[zatsdeb]

I have 2 saanen milk goats, and now have 2 boer does and 1 boer buck.
We have bread them all with the boer, I will be milking at least 1 of my saanens, My husband bought some medicated feed from a feed guy who has a feed store. I am not sure about feeding this to them. I have been trying to research this subject.. I am glad to finally find a goat forum again, I was on goatweb and it is gone forever it seems.
Please help with info.
Thanks.
Debbie

 

[rgbdab]

hi, do the bags have a label on it? Sometimes it will say withdrawl times or at least you could maybe find out the name of the medication and google it. I often feed medicated feed, but my goats are all boers and only the kids get the milk. Wish I knew more. Good luck, D

 

[StaceyRosado]

if you aren't milking the doe for your consumption just yet then yes you can use the medicated feed.

For when you do milk for consumption on your part I would switch her over to a different grain though.

Welcome, glad you found us

 

[ilroost]

Welcome zat we are neighbors only about 30 miles away from you.good to see someone close by

 

[zatsdeb]

thanks!

thanks for the reply's! I am glad I have a place for info finally after losing Goatweb!!
I am looking forward to the forums and all the friends here!
Thanks again!!!

 

[StaceyRosado]

I am sure you will see some familiar faces/names and some new ones.

 

[Sara]

Why are you giving them medicated feed?​

 

[zatsdeb]

medicated feed

Apparently my husband thinks we need it for prevention of coccidiosis. I didn't think we needed it, but he did, and I am researching it. I am "iffy" about it, especially since I have 2 milk goats and I will not feed them medicated feed while I am milking. I thought it was just to protect the young ones...?????
I am trying to find out as much as possible.

 

[alyssa_romine]

i don't know very many people that feed medicated feeds. I know a few people that are against it. I don't feed medicated feed and haven't had a problem with cocci. They will be fine without it. I would just get them regular goat feed.

Welcome to The Goat Spot!!!

 

[bigoakfarm]

Well, this is one of those "hot button" topics. It's kind of a love it or hate it thing. I have heard people say that feeding medicated feeds contributes to resistance. I am not a vet. You have to keep in mind that every herd and every farm is an individual environment and what works for one breeder may affect another breeder's animal's differently.

I have fed both. I have been feeding medicated 16% goat feed for a few years now. I feed it to kids, bucks, milkers- the entire herd. I don't worry about withdrawal because we don't honestly drink enough goat milk to worry about it. We do drink it occasionally. We make cheese with it and we use it for cooking. Our goats don't have trouble with coccidia here. In the time that I have been using it, I have not had a case of coccidia except for a goat that I bought and brought in to my herd from another farm. I didn't start buying medicated feed because I couldn't control the cocci though I was using Albon like water for those first couple of years. Honestly, I only started buying it because at one point, that was the only feed I could buy locally and when gas got so expensive I had to stop driving 65 miles one way to get my old feed. The complete cocci control that I have now was just a pleasant surprise. Now, I can get pretty much any feed on the market but "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". This is working here with no adverse effects. I am pretty good friends with 6 breeders all within a few hours of me and I know for a fact that 5 of the 6 also feed medicated 16% feed (although we all use different brands). I'm not trying to convince you to use medicated feed- I just want to make it clear that there are breeders who are using it every day with positive results.

Welcome to TGS!
Kristen

 

[zatsdeb]

I have a message on the dairy board that says they use medicated feed too, but not all the time? I know protection is good for the goats, of course. I haven't read any adverse effects except it can be fatal to equines, and I do have 2 donkeys. I also want to be 100% sure that it is ok for pregnant does, as I have 4 that are bred.
they have only had the feed for 2 days, the first day they wouldn't eat it, but the next morning it was gone and they are eating it now. it smells funny though.
I will have to find a way to keep it from my milkers because we use the milk and my daughter does too.
thanks for all the advice though, I am noting all of it!

 

[bigoakfarm]

Ours is just a medicated sweet feed and it smells like plain sweet feed. I might wonder about any feed that had a funny odor. You're right about the horses. We have some mini horses and we keep it away from them. They share a pasture with the goats but they have different barns and the horses can't get inside the goat barn. We have to worry more about our slightly overweight does bullying the little horses off the horse feed. LOL.

I think the decision to feed it all the time or only part of the year is kind of like the decision on whether or not to rotate wormers. You know, how some people say to rotate regulary and some people say to use one until it doesn't work anymore? Everybody kind of has their own methods. I would definitely have the off odor checked out by the feed mill or whatever though. It shouldn't smell bad just because it's medicated.

Kristen

 

[StaceyRosado]

Thanks Kristen for posting your views on this. I have never needed to use it but it is good to hear from someone who does and finds it helpful. I believe GSFarm uses or use to use medicated feed on all her goats as well after a year of cocci issues. So just from that perspective I see the good in it.

 

[goathappy]

The only thing I don't like about medicated feed(and I could be wrong on this) doesn't it almost go under the over worming category where if they don't need it and their bodies aren't using the medication to fight off cocci, won't the cocci eventually just develop a resistance to the medication in the feed? :?

 

[trob1]

They can over time but if you keep up on your fecals like we all should then you would notice an increase in cocci egg counts and can take action with sulmet. The biggest thing is to make sure they are getting the amount of medicated feed that is listed on the bag where as alot of people either mix the medicated feed with other feeds or don't feed the recommended amounts so resistance develops.

 

[nancy d]

Goathappy raises a good question. We have been feeding medicated feed (anti cocci) and have not had a problem with cocci thus far. We drink some milk tho not on a regular basis.
I really think it depends on how your goats are raised. We do not have a bajillion acres for them to forage. So far this medicated feed has worked well, tho I would like to feed wet cob to anyone going to freezer camp as well as anyone I will be milking for ourselves.
Furthermore, it is 17.50 protein, do not know if mature pregnant does really need that much but will be looking into this.

 

[bigoakfarm]

They can over time but if you keep up on your fecals like we all should then you would notice an increase in cocci egg counts and can take action with sulmet. The biggest thing is to make sure they are getting the amount of medicated feed that is listed on the bag where as alot of people either mix the medicated feed with other feeds or don't feed the recommended amounts so resistance develops.

That's a very good point, Teresa. We do random fecals here for worm control. We do mix our feed with alfalfa pellets and beet pulp but we feed a lot of grain compared to others around here too, so it's probably (in my mind) about the same as when a breeder treats all their babies with the preventative doses of sulmet.

It's safe for pregnant does. I would think you're ok on that one. If you do decide you want to feed medicated to the rest of your herd, maybe you could only feed your milkers on the milk stand after they freshen so you can feed them the non medicated while your others are cleaning up their grain.

Congrats on your upcoming kids, btw.

Kristen

 

[zatsdeb]

thanks kristin! I am very excited about my babies. Last year I had my first doe, actually my first goat! she had her baby, my angel, on my 5th wedding anniversary, april 24th! It was exciting and scarey. her first one was stillborn, and I had to deliver him, he was stuck. my angel was my suprise. she just stuck her nose out and started making noises, My husband told me he thought she was just going to have one, and I was hoping for 2 at least. Now I have 4 does expecting, starting in late march! I will probably feed my milkers like you said, I have to keep my first Doe, sharabelle, in her stand until the others are done cause she is a big pig! she would eat everyones food, but of course she has quite a job to do, giving us all that wonderful milk!
I thank everyone for the info again, I just want to do what is best for my girls, (and my black headed buck, Sampson!!) Oh, the other ones are Ginger..(the dark red one) and Dixie the dark redheaded girl. My Saanens are Sharabelle (mother) and angel (daughter)
Donkeys are Malachi and Annabelle. Beagles, Chester, Festus, and Miss Kitty.. (gunsmoke dogs!!)
The deer is Lily, and I have names for most of the chickens and ducks too.
I just hope I do the right things with their feed, that is why all the questions! I also wonder is the medicated feed in place of worming? I don't think so, but I could be wrong?!?!
thanks again!
Debbie
:snowlaugh:
oh, its snowing here! 1 to 3 inches tonight!!!

 

[alyssa_romine]

I don't believe the feed is in place of worming since it isn't a wormer med. I would continue to worm on an as needed basis.

 

[bigoakfarm]

No. The feed doesn't affect our worming schedule one way or the other. I was just echoing trob1's post saying that if you are already having regular fecals done, you will catch an elevated cocci count hopefully before it gets to be a clinical case. I haven't had to take a fecal in to have it checked specifically for cocci in a while but I do take random samples (random in this case being a few from the does and a couple of bucks and then a few of the kids when I start weaning them) to the vet every so often to have them checked for worms. That's how I know the coccidia is under control in my herd -because the vet techs just look at the samples and count everything in there. I still worm when I need to with a wormer. My vet only charges $7 per sample and I don't check every goat, every time so it's cheap insurance for me. I have a small herd.

Kristen