Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Random Photos

Just a few random photos.

Mr. Friendly's beautiful Suri fiber,

 Mr. Friendly and Maca Mama really did not like the new pigs that arrived at the ranch. They screeched all morning long, and sounded like a mix between a horse and a bird. Weird! :)

 My sister's pup Reza on the left, and my loyal companion Roxy on the right. She's turned into such a good dog.

A beautiful sunset the other day.
Take care!

Suriyah

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Goat Wormers

I was asked to type up the many different types of wormers that can be used on goats. So, here we go.

My personal favorites as far as how well they work are the injectable Tramisole (levamisole) and Cydectin Pour-On (given orally to goats). Tramisole is unfortunately not on the market anymore to my knowledge - thankfully I have a large bottle given to me by an old time breeder. I only use the Tramisole sparingly due to this, and usually use Cydectin with good success.

No goat rearing is going to be successful and worm free, especially here in the wet south, without proper feed, watering, minerals and worming - all on a good, consistent schedule. One way to help keep worms under control is by copper bolusing. Copper bolus' help keep the worm population under control, especially in the cases of bottle jaw. Goats should be copped bolused 3-4 times a year.

Another great way, and really the only way to tell which kind of wormer you should use on your herd, is by doing fecal testing. Many people do this on their own with their own microscope. If you do not know how to do that, ask your vet. Most vets only charge $10-$15 for a fecal sampling.

Disclaimer: I am not a vet. Use these dosages at your own risk. These are the dosages that have worked for many years for many goat breeders. Always use medication with caution and correctly weigh your animal.

Goats metabolize wormers differently than other animals - drugs clear their system faster. As a result, goats require higher doses of wormers for effective treatment. Most of the wormers available for use on livestock are not labeled for us in goats and so are not labeled with the correct dose for goats. For a treatment to be effective, you need to use the correct dose. Please not that most of the doses given for goats on this site are "extra label" (Extra label means that the dosage given for goats differs from that found on the bottle and/or the FDA has not cleared their use in goats).

These are the name brands and then the class of wormer. There are other wormers on the market, but these are the most commonly used and most effective in goats.

Ivomec - Ivermectin
Treatment & control of: Lungworms, gastrointestinal roundworms, larvae, lice, mange mites & cattle grubs. External parasites.
Dosage:
Given orally to goats, at the rate of 1 cc per 50 lbs. Lately, many breeders have been using a higher dosage at the rate of 1 cc per 34 lbs with great success.
Safe for use in pregnant does.

Valbazen - Albendazole
Treatment & control of: Lungworms, gastrointestinal roundworms, stomach worms, tapeworms, intestinal worms & liver flukes (adult).
Dosage: 1 cc per 10 lbs, given orally.
Do not give this to pregnant does during the first 45 days of gestation. To play it safe, do not give to pregnant does at all.

Safeguard, Panacur, Benzelmin - Fenbendazole
Treatment & control of: Lungworms, gastrointestinal roundworms, stomach worms, tapeworms, intestinal worms, bankrup worms & nodular worms, liver flukes (adult).
Dosage:
Using the dosage on the bottle of the horse/cattle kind, give the goat 4x the dose - according to your goats weight. For example, if your goat weighed 100 lbs, give her the amount of wormer for a 400 lb horse.
There is now a goat version. Use the goat dose on the label.
Safe for use in pregnant does.

Tramisole, Levasol, Prohibit - Levamisole
Treatment & control of: Lungworms, roundworms & gastrointestinal parasites.
Dosage:
Tramisole injectable 13.5% is given subQ at the rate of 1 cc per 50 lbs.
Oral sheep tablets are given at the rate of 1 tablet per 50 lbs.
Prohibit powder - follow the directions on the package for mixing it with water. Once mixed, dose it orally at the rate of 1 cc per 20 lbs.
Safe for pregnant animals.
Do not overdose this wormer. There have been reports of toxicity if overdosed.
Personal note: I highly recommend the injectable version of this wormer. It works wonders. I am not sure that it is on the market though due to some regulations.

Cydectin Pour-On - Moxidectin
Treatment & control of: Lungworms, gastrointestinal roundworms, larvae, lice, mange mites.
Dosage: given orally at the rate of 1 cc per 20-25 lbs. Do not pour-on goats.
Not sure if this is safe for use in pregnant does, so just avoid during pregnancy.
Personal note: Another favorite wormer in the south. One of the only wormers left that actually works.

Some of the information on this page was gotten from years of goat rearing, and Fias Co Farm's page on various goat wormers. Her page is somewhat outdated, which is why I retyped it here with new information.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Pictures!!

Just a bunch of random pictures from this past week or two!

a beautiful sunset last night,



 muscovy ducks,

 lemon basil in front, tobacco plants behind,

 these weird mushrooms have popped up everywhere lately!

 a couple little pygmies on the ranch,

 spots, spots, spots,

 and more spots... in all colors, shapes and sizes,

 my little sister got a new chihuahua since her old one passed away... she's a mini, her name is Sweet Pea and this kitten and her get along very well.



 a few weeks ago we added this new girl to the ranch, she's a beauty.


Have a good end of summer day y'all,

Suriyah

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Just a few photos

Yes, we are still alive here on the ranch. My blogging has slacked... but that's ok. I've been busy busy. :)


Just a few photos from the other day. Breeding season is here and the bucks are s t i n k y.

Berry, our Nigerian Dwarf buck.

Bubbles and Ebony (Ebony is due in November),

Tic Tac, one of the Mini Nubian boys.

 TJ - his color changes every week I think. Still not sure what color he will be when he is full grown!

 And last but not least, Trauma - the little goat who thinks she is a puppy.

Suriyah

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Meet...

Richison Farms Buttercup, registered Purebred Nubian out of Price-O-The Field MB Marlin and Flander's Creek Antonia.

 and registered Alpine Prairie Trail E Primrose, out of Prairie Trail MSN Eclipse and Puckett's LB Hurricane.

Suriyah

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Cheddar. is. DONE.

The Farmhouse Cheddar is done. The verdict is in. Well... kind of.

For those of us who like strong cheese, we really like it. For others that are used to the same ole' store-bought cheddar flavor, it wasn't their favorite.

The texture came out almost perfect. There was no mold either, whew! That was my biggest concern - slicing the round open and finding that it molded and the whole month of waiting went down the drain... or rather, "to the pigs." But nope, praise the Lord!

I'm thinking of trying a Colby or Jack next... thoughts?



For other farm news. . . 

Sunday morning someone came in proclaiming that there was a guinea hen with a bunch of keets (guinea babies are called keets, not chicks. Weird bird terminology) following her. Guineas are horrible mothers most of the time - they run their babies to death it seems. We've never had one be a successful mother that I can remember. They are very protective but tend to loose their keets. So, we took 17 of the keets away and are hand raising them. We left 2 with the hen since she was panicking wondering where all her babies went (poor thing!).

By the way, does anyone want some baby guineas? We have a bunch for sale. $2 a keet.

This is "the horse" - yes, I think that is as official as his name gets. Or maybe it's "the mustang". Either way, it works. He's a very sweet boy and loves the water hose. My brother got him a few months ago from a sale and he was very thin. You'd never know it now... I think he may just be the fattest animal on the ranch.

And last but not lease, this is not-so-little "Party". She's a big girl today and was put out in the big pasture with all the other big does... and her mama, of course. If anyone is interested in her, she is available.

Have a great day everyone!

Peace,
Suriyah

Monday, July 15, 2013

Meet Cotton


Meet Cotton... or "Cotton-ball", or "Puppy" or "Puppyness"... whatever we like to call her at any random time. She's our new Great Pyrenees puppy and she's becoming friends with the boys. Watch out cougars and coyotes, this girl is gonna protect her goaties (hopefully, anyway)!

Suriyah



Tuesday, July 9, 2013

4th of July pics


Bubbles and Summer... happy goats.

lots of big fireworks,

flag cake made by my 8 year old sister,

there are lots of diets and allergies around here... but they still get goodies!

Cheesecake!

Us goofy people,




Suriyah

Monday, July 8, 2013

Goodbye Wyatt!

Wyatt was our first MiniNubian buck. We got him as a yearling when we lived in California from our friend Paula from PawPawNin Caprines. He was a 2nd generation buck and polled. We moved him with us to Oklahoma 5 years ago. He has been a very sweet & gentle boy, and has thrown many beautiful kids for us. He passed away last night at 7 1/2 years old. He had been through a lot and old age finally caught up to him. He'll certainly be missed!

A quick slideshow of Wyatt as a baby and him growing up can be seen at this link: http://www.goodgoats.net/quietwyatt.html




Goodbye sweet boy!

Suriyah

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day y'all! I hope you all had a great day and remember to be thankful for the freedoms we enjoy here in America!






Suriyah

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Random

More waxed Farmhouse Cheddar:

Cool clouds the other night.

"The heavens declare the glory of God. The firmament shows His handiwork." Psalm 19:1

Suriyah