[EmmaStroud]

Hi..

We keep our Golden Guernseys as free range as possible on about 8 acres that includes unimproved pasture, hedgerow and a bit of woodland. We have found this a huge help in keeping down worm counts - they tested 0 after 3 - 4 months of this over spring/early summer, compared to in the 1000's when we'd had them in a fresh paddock post winter.  Free ranging isn't always possible however - during kidding, and like now - when our sapling trees have just started to breach their tree guards and have become easy goat targets (!) until we are able to put in further fencing.

First question - can anyone recommend anti-worm / antithelmintic supplements that seem to help in keeping worms at bay - and that isn't too much trouble to get the goats to eat? (I know someone who gives his sheep pure garlic puree drench and says its done wonders.)

Second question - our maiden goats and kids are in great condition having been naturally weaned at 6 months and feeding only on forage and hay (as well as capravite and seaweed) and its just our milker who gets a small amount of cattle and goat nuts. Since the others haven't been on concentrate at all we're wondering if they will do better at keeping condition when we breed them....does anyone have experience / knowledge / recommended reading on this?

Thirdly - we're looking at whether we can create an alternative to the goat nuts by sourcing our own lucerne and providing together with seaweed and linseed that we tend to buy in bulk anyway - is anyone doing this, or has anyone else done it and decided all things considered its more efficient just to buy in goat nuts? (I should say that organic and non-GM are both priorities for us.)

THANK YOU for reading this far!

Emma

[Anke]

If you want to reduce your worm count longterm you may want to think along the following:


1) Close your herd (and your sheep flock as well if you keep them). At least for females.
2) House your goats over winter (at least 6 months) and worm them at the start of housing. Check worm counts post worming in case you have resistance. (if the goats have worms you will need to use a clinically proven wormer, garlic etc will not work). Your grazing should be clear after 6 months' rest, though if you are down south and the winter is mild that may not be 100% in which case you may have to not grfaze them for a whole year, but instead have a hard standing area for them to mooch about, and bring their greens to them - branches mainly in summer, plus really good hay.
3) If you keep sheep as well, make sure they do not share grazing with the goats and also try and reduce their worm burden by worming when necessary, preferably with a wormer to which there is absolutely no resistance. The main thing is not to bring in new animals, if you bring in males -worm and quarantaine until worm count is clear. Same for bringing in bily goats.
4) If you need to use an external billy - do not board your goats somewhere else, but sponge them if you need to travel a long way and/or billy owner has limited days available.


I haven't wormed my goats for a long time now, same for sheep. I do not graze the goats in rotation, sheep rotate between two fields and are never housed.


As to supplements - my ladies will not eat garlic! They do have a copper rich lick (Red Rockie) and are drenched with a sheep mineral drench containing copper once or twice per year. Some of them will eat seaweed as if it is the best thing ever, others will not touch it and won't eat any of their concentrates if seaweed is sprinkled on top. I have not seen any difference in performance between the seaweed eaters and the "not in my bowl" group.


For GG's a supplementary diet of oats and sugar beet shreds may be ok, if you feel that is less like a concentrate feed. When mine are dry they only get a tiny amount of these two, but when in milk I also feed a calf mix (and/or dairy cattle nuts) in addition to oats/shreds. I also like to feed Alfa A over winter instead of concentrate. GG's can get fat quite quickly on concentrates. Not sure there are organic options for sugar beet shreds or oats that won't need a second mortgage though...


Hope this helps.