# Goats losing hair and itching



## kwerner77

We need help we have 4 goat kids, bottle fed. Originally only 1 of them started losing hair along her spine and now a the others are losing hair in other spots they are itching. When we were building our current goat house they were bedding with the chickens in the chicken coop could they have possibly gotten mites from being in the chicken coop? We need help diagnosing and advice on treating properly we are newbies.


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## JaLyn

I'm not positive because i'm not there to see them but it sounds like lice or mites.


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## 8566

Not Enough Info --- Pics are always great.

I can only give broad suggestions that could be unnecessary without knowing more but here's what I would consider..... And it's not a 1 time quick fix. You will have to stay on top of this and resolve it. 

You need to clean out their bedding area - spray with clorox/water (50/50 solution), dust area with DE/Lime/SweetPzzz, put straw back in. Note - could be coming from the straw too.

I'm going to say you are in a colder climate and can't bathe them. So go to the pet/grocery/walmart store and get the dog tick/lice drops in the correct weight range. Admin to the goats.

Give them Ivomectin (plus). Redo in 10 days. And give 2nd dosage of drops in the 3month time slot.

Enhance your feed management of the goats and include minerals and kelp if not already. Also start top dressing with CalfManna.


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## clearwtrbeach

Liz pretty much nailed it. I had one get lice in the summer and used a dust and cleared it right up.


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## kwerner77

So we dusted everything last night with DE. I did see some kind of attached parasite on their bellies, never did find anything on top. The remind me of fleas that don't have legs... it's tough for me to take pics of the bug itself. . I'll see if I can go get a pic of the kids. I'm thinking biting lice?


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## kwerner77

I meant biting fleas not lice, the were brown and narrow. .


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## sweetgoats

Yep, sounds like it might be mites. I have my does that seem to lose their hair every year, no matter what and there is no lice, mites or anything. Found out mine is a Vit D and E def.


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## kwerner77

Ok here are three pics the white male just started showing some of the same hair loss but the other female in the photo is the one who has had this going on the longest. I wasn't sure what it was at first, stress or something, but now that I found something on them clearly they need to be treated. I did get one, of what I now think is lice but I'm not seeing any nits or anything yet, off of one of the girls. Any ideas? I would have like to prevent giving shots if at all possible but whatever you guys think I'll go to Farm and Fleet and pick up. I've read I can do Valbazen De wormer and Invemec pour on to treat inside and out. The Valbazen is oral rather than a shot.. Let me know what you guys think, shots make me nervous because I had a dog have an allergic reaction to one once. We don't yet have a large animal vet out here just our normal vet for dogs and cats so unfortunately I don't have one to call in case something starts going wrong from a shot.. Thanks for your help everyone!!!


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## sweetgoats

That is what my goats look like in the spring. They go bald and then when it comes back in it is so beautiful. My vet said yes it can be stress related also. I first notched when the does kidded and had a bad/hard delivery, then the bucks started doing it. We chalked that up to the bad winter snows that they were locked into the barn for extended period of time. So far they are all fine this year but I am not kidding any so I will see what happens, and I have only locked them in the barn for two days from a storm. 
 Something else, dust them every couple days with the DE. Just sprinkle it down their backs, they will shake and it will go down the sides and all.


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## kwerner77

HELP.. we went out of town for a week and I treated with first dose of drench on their backs. Hair loss not getting better and one goat seems to be weening herself and I'm worried that something is wrong. They are all around 10-12 weeks now and I don't know if that's normal or not. The hair loss is not getting better and I'm giving them the second dose today. Is there something else I should try??!!! I'm really getting worried and I don't want to lose my goats.. I'm willing to try anything at this point.. Thanks


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## clearwtrbeach

First, 10-12 wks if fine if she is trying to wean herself. Just be sure you see her eating and drinking. 
The hair won't grow back over night. Do you still see any little bugs? Are they still scratching a lot?


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## kwerner77

They are all eating and drinking as far as I can tell. I did see small bugs which is why I am treating them with the Pour on.. gave second dose this morning. Seems like they are itching less but they have lost a lot of their hair and its going to be below zero tonight, thinking about a heat lamp tonight..?? But just wondering what else I should be doing...


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## black-smith

Lice are a pain to get rid of but I wouldn't be too worried about your goats they sound healthy otherwise, the hair will take a long time to grow back but make sure to get rid of the little suckers. I use a spray that I get either at the vet or the feed store (just ask them what they have for treating lice) it should probably take care of ticks or mites as well but it looks like lice to me.
most sprays you need to get them quite damp with and repeat several times, so a heat lame might be a good idea if it gets cold. Good luck!


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## mjgh06

From your picture of the critter, it looks like a goat sucking louse. We used to get mites on our goats all the time when we had chickens. One of the reasons I got rid of them. They are natural carriers of them and it's harder to get rid of them on chickens. You can view pics of all goat parasites here and info on my site here

I will take a long time for their hair to grow back, but it seems your treating well. This is what we do to treat and prevent.
4 cups apple cider vinegar
4 cloves garlic
4 teabags of black tea
3 cloves
Place in pot and bring to a boil, turn down and simmer on low for 10 mins, set aside allow to cool, then let steep over night in refrigerator. Take out and strain solids from the liquid. Add the following
2 tsp chrysanthemum oil
2 tbsp dish soap
1 cup Avon skin so soft
2 tsp neem oil
2tsp Tea Tree Oil
Add all to spray bottle. Can be used weekly as preventative or daily as treatment for fleas, ticks, mites, bots, or lice.

But you can use the following if you choose:
Option 1) Invomec or ivermectin pour on - Always wear rubber gloves as this is poison - For goats under 25 pounds, dip a cotton ball in a small bowl of the liquid and run the cotton ball down the spine starting at the back of the top of the head. Goats over 25 pounds, do the same as above and repeat three times. Repeat in 10 days for three doses to ensure all live, eggs and nits are killed. (This is the option we use).
Option 2) Cat flea and tick powder for adult goats - sprinkle from head to tail and rub down to skin; Use Kitten flea and tick powder for kids. Repeat every 10 days for three treatments.
Option 3) Cat flea and tick shampoo for adults - Bathe as normal, repeat every 7-10 days; Use Kitten shampoo for kids.


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## Hobbyfarmer

How about making them coats out of an old sweater or something else you have laying around? Otherwise if they have dry bedding and draft free shelter they will probably just dog pile. Maybe check them after dark and see how they look. Hope you get the lice managed and get some hair growing.


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## goatiegirl

mjgh06 said:


> 4 cups apple cider vinegar
> 4 cloves garlic
> 4 teabags of black tea
> 3 cloves
> Place in pot and bring to a boil, turn down and simmer on low for 10 mins, set aside allow to cool, then let steep over night in refrigerator. Take out and strain solids from the liquid. Add the following
> 2 tsp chrysanthemum oil
> 2 tbsp dish soap
> 1 cup Avon skin so soft
> 2 tsp neem oil
> 2tsp Tea Tree Oil
> Add all to spray bottle. Can be used weekly as preventative or daily as treatment for fleas, ticks, mites, bots, or lice.


I think I have/can get most of this. Is there anything you would suggest that I can substitute for the Avon skin so soft?


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## mjgh06

I think it will be fine without the SSO. I've had a headache for two day, sorry I didn't respond sooner. I'll look through my other recipes and see if I have one without it. I know I do, just have to find it.

Okay I found one we used to use when we lived in Florida.
1 cup sulfur
1/4c mineral oil
4tps pine oil
2tps neem oil

Sulfur can be bought at any Lowes/Home Depo or garden store. I think pharmacies now sell it over the counter. It works really well (I rate recipes for use by 1-5 stars- 5 being best -it has 5 stars on it) and my notes say Other Uses: Grows hair back; ease joint pains; arthritis; skin rashes; ringworrm; allergies; and UIC which is Urinary cystitis; natural antibiotic.

I remember giving the goats sulfur baths because thats what we had for water and they never once had a problem with any parasites. I really need to go through my piles and get things organzied so I can find them easier. I had completely forgotten about this one.


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## goat_gurl101

DO NOT KEEP THEM IN WITH THE CHICKENS! The lady I bought my goat from lost 3 other goats from some type of bacteria in the chicken coop. THEY WILL BECOME PARALYZED, AND DIE WITHIN 24 HOURS. It is NOT safe for them with the chickens!!!


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## HoosierShadow

We deal with lice off and on through the year, sometimes I think they must come from the hay. We've bought some goats that had them and the lice made their rounds that way too.
The best thing I've found so far is to dust them with a permectrin based powder, or DE. In the summer/warmer months or warmer days we'll use Permectrin II mixed with water in a spray bottle.

Ivermectin injectible IS SAFE and works great too.

The biggest thing is repeat the treatment every 10-14 days for at least 3 full treatments. Where we used to screw up was treating them, then treating them one more time. We always do 3 doses now.

We also just started using Cylence. I've heard so many good things about it keeping goats lice free. You pour it down their back getting it on the skin. I used a syringe to measure what each goat got, and did it and it was very easy.


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## packhillboers

A 1% Permethrin spray will work to get rid of mange mites or lice-even the blood sucking lice, but it is advisable to do it again at least 14 days later. The instructions for dilution is on the bottle and this is used to treat various types of animals. Lice and mites are species specific. I don't think goats can get bird lice but I also know that chicken poop and goats are not healthy together in small areas. I also wonder if your goats could possible have an allergic reaction to these mites and lice. Another thing I do wonder.. is: Can chicken lice bite goats... even tho they can not thrive on them? A defficiency has been known to make all these skin issues worse.. lice or no lice. So.. I would also treat for a diet defficiency like Lore had said.


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## packhillboers

I also am so big on NO POOP from other animals... such as cats, chickens and even dogs. We have our horses in with the goats and their poop is not alarming to me but it is from especially cats and chickens...And any concentrated form of even goat poop is not good either.


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## mjs500doo

goat_gurl101 said:


> DO NOT KEEP THEM IN WITH THE CHICKENS! The lady I bought my goat from lost 3 other goats from some type of bacteria in the chicken coop. THEY WILL BECOME PARALYZED, AND DIE WITHIN 24 HOURS. It is NOT safe for them with the chickens!!!


Hogwash. You're talking about cocci. Most of the time both creatures (almost always) have this bacteria in their system. It's virtually impossible to rid out of the environment with all the different (species specific) types that are out there. We have never once seen or heard of deaths within 24 hours of exposure to each other, and i actually believe chickens and goats are must-have assets to each other. Adults should have no problem together.

Always raise your babies with all species clean, dry bedding that is changed thoroughly. Keep utensils, feed troughs, waterers, mineral pails, grain pails, hay feeders, nesting boxes, etc clean and moisture free. Always provide ample air ventilation even in the coldest of days. A watchful tentative attitude and observational cues will only lead you to caring better for your animals. My chicken flock is 6 generations old now (homegrown) that have been exposed to every farm animal out there with no health problems at all. Chickens have free access to the yard. Food is stored where nobody can access it besides humans-in a locked feed shed, and the hay is stored in a closed shed also.

Paralyzation is not a common symptom of cocci either. Cocci causes them to go off feed, have a low temp, show dehydration from scours, in which turn makes them droopy and weak. Not paralyzed. Keeping a good eye on your animals makes you quicker to respond to any problems.

Animals do talk, if you pay enough mind to notice. They'll show you what's wrong. They don't hide symptoms, not can they.

Please don't be discouraged from raising chickens and goats together. I haven't had an internal or external parasite problem since I started commingling my animals, I swear because of the coexisting. We still worm 1x/year in the fall anyway, but have never seen any signs of infestation.


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## MissyParkerton

My chickens (and guineas) hang out in my goat house, have for years, and I have never had a problem that I would blame the chickens for. I have ducks who hang out in the goat pen as well--same thing. In fact, I am counting on all these species of fowl to keep the flea, tick and esp snail population down. Snails are carriers of the meningeal worm, so the service my birds provide is invaluable. Of course all feed is locked away in a shed none of these animals can get to.


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## packhillboers

Animals should be able to coexist on a farm if there is proper management. Pigeons, cats or other wild birds, and mice or rat poop that can get into the hay barn and into the feed can really cause all sorts of problems for goats, and horses. Our little cat was doing a great job in the barn keeping the rodents out until she decided to poop in the hay.. Ahhhhhh ... now I can't have her in there doing that and have to set up some mice traps. Cat poop is bad for goats and horses. Chickens running around free range shouldnt be a problem unless there is a concentration of a lot of poop, mud and bacteria .. and I have seen this happen on little cluttered farms of only 1 or so acres. Too many animals in a small tight place can create a concentration of bacteria from all the poop! Poop is hard to manage on small lands.


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## happybleats

what does this hair loss look like? patches...all over..thinning..or does it look like its been cut real close?
you said you dosed them..with what? I had a little lamancha buck last year go through a hair loss..through me for a loop...came off in patches..I treated him for mites, lice and worms to no avail..then his new hair came in and he began to look normal as I brushed his falling hair off..he was one handsome boy...

I also have ducks, chickens turkeys cats...all living the same space..never had a problem...we keep the water dishes clean and fresh as well as feed dishes...keep the pens raked clean...they seem to all do fine..live and cocci are specific per breed...which means chicken lice will not infest my goats and vis a versa...cocci is the same....per my reading : )


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## gafarmgirl

Natural cur for it is coconut oil it's great! That's what we use and they can eat it and it won't hurt them . Good luck


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## NyGoatMom

Can you use Python Dust?


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