Chat
08-08-2015, 09:55 PM
I don't think you need to worry about giardia. As far as I know, it rarely affects animals like it does people. In fact, I think many goats carry giardia without being affected by it.
A lot of goats don't want to drink water on the trail because it's not in a safe-looking bucket like it is at home, and they must usually get their feet wet to access it. I went hiking with one guy who brought water from home for his goats to drink. Once the container was empty, he would fill it from the creek for his goats so they didn't have to get near the water. I am not that nice. I expect my goats to drink the water along the trail, and they have to get right down there and get it straight from the source. At first you think they're going to die of thirst, but if they work hard in the hot sun long enough, they'll eventually get so thirsty they'll brave the muddy edge of the creek and start drinking. It helps tremendously if your goats are thoroughly accustomed to crossing through water (not jumping over it or using logs or stepping stones). Once they are comfortable getting their toes wet, the drinking part comes easy.
A lot of goats don't want to drink water on the trail because it's not in a safe-looking bucket like it is at home, and they must usually get their feet wet to access it. I went hiking with one guy who brought water from home for his goats to drink. Once the container was empty, he would fill it from the creek for his goats so they didn't have to get near the water. I am not that nice. I expect my goats to drink the water along the trail, and they have to get right down there and get it straight from the source. At first you think they're going to die of thirst, but if they work hard in the hot sun long enough, they'll eventually get so thirsty they'll brave the muddy edge of the creek and start drinking. It helps tremendously if your goats are thoroughly accustomed to crossing through water (not jumping over it or using logs or stepping stones). Once they are comfortable getting their toes wet, the drinking part comes easy.