# new goat fluffy nasty looking coat



## Sanderlin (Jun 7, 2010)

I bought 2 fullblood boer does yesterday. They where mother and daughter and they where both abga/ibga/usbga registered. There paper work looks great and they are only 3 and 5 years old. However they look terrible! There hair is nasty fluffy looking worse then a normal winter coat. They are a little underweight but beside my goats anything looks underweight. The guy I got them from said he only feeds hay and it was poor quality hay. Would being on a diet like that make them look as ruff as they do? If so how long before I start to see improvement? I feed a top quality feed and alfalfa hay.


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

If he fed bad hay you want to becareful switching their diet right away, especially to alfalfa ( I feed it but a goat not use to it will get upset rumen). I'd get a fecal right away (be sure they also look for cocci) and worm them now and again in 10 days. Depending on your area they may be deficient in selenium. You can use Bo-se or the selenium/vit e paste. I'd give them probios every day for at least a week to help their rumen. They may also be deficient in copper and need a bolus. Copper deficiency usually shows a dark color goat getting light red, or fish tail- where the hair on the end literally splits and looks like a fish tale.


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## S+S Homestead (Jul 23, 2012)

Agree with worming and doing a fecal to test for cocci. Keep them separate from your other goats until you get back the results. As for coat condition, I would also think vitamin/nutrient deficiency. Start slow with good quality grains and also give them some free choice minerals.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

The nasty fluffy look may be that they are shedding their undercoat. I have a nubian x boer that is in fine health and he sheds out early, every year. (I think he is crazy- it is still really cold and snowy...) It sounds like those goats are lucky to have you as their owner!


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## Sanderlin (Jun 7, 2010)

I wormed them yesterday and they are already in with the herd because I only have one pen right now. Will the medicated feed do anything for the cocci? I can get a fecal ran tommorow.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Medicated feed is for prevention. So if they have it, they will need to be treated. You may have to keep them off the medicated feed if you have to treat them. Some meds don't mix well.

You can also copper bolus them and probably a shot of BoSe wouldn't hurt either. I'm assuming you have a good loose goat mineral out for them to eat. Sounds like they weren't well cared for at the previous home. It will take a while to get them back in good condition.


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## Sanderlin (Jun 7, 2010)

Like a said they are a little underwieght but the nasty looking hair is the worse thing. Eyes look clear and no diarrhea they just look poor. I just put them in a stall away from the rest of the goats the vet can run a fecal im the morning.does tsc sell copper bolus and BoSe cause thats all thats open today?


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

unfortunately, TSC does not carry Copper boluses...and the BoSe is by vet prescription.

My bet is that once they have a vet check and you can worm them appropriately, the better quality feed and management you have to offer will make a huge difference, seeing results though will take time as their systems adjust.


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## Sanderlin (Jun 7, 2010)

I called my vet earlier and he said go ahead and hit them with cydectin just incase they were carrying any lice or anything. I hope I can get them turned around. Its a shame with how good there paper work is that they look that bad. Ill let yall know what the fecal turns up tommorow. Where can you get the copper bolus or BoSe from?


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

You can get copper boluses here. http://www.scbt.com/datasheet-363568-ultracruz-goat-copper-bolus.html


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Check their skin for lice, especially the ridge of their back. Hope they improve quickly for you :hug:


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## Sanderlin (Jun 7, 2010)

I ended up looking at them more closely and the did have lice. I gave them cydectin and sprayed them wity horse fly spray. Im gonna order some cylance tommorow and do they whole herd to be on the safe side. Wish I would have noticed it before I got them but oh well aint much I can do about it now other than deal with it.


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## sbaker (Nov 11, 2012)

Yep! I was gonna say lice too! I have a doe that I just got- she is covered in lice and her fur is exactly as you described!


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Yeah, we're in the lice battle too right now. Sorry, they sure are pains in the butt.


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## Sanderlin (Jun 7, 2010)

So the result from the fecal came back negative. I ordered a bottle of cylence pour on this morning. Im probably gonna go ahead and treat the whole herd just to be onthe safe side. I gave the two new ones cydectin orally and sprayed them down with horse fly spray with permithrin. When do yall think its safe to let them out of the stall so they can join the rest of the goats?


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