# Lice before the fair



## rtdoyer (May 6, 2010)

Okay, I'm the goat leader for about 5 kids for a 4-H group and we have the kids bring their goats to our house so we could practice. That was 4 days ago. Today we were shaving goats and 2 of the Boers are covered with brown crawling things along their back - not literally covered, but they are all over! The little brown things crawl down in to the fur and then you see them crawl up and then down. The back/top is the worst.

I'm thinking lice. We have never seen lice on our animals so I'm assuming one of the other goats brought it with him/her either this week or one of the previous weeks. 

Now, my question is - we go to the fair in 10 days. I dusted with a poultry powder (permethrin) from the head to the tail. Will that one treatment be enough? Should I go completely clean their pen and dust them again? Unfortunately these Boer's eat their hay off the ground as one has a weird horn that gets stuck in every feeder we've tried. 

My second question - the Boer's share a fence with four 16 month old does and they both share a fence with 13 pack goats. Should we dust everyone/the whole herd? I shaved three of the does and didn't notice any lice. The Boer goats aren't scratching so I'm pretty sure this problem just recently started. 

I'm most concerned that the fair is in 10 days and I need to be rid of the problem. The Boer goats haven't been wormed since March but they are also being sold as market animals so I need to be careful what to give them.

Thanks,
Tonia


----------



## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

[attachment=0:2ml7eull]42409935-400x540-0-0_Python+Python+Dust+Shaker+Can+2+Lb.jpg[/attachment:2ml7eull]

Yep, lice. We use a dust called Y.Tex Python dust. Seems to work best out of any of the other dusts we have used. You shouldnt have to do it more then once as the dust will stay in the hair long enough to kill any hatching eggs. I like to get a paper dust mask and really spread it around after shaking it on. You could do it again in a week just to make sure though.

Yes, you will need to dust all the animals. Id contact the kids and tell them to do the same. Lice isnt a big deal but its irresponsible to knowingly take infected animals of any ailment off a farm. A good vet at vet check will catch it and send them home. Not that there are many good vets at fairs. For more info on it, check it out here http://www.jefferslivestock.com/python- ... /cp/Y2-P6/


----------



## feederseaters (Nov 8, 2009)

Ultra Boss also works good and there is no milk withdrawl (just incase you have goats in milk). It has Permethrin as part of it's active ingredients. There is another chemical in it too...but I cant recall the name if it right now. I found that one treatment worked for several weeks. I would treat before the fair then again when they get home. 
GOOD LUCK


----------



## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

Its the sore mouth I hate bringing home from a fair... Totally ends any other shows you might of been thinking about for at least a sold month. But with thousands of people putting their fingers in every goats mouth, what can ya do? Just glad that we decided on not taking any to the fair this year. Not only save some money by working instead but save money on not buying extra meds to treat minor ailments


----------



## cryptobrian (Apr 26, 2012)

We use a Permethrin based spray recommended by our vet. We had lice prior to an event and our vet ordered two applications, two weeks apart, prior to sign-off for fair entry.


----------



## rtdoyer (May 6, 2010)

Thanks for all the replies on lice. After the fair, I realized what people were talking about with the vets. If the vet knew you, they didn't hardly look at your animal - kind of scary.

Tonia


----------

