[MsScamp]

Well, my girls are in dry lot and, with a very few specific exceptions, I've never had to worm them. I do not free choice feed, so the hay does not build up in the pens though.

 

[MsScamp]

I understand! I would love to have pasture and just be able to turn the girls out to eat instead of having to feed them because summers are so crazy around here but, in a way, I'm kind of glad I don't due to the worm issue. I've posted pictures of some of my girls on here - one thread is called 'for trinity ranch'. Feel free to have a look and see what you think. The girls in that thread have never been wormed in the 5 years I've had them.

 

[MsScamp]

The land was previously used for cows and horses.

My goats are dry-lotted in an old feed lot - I don't even know how far down the cow manure goes. We've used a post hole driller attached to a skid steer in them on a number of occasions and have never gotten below the manure. So far, thank you Lord, this is not a challenge, I've never had a case of foot rot, but I also make sure that they have dry ground they can go to. I've built up the floor of my shelters to make sure that they are high enough that there is never standing water in them. I do have an area in the middle of a couple of pens that collects water, but I make sure that there is dry ground around those areas. I'll be the first to say that my area being semi-desert helps a lot, but we do get our rainy years. About 3 years ago it started raining on the 31st of May and didn't quit until the 28 of June - literally! Even under those conditions, I had no problems with foot rot.

 

[MsScamp]

That's amazing, GoatCrazy! I'm hoping to breed for some more parasite resistance. I deworm herbally, which has worked well for us, but I still always worry for them and I wish they weren't constantly being re-infected.

Oops, I lied. The big doe that Trinity liked so much is Pebbles. She was born here and is only 4 years old. Sorry, I forgot she was in the pictures.

 

[MsScamp]

How big of an area and how many goats are we talking? I don't mean to be nosy, but both of those are factors. You could till the grass under, but then the area would be taken over by weeds and/or weeds and grass and they will allow worms a necessary step in their development. If you have enough goats to grub it off, that will kill the grass and keep the weeds down naturally. Another option would be to spray the area with Round-up. We spray regularly and I've noticed that my goats will not eat anything that has been sprayed with Round-up or 2-4D, even after it has dried. They appear to be able to detect its presence and won't eat it.