# Pasture or Dry Lot



## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

Curious if you think pasture or dry lot is better for goats. I got in a heated discussion the other day about this, not this exactly but close, just want some input which is healthier for them. Which is better for parasite control ect. I have had a goat for two months and she has pale lids, when I got her I did a 3x treatment with ivermectin plus and also a cocci treatment (not at the same time) as I knew she had never had that and she looked bad. All she had ever had was safeguard...She is 3 and in terrible shape. I can't imagine she got this way because I have her in a pasture with my other girls, they have almost belly high grass and alfalfa in the feeder, loose custom made goat minerals for my area. She went down again a week ago and I thought I had lost her, of course it was the weekend and she had a fever so gave her antibiotics and b complex and probios, she just laid there I knew she was dying, in desperation I made some electrolytes and drenched her, still with us the next day, a few more shots and some serious TLC and she is bouncing back very nice. Of course this is the sweetest goat so I lost a good deal of sleep over her!

So back to the question, pasture or dry lot, which do you prefer and why?


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## MO_Boers (Aug 3, 2015)

I prefer pasture over dry lot. I think its a preference thing or each persons situation. Have you had a fecal done on her? Sounds like to me you might have a resistance to the ivermectin. Or she could be one that just don't have the hardyness to carry a very high worm load an in such a case I would cull. What is her current eye lid color? May need some iron? Again a fecal count will tell you more on whats going on with her.


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## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

She has never had ivermectin before, or her mother, or possibly her grandmother, just a yearly safeguard treatment and no one gets cocci prevention there. She was eating alfalfa hay and straw when I bought her. She was nursing twin bucklings and very thin. I think she was in such poor condition to begin with she didn't have any reserve or great immunity during the move and that just set her off. My other two I bought from the same place as doelings are both great, super healthy no problems or issues ever. Was stupid to think this girl would be like that just because my first two are, that I have had for almost 4 years.... I don't think she is wormy now, just taking time to build her up, I'm hoping anyway.


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## CountyLineAcres (Jan 22, 2014)

I would definitely recommend some Red Cell to help with her iron levels. 

I personally prefer a pasture, because the grass, leaves, and brush makes them so much healthier. However, I really enjoy dry lots due to rarely having any parasite issues. We have had 6 of our junior does on a dry lot for the last few months, and their coats were shiny, they never needed to be wormed, and they were never ill.


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## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

I agree, I need to get to the feed store, heck I have just about everything else the feed store has.... So you really feel dry lots are better than pasture for controlling worms? Why would that be?


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## CountyLineAcres (Jan 22, 2014)

Haha we do too! 

I would say it's mainly due to the worms thriving in the grasses and soil. When you take that away, there isn't much left to affect them. That's my uneducated guess! Their coats were nice and shiny too... Probably due to less bugs in general.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

I have no land for grazing/browsing, never really did. Mine are strictly dry lotted even though I do let my lawn grow crazy wild and bring weeds and saplings to them throughout the summer. Any downed pine trees/limbs during the winter go to them also.

My herds worm load is not all that bad, compared to some, but I do fecal and keep after them. Their area is smallish, so worm eggs would be in the soil all the time where they could easily access them by grooming themselves. If I could afford it, rotational grazing would be my way to go.


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## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

Do you feel that you never need to worm your goats or treat for cocci in the dry lot? Her goats are in a rather small area as well, along with a few sheep and alpacas. I have seen the goats napping in the feeders so I know they track in all kinds of goodies to the feed. She told me if she had worms or parasites she got it from my place, weird as all my goats are healthy and she was so rough coated and skinny... I don't think she got them from us, she was just to poor to travel well. She said worms are not an issue in a dry lot situation so that is why no treatments not even for cocci in the kids. I'm just venting, it has been a struggle with this girl.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

A true dry-lot (NO grass or vegetation) with good management is definitely the easiest place to control parasites but that means hay racks and feeders that they cannot put feet in, no feeding anything off the ground, etc. 

All goats carry some worms, the stress of moving often causes a bloom. It is likely nobody's fault, just the combination of stress and new feed and exposure to different parasites etc. Parasites are opportunistic.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Get a fecal done to include coccidia. See where she is at with wormload. Make sure you are dosing correctly. I'd also be doing copper bolus and BoSe shot.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Even with feeders they still eat off the ground. My creep feeder has hay 24/7 and the little punks will still nibble off the ground lol they also like to poop in their water, moms lay in their own poop and get right up for kids to nurse. Even out in pasture they sleep in the same area every night (at least mine do) and poop there. So although I know studies claim there should be no worms I think there still will be but of course that's where the goat and their resistance comes in 
Any way to answer your question for me pasture!! My goats look best on pasture first off but the money saved on feed is big time #1 for me.
If your grass is that high you shouldn't have a issue with worms, I would say they have less of a chance then even dry lotted. If you watch them they are not like cows and sheep and mow right to the ground, they nibble here and there as they slowly always move, so they shouldn't be getting down to those nasty little worms any ways.....that's my 2cents any ways lol


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Even in dry lots the parasites will get there. Snails, slugs, beetle mites, all these things carry parasites that affect goats. Then we have those really neat ones that turn parasitic just occasionally and pierce the feet to get in. The drought has brought them out in force the last 2 years. 
Cocci is actually a bigger problem in a dry lot setting. Goats always carry cocci, there's nothing that would get rid of it completely short of them living in an environment controlled lab. Baby goats in a dry lot mouth the feeders and the ground more as they can't practice eating with real brush and shrubs. Each pen that babies are in here has a large rotting stump for them to chew, it helps keep their little mouths busy and gives them natural probios.

The key really isn't _where_ your goats are kept, it's _how._ Learning your area and the management techniques that are necessary for what you have to work with.


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## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

Thanks for all the replies and insights! I knew the move caused her stress so that is why she got the wormer, then when she scoured and I found out she had never ever had cocci treatment I treated her for that, then she was good for about a month and a new goat came into the herd. She was super healthy and did not require any medication at all, been two months now since she came with no issues, but after Dolly joined the herd, Alice took a bad turn for the worse, I thought I was losing her, she had a fever so I gave antibiotics and electrolytes and probios and whatever I could tempt her with. Had to take water to her so she would drink, she would get up and walk around then just go lay back down, she felt terrible, after her antibiotic rounds she is now back to her old self, happy, eating, drinking, she is still anemic so I am now working on that. I hope this is her last illness and she can get healthy.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

I feel that there is no correct answer to your question. It depends on where you live and what you want to do with your goats. 
A well managed intensive rotational grazing pastures will have light worm loads. Because of the time between stock on the pasture (6 weeks) and hight of the grass
But you can not control what they eat. This may effect the flavor of your milk.

Dry lots -----is there really such a thing? I have seen many muddy lots I feel there are too many problems to even think about this 

But a slated floor confinement system interest me. No foot rot no predators low worm counts control of the quality of feed.
Oh but the costs!!

I think a combination of intensive grazing an a confinement system would be a good system.
April and may in confinement. This would give the pasture a good start. The after kidding worm flush would be beneath the floor slats.
Then the rest of the year on rotated pasture.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Well managed dry lots don't have to be muddy. Mine are on a hillside for drainage, are raked every other day, and are made of hardpan... This is where you water cement into the top layer of dirt to create heavily packed surface that is hard but, not slick. They have nice raised houses in every pen as well.


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