We are the proud new owners of a new little doeling who will be coming home in about 12 days at 10 weeks old! I am having a hard time figuring out how to separate her from the three goats we already have. First off, I bought all of my first goats from one farm. They are all very healthy and have been wormed since arriving here. Two are only 12 weeks old. I do not have a barn, but rather a 10x10 shed that they call home.
We were going to make a separate area next to the current yard, however I now realize that there needs to be space in between them. So I was going to use combo panels to make a movable pen. Have a dog crate that fits a Great Dane for shelter, so that is handled. My main concern is her being alone. She is just finishing treatment for cocci, and judging from the FAMACHA scale she needs to be wormed. I would love to buy someone else to put with her, but that is not possible at the moment. So, how long will she need to be by herself? Please help me figure this out guys :)
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Oh, that is great news Kirsten. I can't wait to see your pictures.
Thank you! It is a blessing. I will post pictures when they come home :)
Congratulations! it's great when things work out like that!
Kirsten Lowe said:
That is a great website. Thank you for the link. The breeder has used Ivomec in the past, but not recently. So she will be wormed with that.
There is an update to this story! We decided to purchase her mom who just came up for sale!! So baby and momma (who is a 1st freshner in milk :) will be quarantined together for a month until I feel it's okay to add them to the herd. At first I was against adding another doe, but her mom is just a beauty with great TwinCreeks bloodlines. It made sense the more I thought about it. I couldn't be more happy!
You should not deworm a goat unless they really need it based upon FAMACHA score, body condition, or other diagnostic tool. And if they need to be dewormed, they should not be put back with the herd. I was going to give you a link to an article about "Smart Drenching," but when I went to the ACSRPC website, I see that they have completely revamped it! It looks good though -- http://www.sheepandgoat.com/ACSRPC/ -- and there is a good general article on the home page now about worm control by Dr. Steve Hart, who is one of only four field parasitologists in the US who studies parasites in small ruminants, so the man knows his stuff. The article includes info on dewormers, dosages, and milk withdrawal times.
If the breeder really does not like Valbazen, you could go with the ivomec. It should work for barberpole. If she doesn't use it, then there probably is not an issue with worm resistance to it.
Yes, she is going to be a breeding and possible show animal. I will use the Valbazen I believe. Just need to research how much, and how often. The breeder does not like that wormer because she believes it is very hard on kids. She made it very clear she will not use it on her kids. So... I am trying to avoid getting on her bad side, as I do consider her a friend. My husband made a portable pen with 4 combo panels. So two kids in a 16X16 area with a very large dog crate to sleep in. I do not feed anything off the ground, so I hope this will help. Should I worm them both again before combining everyone?
I know it seems like a young age to put the guy to work, but it would be the least stressful scenario for the doeling, which I'm assuming will be a breeding animal.
If you can keep the two of them in a barn stall or dry lot, it's less likely that he'd get parasites than if they were in a pasture with grass. Barberpole is transmitted from goat to goat when the larvae get on grass, and the goats eat it. No grass generally means a very low level of transmission, provided you are not putting their hay on the ground. You could also put them in a portable pen outside so that they are on fresh grass every day. With two kids, a 8 X 8 puppy playpen would work fine.
If her eyelids are pale, it is probably barberpole, and either one of those dewormers works fine for that. The Valbazen would also take care of tapes in case she'd happen to have them.
Deborah, you are right. That is why I agreed to purchase a wether in the first place as well. I just was unsure of putting him together because he is only 12 weeks old, and was wethered two weeks ago. Still, he does have a job. My concern was having to treat two goats instead of just one should anything pop up. The farm she is at has many more goats than we do, and uses herbal wormers. Their overall health is very good other than the typical parasite problems everyone sees from time to time. I have no experience with herbal wormers, but here we use Ivormec or Valbazen. Which one would you give to her while she is still at the breeders? Or should I use both? She is eight weeks old, and I will be up there tomorrow. Thank you for taking the time to help me make all these newbie decisions.
If you are not picking her up for two weeks, and you know she has parasites now, she should be treated now. In two weeks, she should be fine. I used to use my wethers as companions for new animals and would again if I bought any new goats. They tend to be very easy keepers, having no hormonal demands on their bodies, so their resistance to parasites is very high. Every animal on my farm has a job, and the job of the wethers is to let me know when does are in heat and to be a companion for a new goat.
Margaret,
Thank you for your reply. she is big enough to be contained with combo panels thank goodness!! I just worry about her being alone. I do have chickens, but they don't like our goats at all. My dogs are not trusted around them yet either. Will it help to have them in sight of each other, just far enough away? I wish I could buy another girl to keep with her, but I do not want to overwhelm myself, and get in over my head. Then I would not be able to keep any of the babies born on this farm. I do have a wether who is 3 weeks older than she is, but he is very healthy, and I don't like the idea of subjecting him to something if I can help it. AHHHH. I hope I am making a bigger deal about this than need to, and it all goes smoothly.
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