Author Topic: Calculating goat body weight without scales (Read 5517 times)

cuckoo · « **on:** February 20, 2012, 05:29:00 pm »

I need to calculate the body weight of my goats for worming but I dont have a set of scales - what other methods are available - need to be as accurate as possible to calculate dosage - thanks

Brucklay · « **Reply #1 on:** February 20, 2012, 07:28:51 pm »

There's this chart

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/weight-chart.htm

and as mine are pygmy's I've used this one

http://kinne.net/weights.htm and it was pretty accurate

My vet said it was better to round up weights ie give a little more of a dose - I use pancure and I was told 1.5 x sheep dose but if I remember correctly Anke said in a previous post it should be 1.6 x

Anke · « **Reply #2 on:** February 20, 2012, 08:57:43 pm »

If you search TAS forum with the following terms: goat weight girth excel - you should get a reply that I posted a while ago with an excel file attached with a girth (i.e. behind the front legs round the rib cage when the goat is relaxed) vs weight table. Taken from Matthews Diseases of the Goat, IMO reliable. take a few measurements and the average out.

Which wormer are you going to use?

White wormers can be used of about 2 times the sheep dose
Yellow drenches (Levamisole) can be used at 1.5 times sheep dose, but it is recommended not to exceed the 12mg/kg body weight dose, as it becomes toxic when getting towards 20mg/kg bodyweight, also do not use injectable versions and not in the last 3 weeks of pregnancy or in debilitated animals (quoted from Matthews)
Ivermectin (Oramec) at 1.5 times sheep dose

If you use a white wormer (like Panacur) I would do a worm/faecal count 10 days after, as lots of worms now show resistance. Oramec I think is still fairly good to use.

Brucklay · « **Reply #3 on:** February 20, 2012, 09:02:15 pm »

I'll be doing mine soon - so thanks for the update Anke - and I was going to do a count this time around - can I ask do you just select a random 2/3 to check or do everyone individually?

Bangbang · « **Reply #4 on:** February 20, 2012, 09:09:17 pm »

What about Displacement?
where you submerge a mass / body into a full tub of water, then weigh the water it spills?

just kidding!!!!!!!!!!

Anke · « **Reply #5 on:** February 21, 2012, 04:25:23 pm »

Quote from: Brucklay on February 20, 2012, 09:02:15 pm

I'll be doing mine soon - so thanks for the update Anke - and I was going to do a count this time around - can I ask do you just select a random 2/3 to check or do everyone individually?

It depends on how yours are stabled, mine are in groups of two or three per pen, some individuals, so I take usually a sample per pen (4 in total), and if there's more than one in the pen I try and check for where they were lying at night (normally take samples first thing in the morning) and make sure I take some of each... all very scientific

If there's one really high (and the others are not) I will worm just individuals, but usually all show some and as they all graze in the same field I just worm all of them.

For my post-kidding samples (I worm a couple of days post-kidding then sample 10 days after that) I normally still have mum in her own pen with kids in subdivided area, so have a single sample available.

I have to say that I didn't do an autumn test and didn't worm - none of mine showed any signs (and they are usually fairly obvious for the high milkers)... but will do all of mine by mid-March or post-kidding.