Holistic Parasite Management in My Dairy Goat Herd

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Click HERE to read my policies & disclaimers if you're interested. I will only link products I use and personally recommend. Thank you for your support, friends!

I think goats are very much misunderstood. New goat owners are purchasing goats under the guise that they can just toss them out to pasture and on brush, give them some water and maybe a roof over their heads, and not take a second look at them.

And while they can be very low maintenance, they can sometimes be just the opposite. This really goes for all livestock. There’s a lot of factors surrounding goats and their health that can affect how they manage a parasite load and we’ll get into that, but it starts with good management and sustainable parasite control and nutrition.

I’ve been raising goats more years of my life than I haven’t, so I have a ton of experience and I’ve seen a lot and helped others with a lot and also worked with some great teachers and mentors to improve my herd and the breeds I raise.

Chances are you’re here reading this because you either already have goats and want to know how I holistically manage my herd or you’re planning on getting them and are wanting to find the best way to care for them to your ability. I’m glad you’re reading this and I hope I can shed some light on a lot of things to help you make a decision and plan a protocol that works best for your herd.

Disclaimer

I’m going to start by saying that none of this is medical or veterinarian advice; I obviously don’t have a degree in veterinary medicine, just lots of direct and personal experience with goats. The information I am passing along is simply the protocol I follow that has led to success in exclusively herbally managing my herd’s health, especially when it comes to parasites.

Please take this information in this post as purely information to pass along and not advice. Use what I talk about to form your own thoughts and opinions. I hope I can help you be very successful with goats because they seriously are such amazing creatures. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get to talking. I’m going to break this up into bits that will hopefully help you thumb through and find what you’re looking for. If not, sorry ;D

In This Post You'll Find...

Internal Parasites

With goats, there’s lots of different internal parasites you can potentially deal with. And you will always have parasites in your herd, as a goat with 0 parasites is not a living one. A parasite load is a good thing. Not being able to manage that parasite load is a bad thing. So we need to find a happy medium with healthy goats having parasites but also being able to manage that load naturally.

This is where having a supportive herbal protocol comes in handy. You can boost the immune system and also ward off parasites, while not killing tons of them, and you have ZERO resistance. Chemical dewormers get resistant parasites and are also hard on their bodies and organs and immune systems. I’m not vilifying pharmacology, I’m just saying it should NEVER be your first line of defense and/or blindly given for unknown parasite burdens.

The ones we get the most up in arms about are the stomach worms. IF you have a goat that is acting off and sick, you must FIRST always assume stomach worms and treat for it. I immediately start my “suspected stomach worm protocol” on any animal acting ill, because even if it isn’t stomach worms right off the bat, if they become immune compromised, it could possibly turn into an issue down the road.

Even something as simple as a copper or selenium deficiency can lead to the goats inability to manage their parasite load. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS assume stomach worms first and foremost and then go from there. Which is why I’m thankful I have found an herbal protocol that works well for my herd and we aren’t tempted to give a chemical de-wormer blindly, which you SHOULD NOT be doing because that’s what is causing resistance.

Closely monitor your herd and spend time with them. You will quickly learn how each animal acts and by spending just a bit of time with them, you will be able to quickly identify sick animals before they’re extremely ill. Keep good records. Write down what you did to treat them, when, and how they responded. This helps you to develop your own protocol for your herd, as every herd and every environment is different.

Monitor immune response and what herbs support that animal. Watch your goats browse in your pastures and take note of what weeds they’re consuming. I’ve seen some folks talking about ragweed in their pastures and that their goats LOVE it and they have noticed far less issues with parasites since they’ve been consuming it.

Do your own research by simply watching and taking note of what your goats are doing. The end goal is effective parasite control in your herd with very minimal input. Be sure and have a working relationship with a veterinarian if you can, because you may need them for Rx drugs from time to time. They can also help you verify your parasite protocol is working by comparing fecal samples for fecal egg count reduction test.

Types of Parasites Affecting Goats

The four common classes of internal parasites affecting goats are:

round worms
protozoans
liver flukes
tape worms

Round Worms

Round worms include a bunch of different types but also include stomach worms and those pesky anemia causing blood suckers like the brown stomach worm and barber pole worm, also known as Haemonchus contortus. Barber pole worm is what you will hear about time and time again as it is one of the most prevalent and highest mortality causing parasitic infections in goats and sheep, seemingly overnight or in literal hours sometimes in my personal experience. They seem to be heavy hitting on herds during the grazing season more so than winter. If you have a herd that seems fine one minute and then is dropping dead the next, you should always be suspecting round worms and running fecals to a vet to get an answer and a treatment plan for a bad parasitic infection if needed. Not all round worms cause profound anemia that can be diagnosed by FAMACHA, so be aware of that. Most of the time, if your vet is running fecals (or mine anyway), they will give you a print-out containing the classes of parasites they’re seeing via microscope. For me, it’s always strongyles (roundworms), because that’s what’s in my area. The eggs and larval stages of roundworms are normally found in wet, grassy areas. The larvae move up to the top of the stems where they are then consumed by the grazing animals; goats, sheep, beef cattle, etc. Thus starts the life cycle.

Protozoans

The most common protozoa for me would be coccidia, or coccidiosis. This parasite causes really bad diarrhea in kids and can be highly pathogenic and cause death. It is spread through adults that are normally asymptomatic carriers and can be ingested by kids through nursing or eaten off of bedding and cause severe issues, including bloody diarrhea, which is the major tell tale sign of coccidiosis. Cleanliness and good health go strides in preventing this. I have found that by supporting the kids with my herbal worming protocol during the full moon by giving them herbs on their grain and also boosting the lactating dam with herbs right after kidding and then during the full moons is then passed onto the nursing kids and produces good, strong immune systems.

During weaning, I have found that oregano is quite powerful in preventing coccidiosis and supporting kids to have an appropriate immune response to coccidia. Any kids that show even a slight sign of stress or not feeling great are immediately put back with their dam to nurse, the dam is treated with immune supporting herbs, and the kid is given oregano essential oil in a carrier oil orally twice a day until symptoms subside. You can look for yourself on how you would dose this as oregano essential oil causes many an argument in the holistic world. I also offer dried oregano in kelp meal in the creep feeding kid pen so they can snag some as they need it.

Liver Fluke

I don’t have much issue with liver flukes that I know of. Pasture management and rotation goes far with this as liver flukes are shed and can only hatch in water and are carried by snails. Goats don’t seem to be that susceptible to flukes like sheep are. I know liver flukes can cause extensive damage and even death in the camelid family and in sheep. Liver fluke infections can be acute or chronic in form, but we mostly see the chronic infection in cattle, not caprines. Liver flukes can be found and diagnosed in a fecal and I’ve never had any to blink at on the results for my herd.

Tape Worms

Tapes are difficult to diagnose since fecal exams aren’t really that reliable and you really need a post-mortem to definitely say, yeah that was tape worms. Tape worm overload seems to mimic the symptoms of round worm (or stomach worm) overload along with that “pot belly” look. Treatment is the same for me with my holistic protocol. If you suspect an overload, a veterinarian can guide you to anthelmintics that tapes are most susceptible too, but if you genuinely think there’s an overgrowth, you have to be careful because they can cause severe intestinal blockages. I know for me, I often think of a tape worm as causing severe weight loss, but more often than not, an animal infected with tapes is heavier than those that are not.

Stomach Worm Protocols

If you have a goat that appears to be wasting and losing weight rapidly, a poor appetite, diarrhea, absence of fever, and just overall does not look well, I would recommend immediately starting my suspected stomach worm protocol. It’s essential oil based, boosts their immune system, and gives their body something to use while you look into the issue further. IF they have extremely pale or white mucous membranes, gums, and tail/perineal skin, I would immediately go to dual worming with chemical anthelmintics and then support with herbs. After you treat, try and get a fecal sample ran ASAP and call your vet to get a better idea of what you’re dealing with. A fecal sample will give you a baseline count and you can re-check to verify improvement if treating a more non-emergent case with herbs or will give you the type you’re fighting so the vet can tell you which chemical wormer medications to use to directly attack that specific parasite class.

Herbal Suspected Stomach Worm Protocol

This protocol is for goats who are showing signs of stomach worms, like poor appetite, weight loss, and diarrhea, but are still drinking water and their FAMACHA score is pale pink and not white. It comes directly from Little Avalon Farm and has been a huge game changer is my success with herbal parasite control during emergencies. Begin this treatment while you wait to get a fecal or a vet to come out. Mix together:

5 cc good quality olive oil
2 drop lemongrass essential oil
2 drops oregano essential oil (avoid for pregnant does)
8 drops sweet orange essential oil

Mix this together in a syringe and give orally. Using oregano essential oil in pregnant does is not recommended due to potential for miscarriage and teratogenic effects. Use your decision making here for this one if you want to use it or not. These measurements are for standard size goats like I have, Boers and Alpines. If you have miniature breeds, cut it in half at least. Kids would get half the adult dose for my herd, although I have never had to treat one. You shouldn’t be dealing with parasite overload in young kids.

Separate the goat while you are treating so you can directly monitor water and hay intake. Administer the above mixture 4 times a day for 4 days, 3 times a day for 3 days, 2 times a day for 2 days, and then 1 time a day for at least 2 days after, but you can prolong as long as you think your goat needs it, although I would not go weeks.

Along side this treatment, offer kelp meal mixed with dried nettle and chlorella if you have it. Nettle is plenty if not. You can also offer molasses water if the goat doesn’t have torrential watery diarrhea. I wouldn’t give molasses to a goat with diarrhea, but would rather offer electrolytes in water. Also, do not offer grain, but good quality hay or weeds your goat enjoys. Keep that rumen functioning well.

Emergency Anemia Dual Worming Protocol

This protocol is when it’s good to have a vet on hand for guidance, but in a pinch and in the event that you have a goat with WHITE mucous membranes, gums, and/or perineum, you need to treat with this protocol ASAP and get a vet involved if you can. Anemia this severe is an emergency and chances are your goat is down and not doing well. See the inserted chart for treatment choices that I use. And also, do this in conjunction with advice from your vet, not from a random internet stranger like me. This chart is to help you choose and understand what to ask for and expect from your vet, especially if you have vets that don’t have much experience or knowledge with goats, which is rather common.

Drug Class	Generic Name	Trade Name	Type	Dose/Route	Safe for Pregnant Does
Avermectins	Ivermectin	Ivomec	Injectable 1%	1cc per 20 pounds, ORALLY	Safe
	Doromectin	Dectomax	Injectable 1%	1cc per 20 pounds, ORALLY	Safe
Benzimidazoles	Fenbendazole	Safeguard	goat liquid	1 cc per 10 pounds	Safe
	Albendazole	Valbazen	drench, shake suspension	1 cc per 10 pounds	NOT SAFE
Nicotinic Agents	Pyrantel	Strongid	Oral solution	1 cc per 10 pounds	Safe
	Levamisole	Prohibit	Powder	Dose depends on how mixed, read bag	NOT SAFE
Milbemycins	Moxidectin	Cydectin	Injectable	1 cc per 50 pounds, ORALLY	Safe

You will choose TWO wormers from 2 separate classes and give them at the same time, separately, via syringe. DO NOT MIX the two wormers together and give something like an electrolyte drench between each one to rinse the mouth and get rid of the taste, because some of the injectable varieties you give orally are nastayyyyy. The animal should be treated immediately, then 12 hours after, and then 10 days after if they still are struggling to improve.

You should NOT be using levamisole unless you are out of options. It should be absolutely last resort nothing else is working. Levamisole and Cydectin are the last two that are effective against severe barber pole in a lot of herds, so don’t use it unless you have to. I have had several people ask me why a breeder would send them home with a goat and told to give said goats Levamisole in 2 days for moving stress and parasites with no fecal test, but “just because” and that is absolutely reckless and insane.

Please don’t be that person and ONLY ONLY ONLY use this protocol under the guidance of a veterinarian IF YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO. It is much easier to get many of these drugs from a vet in single dose forms as well as cheaper since most of these come in large vials or containers and require either mixing or you to pull doses from and cost well over $50.

Along with using this emergency protocol, you should start the first herbal protocol as well to support and treat and continue that protocol daily. Encourage eating with good quality hay and electrolyte water, no grain.

IF your goat develops diarrhea during this time that does not resolve in 24 hours, read here on how I treat that!

External Parasites

External parasites include lice and mites and these can be a huge problem, especially with an infestation. Both can harm and cause death in your herd, especially kids. If you suspect external parasites, just dust your goats down with food grade yellow sulfur. This has worked well for me and then I can avoid using permethrin. You can also use injectable ivermectin to treat a bad case, but I’ve never actually had one. Cleanliness and good grooming practices go strides in preventing this. Also, quarantine any new animals and treat them naturally for external parasites prior to introducing to your herd. It’s not a big deal to treat them if you’re doing it herbally as opposed to using medication. Young animals are particularly sensitive to external parasite infestations and they can kill them quickly. Be sure the dam does not have an infestation prior to kidding. If you do find you have external parasites in your herd, clean your barn, treat the affected animals and separate it, and also treat the barn. The floor, walls, hay feeders, all of it. Yellow sulfur or diatomaceous earth, although I don’t care to use it since it’s not very kind to the bees.

I have found external parasites are pains in the winter months when animals are inside and crowded a little more when it’s cold. Don’t be that person that thinks lice don’t exist when it’s cold! They do!

Geographical Considerations

The types of parasites you deal with really is affected by your area. There are some parts that don’t deal with barber pole worm and others that can’t get control of it. Same with other types. So learn which types of parasites you are dealing with in your area and go from there. Have your vet run fecals on your herd and learn what kind of load each one is carrying and compare that to their FAMACHA score and body condition and coat condition.

Learning that from the get go will help you learn each animal and their tolerance to parasites as well as signs they need some help managing their parasite load much earlier than noticing it once they’ve had severe weight loss, pale to white FAMACHA scores, diarrhea, and more. Learn each goat’s personality, how they act, what they do, so when they are off, even just a little, you will notice. This doesn’t take hours a day, but minutes of just being with your herd and learning them. Each goat will be different, which can be frustrating, but I have a base herd size of 13 adults and it really isn’t that hard for me. I know my wimpy ones and I know my resilient ones.

My boer buck, Chad, can carry a moderate parasite load on a fecal test and will need herbal intervention. I make sure and give him herbs available weekly when he is on pasture. He isn’t that wimpy, but it just stays ahead of him a little since he’s more sensitive and I give him the choice to eat the herbs if his body needs it.

My Alpine buck, Virtue, on the other hand has NEVER had a pale FAMACHA, is always perfectly red and I have never had to give him a single extra chemical wormer or mineral or vitamin outside of his goat mineral he has, kelp meal, and giving herbs adhering to my protocol since he lives with Chad. I’ve had him since he was a couple weeks old as a bottle baby and he’s been herbally managed the entire time. He’s got great genetics behind him which is very helpful and that is exactly what I want for my herd as a foundational sire and should be what all dairy herds are looking for because herbs don’t have a milk hold withdrawal.

Genetics

I have found in my years of breeding and raising goats, that genetics play an enormously important role in the health and durability of your goats. This may seem like an obvious one, but if you watch online sale sites and craigslist and other places, there are “backyard breeders” selling absolute garbage genetics. Not every animal needs to be kept a buck for breeding, in fact, rarely should they unless you have an exceptional specimen out of two very stellar parents. In my time of breeding I have sold ONE buck. ONE. And it’s because both of his parents show fantastic parasite resistance, manage their condition and milk production on mostly forage in the warmer months, and don’t require much intervention if any at all on managing their parasite loads past my herbs every full moon.

There are tons of breeders out there breeding for blue eyes and moon spots and dapples and color and not giving a flying rip about anything else and folks are gobbling it up because they see PRETTYYYYYY and want to buy it. And, yes, I was one of them. When I first got back into goats I was enamored with the dappled boer goats. I saw a farm selling this GORGEOUS brown dapple boer doe and she was so beautiful. Colored anyway. I couldn’t see past my rose colored glasses with this goat and my husband kept asking “are you sure” and I was 100% YES ABSOLUTELY LOAD THIS GOAT UP IMMEDIATELY NOWWWWW she’s so pretty.

What I didn’t pay attention to is that she was a bit smaller and shorter bodied than the other does the same age in the pen. They also “rotationally wormed” their goats when I asked meaning they just randomly gave a chemical dewormer every other month because they can. They didn’t run any fecal egg counts, they didn’t test for anything or check FAMACHA, they just blindly gave chemical dewormers for fun I guess?

My only thought is they had issues and that was their fix to managing it and they told me they then started having awful resistance to everything and lost some animals and had to change up what they did. I didn’t pay attention and brought home three does that ended up being the bane of my existence. And then I bought flashy buck a year later that died less than a year after I bought him. All due to irresponsible management by the breeders, poor breeding, and weak genetics. This isn’t a slant at the breeders, because they don’t know what they don’t know, but one would think when you’re constantly throwing a chemical dewormer at your boer goats and you’re finally to Cydectin or Prohibit and that’s all that works, there may be an issue.

What I learned with this is genetics are ultra important. After I lost my first boer buck to stomach worms, I went researching. Something has got to give. I should be able to let my bucks out on pasture and to forage without them being so overloaded with parasites they cannot manage in under 48 hours. That bucks name was Vinnie and I will never forget that sweet boy and what he taught me about parasites.

Boer goats were made for the desert, so when you bring Texas genetics to Ohio, of course they’re going to be weak. We have wetter and cooler conditions many parts of the year which excite those stomach worms like Barber Pole and they run rampant. I have found we need to breed the Boers and cull hard to make them hardier for Ohio. But a lot of people are not, and they don’t have to. They’re rather breeding to win at shows and breeding freaks of nature that have to be kept on a dry lot and constantly wormed. Which, I suppose if you want to do that, you absolutely can, but for me and my preference, that is not my desirable way to raise animals. It doesn’t even sound the least bit enjoyable. What I’d rather raise is Boer goats that can go out on pasture, maintain their weight with forage and no grain, and not die because they touched grass.

Thankfully, after about 5 years of selective breeding and culling, I have two Boer does in my herd that require ZERO intervention with parasite management past herbs every full moon and they are on pasture daily. Cull ’til you cry, I say. Yes, I had to cull some goats I really loved and enjoyed, but why pass on those awful and weak genetics to the second generation. It’s not worth it in my opinion.

My Alpines, the dairy breed I raise, are more hardy than the boer goats where we live in Ohio. They can handle pasture and foraging with little to no intervention outside the full moon worming protocol I’ll explain here in a bit. I do have a couple that are excessively high maintenance with mineral and vitamin imbalances that will be culls this year. It hurts my heart big and I haven’t decided if they’re soft culls or hard culls yet, but I’ll get there.

This is the hard part of raising a good, strong herd. Anyone that isn’t fit to pass on genetics should be tacos and sometimes that’s a hard pill to swallow. But I refuse to sell them and make them someone else’s problem like so many other people do. If they’re not fit to be on my farm, they’re not fit for someone else’s. And chances are, they may not be able to manage the level of care and intervention they require which could lead to poor outcomes anyway. I’m not doing that to one of my animals and I’m definitely not doing that to a new goat owner.

Pasture Management

Another big part of parasite management is pasture management. Lots of adult worms, and I know the haemonchus varieties, like to come to the top of the stems in the morning when the grass is wet. If the dew is heavy, sometimes I will keep the goats in and turn them out once the grass dries, especially if I have a doe or buck that’s requiring some extra intervention for a high fecal egg count or pale FAMACHA score. Does it help? I have no idea but it makes me feel better! LOL

More pasture management is rotational grazing. I currently have a bad set up for that, but ideal situations would rest each pasture section for 30 days to complete the parasite life cycle. This pretty well covers the life cycle of an adult worm that is shed through the feces and is looking for another host to lay eggs in. This isn’t a simple process unfortunately to split pastures and make them goat proof, so I don’t do it. Yet. Someday I’ll get that done, but for now I just keep an eye on them and make sure nobody needs help managing their parasites and this has worked very well for me.

Mineral Imbalances

Goats seem to be rather sensitive to mineral imbalances and something as simple as not enough thiamine can send them into full blown “polio” which is rather scary but easily preventable and treatable. Same with parasites. Severe imbalances make for weak immune systems and make for weak goats unable to manage a moderate parasite load. A strong immune system does far more than just ward off illness. You can tell a lot about mineral imbalances just looking at a goat’s coat. You want smooth and shiny, not dull and wiry.

Environmental conditions in your area affect this as well. Here in my part of Ohio, I have to stay on top of copper, zinc, selenium, and phosphorus deficiencies in my herd. I do have a single mineral buffet where they have every mineral and vitamin they need available to pick through and get themselves balanced and it has worked magnificently for me. I do the buffet for my milk does and everyone else, the bucks and weaned kids, get a mixed mineral that I have found is well balanced for our area. Not every single mixed mineral is a one size fits all for your herd.

You may need to shop around and try different mixes and see how your herd reacts to them to see what will work best for you. This takes time too as you won’t see results for a month or two, so be patient and watch their coat health, weight gain, milk production, and overall immunity.

While mineral imbalances can seem overwhelming and constant with small ruminants like goats, it’s just because they have such complex digestive systems and they’re made to browse not graze. Once you get them balanced with good nutrition, you’ll be on your merry way, it just takes some finagling and honest to goodness determination to get your herd right. Find a good loose mineral mix or buffet, the right feed if you use it, a good pasture to forage on, and some good quality hay. AND it may mean culling some of the high maintenance individual animals because they shouldn’t be producing more weak offspring that require a ton of intervention and maintenance just to survive on your farm.

Signs of Parasite Overload

weight loss
diarrhea
rough coat
depression
weakness
anemia (pale gums, eyes, perineum all appear pale to white in late stages)
hypothermia (late stages)
fast breathing (lung worms, late stage anemia)
coughing (lung worms)
bottle jaw (stomach worms, flukes)

Assessing Your Goat

When assessing a goat you’re concerned about, the first thing you should get is a rectal temperature. Normal body temperature for a goat is 102.5-103.5 degrees F. If they have a fever, it could very likely be pneumonia and not stomach worms, so CALL YOUR VET. If the temperature is normal, immediately check FAMACHA score. Do so by pulling down on the bottom of the eye to expose the mucous membrane. You want them to be nice and red. Pale pink to even white needs intervention. The type of intervention depends on how your goat is acting. Look at your goats coat- is it shiny? Rough? Are they acting normal or are they weak, depressed, or even laying down and reluctant to move. How is their poop? Normal or diarrhea? Take a look under their chin. Right on their jaw bone a goat with a parasite overload will get some swelling called bottle jaw. Make sure it’s on the jaw and not the throat where a milk goiter would be (which is commonly confused as bottle jaw). Work methodically and take in the whole animal and their clinical signs. Try and see what you think are causing these issues, because if you don’t think it’s a mineral or vitamin deficiency or imbalance, then it’s probably parasites.

Herbal Protocol

I have shared a lot regarding the herbal protocol I have formed for my herd and I have proven success with it via fecals with my vet. All are moderate loads mostly which are what my goats can manage and seem to be pretty normal straight across the board. I use an herbal blend I purchase, one blend contains wormwood and a second blend does not and I use each blend depending on different factors, which I will get into. I won’t link who I purchase from because I’m not advertising any one blend and would recommend you read into the herb blends, like I did, and choose one that would be helpful for your herd and one you’re comfortable with using.

I started switching my goats from rotational chemical deworming to herbal several years ago and it was A LOT OF WORK. Herbal medicine isn’t for everyone because it does require quite a bit of work and time and patience. I worked a job off the farm as well with little kids, so you can do it. I started by following a weekly protocol of getting my goats established where I would give the wormwood formula for 3 days in a row starting on Monday and then for the next 6 weeks I would give the non-wormwood formula on Monday. NONE of my goats would eat it off grain or in treat balls. Nothing.

So I had to mix each dose in water and drench each goat orally. It took a while. But, they eventually got used to the flavor and would eat it mixed in a little grain or in kelp meal. So it does get easier, it just takes some time to get your goats figured out. Now, everyone eats it off grain with no complaint, probably because they’re afraid the crazy lady is coming to water board them again. HAHAHA. I don’t have to drench anyone, and especially those raised on my farm, since they’re exposed to the herbs from a very young age and are used to the flavor.

I did this weekly protocol for about 9 months. I did forget a couple weeks here and there which is absolutely okay. After 9 months, I got sick of how much I was using and how much work it was so wanted to try something different. Worming during the full moon. Yes, the full moon. During the full moon phase yours and your goats parasites are ready to party!

Your body’s natural levels of melatonin are lower around the full moon meaning the worms are more active and the herbs will work better. I give herbs to every goat in my herd the day before, the day of, and the day after each full moon phase every month. I mark these days on my calendar so I don’t forget. I give the formula with wormwood 1 month and then the non-wormwood formula for 3 months, and then rotate. I do check FAMACHA scores and look the goat over and if I think they could use an extra kick this month, I will give the wormwood formula even if it’s not the month for it. DO NOT GIVE WORMWOOD TO PREGNANT ANIMALS.

I will also treat a goat for 3 days whenever I notice them acting off or needing it. You can’t overdose herbs.

After kidding, the freshly postpartum doe gets grain, molasses, and the wormwood blend for 3 days in a row. If you’d like to read more about kidding preparedness and postpartum care of your doe, check out this post! Whenever a body is under stress, like birth, it never hurts to boost them because that’s when parasites like to take hold of the host animal, during stress. Managing the parasites in the dam helps you have good growth rates in your kids and strong immune systems.

And there you have it.

My holistic parasite protocol. It’s not hard once you get it figured out. Goats are amazing creatures and we need to stop making them so difficult. I hope I can help you be more successful in your journey with goats! Please feel free to leave a comment with any questions I can help you out with or even message me on Instagram or Facebook!