I've been having on again off again ear shaking with my goats and so I just did a review of all our posts on this topic. I saw in Feb that Debra and Rachel were discussing scabs and itching on a doe and you pondered if it was mites from hay/straw.
I've had several people mention this concept to me and I realized all my itching started when I brought in some straw getting ready for my kids.
SO - IF I have hay mites/straw mites - and there are these in the bedding and thus likely in all my stored hay and straw which I can't afford to just throw away - would treating the animals be the best route?
Rachel - what ever happened with that doe?
Debra - if you were thinking mites of some sort - which would you use - the Eprinex or the Vetrx that you mentioned in various posts.
My 2 day old kids are shaking their heads and yet I can't see anything - no dirt, no bugs on anyone.
Judy
Replies
I would sprinkle DE (diatomaceous earth) all into the straw that's down. I've read that because they are soft bodied, the DE will kill them (dehydrate them) and it won't hurt you goats. Take all the goats out first because breathing it is bad for them. Once it settles it is fine. This seems like an easy fix if there are bugs in the straw. If they are on the goats, you could put DE on them too. Best way to do that is to get a thin sock or panty-hose foot and put it in that. Tie the end off. Rub it into the goats fur on their legs and around the head and it won't make much of a cloud. I did this all last summer and my goats had no bugs.
Treating for mites with a pour on helped, but none of my other goats got mites, and all are bedded in the same hay, so I don't think they "came" from the hay.