# Lice/Mites? Itchy Goats Help!



## KamiYagi (May 3, 2012)

I was just out with my girls and noticed that Kami was wagging her tail and trying to what seemed to itch her butt and between her horns. She was getting very frustrated and jumping around and litteraly bouncing off the walls. MacaDaisy was rubbing her side on the gait but both like to rub on the gait so IDK if she was trying to itch or just rubbing. Could this be lice or mites? or what? I'm new to goats so please help!


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Well... I can say that it drives me bonkers when I have an itch that I can't reach to scratch...goats are the same way and it doesn't neccesarily mean that they have "critters". If it helps though you can dust them with Sevin garden dust or Python livestock dust...or even spray them with a pyrethrin based insect spray for horses. Won't hurt them if they are critter free and it will help repel flies and ticks.


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## naturalgoats (Jan 3, 2011)

I'd just look at them... part the hair where they are itchy and see if you see anything! As Liz suggested you can treat with various things... I personally like Diatomaceous Earth (worked amazingly for my boys).
M.


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## Shellshocker66 (Mar 19, 2012)

It's also the time of year for shedding out the winter coat, don't know where your located but down here it's been pretty warm the last couple of days and they are all rubbing and itchy with lots of shedding going on.

Look for any bald spots and see if anything is crawling around. My mini Nubian came with extra buddies attached to her (thankfully I didn't get charged extra for the stowaways), I wormed her with the ivermectin injectable sq (which also controls one of the mite types) and sprayed her with pyrethrin based sprays (my local walmart even carries it back in the pet department) that is a horse fly spray. Now she looks so nice and pretty it almost makes me forget she has a voice I could choke her for!


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## Goat Mom (May 1, 2012)

I'm piggybacking on this thread, if oyu don't mind. 

Is it easy to see lice? I wanted to check my new goats to make sure we weren't starting out with anything and I've spent a lot of time parting the hair along their neck and by their tails to look, but I haven't seen anything moving. I just don't know how hard it is to see them.


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## naturalgoats (Jan 3, 2011)

It was pretty easy on by boys but then they are white... The lice we had were sort of yellowish with reddish head.... I've normally found them right behind the shoulders/withers on my boys ... if that is any help 
Good luck searching! lol
M.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

We had a lice issue earlier this year, got it under control and then bought 2 new goats who had them pretty bad, and introduced them again to part of the herd. Sometimes they are easy to see IMO and sometimes not. 
I've heard Cylence is great stuff, you put it down the back like frontline on a dog. BUT, the breeder we bought them from used it the day we picked them up, I watched her apply it, and it wasn't doing anything for them, so we retreated with permectrin II diluted in a spray bottle and sprayed them down. You just have to remember to treat them again a week to two weeks later to get any hatching eggs. 
We ended up shaving the two girls we bought, and they seem so much happier and not itching so bad. They also had very thick coats which lice love. 
I also used the permetherin based poultry powder that I had left in the two girls stall, and the stall where our new mama goat and her kids are at. Every other time I clean the stall out I spray permectrin II spray and let it sit while they are out grazing/browsing during the day. 
They are also shedding, so it'll be hard to tell if my method is working, but I feel I am doing what I can


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## Goat Mom (May 1, 2012)

Thanks. I'm thinking we don't have any going on here. I looked really hard again today and didn't see anything. They do seem a little itchy and have some dry skin, though. I saw on here someone said something about black oil sunflower seeds for dry skin. Does that help with that?


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