Safeguard and kids

[allanimals21]

How old do kids need to be to use safeguard? Everyone else in the herd is getting it. The kids are 6 weeks. I have Valbazen also but I want to use the same thing on everyone if possible.

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

Do they need worming? Worming goats when they don't need it does more bad than good. I have never had a goat need to be wormed until the are at least 3-4 months old. I use SafeGuard too. I would check all your goats and see if they need worming and if not then don't worm them. I know it is easier to do things on a schedule but worming should be done only when needed. I'm not saying they don't need it, I'm just saying that if they don't then I wouldn't.

To answer your question, I do not know how old they need to be. I think the earliest I have wormed a goat was 3 months maybe older.

 

[allanimals21]

Well I was told by my vet to do all of them and repeat in 4-6 weeks. The kids have since been born and I didn't know if I should do them too?

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

That's a bad idea. If you just worm every 4-6 weeks you are not helping your goats. What you are doing is breeding super worms. The worms will quickly build a resistance to the wormed and then it will not work. The best practice is to worm only when needed.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

I have talked to a few vets lately for a column I am working on and they were all very nice and knowledgeable but a few I think might be practicing some techniques that are no longer encouraged. Some of the are encouraging treating only when there is a specific need, diagnosed through testing (fecal usually). That way, the parasites are being treated with the right chemical for the kill, parasites are not encouraged to develop resistance, and the animal is being given a medication that they do not need. Some, including my own vet whom I adore but do not always agree with, advise people to work by a calendar date and even rotate wormers (mine does not want me to rotate but wait until I see a resistance to the wormer I am using-but I still ask for test first and he just smiles and rolls his eyes at me a bit).

All that aside, I would not think you would need to worm the kids so young so I'd say skip it for now.

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

@allanimals21

Do you know what FAMACHA is?

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

Also worming when not needed can help to ruin your goat(s) too. When you have a goat you want it to be resistant to worms, right? If you have a goat that has no worms or worm eggs in it then how can this goat become resistant against worms. If you have a goat with a fair amount of worms but is completely unaffected that can be better than a goat with no worms. You want a goat that can survive or withstand worms. If you keep worming and worming then you are making super worms and making your goat unable to fight off and survive worms. When you worm goats it should be to get rid of as many as needed for that goat to survive but not get rid of them all, so that goat can become a hardier and more complete goat.

 

[allanimals21]

We ran fecals and we treated for cocci and worms. I don't just worm them because. I just didn't know if the kids will be exposed but I suppose we could run fecals on them too. This last 6 months is the first time I've had issues with Lice, worms, and cocci in the 2 1/2 years that I've had goats. I've never wormed up until now. Never had a need to. Every fecal I had ran was fine. I only had 3 goats up until last november. And I think the new ones are what started everything.