Lets talk about goats!

[H Diamond]

He was wormed a couple months back.
Lives in a very nice shed.. Spend most of the day free roaming and his nights in a shed to keep him and friends safe and warm.
Brand new goat owner so excuse my incompetence but I have no idea what you mean by fecal done.

That's ok, it's good to ask questions!! You take a fresh sample of poop to the vet and they check it for worm eggs.

 

[Dalton2400]

How often should I do this? Only when goats are sick? Would all vets be able to do this?

 

[Frindizzle]

Quote:
Okay, thanks, I'll check it out.

 

[politicalcenter]

That's ok, it's good to ask questions!! You take a fresh sample of poop to the vet and they check it for worm eggs.

The Fias farm website will tell you how to do your own worm checks but you need a microscope.

I bought a pretty good microscope for about a hundred bucks a couple years back ant it works well. But a cheaper way is to check the eyelids and gums. If the gums are pink and the eyelids pink intestinal worms are not your culprit.

We just got a new addition to our family today. Our pygmy doe (Nanny is her name) had one kid. I will probably try to post a picture later. The poor thing was born in an old livestock trailer and was covered in goat manure when we found it. I got some warm water and cleaned it up and dried it off. Then we put down fresh hay and closed Nanny and the baby off. I have not checked the sex of the little one and right now I am leaving them pretty much alone. It looks like a boys face.

The baby didn't seem to be nursing at first and would not take a bottle. But I am pretty sure it is nursing now. It is up moving around and its tail is wagging.

I bought goats to clear land and to eat. I just can't bring myself to eat one. I do sell one now and then.

 

[H Diamond]

The Fias farm website will tell you how to do your own worm checks but you need a microscope.

I bought a pretty good microscope for about a hundred bucks a couple years back ant it works well. But a cheaper way is to check the eyelids and gums. If the gums are pink and the eyelids pink intestinal worms are not your culprit.

Not always the case. Gums are a bad indicator as they are lots of different colors anyway. Lower eyelids are a better indicator. But. .. At any rate, lol, that only indicates anemia. Which has other causes as well, but you want to get a worm situation under control before the goat starts becoming anemic. Anemia can take a long time to correct and can be fatal. It's still a great idea to check eyelids... Very great idea, but use it in conjuction with your fecals.

I'm all about learning to do your own fecal though! I do my own. If you can't swing the cost of a microscope, and your vet charges too much, send them off to http://www.midamericaagresearch.net it's $5 a sample.

 

[RoosterCogburn7]

No recipes yet, no goats yet either.

It probably won't be until spring next year when I can get them as I need to afford fencing for them first.

I hear that. I am waiting on that as well, as fencing is usually the most expensive part. Build a leanto isn't bad

 

[Dalton2400]

Could someone teach a newbie all he has to know about head butting with goats? I have a heard of 3 goaties all under a year old 1 Pygmy girl 1 Pygmy male wether and a Nigerian dehorned wether... The male Pygmy seems to pick on the Nigerian a lot. Sometimes it looks playful and other times it looks like fighting. What's the difference between just a casual head butt to the head and head butts to the stomach and neck?

Thanks for the help!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Unfortunately what you are seeing is quite normal, especially in pygmies, they butt each other a lot, head on is usually mutual, to the side or back is a dominant goat doing what it does to a subordinate.

 

[Dalton2400]

Unfortunately what you are seeing is quite normal, especially in pygmies, they butt each other a lot, head on is usually mutual, to the side or back is a dominant goat doing what it does to a subordinate.

Is there any chance of serious harm to the goat getting head butted In the stomach and neck?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Yes, but it's doesn't happen often, considering how often goats butt each other, I did have one get a broken jaw, but that was once over many years of goat keeping. It sounds like you have two with horns and one without, that can be trouble sometimes as the one without can get bullied. We try to only keep dehorned now, we have had some success with using castration band for dehorning, otherwise a vet can do it under anesthesia.