Coat & Fur Conditioning.

[Blackbird]

I have been asked to post this on here; I want to make it aware that this is just what we do with our goats, I'm sure results may vary.

As we all know, often times stress, birthing, bad diets and neglect can affect the coat health of goats.

Often times on goats that we have rescued or that have just kidded and we want to get into better condition faster we will add one 'glug' of Aloe Vera juice per gallon of water.
Aloe Vera juice can help against dry skin, dandruff, promotes hair growth and helps maintain a healthy coat, not to mention all of the good things it does internally for the body. Aloe Vera juice can be found at Walmart in either the supplement and/or health section. There are a variety of flavors; we have used the berry flavor and original; they and others may work.. unless your goat might be a bit picky. We do this daily for about 1-2 weeks.
I have also heard that some people take 4-6 cc's in a syringe and give it to the goat directly in the mouth to get a taste of it directly before having the change of water.

Another thing you can do is buy BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds - the kind your buy for your bird feeders).

BOSS contains selenium which helps hoof and coat growth and makes the coat very shiney. I've heard some people will give a cup twice a day (which you may want to do if your just starting and want to get the coat in better condition) but we usually give a cup mixed with the normal feed once a day for our three milkers. We usually do this year long and have good results. Our goats thouroughly enjoy BOSS and it also makes for a great treat.
With that said you do not want to overdose your goats on selenium because it can have bad affects.

I hope this can help other people.

 

[barefoot okie]

I am gonna try this... I have two young goats with dry rough coats and dandruff..

 

[wynedot55]

both my billy an nanny have slick shiney coats.an i feed them some grain an let them graze all they want.

 

[kstaven]

both my billy an nanny have slick shiney coats.an i feed them some grain an let them graze all they want.

In some areas this approach is great. But in other areas where the soil is deficient in specific minerals it may cause problems over the long term.

 

[Blackbird]

both my billy an nanny have slick shiney coats.an i feed them some grain an let them graze all they want.

Thats great, I'm glad they are doing well for you. As Kstaven has said, some places have deficites, and not everyone has access to pasture.
I'm just passing on some info that can help others.

 

[pattyjean73]

I'm going to try this... my nanny goat that I just bought has dry fur.

 

[Crest Acres Girl]

Will this work on humans too?

 

[5th_overture]

both my billy an nanny have slick shiney coats.an i feed them some grain an let them graze all they want.

Among professionals, females are called "does" and males are called "bucks". Goats are related to deer, hence the naming. It helps to improve the image of goats overall if they not referred to as "billies" or "nannies".

 

[Kala]

Awesome thread! Our sannan/la mancha mix Emily has really dry/itchy fur and course/dry hair so I'm gonna give this a try. And sadly I've always wondered what BOSS was! Guess I should have searched sooner.

 

[jcooke1]

I have been asked to post this on here; I want to make it aware that this is just what we do with our goats, I'm sure results may vary.

As we all know, often times stress, birthing, bad diets and neglect can affect the coat health of goats.

Often times on goats that we have rescued or that have just kidded and we want to get into better condition faster we will add one 'glug' of Aloe Vera juice per gallon of water.
Aloe Vera juice can help against dry skin, dandruff, promotes hair growth and helps maintain a healthy coat, not to mention all of the good things it does internally for the body. Aloe Vera juice can be found at Walmart in either the supplement and/or health section. There are a variety of flavors; we have used the berry flavor and original; they and others may work.. unless your goat might be a bit picky. We do this daily for about 1-2 weeks.
I have also heard that some people take 4-6 cc's in a syringe and give it to the goat directly in the mouth to get a taste of it directly before having the change of water.

Another thing you can do is buy BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds - the kind your buy for your bird feeders).

BOSS contains selenium which helps hoof and coat growth and makes the coat very shiney. I've heard some people will give a cup twice a day (which you may want to do if your just starting and want to get the coat in better condition) but we usually give a cup mixed with the normal feed once a day for our three milkers. We usually do this year long and have good results. Our goats thouroughly enjoy BOSS and it also makes for a great treat.
With that said you do not want to overdose your goats on selenium because it can have bad affects.

I hope this can help other people.

If you do feed your kids or adults BOSS how can you make sure they do not overdose on Selenium? After reading your thread I thought it would be good to add BOSS to my kids grain on a daily basis to help with some dandruff I have noticed, but I want to make sure I have no overdose scare. Any suggestions on how much to feed each kid to make sure I don't overdose them on Selenium. Currently my kids receive about 1/2lb of grain each (planing on slowly increasing to 1lb each per day), plus 3way hay topped off w/ a little alfalfa, and pasture everyday.