Before I describe the process of sustainably managing parasites in goats, let's define sustainable in this context. The term "sustainable" is often used in agriculture as a synonym for organic. That's not the case here. Rather, I literally mean a program that can be sustained.
You see, a huge problem in parasite management is that the products we use to control parasites - worms, especially often become ineffective over time largely because of misuse and overuse.
A sustainable program, for our purposes, is defined as finding a balance of actively working to keep a herd healthy, while also avoiding practices that promote resistance to chemical wormers.
Resistance is built every single time we treat an animal for parasites. As such, knowing when to treat and when not to is key to finding a healthy balance. The absolute worst thing you can do is set and adhere to a regular schedule of worming your goats.
We diagnose exactly how "wormy" the animals in our herd are (and therefore whether treatment is recommended) by using three tools: something called FAMACHA scoring, fecal flotations/egg counts and body condition scoring. Used alone, any one of these markers is inadequate for gauging parasites. Used together, however, they provide the best picture of what you are dealing with and how/whether to treat it.
FAMACHA
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Goat-101-24-Ausgabe von Hobby Farms.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Goat-101-24-Ausgabe von Hobby Farms.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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Spot & Treat
Parasites happen, but proper management keeps things under control.
Parasite PATROL
Keep your worm treatments effective with these three valuable tools.
HEALTHY GOAT, Happy FARMER
Goats may be hearty, but they still need their keeper's care in order to live long and be healthy.
Notes ON NUTRITION
Dairy and meat goats have specific feed needs, and they're not the same.
milking how to
Goat milk is liquid gold, but you have to get milking right to get it.
BREEDING BASICS
The traditional goat breeding season in the U.S. is between late August and the early part of January, according to Angela McKenzie-Jakes, extension animal science specialist at Florida A&M University.
GIVE ME Shelter
When Kathryn Spann started raising dairy goats in 2008, she thought wooden sheds built on skids would be the ideal housing for her herd. The shelters could be attached to a tractor and moved, ensuring the herd had a safe space to escape the elements and allowing Spann to practice pasture rotation without building individual shelters in each pasture.
Natural FIBERS
When visitors drive up to our Northern California foothill farm, they immediately notice the fluffy, long-horned beasties dotted all over our pastures. If they have never met us before, these visitors will always tell us how they love seeing our beautiful \"sheep\" and ask what we do with their wool.
Choosing a DAIRY GOAT
A number of considerations will determine your ideal dairy goat breed.
CHOOSING A Meat Goat
Once you've mastered the basics, keeping goats for meat is pretty easy.