Cheryl in SD

She has a layer of dead skin and hair under her hair. What is the best way to clean her up? She can't be comfortable like that!

Hi Cheryl;
I got a goat like that too.
it was awful!
So it finally warmed up a bit and I shaved her down. Her entire coat. But it was still too cool to get her wet out there. The water comes straight down from the mountian and it is ice cold.
Anyhow, after I shaved her I've just been brushing her down good when we milk 2x a day. Wow does she look good!
I give her Sunflower seeds also.
I hopefully will be able to bathe her soon.

Lori