# Best tick control for goats?



## Otter

As there seems to be nothing specifically made for goats besides those sheep-and-goat (which means sheep) ear tags, I was wondering what everyone uses to keep ticks off their goats.

Do you use the sheep ear tags? Spray for horses? Frontline? Do what the hound men do with their dogs and fasten a cow tag to the collar for a couple of hours a day? Home-made herbal remedy? 

What works or doesn't work for you?


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## GoatsRus

We sevin dust ours if we need to.


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## BethW

Permectrin II does a very good job here.


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## Caprice Acres

In all my years of goatkeeping, this was the first year I found a tick embedded on one of my goats. It popped right off as it wasn't very embedded yet. I just don't think ticks like goats very much, and at least for me, tick prevention would be a waste of money.


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## ltfd164

I have python dust, which I think is permectrin. but I haven't used it all year. I have chickens running around in the goat pasture and they seem to have really cut down the insect problem


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## HappyFarmer

I've only found 1 tick on the goats since day 1, strange place too on the lower eyelid. They seem to be attracted to the dogs(who wear the f&t collars), though since the muscovies I'm not finding many on them. 

HF


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## motdaugrnds

Well, let me tell you all a recent story...

A couple of months ago I moved both my herd bucks to the buck house, its pen and the 2-acre back pasture. (My does with kids stayed in the main barn with free access to 2 acres in the front part of our homestead. Not one of the does nor kids got ticks or any other sign of insects, except for the biting horseflies.)

In a relatively short time, both bucks were "loaded" with ticks. I spent over an hour just picking them off and rubbing some NFL salve over the infected areas. (Ticks touched by this salve fell off dead as a door nail. In a couple of days there were no ticks and all areas that had been scratched were healing nicely.)

Then I gave both a bath with antibacterial dish soap and mixed up a solution of Atroban 11% EC (Permethrin III). Wearing elbow length chemical gloves, I sprayed both bucks down with warm water (heated in the sun) until all hair was soaked; then I poured this mixture all over them, working it into the lower parts of the bodies, especially between the legs (front and back). 

Here it is a week later and there are no ticks and both bucks look real good!

(I have in the past used a liquid solution of Seven Dust as well as a powdered form of Seven Dust. It worked too; but not nearly as well as this Atroban has.)

I decided to do the does the same way (soak hair; then pour Atroban mix) to help them take on the biting horseflies that come from the neighboring horses.


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## Heritagefarm

The ticks aren't a problem. The chickens eat 'em all up. Neither are flys. Flys don't seem to like sheep or goats. But, it is funny to see the cow walking through the sheep, followed by this blizzard of flys, none so much as touching the sheep.


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## hardworkingwoman

I looked this up to see what it was "atroban" It is very toxic I use diatamatious earth. It is not a good thing check out these interesting links! I just like to use as little chemicals as possible. Have a great day!


http://www.hope4kidz.org/stories/kayla/images/ATROBAN.pdf

http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/assets/courses/vm640/soccer/case7/phys.html


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## hardworkingwoman

Wow here is another one! Sorry I couldn't help myself

http://www.drugs.com/vet/atroban-11-ec-insecticide.html


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## Otter

We just bought 5 acres and there's been nothing on it but wild deer for years. The place is COVERED in ticks. 

I have 52 chicks about ready to go outside and 11 adult hens doing what they can but they have barely made a dent so far. And I've already seen ticks on the goats. 

I'm pretty sensitive to strong chemicals on the one hand, but on the other, a tick bite gives me an oozy scab for two weeks (uhg, maybe too much info) and I need to get the population down. And I like my critters as happy and bug-free as possible. The goats don't seem to be bothered much (so far) but some of my critters have a nasty reaction to tick bites as well.
And since these are pets, cuddled daily, and I'm sensitive to chemicals, I can't use a strong chemical, like sevin, even though it wouldn't hurt them.

I think I'm going to use the spray for horses and see how that works, unless someone here knows a reason not too.


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