Tori Escobar wrote:Hi,
I would love to hear from anyone who has been successful at raising goats without using chemical dewormer or other medications. Is this possible? What did you do to accomplish this?
Thanks!
I’ve been raising sheep - a very “goaty” breed of sheep, for more than 10 years. And I do it very well. My sheep are very healthy.
I’ve not used chemicals at all in terms of dewormers, antibiotics, etc, only because I’ve made it so I don’t need to.
I do vaccinate yearly for tetanus as its prevalent in my area.
However I don’t “guess” about anything in order to do this well. I have systems set up that mimic what sheep and goats have evolved to thrive on. And I *test*, in order to obtain *actual data* to see how my animals are doing outside of the visual and palpable.
1/
I’ve set up a great pasture system where browsing and grazing are available each place they are moved to. The schedule is according to forage growth and health, and no over browsing or overgrazing occurs. The schedule also ensures that minimal parasite infection occurs in my sheep - ie, the schedule works against the parasite life cycle. (Look that up in wormboss.com.au). Haemonchus contortus “Barberpole” is the big one to learn about. The constant moving back and forth from barn and water/minerals to pasture also ensures exercise and fitness.
I’ve planted lots of extra browse that doubles as food for us and also wildlife. Plus sometimes these are nitrogen fixers or have other multi-stacking benefits. And if it’s evergreen that’s even better. Plus planting C4 grasses helps for the warm season when the cool season grasses are dying.
It means I have year round forage for the difficult seasons - in our case that’s the Summer and Fall.
2/ I test fecal samples regularly at key periods yearly on all my animals, to SEE and count what their parasite loads are, and what type…to be sure I’m continuing to do things correctly. And whether I need to modify or tighten up my rotations etc…
or maybe I bought a ewe who just did not turn out to have a great immune system and got infected w a lot of parasites despite a good grazing rotation schedule (no longer than 2-3 days in any one place and don’t return for 3 months to same area). In this case, I would cull this animal.
3/ related to above: I carefully select the animals I keep or sell as ONLY the best animals. The ones who grew the best on our conditions here (with good amounts of forage, hay, browse and pasture), had the lowest parasite counts, had great temperaments, and very importantly, had excellent maternal qualities - that is independent birthing, ability to nurse twins without supplements, good care and mothering skills, and good reliable fertility. I never keep animals who are not healthy or need a lot of help. We eat meat (acting as the predator in our system), so that is a natural use for animals that don’t tally up.
4/
I also test 1-2 liver samples at slaughter and do a mineral analysis to be sure the minerals they are getting are effectively giving my sheep what they need. (You can look this up and learn about it; minerals are a REALLY important factor not to guess on, but to know and understand). I make adjustments on the mineral mix they get based on these analyses. Generally this is most important in the first few years. Once you have the right mix and liver tests are great, you only have to check once in a while to be sure levels are still good.
I do wonder if climate change will change these parameters a bit by changing soil and forage…🤔
5/
I don’t feed grains or feeds because this is not what ruminants evolved to eat. But also, I don’t milk them anymore, so they don’t require extra nutrition. (If I did milk them I would probably figure out an alternative to lots of grain).
Importantly also, I make sure that I have *only* the *right number* of animals that my property and its forage can support. I never stress the system or my animals, with too many.
I do buy surplus (unsprayed) hay, not because we can’t make enough hay by cutting between grazing rotations, but because we simply don’t have time to cut our own.
6/ I chose the right animal breed for my climate, property conditions, topography, size of land, etc.
I did not choose Highland Cattle for flat lowland Mediterranean climate with mild winters and no snow. I chose a primitive, grassfed-type sheep breed that was used to rainy weather, browse and pasture, who was also is a smaller size for my few acre place. And it’s a breed I can milk if I want, as they twin reliably (tho it’s not a dairy breed).
I wanted goats originally, but we have soggy winters, flat land with no rocks, and more pasture than browse (although I have planted a lot of that as my sheep are a browse-y breed). And I liked our place and didn’t want to move.
So I decided against goats, and in favor of a more appropriate animal and breed for these conditions.
This makes happier, more comfortable animals, less work for me, and a better functioning farm.
7/
I make sure that all the animals i bring onto my farm are healthy, so they don’t bring disease to the rest of my flock and so that I’m not starting with sick animals. Sick animals are a lot of unnecessary work and unhappiness. (Permaculture doesn’t condone that 😉)
That means testing *each* animal before purchase and also researching the farm I am buying animals from, to be sure they test their animals too and maintain good biosecurity.
FYI: 70% of ruminant flocks and herds (goats, sheep, and cows) in USA have 1 *or more* of these three chronic HIV-like diseases: OPP/CAE, Caseous Lymphadenitis, and Johnes disease.
Look these up and learn about them.
They are incurable and *incredibly prevalent* in USA, especially in goats.
You said you have some issues with thin goats. I would check them for these diseases - especially Johnes. Weight loss in middle aged animals is the first sign for all of these diseases though.
Cleaning up one’s farm if these diseases are present, can be difficult as some of these organisms last up to 18 months in the soils. But it is very important to do this well, and cull all positive animals immediately.
This is why BIOSECURITY is also important. If you are bringing in shearers and folks from other farms, make sure they have non-farm boots on, clean clipper blades and equipment, etc etc. You can read and learn about this. Most of these kinds of chronic diseases can be spread on feces stick to boots and body fluids on hands and clothing, etc…
Ok, that is a short (yes!) glimpse of the way I keep animals without chemicals. And my animals are REALLY healthy and happy. As is my silvopasture, meadows and orchard - all of which benefit from the animals and good browse/grassfed management. (And good permaculture design).
Happy to answer questions
