Kids: Coccidia

Coccidia are a protozoan internal parasite, that most goats have, in small numbers. In adults, this is generally not a problem, but if kids get an overload of coccidia, it can cause diarrhea, intestinal scarring, and ultimately death, if not treated. 

The first line of prevention for coccidia in kids is to keep their areas clean. This may seem like an unreasonable expectation--it's a barn, for all love--but what this means is essentially making sure the kids have minimal access to poop--they pick up coccidia from mouthing poop, soiled straw, etc. This can mean cleaning out the pen every day, or it can mean adding a new layer of straw once or twice a day, or even both. A good criteria (picked up from Deborah at the Thrifty Homesteader) is that you should be willing to sit down in the stall. Then, it's clean enough for kids. If you're not willing to sit down (while wearing "barn" pants. Not wearing a fancy dress, for instance) it's not clean enough for kids. 

In addition, make sure they're getting enough to eat. The kids both need adequate nutrition to grow and have a good immune system, and to get the antibodies from their dam's milk to boost their immune system.
A figure that's tossed around is that Nigerians need around 32 oz. of milk per day (once they've reached a certain age...and I'm not entirely certain what that age is. So take that with a grain of salt, perhaps.)

Coccidia is a big reason why we start giving our kids herbal dewormer not long after they're born. I would recommend that as a preventative as well.

Lastly, avoid stress as much as possible! Stress weakens the immune system, and allows coccidia to multiply at a rate that they wouldn't usually, leading to an overload. 

IF a kid picks up coccidia, we generally treat them with a chemical treatment. If they're showing symptoms, this is despite the herbal wormer, and we need something stronger. (We may try a higher dose of dewormer for a few days, to see if that clears it up, before going to the big guns. But in general, the big guns are needed.) This doesn't happen very often, so I don't actually remember what brand we used! But HERE's a good page with information on two good anti-coccidia drugs, which also includes discussion of herbal methods and prevention. Generally, anti-coccidia drugs can just be purchased at the feed store.