Baby Goat Incoming!

[lovemybudgie517]

Love those babies!! Hope to have some of my own one of these days! Congrats! They are beautiful!

 

[silkieloverz123]

HELP! My mom bought two baby goats at the auction, they are both boys and two weeks old and one wont eat, the owner obviously didn't know what they were doing. He is very thin with white eylids and gums. Please help me!

 

[silkieloverz123]

He's eating now, but he still is not very healthy, any suggestions?

 

[poult]

White lips & gums means it's very sick & or dying white gums are very bad keep that baby extra warm & needs more milk for a bit longer then a normal kid would since it sounds malnourished which happens often at auctions.

 

[Stacykins]

Keep those kids warm (in the house if necessary to regulate their body temperature). They don't need to be spending what little energy they have keeping their body temperature up in a cold environment. If the one still cannot eat then he will need to be tubed a few ounces of milk directly into his stomach using a weak kid syringe. This is an essential part of ANY goat person's supply kit if kids are ever expected. If they can drink and suck on their own, then they won't need tubed. But if they can't, then they're too weak to eat on their own. Always kink the tube when removing it from the goat, or else the contents remaining in the tube will go into the kid's lungs.

You need to be careful about overfeeding which is just as deadly as underfeeding. Kids can overeat. When kids are too little, we want to push them to eat more sometimes. If you fill a huge bottle with milk, a kid will try and drink it all, even if it is too much for their tiny stomachs. So you will need to do some math and calculate how much they should be eating based on their current weight. This is how you make sure you don't overfeed them.

You will likely need to get a vet involved, by the way.

Your mother might've saved a few dollars by purchasing them cheaply at auction, but obviously getting sick kids was the consequence. Next time, just spend a bit more and go with a breeder. Auctions are terrible places for animals. For instance, you have no idea what diseases they picked up while they were there, like Johne's disease.

 

[silkieloverz123]

Keep those kids warm (in the house if necessary to regulate their body temperature). They don't need to be spending what little energy they have keeping their body temperature up in a cold environment. If the one still cannot eat then he will need to be tubed a few ounces of milk directly into his stomach using a weak kid syringe. This is an essential part of ANY goat person's supply kit if kids are ever expected. If they can drink and suck on their own, then they won't need tubed. But if they can't, then they're too weak to eat on their own. Always kink the tube when removing it from the goat, or else the contents remaining in the tube will go into the kid's lungs.

You need to be careful about overfeeding which is just as deadly as underfeeding. Kids can overeat. When kids are too little, we want to push them to eat more sometimes. If you fill a huge bottle with milk, a kid will try and drink it all, even if it is too much for their tiny stomachs. So you will need to do some math and calculate how much they should be eating based on their current weight. This is how you make sure you don't overfeed them.

You will likely need to get a vet involved, by the way.

Your mother might've saved a few dollars by purchasing them cheaply at auction, but obviously getting sick kids was the consequence. Next time, just spend a bit more and go with a breeder. Auctions are terrible places for animals. For instance, you have no idea what diseases they picked up while they were there, like Johne's disease.

The babies have both improved beautifully. Both are eating and look better already. They weren't white just very pale pink. And my mom got them to help the goats, not save money. We got them cause they were to young to be sold or weaned at only two weeks old and were obviously not doing. She sells stuff at the auction (not animals) and saw them and wanted to help and surprise us.

 

[silkieloverz123]

So the babies have diarrhea from the formula, i suspect its Scours. Any help?

 

[H Diamond]

Scours have lots of reasons... let's first start with color, consistency and smell.
Scours can come from too much milk, from coccidiosis, slamonella, ecoli, clostridium, etc. Lots of things!
It could be as simple as the replacer... I hate replacer. It has never done me any benefit. That being said... boiling the water prior to mixing the replacer up can help.
If it's an option, I would consider switching the babies to whole milk from the store (if fresh isn't available)
How old are the babies, and how much milk how many times a day are they getting it?

 

[Stacykins]

So the babies have diarrhea from the formula, i suspect its Scours. Any help?

Simple, use whole cows milk. No improperly mixing formula from that.

But first, clear up the scours. Use a clear liquid diet. Though if could be the diseases mentioned. What color is the scours? What does it look like (bloody, frothy, etc.).

In the medical field, when a nurse gives report, it is recommended to give an incredibly descriptive report. If you can basically see and smell what the person is describing, it is a good report. Sure, we don't want to hear/smell a GI bleed in words (since the stench and appearance is freaking awful), but it goes a long way to knowing the condition. Just one example. FYI, yea, GI bleeds, yuck.

 

[silkieloverz123]

Scours have lots of reasons... let's first start with color, consistency and smell.
Scours can come from too much milk, from coccidiosis, slamonella, ecoli, clostridium, etc. Lots of things!
It could be as simple as the replacer... I hate replacer. It has never done me any benefit. That being said... boiling the water prior to mixing the replacer up can help.
If it's an option, I would consider switching the babies to whole milk from the store (if fresh isn't available)
How old are the babies, and how much milk how many times a day are they getting it?

We gave them a bath and they don't seem to be sick anymore they are very happy nonetheless. We do boil it first. Its by Dumor?
They are two weeks old and were getting a pint in morning pint at night but now they just get one.