Diamond K Goats

Did you know that worms kill more goats every year than anything else?  That's right, worms! Why do goats have such a problem with worms you might wonder, well, goats are browsers not grazers and there lies the problem. Goats, just like their cousins the deer prefer to eat the leaves from trees, vines and  weeds.  Man has made goats into grazers by putting them on lush pastures and not giving them any browse.  Where do worms live?  In and on the ground in goat droppings. Where do goats eat grass from? The same ground with the dropping and the worms. Bingo! You have a worm problem! If goats never had to graze, they would hardly ever have a worm problem.

So, how can you help your goats be semi-worm-free? By doing several things. First you will want to make sure that your goats are ALWAYS eating from clean feed containers. If at all possible, feed your goats from containers off the ground and make sure they can not step into the feed containers. Also try to feed your hay off the ground.  Next you will want to make sure your goats have free-choice loose minerals at all times. A goat that is up on its cooper is less likely to have a worm problem. (worms hate cooper) Rotate your pastures if at all possible. Let each pasture rest at least three months between grazings.  Graze cattle or horses on this pasture three weeks before putting the goats back in. This will help with the worms that can only live in goats. Cattle and horses are not a host for some goat worms, and they die. 

Check your goats eyelid color once a week. If you see the color change from dark pink to light pink, worm your goat and worm it right then, don't wait. What should you worm with? There are really not wormers out there labled for goats, so us goat people have to use wormers labled for other animals. A goat has a metabolizuim that is four times faster than any other animal, so, they get larger amounts of wormer than normal and they take it orally. (by mouth) Most people use 1% Ivermectin injectable for cattle & swine. (Tractor Supply or feed store or Jeffers on-line) The dose for this is 1 cc of wormer for every 15 lbs. of body weight, given orally. So an 80 lb. goat would get 4 cc's of wormer. You can also use the 1.87 % Ivermectin paste for horses (Tractor Supply) Give this at the dose of 3 times the horse amount. Example 100 lb goat gets 300 lb. click. Will you hurt the goat if you go over this dose amount? No, it's always best to go over than to under worm. Another wormer is Cydectin Pour-On Wormer. (Tractor Suply or feed store or Jeffers on-line) The dose for this is 1cc for every 15 lbs. ORALLY. DO NOT pour this on your goat or you will kill it! This wormer is purple and has an oil base and smells like wart remover. Make sure you wear gloves when giving this wormer because it will absorb into your skin. Safe-Guard Paste (Tractor Supply) wormer is good to use with either Ivermectin or Cydectin, but don't use by itself because it only kills certain worms. Safe-Guard Paste should be given three days in a row and the dose is 4 times more than the tube says, so a 50 lb goat should get a click for a 200 lb. horse. This wormer is very safe and you can never over-dose with it. There is a Safe-Guard wormer for goats. Its a liquid and I usually don't follow the doseing on the bottle, I give everybody under 100 lbs. 3 cc's and 5 cc's for over 100 lbs. If you have a lot of goats, you can purchase the Safe-Guard block for cattle. (Tractor Supply) Just put it out and the goats will eat the wormer and your job is done.

Another good wormer is Positive Pellet Goat Dewormer. (Tractor Supply) This is a pellet and you feed it to your goats. It works good. You feed 1 lb per 100 lbs of body weight. Make sure the goat has not ate before you feed this so they will eat it all. There is also another pellet wormer  you can buy at Tractor Supply in a 1 lb red bag with a Boer goat on it. It just says Medicated Goat Wormer. This wormer is easier to feed because you only give 1 oz. per 100 lbs. These are the wormers and the doses we use on our farm, there are many other wormers you can use, and good web site to check out for dosing amounts and different wormers is http://www.fiascofarm.com/, click under goat care, then scroll down to worms & wormers. 

This is only the worming routine for Diamond K Goats.  If you have a bad problem with worms, you should contact a large animal vet for help with your problem. Diamond K Goats is not responsible for any problems that may arise from you worming your goats. We are not vets, just goat farmers.