North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Caren Kirk <quirky@videotron.ca>]

Naomi and Sarah,

 

Don't want to drag out this off topic thread but found it fascinating.  Used to work at a stables/ small farm when I was younger that had a whole range of animals including a small herd of goats, so it brings back memories of milking, looking after the kids, eating various types of chewy goat stew, and trying to keep the killer billy from headbutting anyone too seriously (unfortunately he evenutally killed the best doe).

 

Being a Brit, and having a cousin who has a Holstein fram in the UK, it freaks me out to hear the NA Holsteins don't go out to pasture.  Shows how naive I am. I do appreciate being in Canada where the milk, even non-organic, is (at least claims to be) antibiotic and hormone free.

 

The world is a frightening place.  Good luck and kudos to you for your organic treatments.

 

Caren.

----- Original Message -----

From: Naomi Counides

To: 'North American Fruit Explorers'

Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 7:29 PM

Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Milk, goats, antibiotics and alternative medicine

 

My personal bet on the cure of your goat was your use of Zinc.  It is often a zinc deficiency that leads to skin problems.  Also Selenium needs E to work but selenium is not typically linked to skin issues. A situation as persistent as you describe often has nutritional causes.

Mary Smith “Goat Medicine page 34 http://books.google.com/books?id=nWCLpQFrdnMC&pg=PA34&lpg=PA34&dq=zinc+deficiency+goat+skin+hair&source=bl&ots=XU7KWOM3J2&sig=fZwre5Ky7Q65SyZhUsMplAdda74&hl=en&ei=JUi4SbLvFpqqtQPw8uFK&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result

 

With the goats if it is a fungus I use athlete's foot cream from the dollar store.. Though Tea tree oil is a good fungus fighter also.

 

Bugs I try Ivermectin first. 

 

Bacteria, triple antibiotic ointment from dollar store or inject if it is internal.

 

I always have good local minerals out and I do not feed grain.  Once got an old doe who had not kidded in 2 years, the last of the Musk Rose herd.  "Lucille loves her corn" they told me.  She got on our trailer and never saw corn again.  She is about to kid for the second time here. 

 

I take it that your does are not Nubians. My neighbor’s LaManchas beat up the dog I loaned her and my token LaMancha got very hostile with the dogs when she had a kid on her so we took the kid away.  Nubians are very easy going as are my Boers. They leave the dogs alone. And do not bully each other.

Naomi

 

-----Original Message-----
From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Sarah Kehler Ewing
Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 5:07 PM
To: North American Fruit Explorers
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Milk, goats, antibiotics and alternative medicine

 

 

Along with my 3000 fruit trees, heritage chickens and ducks, I have a small goat dairy (4 milking does, 6 doelings and a ridiculously expensive buck) producing raw milk for my 6 kids who can't tolerate cow's milk.  What I've learned from my vet and a bunch of local goat and cow dairies thus far is this:

<snip>

 Right after I got this batch of goats I had one come down with Rain Scald (looks like really bad acne all over).  I treated her with several series of different painful vet prescribed antibiotics over 6 months and the vet finally threw up his hands and said "shoot her"  I kept her as she was due to kid in 4 weeks and decided to try herbs, vitamins and minerals.  I tried Pau D'arco,, Oil of Oregano, Zinc and vitamin E and she was cured within 1 week and has been fine for two years. I have also used Oil of Oregano to cure a couple of goat kids that had their dehorning sites get infected and even the one that had her head get so infected that she lost a section of skull healed up

 fine.  I haven't had to deal with mastitis yet.

 

Naomi:  Moby, my Great Pyrenees dog, was raised on a sheep farm with 3000+ sheep so he guards my goats (even from the other dogs) when I'm out giving shots, trimming feet, dehorning, kidding season, etc.  Unfortunately, I have killer goats that don't think they need to be protected and they attack all three of my dogs when ever they can get at them!

 

Sarah

 

---

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