Ok, every ones’ herds get worms from time to time. There are things you can do to limit your herd’s exposure, but regardless of how you handle it, sometimes worming just isn’t enough. Sometimes prevention is the only key.
We’ll be honest, we don’t worm unless we have too. In the past 8 years we’ve only wormed twice. Both times due to some nasty Nematodes.
Both Coccidiosis and Nematodes can cause havoc to the unsuspecting and both have high chances of re-infection if not handled correctly. Sometimes worming just makes things worse. Sometimes worming just isn’t enough. So let’s talk about our experience this spring, what we didn’t do and what we did do.
We’ll be honest, we don’t worm unless we have too. In the past 8 years we’ve only wormed twice. Both times due to some nasty Nematodes.
Both Coccidiosis and Nematodes can cause havoc to the unsuspecting and both have high chances of re-infection if not handled correctly. Sometimes worming just makes things worse. Sometimes worming just isn’t enough. So let’s talk about our experience this spring, what we didn’t do and what we did do.
Spring……got to love it……kids are being born, the chill isn’t as chilly as it was. Even the snow starts leaving the valley floor – regardless of the mud, by spring, everyone we know is ready for it! We still had a pile of snow outside the goat barn in March (yes quite normal), but by our unseasonably warm April, it didn’t last long.
This is where the ‘remember when’ comes in…….In January we had a major snow event………4 feet of snow over night! Normally snow isn’t an issue for us, but that much snow in such a short time made it difficult in keeping our barn clean this past winter. Namely, the girls COULD NOT leave the barn.
This is where the ‘remember when’ comes in…….In January we had a major snow event………4 feet of snow over night! Normally snow isn’t an issue for us, but that much snow in such a short time made it difficult in keeping our barn clean this past winter. Namely, the girls COULD NOT leave the barn.
Don’t know about you, but shoveling snow isn’t as easy as it used to be for us older folk. Living without a snow blower didn’t make it easier with all that snow. By the time the snow fell off the roof of the barn (the very same day) it was far too hard and too heavy to do anything with, other than wait for it to melt. Besides, there was still plenty shoveling going on!
So why do we bring this up? Parasites love wet environments……in fact they thrive in moisture. Regardless of the extreme cold we get, at even -32*F below zero, underneath all that straw bedding it was toasty warm and damp.
So why do we bring this up? Parasites love wet environments……in fact they thrive in moisture. Regardless of the extreme cold we get, at even -32*F below zero, underneath all that straw bedding it was toasty warm and damp.
Coccidiosis…..
So when we did our fecal this spring we were not surprised to have a problem. What we had was Coccidiosis. Worm loads were pretty high too, but we chose not to worm. Really? Yep, for a number of reasons.
One….we wanted to try an organic product called Regano 4XL. It is a natural product, made with oregano and has been used by some organic farms to control outbreaks of Cocci. Check out our previous blog Coccidiosis - Cured or Curse. We chose liquid form and dosed in their water – ½ ml per 2 gallons of water every morning.
Two….we didn’t have any goats with runny stools or diarrhea. It’s amazing what people are willing to talk about when they have goats, isn’t it? Sometimes they had clumpy stools or even turd like stool, but no diarrhea. Goats will develop a natural immunity to Coccidiosis in their area. Young kids are the concern, or overly stressed animals, however with all the kids vaccinated for CD&T we knew they would be safer.
We kept monitoring everyone for any signs that the stress from the worm load would require a wormer. Temperatures never went over 102*F, never had runny stools, no one had drops in milk production, or weight loss, and let me tell you we watched our herd closely!
We kept monitoring everyone for any signs that the stress from the worm load would require a wormer. Temperatures never went over 102*F, never had runny stools, no one had drops in milk production, or weight loss, and let me tell you we watched our herd closely!
Three….we wanted to test our lines for weaker genetics, or signs of unthrifty goats. Thrifty means just that, they can handle the worm load without getting overly sick. No one wants goats that they have to constantly worm or goats that need a vet on a regular basis. Understand, we aren’t suggesting anyone else tries this, but it is important to us when we tell people our goats are thrifty animals. Believe us when we say the draught and heat added to their stress so we were concerned about not worming them.
Four.…even with the dry weather and grazing/ foraging, the goat barn was a bear to keep clean. Too many goats for the barn……period. Our barn is just right for 7-8 adult does, but throw in 9 kids and you have overcrowding. Another concern for parasitic issues. Of course we had kids coming all summer long, and we will never do that again!
Four.…even with the dry weather and grazing/ foraging, the goat barn was a bear to keep clean. Too many goats for the barn……period. Our barn is just right for 7-8 adult does, but throw in 9 kids and you have overcrowding. Another concern for parasitic issues. Of course we had kids coming all summer long, and we will never do that again!
So now you know……….and what were our results when we did our fecal this fall? Very, very few Coccidiosis numbers in the fecal. Well worth the $45 for the Regano 4XL we had shipped from Canada. The 8 ounce bottle lasted us all summer long too! Even with all the research we did on this product, it was still one we had never needed until this year. It is definitely a product that we will order again!
However, it also reminded us that we need to be better prepared to maintain the barn even in severe weather or heavy snows. That we know prevention is far better than cure. We know better, no excuse.
So what should we have done differently? Over the winter, clean the barn more often than we did…maintain practical numbers in your herd, to many goats is a sure start for problems……Does that mean no worming this year?
Well, that everyone is a whole other blog…………..
Blessings
Brenda Lee
However, it also reminded us that we need to be better prepared to maintain the barn even in severe weather or heavy snows. That we know prevention is far better than cure. We know better, no excuse.
So what should we have done differently? Over the winter, clean the barn more often than we did…maintain practical numbers in your herd, to many goats is a sure start for problems……Does that mean no worming this year?
Well, that everyone is a whole other blog…………..
Blessings
Brenda Lee