parasites

Deborah Niemann-Boehle March 16, 2010 at 10:30am

Yep! Same thing happened to me! That's how I lost my first buck.

Deborah Phelps said:

If you've purchased your goats from someone else, you need to ask them what they worm with and what their herd is resistant to. I was doing fine using safeguard; brought in a doe from another herd that was safeguard resistant and nine months later so was my herd.

Deborah Phelps March 16, 2010 at 9:09am

If you've purchased your goats from someone else, you need to ask them what they worm with and what their herd is resistant to. I was doing fine using safeguard; brought in a doe from another herd that was safeguard resistant and nine months later so was my herd.

Deborah Niemann-Boehle March 15, 2010 at 10:41am

The parasites on my farm became resistant to the pellet dewormer (morantel tartrate) fairly quickly; however, the national research says that it is one of the better ones. I think some of these things vary regionally. It would be a good idea to talk to the person from whom you bought your goats and ask if there are any dewormers that don't work well for his/her herd.

Deborah

Tammy said:

Thanks for the herbal advice. I wondered about that. Have you used the pellet dewormer?

Tammy March 15, 2010 at 12:06am

Thanks for the herbal advice. I wondered about that. Have you used the pellet dewormer?

Deborah Niemann-Boehle March 5, 2010 at 9:40pm

Hi Amy,
I hope my response to your post didn't sound harsh. Your enthusiasm reminds me of my own before I had goats die from parasites. What works can also vary from place to place and depending upon which worms are prevalent in your area. I hope you'll continue to share!
Deborah

Amy Bell said:

Re: Parasites.

Has anyone tried herbal dewormers? I have been using one for 3 years now. Took a fecal sample to the vet the other day and no parasites! I use it weekly in their grain and dont have to worry about milk withdrawal or chemical residues.

Amy

Deborah Niemann-Boehle March 5, 2010 at 3:53pm

There are a couple of discussion on here that within the past week about herbal dewormers. I won't repeat everything that's been said already, but I had a buck die from anemia caused by parasites this winter when I was using an herbal dewormer. I really don't think they're that good once you have a parasite problem. If you've had goats for less than two years, and/or you don't have very many, and you have a decent amount of pasture, you probably wouldn't have a problem anyway. We had no parasite problems for 2-3 years, then a buck died ... and another ... and another. I had a completely healthy herd for three years, then I lost three bucks in four months! And I've read articles that pretty much say that's the way it goes. Once the parasites build up on your pasture, it's a problem. Our first three years, we had less than 10 goats and plenty of pasture. It's no coincidence that the bucks started dieing first, because they have the smallest amount of space, so the parasites can build up there quickly. Most people have no idea they have a parasite problem until they have a dead goat. And one fecal sample (or two or three) a year doesn't necessarily tell the whole story, because goats can shed eggs at various times, and I've never heard of anyone who does fecals on all their goats. Current research says that 90% of the parasites in your herd are in 10% of the animals. When my buck died a couple months ago, he was the only one that had a problem, and his slide was COVERED with eggs. I did fecals on five or six different goats that day, and the rest had two or three eggs per slide, which is as good as it gets with goats. I gave him an herbal dewormer with wormwood for a week, and he got worse. In desperation, I tried cydectin, but he was too far gone with anemia by then and died a few days later.

Parasites in sheep and goats is incredibly complicated. There are producers who lose 30% of their herd/flock every year to parasites, and there is a lot of current research being done on a variety of remedies, including a lot that are non-conventional, because there haven't been any new chemical dewormers invented in the last 20 years, and nothing is on the horizon, so a lot of people are getting desperate, because parasites have become immune to the chemicals available.

Everything on my farm is organic, except my goats, which drives me nuts. Even my sheep have great parasite resistance (knock on wood), and I'm really determined to find some way to deal with this, but I don't think there is a single product on the market, conventional or alternative, that is the answer. In fact, I'm doing fecals today on three does who were given an herbal dewormer at kidding. Based on what her poop looks like, I'm pretty sure it's not working with one of them, but we'll see.

I always encourage people to really educate yourself about parasites. Read everything you can find. Practice pasture rotation, learn FAMACHA and everything else you can. Theoretically, if your goats are on a dry lot, you shouldn't have parasite problems, because their breeding cycle requires grass. If you've only got two or three goats, you might never have a problem, but if your goats are your family's sole source of dairy and you have a large herd, it's not a simple subject, which is why I keep reading and researching after eight years.

Amy Bell said:

Re: Parasites.

Has anyone tried herbal dewormers? I have been using one for 3 years now. Took a fecal sample to the vet the other day and no parasites! I use it weekly in their grain and dont have to worry about milk withdrawal or chemical residues.

Amy

Amy Bell March 5, 2010 at 1:38pm

Re: Parasites.

Has anyone tried herbal dewormers? I have been using one for 3 years now. Took a fecal sample to the vet the other day and no parasites! I use it weekly in their grain and dont have to worry about milk withdrawal or chemical residues.

Amy

Jane Wagman March 5, 2010 at 1:18am

Interesting - thanks for sharing

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parasites

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