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Natural Remedies for Goats

| Modified on Oct 16, 2023
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Baby Goat Gazing Upward at Boy

Goats are wonderful farm animals and also make great pets. Goats are perfectly suited for natural treatments for the health afflictions they deal with; they are instinctive herbalists!

Baking Soda

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a great natural remedy for goats. It is helpful for digestive disturbances. People sometimes need a little coaxing to try baking soda. Goats however  will readily lick up a goodly amount of baking soda if they have an upset stomach. If you have several goats and one of them has loose stools you can put a dish of baking soda in the goat barn and the goat with loose stools will go straight for it. The other goats will leave it alone. It is best to have baking soda out free choice for goats; it allows them to regulate their digestion as needed.

Herbal Remedies for Goats

Herbal Wormers

Goats in the wild are much less likely to have difficulty with parasites, a common problem in farm goats. Goats who have access to bushes and trees to browse upon instinctively eat anti-parasitic plants, like honeysuckle and mugwort. Goats really weren't meant to graze like cows. If they end up eating a lot of grass they have much more exposure to the ground and therefore to parasites in the soil.

Farm goats do well if their pasture is rotated often, and especially if they have opportunities to browse on bushes and trees. A combination of herbs can be given to goats regularly to help them fight off parasites.

Herbal Goat Wormer Recipe

  • ½ c. cloves
  • 1 c. garlic powder
  • 2 c. thyme leaves
  • 2 c. wormwood, cut
  • 1 c. fennel seed powder
  • 1 c. psyllium powder
  • 1 c. quassia powder
  • 1 c. mustard powder
  • 2 c. diatomaceous earth

Mix together the above ingredients. For each full grown goat give 1 T. morning and evening for 1 week.  Then for 7 weeks give 1 T. per week.  Repeat cycle. Leave out the wormwood if you are treating pregnant does.

Herbs for Infections

Goats can get infections. Turmeric, olive leaf and garlic can all be given to goats to fight infections. 1 teaspoon of one or a combination of the above mentioned herbs can be sprinkled over a goat's feed twice daily.

Activated Charcoal Powder

Activated charcoal powder is important to keep on hand if you have animals!

Internal Use of Charcoal

If a goat has diarrhea, bloating, or has eaten something poisonous, charcoal is an easy remedy to give a goat.
For an average sized goat, give 2 teaspoons of charcoal powder mixed with a Tablespoon of blackstrap molasses as a dose. If a goat has eaten poison, repeat after an hour. For diarrhea, use this dose three times a day. 
The charcoal can also be mixed into water and given by syringe. Goats should always have fresh water available, and this is especially so when a goat is taking charcoal to help flush out poisons and avoid constipation, of which there is some risk when taking charcoal.

External use of Charcoal

Charcoal can be used as a poultice externally for an infection. Use cohesive tape to attach the poultice to the affected area and change at least twice a day.

For an infected hoof, pack a mixture of charcoal and ground flax seed (equal parts) mixed with water to make a jelly like paste into the hoof.  It will wear out through the day. At the end of the day, rinse out the hoof and repeat the treatment. Continue until the infection clears.

Blackstrap Molasses

Goats love the taste of blackstrap molasses. Molasses is a common ingredient in commercial goat feed. Giving your goat blackstrap molasses is like giving him a natural vitamin. Adult goats can have a 1-3 teaspoons a day of blackstrap molasses. If you are trying to help an anemic goat, up to 2 Tablespoons a day would be appropriate. The copper content in the blackstrap molasses is helpful for their coat as well.

Do you have goats? Do you use natural remedies? Please share your goat cures with us!

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
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Apple Cider Vinegar

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Posted by Dianne (Haines, Alaska) on 08/08/2006
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I remember once as a child I had ringworm and my mom used cider vinegar on it. It burned but it sure beat that ringworm out. We had used it on our cats and other farm animals also. When I was older I worked in animal care and a vet had me take photos of a huge ringworm on a goat and she had trouble curing it. I told her to try the cider vinegar and the goat was cured in no time, she now keeps it on hand. Vinegar is the only thing I will mop floors with now and it also takes the burn out of sunburn!

Blackstrap Molasses

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Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee, Usa) on 04/11/2016
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Editor's Choice

I use blackstrap molasses for my goats regularly. We buy a case of 4 gallons at a time! Whenever I think they need a "pick me up" I add a cup to the 5 gallon water bucket the goats drink from. I also do this if they are dealing with anemia from parasites. Blackstrap molasses makes a great mixer for whatever medicine the goats need - herbs, turpentine, etc. It is strong and they think it is delicious.

After a doe gives birth I always give her a nutritious treat - dry rolled oats with raisins with blackstrap molasses to mix it all together. The does love it and it helps to boost them up a bit after the work of birth.

I also use blackstrap molasses for cows. I do NOT give it to sheep, however. Copper is toxic to sheep and so I am concerned about the amount of copper in blackstrap, so I don't give it to them.

Over the weekend we had a doe give birth to twin girls. It was her first time to kid and she was not accepting her babies. Below is a picture of my son who spent the weekend working with the mom and babies. Now the babies are nursing well and the mom has accepted them. Baby goats are super cute! :)

~Mama to Many~


Borax and Herbs

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Posted by Khan (Texas) on 10/16/2023
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Borax and herbs for Bladder stones in goats

My goats started having bladder stones, so I started giving them Ammonium Chloride powder, but then after some days the issue did not improve that much, so I added I teaspoon Borax powder, I tsp Ammonium Chloride powder, one Tsp Babao or any natural Vitamin C powder, 3 Capsules of Chanca Piedra, # caps of Astragulus powder and gave him day and night half a teaspon of the total mixture. Since then they are thriving.

Kelp

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Posted by Karen (Sealrock, Or.) on 04/28/2010
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Kelp powder will cure all the bald spots by giving the much need nutrition & regulate the glands. I was given a almost bald goat once who could not get up from the ground. within 6 months she was running with the herd and with a full shinny coat. All the Best - it works!

Mastitis

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Posted by Ky Mama (Clinton, Ky, Usa) on 07/30/2012
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When my Nubian dairy goat got mastitis, I used the same thing I use for myself - an oil mixture of 2 oz. Olive oil, 1 T. Eucalyptus oil, and 1 T. Peppermint oil. We massaged it into the affected area 3-4 times a day and milked her 3 times a day (didn't drink that milk until the mastitis cleared. ) This worked great!

Staph

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Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee, Usa) on 09/28/2013
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Our dairy goat seemed to have a staph infection on her udder. She had multiple swollen pimples on her udder. Frist we used 1 t. Turmeric on her feed each morning and evening. That helped a lot but didn't cure it.

Finally, I mixed equal parts of garlic powder, olive leaf powder, and Oregon Grape Root powder in a jar. We top dressed her feed with this - 1 and 1/2 t. Morning and evening. We also sprayed her udder twice a day with apple cider vinegar with a few drops of GSE and Tea Tree Essential Oil. (Maybe 1/4 cup vinegar with 4 drops GSE and 10 drops tea tree.)

This worked and cleared it up completely. It did take a couple of weeks. But she had had this for months, so that didn't seem too bad.

~Mama to Many~



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