[BrushBuster]

been thinking about trying this stuff as it would be easier than drenching. worms are a big problem in this area and i hate to risk the health of my goats.
how many of you use it?
how long?
with what results?

 

[Lt. Wombat]

Hoegger's is pure wormwood. We have used it for about a year now, the ranch down the road for 2 years. Never had a worm before and don't have any now.

Not sure if that's a good testimonial or not but it's factual none the less

 

[russellsmom]

I used it and liked it. I mix it with their purina goat chow, it sticks to the molasses and the goats eat it right up. My goats didn't care for the taste of it plain.
The downside is that you must use it weekly.

 

[Sarah J]

It isn't actually pure wormwood. The ingredients listed include four or five different herbs, ONE of which is wormwood. I have the ingredients list outside in the shed so don't have it with me but it included wormwood, fennel and a few others. It sure SMELLS better than the others!

I've been using it for several months and have not had a problem. I mix it with their grain on the milking stand - they won't eat it plain, but don't seem to mind if it's mixed in. Yes, you use it once a week, but you also only give them 1 1/2 teaspoons of it each week, per goat. And to not have to fight them to get a drench down their throats is certainly worth it to me, even if I *wasn't* intent on using a natural de-wormer.

Sarah

 

[oldmcdonaldsfarm]

I guess my goats are picky. I've tried it in the past, mixed it in their grain, and they wouldn't touch it.

 

[K. Sanderson]

My goats didn't like the herbal wormer very much -- no molasses in their feed, so it didn't stick. However, I think they were getting enough of it to do them some good, because we didn't have any worm problems while we were using it. And I gave it to my dogs, also.

I'm getting goats again, hopefully in about ten days to two weeks, and plan to use this wormer again. I'll probably add a little molasses to their feed *only* on the day I administer the wormer, just to get them to eat the correct amount.

Kathleen

 

[All country]

We've used it for 3 years now. We've had excellent results and will continue to use it. Our goats seem much healthier than when we used other type wormers.

 

[Mrs_stuart]

We use it and have been for only about 6 months. We have four goats on only less than a 1 acre lot so worming is important for us. We feel like it is working great. We give it to our goat on some of their fav treats...raisen, or oats or apples...then they eat it. Our newest goat seemed to not want it at first but we started giving her treats to find out what she really liked and now we only give her that treat with wormer.

Belinda

 

[BrushBuster]

i think i'll go ahead and give it a try. any of yall ever done any fecal testing while using it?

 

[witchysharon]

I read some information on goats by a family that raised goats for over 50 years, and they said they fed them a few black walnut leaves once a month and they never had a problem with worms. This is apparently because worms and insects avoid black walnut trees and you probably won't even find earth worms around the base of a black walnut tree.
Since we don't have black walnut leaves readily available nearby, I did a search for an herbal wormer which might contain black walnut and came up with this website http://fiascofarm.com/herbs/wormer.htm#herbala

I order the Formula #1 Herbal Wormwood Combination - "refill". (I don't use the tonic) It is a powder which is shipped in a plastic bag, and I give my goats a tablespoon for three days in a row at first (in spring) then a tablespoon once every two months after. There was not a significant worm count (it is normal for goats to have some worms) in their fecal samples the vet took, so the herbal wormer seems to work great.

It also contains some of the same herbs the Hoegger wormer has, but I have tried both and the goats prefer the taste of Molly's wormer. At first I started to mix it in their food, but they acted like they wanted to eat it right out of the bag, so I offered it to them in their feeders without grain and they licked the feeder clean!!

 

[geminigoats]

I personally have not ventured into herbal wormers due to the fact we live in a very wormy area. I have not ruled it out though. Anyone use this thats in the southern states, like TX or AR? I'd be very interested in knowing if it worked or not.

I began worming by the full moon about a yr ago, it does work. I read that in a goat organization newsletter. The logic there is that the worms are detached from the stomach wall when the moon is full and therefore flush out easier.

Bernice

 

[geminigoats]

OOPS...forgot to mention that wormwood is not good to give a pregnant animal according to my herbal books. It is used for flushing out worms, however, it is also a member of the "Rue" family which is a bitter herb. Humans can take it for gastric upsets and it aids in glaabladder troubles. I'll see whatelse I can find on it.

Bernice

 

[Lt. Wombat]

Gemini I wonder if that means NEVER give to a pregger or don't START a pregger on it?

We have used it non stop for 2 breeding seasons without any ill. No aborts, low birth weights or anything.

 

[geminigoats]

Thanks Country Boy for the Happy Faces, they sure made me smile a warm smile Just what I needed on a rainy Monday morning!

As for the wormwood and pregnancys, I haven't had time yet to look to find the book with it, been a busy weekend getting ready for winter here on the farm, in the rain......no less. But thats a good thing, we needed the rain, been dry for almost 2 months now. But I thought about what you said and ya know.........its a good example of what works for some and what may or may not work for others in experiences. Your experiences with using wormwood in a wormer and not experiencing any problems gave me some insight and hope into trying it. To givve an example of my own, I have used ivomectrin as a wormer for yrs on our goats, both pregnant and not pregnant with no problems. Then we went to Cydectrin, that worked fine, on both pregnant and non pregnant, til one doe. We used it on her and I am not 100% sure, but think it was the cause of her giving birth to a normal doe kid and the other (twins) with 3 legs. The 3 legged one was a buck who soon died after. But this is a doe too who had a strong urge to be a mother and who decided to breed again 3 months after she lost her kid in Dec. The baby was born dead, full term almost. So there could have been other variables there too at work.

Well....its that time of day, must go to work. More later.

Bernice

 

[Hank - Narita]

Bernice, now I know what happened to my alpine doe's other leg. I had twins born to my Alpine in March; one with only 3 legs. She lived fine and got around just like her sister with 4 legs. We sold her for butcher at 2 months old.

 

[debitaber]

our goqats in michigan do get worms. because of the humitidy, and the temp. changes. I don't use a herbal wormer, I am allergic to herbs. and they interfere with many medications that people take. and I didn''t like the idea of drinking wormer in my milk. think about it.

 

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

I would not purchase a goat from someone who (especially those who do not fecal sample and worm "because") wormed them monthly with chemical wormers, I would not purchase a goat from someone who needed to worm them weekly with herbs. Look up wormwood in any catalog it is an abortive agent.

We basically know the milk withdrawal of most chemical wormers, either from cattle, or from Goat Medicine...we have no idea what the withdrawal time is for herbal wormers, and since each herbal blend is made up by someone, each batch is different, contains differing amounts of whatever the person chooses.

The deaths and loss of production (meat and milk) from worms is always found in those who use herbal wormers on these lists, or they are using chemical wormers incorrectly. We have been doing these lists for a very long time, come spring the deaths from worms starts...herbal wormers, DE or never worming is always the case. 99% of the time from goats in the south.

You can save yourself alot of grief and alot of money, by fecal sampling (10$ at most vets) ask them what worms you have and how many eggs per gram you have,. worm, then run another fecal to see if your wormer is working. Or learn to do this yourself saanendoah.com teaches you how, and you don't need any kind of expensive microscope, even a Toy's R us special with a light source will work. Then you are no longer guessing what works or what doesn't.

Anyone who is in the south with more than a handful of goats who is reading this thread, you are playing with the life of your goats to worm with herbs, DE or soap in the water, without fecal sampling. Worms kill, it's just that simple.

And I would bet that I worm less than most of you with my chemical wormers, which means less money spent, less drug in the goats liver for it to process, a known milk and meat withdrawal...so which one is more natural? Vicki

 

[debitaber]

very well put Vicki, we do the same way you do exactly. Just safer that way, and my kids, aren't being consently wormed either. [I live in the north].My vet does my fecals, I haven't learned how yet. and then we take it from there, and worm with what we need to worm for. My animals are healthy. and happy, and I have beautiful kids from them.