I'm another victim.....please help if you can!

[redtailgal]

I'm still pretty new to goats, so take what I say with a grain of salt (or two).

As for they hay:

I feed my goats a weedy fescue mix. I dont keep track of what cutting it is, they eat the same hay that the cattle eat and they do well with it. They also have plenty of wooded forage and a nice grassy area to graze if they want. I have four wethers (two are going to freezer camp and two are just pets) and two does that will be bred next year for meat babies. I dont milk anything.

I also have a friend who has a small dairy with nubians. She feeds the same hay that I feed. It's good quality, but a weedy fescue. Her goats also have plenty of forage and graze available to them and would probably need a different hay if they didnt.

As for the meds:

You've really laid a lot of meds to these goats. I really suggest you getting good fecals done on them before laying anymore meds in their systems. FInd out what you are dealing with, and treat them for that. Part of me wonders if some of the puny-ness is from all the meds that they have received. It could be that their systems just are overwhelmed right now.

 

[NYRIR]

The cough the boys have could be a respiratory infection rather than lungworm-related. I can't remember if you checked their temp or not, but if it's elevated you should treat with antibiotics rather than a dewormer and see what that does for them. If they don't have temps then it could be caused by worms or dust.

Yep, going to do that tonight with help from DH. If it's a temp, I'll try the Pen G

 

[NYRIR]

I did this with Sheep so I feel for you but you really need to get a skilled Vet out there.

Working on that too

 

[NYRIR]

I'm still pretty new to goats, so take what I say with a grain of salt (or two).

As for they hay:

I feed my goats a weedy fescue mix. I dont keep track of what cutting it is, they eat the same hay that the cattle eat and they do well with it. They also have plenty of wooded forage and a nice grassy area to graze if they want. I have four wethers (two are going to freezer camp and two are just pets) and two does that will be bred next year for meat babies. I dont milk anything.

I also have a friend who has a small dairy with nubians. She feeds the same hay that I feed. It's good quality, but a weedy fescue. Her goats also have plenty of forage and graze available to them and would probably need a different hay if they didnt.

As for the meds:

You've really laid a lot of meds to these goats. I really suggest you getting good fecals done on them before laying anymore meds in their systems. FInd out what you are dealing with, and treat them for that. Part of me wonders if some of the puny-ness is from all the meds that they have received. It could be that their systems just are overwhelmed right now.

Actually, the only meds the small one has gotten is Ivermectin.Two doses of 3/4 of a cc each.That's why people said to do the Corid for Cocci, I have yet to see any symptoms in this girl...except she HAD a cough before Ivermectin and now does not. No scours,ever. Great appetite,no signs of discomfort....just small.

The Nubian that got sick after eating a load of grain I gave Pen G, Vitamin B complex,Probios, vit/electrolytes,Tums 2 times, and she did NOT get her second dose of Ivermectin when already sick.I read a bunch on this site and followed suggestions....she is doing great now

One of the three boys got Lungworm meds from a vet(it was a month before), and I decided to do Ivermectin for all of them as well since the cough was still prevalent.The cough is now gone in the one and the other two are getting temps tonight to see if they need antibiotics.They eat well,socialize,are growing fast,and have no scours....just a cough that sounds wet.

Hay:Ours is also a weedy fescue, they love it. The Pygmy and the Nubian look really good on it, so I am assuming it is ok.The boys are growing well too.We do not have a specific area for forage but live on a mountain and there are woods all around us. We sometimes walk the goats and allow them to browse along the roadside, or bring them down to a secluded pond area. When time is more limited we gather it and bring it to them.Fortunately, I only have to work part time and home school 2 of my kids so we have lots of time with the goats.We are enjoying their funny antics

I am also one to not like giving meds, believe me.....we raise ALL our chickens,Turkeys and waterfowl on UNmedicated feed.I don't give anything ;except we worm once a year in the fall, unless there is a problem.We prefer to use Python dust versus any pour-ons for treatment when needed of lice and mites.(ETA;We have roughly 150 chickens to dust, by hand!) I have had to treat only 2 sets of chicks for Cocci in 4 years, and I hatch out of 4 incubators from early spring to late summer, so we hatch a lot of chicks!
We do our best to keep the animals happy and healthy...and try to use the least amount of meds we can.

 

[that's*satyrical]

I'm still pretty new to goats, so take what I say with a grain of salt (or two).

As for they hay:

I feed my goats a weedy fescue mix. I dont keep track of what cutting it is, they eat the same hay that the cattle eat and they do well with it. They also have plenty of wooded forage and a nice grassy area to graze if they want. I have four wethers (two are going to freezer camp and two are just pets) and two does that will be bred next year for meat babies. I dont milk anything.

I also have a friend who has a small dairy with nubians. She feeds the same hay that I feed. It's good quality, but a weedy fescue. Her goats also have plenty of forage and graze available to them and would probably need a different hay if they didnt.

As for the meds:

You've really laid a lot of meds to these goats. I really suggest you getting good fecals done on them before laying anymore meds in their systems. FInd out what you are dealing with, and treat them for that. Part of me wonders if some of the puny-ness is from all the meds that they have received. It could be that their systems just are overwhelmed right now.

I thought fescue was toxic to goats in large amounts & it was bad for pregnant goats? Is this true or no? If not I am going to take more advantage of the field next to my house every time he mows he leaves the hay for me but since it is mostly fescue usually the rabbits get it & I use some for bedding. The boys get some mixed with their coastal/alfalfa mix but I haven't been giving it to the girls.

 

[ksalvagno]

It depends on the fescue. Endophyte free fescue is ok. The regular fescue is not.

 

[that's*satyrical]

How do you tell if it's endophyte free?

 

[ksalvagno]

I don't know. I'm guessing you need to know what type was planted. I just don't bother with fescue since you do have to have the right one.

 

[that's*satyrical]

Ok, well thanks for that info. I'm not sure what type is next door so I will continue to use it carefully.

 

[20kidsonhill]

Fescue planted for hay fields should certainly be the safe kind. Now if you get some bailed hay from a pasture that someone decided to bale up, then I would be a little more concerned. Fesc ue is not considered to be one of the more nutritious varieties of grass hays, so if you are feeding fescue I would for sure have pasture available as well or I would be feeding grain. It would also of course depend on what you are doing with your goats and what stage of growth they are in. A mature nigerian Dwarf can get fat on air, they might do okay on Fescue hay or a mixed grass hay with fescue in it. On the other hand if you are feeding out growing kids or feeding a doe in milk, then I personally wouldn't waste my time with it, unless that is all that you can find. it would be benificial as a fiber and filler. I did feed some last fall, when I still had some pasture but it was gettin colder outside and I wanted to supplement with some extra hay. It worked out well. The goats liked it. Our rabbits loved it.