is this goat poop normal?

[Mike]

Hey guys,

 I have a question for you maybe some one can help me with. I went into my goats pen this morning to feex th. and saw some strage poop piles.  I am guessing they are from my 12ish year old ober.  The poop in question was in the form of a pile not inthe regular pellets.  There diet is parture forage, free choice minerals, orchard grass hay free choice, a cup of payback goat feed, and a cup of sunflower seed evry other day.  I will attach a couple of pictures of the poo in question.  Thanks for any help or advice.  I know it a weird question.

[Nanno]

That's definitely not normal. I'd suggest watching for a day or two and see if it clears up on its own and also determine for sure which goat it is. This is the time of year for tapeworms and pinworms and I seem to notice clumpy poo when my goats have those. Sometimes you can see worms wriggling in the poo (yuck!) but not always. If it continues, I'd suggest worming with Valbazen or Safeguard or one of the horse wormers labeled for tapeworm treatment such as Zimectrin Gold or Equimax.

[GoldenTreePackGoats]

Can you bring a sample to your vet for a fecal test? I've seen feces like this with a severe barberpole infestation, and coccidia. If you have a fecal done and it comes back positive you would know what drug to use based on what type of parasite. Around my area drug resistance is getting worst so its highly advised to test before treating.

[Mike]

Thanks guys I will see whats going on in a day then take a sample to the vet.  Thanks alot, have a good day,

[Nanno]

Can you bring a sample to your vet for a fecal test? I've seen feces like this with a severe barberpole infestation, and coccidia. If you have a fecal done and it comes back positive you would know what drug to use based on what type of parasite. Around my area drug resistance is getting worst so its highly advised to test before treating.

Good point. If it's an older goat and has coccidia though, I would be looking very carefully at the goat's overall immune system health and my herd management practices because coccidia should not normally affect goats over a few months old unless there's something deeper going on.

[Dave-Trinity-Farms]

Goat poop can fluctuate depending upon what they have ate. If they get a little extra of something one day, it can throw their poo off for a day or two. The best thing to do is just watch. If it returns to normal in a couple of days, then no worries. If it stays odd or worsens, then evaluate what they are eating. If its baled hay, maybe you are into a slightly moldy bale that needs to be thrown away or maybe they have found something in their pasture thats causing it or if they are mineral deficient, they could be eating dirt to compensate.