Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Goats are natural climbers and will appreciate items in their exercise yard that allow them to practice their
climbing skills.
(Photo courtesy of R. M. Siegel)
Signs and Prevention of Illness and Disease
Goats are usually quite hardy (sheep a little less so), but even the hardiest animals can sometimes
get sick or infested with pests.
Parasites.
Parasites are inevitable in your livestock, so you'll want to be on guard for when infesta-
tions become too severe. Parasites can be external, or living outside the animal like ticks, fleas,
mites, or lice. Parasites can also be internal and are usually called “worms” and enter via the diges-
tive tract. Both can create serious problems, of which malnutrition and anemia are only the start.
If you notice patchy areas of the animal's coat, or crusty wounds on their skin, you may have an
external parasite problem. Sometimes mites will cause the animal to rub bald spots on their coat.
Ticks, of course, are visible as they attach to the skin and swell when they feed. Internal parasites
are harder to visibly diagnose, but if you notice your animals not gaining weight the way they
should be, that's a good clue. You can have a stool sample analyzed as well, which is the best way to
tell which specific parasites you should treat for. It's always best to only treat the specific parasites
that are causing problems, and only treat when necessary, because resistant strains can become a
problem otherwise.
CAEV (Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Virus).
This is a persistent problem in sheep and goat
herds. The difficulty in eliminating it is that a goat can be a carrier of the virus without ever show-
ing symptoms, thus not only passing it on to his or her offspring, but also infecting other goats and
