[langdon]

Its great to see so many goat lovers on line, its exactly what i need!!!!!!!!
imm going to try to get this right we got a british white saanen (i hope saanen isn correct!! allways spelling it wrong) her name is molly and a toggenborg
her name is milly we love them esp the kids.
just a few things i need to know - how often do you guys worm your goats and how often do ye wash their coats

[ballingall]

Hi again,

I don't wash them at all in the winter- better to leave their coats with their natural oils in to help keep out the cold and damp. I do think most goats should get a bath in the spring, it helps to get out hayseeds, old hair etc. It depends where you live- North of Aberdeen for example you might not be able to get a warm sunny day to wash them until into April, but any time from March to May is fine. Its up to you how often you bath them- ours are all washed a minimum of about 3 times a year, and some are washed once or twice a week. But thats because we often wash them before they go to a show. I'd say a bath twice a year is enough. There again, you may want to bath them after they have been to see a billy goat! Or if they have been ill and scoured for example.

We worm about every 6 weeks in the spring/summer, a bit less in Autumn. Whilst goats are pregnant the hormones suspress worms, but after they kid worms can flare up, so we normally worm in the first week after they have kidded, and again 3 weeks later, to try and cut down the worm cycle. You may find taking a dung sample to your vet will give you an indication of how heavy a worm burden they have. I don't worm kids until they are older than 8 weeks old generally.

If you live in a wet area, or if you know the area is bad for fluke, I would dose for that twice a year as well, as a matter of course.

I would also vaccinate them- we use Heptavac-P but there are other brands you can use. The vaccine helps prevent certain diseases, and includes protection for tetanus. I once had a kid that got tetanus when I was only about 8 (she had been given to me by someone else who didn't vaccinate) and it was awful having to have her put down, but the tetanus was progressing really quickly.  Kids should be vaccinated after they are 8 weeks old, and given a further jab after 4-6 weeks. Thereafter a booster every year is sufficient- but if you kid the goats, if you vaccinate them 4-6 weeks before they give birth, the kids will then be protected for their first 6-8 weeks.

Hope some of that is useful!

Beth

[Anke]

Just as Beth said - get their wormcount done before you you give any wormer. If you are in Scotland, its done through SAC, via your vet mostly. They can also check for fluke. The problem is that fluke treatments come in fairly big bottles  and if you don't have sheep its quite expensive (if positive your vet will advise, nearby sheep farmers would have the same problem and would probably be prepared to let you have a couple of doses). Also check which wormer/fluke treatment is suitable during pregancy,(if your goats are in kid)

I use Lambivac on my goats, twice a year. Their booster is due in February, as kidding dates are March 23 and 26.

I haven't tried to bath mine yet, but my Golden Guernsey girl will need some serious de-tangling once it gets a bit warmer...

I also find that I need to deal with their feet every four weeks or so, otherwise they get badly overgrown. I try and do it when they have been outside and the grass has been a bit wet, otherwise the horn is very hard.

[little blue]

We've not bathed our girls, but they love to be brushed! The toggenburg stands like she's in a trance (shes quite flightly, especialy since the vet came for a blood sample!)
We have a variety of horse/pony brushes which we share between them and the german shepherd dog.
And I use secateurs as hoof trimmers (which they hate)