# goat skin condition?  flaky skin? dandruff?



## cleo

Hello, it's me again.
This time I'm asking about my Mom's goat Mavis.  Mavis has flaky, dry skin (kind of like dandruff) from her neck down her back, but not on her sides.  Her hair thins out in this area as well.  She doesn't fuss over it, but she loves it when we brush the area.  We noticed that it cycles.  It will go away and then come back.  With regular brushing, it seems to go away faster.  Molly, my Mom's other goat, doesn't have it now and never has. 
Can anyone help?  Thanks!


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## lilhill

A good skin condition that I've found is M-T-G.  Tractor Supply sells it in the horse supply section.  You just put it on (use gloves as it could get a bit messy), rub it in, and let it dry naturally.


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## DonnaBelle

Feed Mavis about a half cup of Black Oil Sunflower Seeds every day.  It is high in fat and will really help her skin and coat.

DonnaBelle


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## Mini-M Ranch

ITA black oil sunflower seeds!


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## ThornyRidge

make sure you have a good loose goat mineral out and fresh at all times.. you could also consider giving some mineral max (it is a gel like substance that is not dosed for goats  butyou can dose according to weight)  get it from livestock supply companies on line.. it is blue in color and stains so be careful and recommend to keep it in fridge!  you could also pick up some zinc picolinate capsules from a health food store in your area if you have one and drop a couple in the grain or attempt to get them to take some other way... I have found with a couple of my goats zinc works good.. you also could be looking at a copper issue too.. so definately get some good minerals out.


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## mdoerge

ThornyRidge said:
			
		

> ... you could also pick up some zinc picolinate capsules from a health food store in your area if you have one and drop a couple in the grain or attempt to get them to take some other way... I have found with a couple of my goats zinc works good.. you also could be looking at a copper issue too.. so definately get some good minerals out.


What is zinc picolinate?  I just looked at the bottle of zinc I have - it is zinc gluconate.  Is the picolinate better?


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## Ariel301

I have two older does that have been really flaky like that too since I bought them. The younger goats that have been born and raised on my property are not flaky, and they all eat the same thing...? Does this tend to happen as they get old? They don't seem itchy or anything, just overly flaky.


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## greenfamilyfarms

Could it be ring worm? The sunflower seeds will help.


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## mully

Feed them a little grain with flax seed oil, or borage oil on top (3-4 table spoons for first two weeks) then 1-2 table spoons for a month or so. Great for their health and their dry skin.


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## chandasue

DonnaBelle said:
			
		

> Feed Mavis about a half cup of Black Oil Sunflower Seeds every day.  It is high in fat and will really help her skin and coat.
> 
> DonnaBelle


LOL I was gonna say that!


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## Ariel301

Hmm, I will have to try the sunflower seeds on mine. It seems weird to me that it's just the two old does, the younger animals, all on the same diet, are shiny and soft and not flaky at all...weird. 

I used to give dull-coated or flaky horses a little corn oil and vitamin E capsules (the kind sold for people) in their feed to help get them shiny again. Maybe that would help my goats and yours? Worth a try.


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## cmjust0

Ariel301 said:
			
		

> Hmm, I will have to try the sunflower seeds on mine. It seems weird to me that it's just the two old does, the younger animals, all on the same diet, are shiny and soft and not flaky at all...weird.


The expectation I used to have was that if I fed all my goats the same, they should all be in the same shape, carry the same level of condition, etc..  What I found, though, was that some got fat, some stayed thin, some were nice and slick coated, some had dry skin, etc. -- even though all were on the same feeding regimen.

When I really thought about it, I came to the conclusion that my original expectations were pretty unreasonable to begin with.  Afterall, people don't work that way, so why should any other animal?  For instance...my brother always ate terribly, but stayed thin.  I, on the other hand, would take a salad over a candy bar any day of the week, but I was always heavier.  He had a hard time building muscle, whereas I'm stockier and build muscle pretty easily.  He's about 5'10"...I'm 6'1"...  Yet, we came from the same 'stock'!

If we were livestock, there's no way we would ever look the same, nor carry the same level of condition even if we were on the same feeding regimen.  

Once I realized that, I started more of an effort to feed each animal according to that individual animal's needs.  Not only are my animals in better shape, but my feed and hay bills have gone down considerably.



> I used to give dull-coated or flaky horses a little corn oil and vitamin E capsules (the kind sold for people) in their feed to help get them shiny again. Maybe that would help my goats and yours? Worth a try.


I was speaking with another goat person recently, and he told me about something he'd heard about the critical role of Vitamin E in a goat's ability to put Selenium to use..  What he indicated to me -- and I haven't really even tried to verify this, but -- was that BoSe was way short on Vit. E for the amount of Selenium that's being administered in goats..  Whoever was telling him this had taken to administering BoSe with an additional amount of Vitamin E. at the same time, and was supposedly having really good results.

That being said...if it's true...I'd say most folks' goats could probably benefit from a little extra Vitamin E, if only to help them utilize the Selenium that we all know is absolutely critical to a goat's overall health.


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## ()relics

CM your inbox is full...got something for you


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## cmjust0

()relics said:
			
		

> CM your inbox is full...got something for you


Flushed...hit me.


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