I want to have my goats tested for everything necessary... Just to be sure... I feel like they have stopped growing... they are 6-7 months old and still small... I want to make sure I am doing everything I can... I am feeding sweet grain and corn mix and I know I could be feeding better but am not sure what to feed them for their age... I know I want to feed BOSS but not sure of portions... But I know I need to have them tested but I would like to know the tests first and what they are for... and effects.. and what extra mineral should I be feeding? I do worm every month (3 weeks i think) with cyditcin and dust for lice every 2 months ....
Emilea
I believe we have all told you what you should be doing before. You need to do it to see a difference. At this point it may be to late to do alot of good.
First off you should not be needing to worm every 3 weeks with cydectin. If you do your management has serious problems. Cydectin is for stomach worms. Your goats need to be eating in a clean enviroment not reinfesting themselves over and over again.
They should be getting coccidia prevention every 3 weeks for 5 days with dimethox.
Sweet feed is not good for goats . You can feed a comercial goat feed or a home mix. 4 parts oats , 1 cracked corn and 1 boss. For babies I like to add 1 calf manna to the mix. Alfalfa pellets are great .
Minerals ~ if you cannot find a good goat mineral find a good cow one with plenty of copper.
You should not be having a lice problem now if the goats are outside for a good part of the day . If you are clean there inside pen . Strip everything dust with 7 dust and rebed.
At this point the goats may be stunted from not recieving proper care . They may never grow to there full potential. If you are lucky they are just in a slow spot.
Testing ~ I would have fecals run for stomach worms and coccidia. Cae , cl , to start for blood work.
You need to read and read more but reading alone will not make your goats better only better management will.
Patty
First off you should not be needing to worm every 3 weeks with cydectin. If you do your management has serious problems. Cydectin is for stomach worms. Your goats need to be eating in a clean enviroment not reinfesting themselves over and over again.
They should be getting coccidia prevention every 3 weeks for 5 days with dimethox.
Sweet feed is not good for goats . You can feed a comercial goat feed or a home mix. 4 parts oats , 1 cracked corn and 1 boss. For babies I like to add 1 calf manna to the mix. Alfalfa pellets are great .
Minerals ~ if you cannot find a good goat mineral find a good cow one with plenty of copper.
You should not be having a lice problem now if the goats are outside for a good part of the day . If you are clean there inside pen . Strip everything dust with 7 dust and rebed.
At this point the goats may be stunted from not recieving proper care . They may never grow to there full potential. If you are lucky they are just in a slow spot.
Testing ~ I would have fecals run for stomach worms and coccidia. Cae , cl , to start for blood work.
You need to read and read more but reading alone will not make your goats better only better management will.
Patty
I have never had a problem with worms or lice... the vet i use to use told me I should be worming and dusting every month... We clean our barns with bleach water and cleaner.... we clean our feeders and water buckets about every two weeks... We spray for the flys etc.. and keep everything trimmed down so no really high areas..The last cocci meds I ran was probably at leaset a month ago... but they seem to be fine in that area.. the test came back good after the meds... (I have them tested for that every so often) They act healthy and play and jump... they just seem like they have stopped growning... And I know I have so far provided good care for them... I just feel like I am missing something.. My babies and one of my big nannies wont eat anything but the sweet feed... Thats why I am looking for other ideas I have tried purina goat chow and 50/50 and goat power... but they will not eat any of it... ( I am mixing it with corn chops--they love that too) I am just at a loss with the food I don't want them to lose weight because they don't like the new feed... But I have made a mineral holder for loose mineral... other than the blocks I have out.. I have a salt block and a red mineral block. I do not have any current problems with them other than feeling like they are not growning right now... but I did want to see what everyone tests for... to make sure they don't have anything...
Maybe its time to find a new Vet then. You do not want to worm or treat for anything unless needed. Cydectin is about the last wormer that works for us by worming every month you are doing over kill. There is not another wormer to go to when it stops working. Do not worm unless you do a fecal or know other signs to look for . If I were you I would learn to do my own fecals.
You girls may go on strike for a few days when you cut out sweet feed but trust me they will start eating the new grain. Think of it as giving you kids nothing but cookies to eat the switching to veggies . They will protest hoping to change your mind but they will give in after a short while.
You girls may go on strike for a few days when you cut out sweet feed but trust me they will start eating the new grain. Think of it as giving you kids nothing but cookies to eat the switching to veggies . They will protest hoping to change your mind but they will give in after a short while.
I was also told they need to be treated for cocci once a month?? I did switch vets the one who told me that stuff is not goat smart.. (and she killed my dog by giving him the wrong meds at the office) but I have not been going long enough to pick his brain about all the bad info I have got from my old vet... so do they need to be treated for cocci once a month? two of them had it a few months back but I get demethox and have had no problems with it since then. And the last two days all they have eaten was hay... I mixed the goat chow with corn and boss... they are still on strike... they look at me like I am evil... maybe tomorrow they will give in!
No, you dont need to treat for cocci once a month. Healthy goats dont often get cocci. All you need to do medication-wise is keep up with the yearly vaccinations, and find a worming schedule that works for you. Definitly not every 3 weeks! We only worm several times a year, but we have several different pastures, which dilutes the worm population and slows the worm cycle.
If you dont have a problem with lice, you dont need to dust them. Just look them over in the spring, through all that wooly winter hair, and see if they have lots of dandruff and if their dandruff has legs. Then you need to dust. Lice do not often bother goats that are healthy, are in clean living quarters, and have access to sunlight and fresh air.
The goats should defintily give in after a while. They'll get hungry for their grain. 2 days isnt very long, and before you know it they will be eating the new mix like it is all the food they get!
How big are they exactly? What breed? They may have just stopped growing so fast, but may be still growing. An easy way to check is to take a picture of each one every month or so, and then you can look back and see thier growth rate from kid to young adult.
Do you have any of these books? (below) Check them out from a library, or just buy them, if oyu dont. I guarentee they are excellent, and should be on any goatkeepers shelf!
Storey's Guide to Raising Goats; by Jerry Belanger
This book has general goat info. It is the one I use most for genreal reference.
The Illustrated Standard of the Dairy Goat; by Nancy Lee Owen
This book tell you what your goats are supposed to look like.
Extension Goat Handbook; by George F. W. Haenlein and Donald L. Ace
This is a pretty "in depth" book. It explains everything about manegment, nutrition, genetics, milk, anatomy, health, etc... in great detail. You name it, it explains it.
Caprine Supply's Goatkeeping 101, second edition
This is a good general reference book that is a collection of articles from caprine supply's magazine. It also contains resources, such as goat clubs, associations, magazines, and registries for the US.
Please, give these books a try! They will answer most of your questions!
Good luck.
If you dont have a problem with lice, you dont need to dust them. Just look them over in the spring, through all that wooly winter hair, and see if they have lots of dandruff and if their dandruff has legs. Then you need to dust. Lice do not often bother goats that are healthy, are in clean living quarters, and have access to sunlight and fresh air.
The goats should defintily give in after a while. They'll get hungry for their grain. 2 days isnt very long, and before you know it they will be eating the new mix like it is all the food they get!
How big are they exactly? What breed? They may have just stopped growing so fast, but may be still growing. An easy way to check is to take a picture of each one every month or so, and then you can look back and see thier growth rate from kid to young adult.
Do you have any of these books? (below) Check them out from a library, or just buy them, if oyu dont. I guarentee they are excellent, and should be on any goatkeepers shelf!
Storey's Guide to Raising Goats; by Jerry Belanger
This book has general goat info. It is the one I use most for genreal reference.
The Illustrated Standard of the Dairy Goat; by Nancy Lee Owen
This book tell you what your goats are supposed to look like.
Extension Goat Handbook; by George F. W. Haenlein and Donald L. Ace
This is a pretty "in depth" book. It explains everything about manegment, nutrition, genetics, milk, anatomy, health, etc... in great detail. You name it, it explains it.
Caprine Supply's Goatkeeping 101, second edition
This is a good general reference book that is a collection of articles from caprine supply's magazine. It also contains resources, such as goat clubs, associations, magazines, and registries for the US.
Please, give these books a try! They will answer most of your questions!
Good luck.
The Purina Chow near us is saturated with molasses and contains urea.Both these are bad for goats in the wrong amounts.Your goats are probably trying to tell you something.I would listen to them.They can't eat enough mineral from a block to do any good.They need a lot of forage to develop a good rumen.Hope this helps some.Oh! what breed of goat are we talking about?
Goats should be given coccidia prevention every 3 weeks until 5-6 months or weaning. All goat have coccidia period. The main time it is a problem is when they are young. If they have an over load and it is not treated properly there could be scarring of the stomach which will not let them absorb as much from what they eat. Then you have a stunted unthrifty goat who will never grow or produce to its genetic potential.
The above mentioned books may be OK for a pet but not for animals you need to produce and hold there own. The only book you need is Goat Medicine by Dr Mary Smith.
When listening to advice via the internet you need to research it yourself also. You need to weed out who is hobby raising and who is raising for profit . wether it be for show meat or milk. My goats not only pay for themselves but also give me a paycheck.
Patty
The above mentioned books may be OK for a pet but not for animals you need to produce and hold there own. The only book you need is Goat Medicine by Dr Mary Smith.
When listening to advice via the internet you need to research it yourself also. You need to weed out who is hobby raising and who is raising for profit . wether it be for show meat or milk. My goats not only pay for themselves but also give me a paycheck.
Patty
As to feeding, I feed a mix of 6 parts purina, 2 parts alfalfa pellets, 1 part BOSS, and 1 part shredded beet pulp. I feed up hay feeders 1x per day with a quality alfalfa/grass mix hay. Water, minerals, and baking soda are availible at all times. My browse is very down in the doe pen this time of year, yet my goats all hold their weight well. Kids grow out well, too. I feed my miniatures (who are kinda meat type) and my dairy does differently. My mini does get grain starting 2 weeks before kidding and they're weaned off at 2 weeks post kidding. They only get 1 cup per day. My dairy does start getting their grain ration 2 weeks before kidding as well, but they are fed 1 lb per 3 lbs milk produced per day through lactation. All does are flushed with about a cup per doe starting a month before the breeding season... flushing is discontinued when all are preggo. Bucks and wethers NEVER get grain. The bucks don't even get hay in the summer because the pasture is lush enough to sustain the two of them.
I have never had to treat for cocci in 6 years, and I've had 19 kids born here... not as much as some of the larger breeders, but I've never delt with cocci... AND I breed for summer kiddings. And just like worms, cocci can become resistant to whatever sulfa drug you're working with. I do keep dimethox on hand because I know some day my luck in that matter will probably run out.
I worm my goats once or twice per year, as needed. Some years it's more, like 3 or 4, but I've had good luck in that department too. I do worm all does after they kid out, and the bucks get done at least when the first frost hits and usually during spring/summer. The kids get wormed when their shots are given. Once again, over medicating can cause resistance, so to only treating when needed is important.
I rarely have problems with lice. I have had lice here a couple times. With a barn cleaning and dusting of the housing and goats themselves, the lice go away. Once again, I only treat when needed.
I have never had to treat for cocci in 6 years, and I've had 19 kids born here... not as much as some of the larger breeders, but I've never delt with cocci... AND I breed for summer kiddings. And just like worms, cocci can become resistant to whatever sulfa drug you're working with. I do keep dimethox on hand because I know some day my luck in that matter will probably run out.
I worm my goats once or twice per year, as needed. Some years it's more, like 3 or 4, but I've had good luck in that department too. I do worm all does after they kid out, and the bucks get done at least when the first frost hits and usually during spring/summer. The kids get wormed when their shots are given. Once again, over medicating can cause resistance, so to only treating when needed is important.
I rarely have problems with lice. I have had lice here a couple times. With a barn cleaning and dusting of the housing and goats themselves, the lice go away. Once again, I only treat when needed.
One thing to remember is that the OP is in Arkansas and down here in missouri/arkansas area, worms and cocci loads are much, much, much more of a problem than in Michigan.
you should not have plain salt and a mineral out. the salt in the mineral block/loose is what attracts your goats to it. not the minerals. the minerals are incorporated in correct proportions to the amount of salt needed. your goats could easily be getting all the salt they need from a plain salt block and then have no reason to eat the stuff with the minerals in it. in other words, they do not get a craving for different minerals, they only get a craving for salt and get the minerals along with it.
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