Need help with goats please

[Frogsticker]

We where left some goats on the land we bought, now all of sudden they are dropping like flies. Have no experience with goats. Help!!! Please.

[Boomerang]

Goat are looking for a place to die. Get rid of them. Disease infested. One thing that will drop a goat that is designed for a dry arid region is a wet region. WORMS! A wet humid climate is perfect, plus if they are contained by a fence and not allow to "migrate" and free roam, it allows the worms to double up on the infestation. A lot have developed an immunity to worms. Plus they tear all your fences down. Get some cattle after you disinfect the place.

[Frogsticker]

How do you disinfect a pasture

[innergel]

cabrito!

[Sippy]

First let me say I HATE GOATS! They are deer repelling vermin

Now that I have that off my chest, you are probably dealing with a disease like coccidiosis or worms. Look for any runny stool/ diarrhea with blood in it. If you find this, run a coccidia killing medicated feed through your herd, or add a product like CORID to the water supply (if they are confined.)

[Frogsticker]

I'm leary of eating them because I don't know why they are dieing, one day they seem to be fine next day dead.

[Ruark]

Yeah, that happens. Heck, you go out on the front porch and clap your hands, and a couple of goats will fall over dead. I think it's from eating poison plants or something.

[Boomerang]

No way to really disinfect the place other than if you can disk the worm eggs under and keep tilling it. I would not put cattle on there after the goats and you can work the soil a lot. The worm will fall out and lay an egg on the stem of the grass, the next animal comes by and eats that for the life cycle to start over again. Hot and dry helps. Eventually the eggs will die.

If they are dropping dead, could be a sign of worms as they will look fine one day and dead the next. Take one to a vet and they can run a test for toxins (worms will give those off).

I would get rid of them as they are totally destructive and no market value.

[Codypatt1]

On the alive goats, pull down their lower eyelids and see if they are bright pink. If they are white you need to take some poop berries to the vet and have them analyze on what wormer you needs to use. I would suggest doing this asap. I'm betting it's worms or cocci and thy are sucking the blood internally causing your goats to be anemic hence the white eyelids

[Frogsticker]

Do you think they would be safe to cook the meat for the dogs

[ferrellv]

Do you think they would be safe to cook the meat for the dogs

I would think so. But im no expert

[stxcowboy]

Don't know where you get no market value with 50lb kid selling for over $2.00 a lb

[huntresss]

If you've never wormed the goats then they are probably at a critical load with haemonchus contortus, aka the barberpole worm. This is a parasite that lives in the stomach of the goat and sucks blood from the goat which in turn causes anemia (and the white or light pink eyelid color that Codypatt1 described above) which then leads to death. This parasite will affect sheep, but not cattle so you don't need to "disinfect" your pasture. You do however need to worm the goats if you don't want to keep losing them. One of the most effective drugs with a wide safety margin is Cydectin. Use the cattle pour-on and give it orally at the rate of six cc per 100 pounds of body weight. It's best if you can move the goats to a clean pasture where they won't reinfect themselves, as the old pasture will be infected with eggs and larvae. After six months or so of dry heat, the larvae will die, but wet weather will allow more eggs to hatch and start the cycle all over again. The meat is perfectly fine to eat despite the worms, because they are confined to the goats digestive tract, however do not eat any meat until 23 days after worming with cydectin. Goat prices have been very good and in fact outperform cattle if you care for them properly. Feel free to ask if you have any other goat questions. I know just enough to be dangerous .
Cheryl

[Frogsticker]

Thanks for all the info huntress I will send you a pm after grandkids soccer game