# My goats rub on the fence



## fortheloveofgoats (Sep 2, 2011)

My goats are rubbing the fence, they sometimes bite at themselves and they will roll on the ground. When my boer does it, he leaves behind loose hair. Is this them shedding or is it something else?


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## elevan (Sep 2, 2011)

Check for lice or mites first.  Sometimes though they just get itchy and some are itchier than others.


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## fortheloveofgoats (Sep 3, 2011)

What am I looking for? I am knew to goats. Thank you for answering me, I greatly appreciate it. Have a fun and safe weekend!


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## ksalvagno (Sep 3, 2011)

You can see flaky skin. Sometimes you will even see the bugs crawling around. My goats rub on my fence all the time though. So there is a good chance nothing is wrong and they just like rubbing.


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## fortheloveofgoats (Sep 3, 2011)

Wow, I didn't know that you can see the bugs. I will make sure that I check them out when I go out to see them today. Thank you for letting me know. I hope that it is that they are just itchy though.


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## elevan (Sep 3, 2011)

Do a google search for pictures of goat lice to know what you're looking for.  I hate lice...makes me itch just thinking about them *shudder*  They are more of a problem in winter though.

Keep in mind that goats that are going out to browse are getting into itchy weeds and they can have allergies to pollens too...so many times in summer they are just itchy.


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## fortheloveofgoats (Sep 6, 2011)

Thank you! I will look those up, even though it sounds like it might gross me out!  lol I hope that you are right and they are just having allergy problems.


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## 20kidsonhill (Sep 6, 2011)

lice look like small fleas crawling around, you can't see mites, but the skin will often look dirty from the mites, mites are more likely to cause bald patches, but in my experience lice can get quit numerous before causing hair lose.  comb the hair back in a brightly lit area and look through it. Kind of looks like little ants running around. deep down in the hair. Sometimes they can just have a few and they are harder to notice.

Some rubbing is okay, but a lot of rubbing is a very good sign of lice or mites.


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## Livinwright Farm (Sep 6, 2011)

There are 4 diagnoses I can give you:

(1) External Parasites{lice, mites, chiggers, etc.} - use a topical dust, like Python Dust
(2) Allergic Reaction/Rash From Some Plant Oil{poison ivy, poison oak, citrus, etc} - consult your vet for best anti itch/antihistamine type medication
(3) Dry Skin - feed foods such as flax, vitamin E paste, wheat germ... also bathe goat/s with a moisturizing shampoo and use a skin & coat conditioner.
(4) Rain Rot - consult your vet for proper medications and/or topical treatments.


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## fortheloveofgoats (Sep 6, 2011)

I looked through "Fatso's" hair. My kids named him. I didn't see anything. I will look through Lil Ladies hair tomorrow. I will do it when I have more light. Thank you do much for all the info.


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## Mamaboid (Oct 15, 2011)

Our buck rubs on the fence all the time.  Once in a while the does will do it, not nearly as often as he does.  We have checked him for parasites and he is clean, so we figured he was just spreading his "beautiful bucky odor" around.


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## Roll farms (Oct 16, 2011)

Our goats rub on fences constantly when they're shedding.  They're trying to rid themselves of that extra hair.
We lost a really nice and securely built chicken run to goats 'rubbing' on it.   Grrrrr.
When we built the next one, we put the small wire (to keep chickens in) on the inside, than ran cattle panels around the outside for the goats to rub on.
So far, so good.


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## zzGypsy (Oct 16, 2011)

talk with your vet about copper suplementation - in some areas the feed doesn't have enough copper and low copper can make them chronically itchy.


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## Queen Mum (Oct 16, 2011)

My goats always rub on the fence.  They just are scratching an itch.  They also like to lay in the hay and roll around.  They take dust baths too.  It's a goat thing.  They love to be brushed and I bath mine once in a while.  It's good for bonding and a good time to check for skin conditions.  For the most part, it's just scratching an itch.  

Sara
Queen Mum


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## autumnprairie (Oct 18, 2011)

if you are adding chops or corn, they may be itchy from it. Corn is known to be the itching grain


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