goats and ringworm

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ROAD WARRIOR

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I really don't know why it works but it does or at least I've had remarkable success with it. It does have to be a billy though. RW
 

Show Heifer

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Jan 28, 2007
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I know of plenty of people with cattle and a goat. They get ringworm too.
I have been lucky..... raised cattle all my life, and only had one case of ringworm, and that was in a embryo calf I picked up from a recep herd.
Best way to keep ringworm out of your herd: Keep "trading cattle" down to a minimum, keep your clippers and combs disinfected, a good mineral program and feed program. With emphasis on good mineral program!

But if you want a goat to chew up weeds, chew up anything and everything, get out from small holes in fence, get heads caught in fence, stink up the lots (billies stink, THAT is a fact), and have to worm every 60-90 days (if you actually CARE for the goat), then go ahead and get a goat.. They can be interesting!
 

glitter6m

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Marshall, Indiana
I raise dairy goats in addition to the cattle, and I agree. Billy goats stink! Usually only when it's hot, which makes it worse. They stink before and during their breeding season which starts in August. My goats are at a different location than the cattle, but I have never had a ringworm case with my cattle. We have a good feed and mineral program and mostly a closed herd. Goats do need wormed more often than cattle because they are more likely to get worms, that's just part of raising goats and sheep. Mine don't need wormed every 60- 90 days though because we also have them on a good feeding program. Usually twice a year for the older ones. Ours get out less often than the cattle, but that all depends on your fence and your goat or cattle.
 

cattleman25

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this is going to sound stupid but a old guy told me that if you shave the beard off of a billy goat he will not stink. he claimed that the goat couldnt pee in his beard that way. i have never tried this and dont know if its true. has anyone ever heard of this or tried it?
 

justintime

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I know of some pretty successful breeders who would never have a set of bulls on feed, without having a goat in the pen with them. When Bar 5 Simmental was operating in Manitoba, they said they never had to treat ringworm after they put a billy goat in the pen. They were true believers. The goat will also keep bulls from fighting and riding each other. I tried a goat once and I could not keep him with the bulls, and usually he parked himself on the doorstep. After getting very  tired of him trying to keep me from going into the house, he got a trip to the local auction market. He sold for $5 and the auction market had a flat commission of $5 so I saved the cost of a bullet.
 

Titangurl

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Dec 1, 2009
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We have two nanny's that we got as babies and bottle feed.  They love the cattle never get out and we haven't had one case since then plus helps with kickin and calming new calves.  When we moved them to a new farm wasn't a week and the calves at the old place had ringworm!  They are both white my vet says it only works with white ones??  Don't know why but I'm a believer
 

kfacres

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Industry, IL Ph #: 618-322-2582
I have seen every color, shape, size, disposition of goats with cattle and have yet to see one that doesn't work...  Couldn't tell you why, but for some odd reason they keep the ringworm away.. 

As far as keeping them in the pen, the smaller they are, the harder to keep in a pen... the old large sized nannys never had a problem with...  I always herd, a goat in the hay, keeps the ringworm away...
 

glitter6m

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Marshall, Indiana
Cattleman25: We have two bucks that smelled this season, and the oldest one that we used for breeding doesn't have a beard. Some of ours do not grow one, it's all in the genetics, but he still smelled horrible. He peed on his legs and belly, so I don't think that shaving off the beard will work with every buck. But it's worth a try. Nice thing about no beard, they can't rub it on you. The smell is soo hard to get off. We use a special soap, but I have been told, but never tried it, that if you get the smell on you, wash your hands in a cheap toothpaste. But, the nice thing about keeping the beard is that it makes it easier to hold onto the buck when they don't smell.

Personally, I would not put our goats in with our cattle. Mostly because we show the goats, and also because of our pastures and location of the goats and cattle, it just wouldn't work out. But we never have had a single case of ringworm. I guess a lot of it not only has to do with care of the cattle, but also where you are located and how much your cattle are exposed to other cattle. We do very little showing, so there is not much exposure risk for our cattle.
 

Shady Lane

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I think this is an old wives tale.


  My mother raised goats for as long as I can remember and we had cattle with ring worm in the same barn.

So I can't personally see how this works.
 
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