Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
• When rotating goats from one area of pasture to another, leave the grazed areas to rest for
threetosixmonths.Largenumbersoflarvaemaysurviveevenlongerinhumidclimates.
Ideally, the goat pasture should be used as a hay field in between grazings, or used to
pasture cattle or horses because they do not carry the same parasites as goats. If possible,
there should be a two-year interval before an area is used again to pasture goats.
• Drain or avoid swampy pastures. The large liver fluke thrives in host snails that live only
in swampy areas.
• Limit the number of goats in a pasture to six or seven per acre.
Worming your goats
Commercial worming preparations such as Moxidectin, Ivermectin, Levamasole, Fenbend-
azole, and Albendazole have proven effective in controlling internal parasites. Before worm-
ing, do a fecal analysis to identify which parasites are present and in what numbers. Your
veterinarian can suggest the most effective wormer and recommend the right dosages.
Worming preparations (anthelmintics) come as boluses (large pills), liquids, pastes, gels,
powders, and crumbles. Boluses are popular, but many goats balk at swallowing them. They
can be hidden in a wad of peanut butter or administered with a balling gun. Some goat keep-
ers refuse to use boluses because they can choke a goat.
If using a paste, make sure the goat's mouth is completely empty. Put the paste in the back
corner of the mouth on the left side. Gently hold the goat's muzzle closed and massage the
throat until the paste has been swallowed. Drenching is administering a liquid using a bottle.
It can be tricky but is a necessary skill for a goat keeper. Squirt the liquid in the left-hand
corner of the mouth, stopping at regular intervals to allow the goat to swallow. To avoid get-
ting liquid in the lungs, keep the muzzle level and never raise the head.
Goats in rotating pastures should be wormed just before they are moved to a new pasture so
they drop their eggs before the move. The most effective times to worm your goats are in the
last month of pregnancy, a day after kids are born, at the beginning of the spring or summer,
and just before the goats are returned to the stable for the winter. Goats that remain in the
same pasture year-round should be regularly checked and wormed. It is difficult to control
parasite larvae without resting pasture. If possible, goats should be confined in the stable for
two days after they are wormed so they drop the eggs there. Goats kept in a stable all the time
do not need worming if their feed and water is kept clean.
