Natural dewormer

[rebecca100]

Okay, so this year I have had to do a heavy deworming on a mini we got out of poor conditions. I also have to routinely deworm my goats and such. It got me thinking. I know there are herbal dewormers but I know nothing about them! So in a SHTF situation how would we keep the worms at bay especially on a smaller homestead where pasture rotation is limited?

 

[savingdogs]

Isn't BOSS supposed to help? I read that somewhere.....

 

[Marianne]

Well, I kinda remember pumpkin seeds.

 

[TanksHill]

I'm thinking Food grade DE and grapefruit seed extract are the first things that come to my mind. And the pumpkin seeds of course. Someone fed a pig a burnt log before. But I don't think goats eat those.

just my .02

g

 

[rebecca100]

That just reminded me. Someone once told me to sprinkle wood ashes in the feed as a dewormer. I had forgotten all about that.

 

[freemotion]

Remember that our goats are modern and a lot of the old-time techniques are just not enough.

The main ingredients you want in an herbal dewormer are wormwood (not during pregnancy though) and the green husks of black walnuts, called black walnut powder if you buy it. I'm trying to grow wormwood here from seed...no success yet, wish I'd searched for plants when the good plant place was open....and if you pick the walnuts before they drop you can remove the husks by thumping them between two bricks or rocks (cover yourself well and where TWO pairs of rubber gloves as the dye is permanent!) and breaking them up into little chunks, running them through the dehydrater (smells heavenly, and line the trays with wax paper so they don't get too stained) and then powder them in the food processor and store in tightly closed glass jars.

Found this online:

Herbal Wormer
I have been giving my goats this herbal wormer and since it worked for me I figured I'd put it on the internet because up until I made this one I couldn't find a FREE herbal wormer recipe. So here it is!

1/2 c mustard seed - powder
1 c Thyme Leaf - cut
1/2 c Black Walnut - powder
1/2 c garlic - minced ( I just put it in the food processor )
1 c Rosemary - chopped ( I put this in the food processor as well )
1/4 c Cloves - chopped
1/2 c Psyllium Seed - powder
1 c Diatomaceous Earth


Mix in a big bowl and give 2/3 tbsp twice daily for seven days and after that give it twice a day one day a week. This mixture as far as I know is good for pregnant animals. That amount is for a miniature goat. For a normal sized goat I'd give a tbsp instead. I have also heard that horses are sensitive to black walnut so if you're giving it to a horse, omit the black walnut just as a safety precaution. A miniature horse gets 1/4 c twice daily for the first seven days and then give it one day a week two times on that day. A mature house gets 3/4 c twice daily for the first seven days and then only administer it one day a week two times that day. I give just over half the amount for the babies.

Every two months I'll add these two herbs into the mixture and give it to the goats once a day for four days. I do NOT give these two herbs to my pregnant Does.
1 c Wormwood - cut
1 c Sage- cut

I also like to make these little balls for them and give it to them instead of the powder. The goats love it although we had to shove it into their mouths the first few times. As soon as its in their mouth though they'll gobble it up.

1 c herb
1/2 c Slippery Elm Powder
1/3 c Molasses or Honey

Mix the herbs and slippery elm together and then add the molasses or honey. It makes me about 20 balls measured at a tbsp.

http://www.pinegoats.com/wormer.html

Here are the ingredients in a popular herbal formula (don't know proportions):

Wormwood
Fennel
Garlic
Black Walnut
Stevia

And for pregnant animals:

Fennel
Pumpkin seeds
Garlic
Mugwort
Hyssop
Thyme
Stevia

 

[Our7Wonders]

A raw milk dairy near me uses just garlic. Given once approximately two weeks a month with the lunar cycle.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

I thought I read that apple cider vinegar is a good dewormer. Poured in their waterers.



ETA: Am I remembering wrong?

 

[freemotion]

I am experimenting with:

2c wormwood
1 c fennel seed powder
1c black walnut hull powder
1 c garlic
1 c stevia

Mix what I need with molasses, scoop out a generous tablespoon for each goat and make into balls. I roll the balls in slippery elm powder, except for Peach as she won't eat it. I discovered that if I roll hers in cornmeal she gobbles 'em down. I give for three days. I give twice a day....double dose....for three days if eyelids are pale. I'll be dosing this week, as Mya's eyelids are a bit pale.

I got some of the cut herb wormwood at a good price but it was too coarse to make into balls, so I sifted it. Boy, is that stuff bitter! The dust gets in the air and I could taste it while sifting it. Ick!

No milk withdrawal time.

 

[freemotion]

I thought I read that apple cider vinegar is a good dewormer. Poured in their waterers.



ETA: Am I remembering wrong?

This is more of a tonic than a dewormer.

The healthier your animals, though, the more worm resistant they are likely to be. Copper deficiency usually equals worm load.

Some people have success using a certain type of soap in the water, Basic H from Shaklees, but they changed the formula and I don't know if it works still.

I have a microscope and check fecals, and in my opinion and in my area those simpler techniques are just not enough for goats. Barberpole worms are killers and can proliferate rather suddenly with the slightest stress on the animal. Mya got a dangerous overload last year when a well-meaning neighbor gave her a lot of bread. Threw it into the pasture. Mya, the queen, chased everyone off I'm sure and ate it all herself. Within the week her eyelids were almost white and her milk production dropped dramatically. I had to go the chemical route to save her.