Taking Care of Goats

Goats Care, Health and Well-Being

Unfortunately, goats often suffer from various worms and parasites. It is good to deworm our goats often (get advice from your vet). In special shops you can find pellet goat dewormer products that kill the major gastrointestinal parasites most frequently found in goats. Contemporary deworm medication is very safe for goats and for humans. You should also vaccinate your goats once a year, always after consulting your vet.

Furthermore, we must regularly check for the wellbeing of our goats. Diarrhea is a common symptom of a goat’s illness. Isolating from the herd, not chewing, not drinking water, having watery eyes, sleeping all day and not being able to stand up are also some of the signs that something is wrong. For any case, we must always have in hand the telephone number of the local licensed veterinarian. The vet will usually ask you if the body temperature of the goat is normal, before deciding on whether to visit your farm or not. Keep in mind that the normal body temperature for goats is 101.3–103.5 °F (38.5–39.7 °C).

Farmers should also trim the goat hooves (with a hook trimmer) in order to prevent infections. We have to check their hooves every week, but trimming should take place regularly every 2 months. Finally, some farmers wash and brush their goats at least once a year, preferably before the summer heat, with a special shampoo.

You can enrich this article by leaving a comment or photo of your goats’ care effort.

1.) How to raise Goats

2.) Housing Goats – Building the Goat Farm

3.) How to select Goats for milk or meat

4.) How to feed Goats

5.) Milking Goats and Dairy Goats Management

6.) Taking Care of Goats

7.) Goats Manure Production and Waste Management

8.) Q&As on Goats

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