The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: ScotsGirl on December 27, 2012, 05:17:53 pm
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I have a young in kid goat who is sore on both back feet. I can't see any sign of scald or foreign body but have sprayed and trimmed. Problem is pinning her down. On my own she is quiet but still difficult to hold collar and check foot. With an assistant it is hilarious watching them being dragged round shelter. There must be an easier way.
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Do you have a milking stand?
If not, I'd tie her collar to a fence post and have someone hold her head and talk to her, so she doesn't hang herself, since she is a mad goat and not a (relatively) sensible sheep! If you have to do it alone, a belt round her middle also tied to the fence prevents too much silliness.
I do my goats' feet with them standing up like a horse, as they object loudly to being tipped up as I do my sheep - and to be fair to them they don't have the cushioning of a nice fleece.
But the above method won't be as entertaining as your earlier one :)
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I have one goat who lays down as soon as you pick one hoof up. All it needs then is someone to lie across her (gently) to prevent her getting up again at the wrong moment. We had one funny time when the helper was lying with her nose just above Pom's tail when Pom decided to poo. The helper's face was purple and she kept yelling at me to hurry up. Trouble is I was laughing too much to be able to risk using the hoof shears. :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:
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Problem is I can only catch her in she'd or when eating. She ain't stupid and knows I want to grab her. No I don't have a milking stand but need one. Just trying to work out how to make one or how to find a nice man to do it for me.
I will try the fence post and bucket if food. Just wish everything wasn't so muddy and she didn't kick like a mule! I do them standing up too as I do for sheep unless they misbehave too much but never turn them when in lamb/kid.
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Hilarious! My sheep normally pee on my helpers legs which doesn't go down well. :roflanim:
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Does anyone ever volunteer to help again?
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We made(maid) a milking stand this year via Jaykay's suggestion and it works first class..SO much less hassle and the goaties like it too.
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The pattern comes from the Fias Co Farm site:
Build your own milk stand - not just for milk goats! (http://fiascofarm.com/goats/milkstand.html)
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This is a brilliant site - full of useful information.
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Catch her, then if you can tie her up, get a couple of extra hurdles and make a small pen around her so she's contained! Although mine can jump ordinary hurdles when cornered......!!
good luck!
Have you checked for mange on the feet? - some of my goats get it, the vet gives me Frontline to spray which seems to work.
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Went for the headlock and stuff her head under my jacket! Managed just to pull forward back feet and spray so now we are both purple! I can't get a good enough look but I would have thought mange would irritate and she is only footsore. There is a bad smell on my hands when I have touched so may be like mud fever/thrush in horses, do goats get it?
Just in process of putting up another shelter so hopefully then can rig up somewhere to do the maintenance stuff in dry. I'm finding it hard on my own even though they are not too difficult two pairs of hands is definitely easier
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Just in process of putting up another shelter so hopefully then can rig up somewhere to do the maintenance stuff in dry. I'm finding it hard on my own even though they are not too difficult two pairs of hands is definitely easier
I agree it is a lot harder to do on your own, even with my pygmys. I am definitely going to get a milking stand made.
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ScotsGirl, if her feet smell bad, the chances are it's footrot. I might switch to the blue antibiotic spray in that case ('course, it means catching her again....... :goat:)
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Yes footrot smells, and if she is outside a lot in this muddy weather it would be no surprise that she's got it. If the blue spray is too difficult, you can get an injection from the vets, either longacting terramycin, or I have used Draxin (spelling?) on some repeat offending ewes. Just make sure you tell them she's in-kid.
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I've been really lucky and never had footrot *touches many bits of wood*, my brother's herd of goats has and they use Golden Hoof - I think you can get it from Ag stores.
When I foot-trim and its muddy, I always have a bucket with Neem shampoo in it to wash the feet and legs - good for the mange that some of them get, also good for healing, a bit like teatree (smells pretty vile though) https://mekuti.co.uk/neem.htm
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I have some Terramycin so will give her some tomorrow. Can anyone tell me whether you inject in similar spot to sheep? They seem so bony and a different shape. I've got some footrot spray so could try that. If I can enlist some help I can eat a proper look.
My shelter is now half assembled and if wind doesn't flatten it hopefully roof will be on tomorrow :fc: :fc: :fc:
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Antibiotics are (as far as I know) always injected best into the muscle, so I just get mine onto the milking stand and wack the syringe into their upper hindleg towards the bum, just where it is quite fleshy. As they are usually having a wee treat at the same time it is all over quickly...
I would check with the vet about the dosage though, you will need to have some idea of her weight. Not sure if goats get the same as sheep, but I think they do. My vets don't charge for phone calls.
If you have got someone to help, having her tied up with a bowl with food and that person in front of her you should be able to have a closer look (and sniff... :o ).
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I just checked in the goat vet book, it says NOT to use Micotil (a really good one for footrot in sheep) in goats, as injections in goats have been fatal. Just in case your vet suggests it, mine does use it in sheep.
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Oh help! I will have to phone vet in morning then before I give Terramycin. Have given two egret ant ewes metacam over last few days and just read it shouldn't be given to pregnant mares so not sure if this is also sheep. Helped one ewe just hope hasn't affected lambs which are due in About 5 weeks.
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Terramycin is used in goats but it's never a bad thing to check anyway.
The terramycin foot spray is the thing to use here though, unless the foot is beyond dreadful and it's gone systemic then anyway. If it's not too bad, spraying the foot will treat it without any side effects of injectable antibiotics.
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Definately DO NOT use MICOTIL or the related TYLAN in goats.
A friends goat died when a vet used micotil injection.
My vet suggested tylan for a foot problem in my angoras but couldn't get any info from the makers about if it was alright for goats so decided against it cos it's related to micotil.
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Vet came today as limping sheep no better. He had a dig and couldn't find too much just tender and loose bit of horn.
Damned expensive foot trims as he couldn't find anything on ewe. Reckon she was making a HUGE fuss about nothing. Every time we looked at her she hopped on 3 legs then when we turned our backs she was standing on all 4!
Not all bad though as he removed in growing horn on my other goat with cheese wire. Amazing how simple it was and luckily hadn't broken skin.
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here is a picture of the milk stand we made from the plans we used a pallett
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It looks good but difficult to see exactly what you have done. Presume you have cut a pallet down, put piece of board on top and screwed some legs to it? Have you got a head restraint? I think mine at moment would try and jump off/over front if nothing to stop them.