Deworming your goat is an essential part of taking care of your goat and is a step many owners overlook. However, how do you determine the best schedule to fit your goat’s needs?
Goats are typically dewormed weekly or monthly, depending on the goat’s breed and the herd’s individual circumstances. You will need to notice health patterns within the goat/herd, create a consistent deworming schedule for the goat, and keep adjusting the schedule to fit the goat’s needs.
We will talk about the things you need to know as you create a deworming schedule for your goat and the different tests that you can use to determine when your goat needs to be dewormed. Lastly, we will talk about the best dewormers you can use for your goat. Source
Creating A Deworming Schedule
Unfortunately, deworming goats isn’t as clear-cut as many wish it would be. You will need to “guess and check” constantly as the goats grow older and as the animals’ circumstances change. Here are some things to keep in mind as you start figuring out when to deworm your goat.
- What is the weather like? The weather conditions play a significant part in your goat’s deworming schedule. For example, very dry climates and frigid climates such as Arizona or Montana are ideal environments for a healthy goat. Other places that are more humid (such as Florida) are great spots for goats to thrive and will need to be dewormed less often. In colder environments, the reciprocal is applicable.
- What is the resistance of your herd? Some herds have more immunity than others in terms of when you should deworm them. Notice how the herd reacts and the patterns they show as you deworm them and the herd’s overall health conditions.
- When was the last time I dewormed my goat? Keep accurate records about when you dewormed your goat last. If it has been a while, it is better to just deworm the goat than be sorry.
- Take special caution not to deworm your goat too much (as the parasites can grow immune to the deworming) or too little (as you risk ending up with dead goats). Source
Deworming Tests
Another quick way to know when you should deworm your goat is through tests. Be sure to keep in mind the points listed above and the tests’ findings for the best deworming schedule.
FAMACHA Eye Score Test
- You will first need to go through a training course on how to properly use the Famacha system. The requirements to fulfill this training vary depending on the state you live in.
- Get a Famacha Eye Score Card after the training through the American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control.
- The Famacha card will consist of a card with different shades of color on it. Get the Famacha card depending on the type of goat you are getting.
- Lift their bottom eyelid down and notice the color of the eyelid. Match the color that you see on their eyelids with the card. The color of their eyelid will give you a score from 1-5.
- Your goat will need to be dewormed if it has a score from 3-5. Source
Body Condition Test
- Check the process of the vertebrae to check any irregularities and to be sure it is fat enough. Judge the goat based on how fat it is and how big the process is, and write your observations down. Many use a scale from 1-5, 1 being in ill condition and 5 being in perfect condition.
- Check the spine of the goat and check for any irregularities. Write your findings down.
- Check the fat surrounding the goat and notice any irregularities. Write your findings down.
- Check your score. If your goat ranges within the 2-5 range, then it is a healthy goat. If the goat is too thin, it will need to be dewormed. Source
Here is a great video that explains this more in depth:
How To Deworm My Goat
There are many ways to deworm your goat. Here are some methods that many have found successful.
Chemical Wormers
Chemicals that deworm are the best method for deworming your goat.
Chemicals that deworm are effective because the chemicals can be given to every goat equally very easily (as opposed to doing it by feed). The material is a lot more powerful to penetrate parasites as opposed to more natural, tame deworming methods.
As a note, there are three different types of dewormers which are classified into three groups: benzimidazoles, imidazothiazoles, and macrolides.
The benzimidazoles is the most common de-wormer option. It includes wormer brands such as Safeguard, Panacur, Valbazen, etc. The imidazothiazoles include de-wormer brands such as Levisol, Tamil, etc. The third class of dewormers includes chemicals such as Ivomec, Moxidectin, etc. Source
Best Chemical To Deworm Goats
- Safeguard Goat Wormer/Panacur Goat Wormer– This brand of dewormers is classified as benzimidazoles. It is best to use these dewormers typically in rounds of 2.3 pounds, and you may need to worm again after a few weeks if the problem is not completely settled. Safeguard is built for stomach worms, hookworms, and parasites’ in that regard.
- Ivermectin Goat Wormer/Ivomec Goat Wormer– Ivermectin and Ivomec is classified as a macrolide. It is best to use this dewormer in typical rounds of .88 pounds. Ivermectin has safety features built inside of the dewormer to make the wormer as good as possible.
- Cydectin Goat Wormer– Cydectin is classified as a macrolide as well. This dewormer comes in rounds of .88 pounds as well. This is a very powerful, strong dewormer that penetrates the inside and outside parasites.
- Prohibit Goat Wormer-Prohibit is a dewormer that contains levamisole. The efficacy of this dewormer is limited against larvae and is the least safe chemical to use out of the bunch.
- Valbazen Goat Wormer– This dewormer is specialized for goats that have liver flukes. The dosage of Valbazen is 44 pounds for each round.
- Rumatel Goat Wormer-This dewormer is built to help with stomach worms.
Best Natural Wormers
Natural wormer is a good alternative option for the deworming process. This process helps keep your animal away from toxic chemicals and eliminates the possibility of the goat gaining resistance from chemical wormers. Here are some wormers that others have found useful:
- Herbal Goat Wormer– You can easily find herbal goat dewormers are available in the market for any type of farm animal. You can check the results of the goat wormers using the FAMACHA method.
- Apple cider vinegar for worming goats- Apple cider vinegar works as an option as it increases the alkaline levels of the guts, making it a toxic place for parasites to foster.
- Essential oils built for deworming goats
- Plant-based materials such as pumpkin seeds or Diatomaceous earth.
