Baby goat with scours? (butt problem??)

[Bleenie]

So I have been checking Maverick daily, to make sure his bottom is healing up. The redness has all scabbed up and looks better but I have noticed some yellowish, mucousy-looking 'residue' near his anus. Could he maybe have scours a little bit?

His pen is DEEP with straw so i havent seen much poo, figured it got mixed down to the bottom.

He is on ManaPro kid milk replacer. About 1/2 a cup(that come swith the powder) powder to 33oz of water for the whole day. That is what the previous owner gave me as feeding instructions. she said also that it's better if it's a little more watery since he's getting older. (about 4weeks now)

I read online that alfalfa can cause scours so he has been eating local hay since i got him, he likes it just fine. and he ALWAYS has water.

Should i get him on grain?

Am i feeding wrong? am i doing something wrong?

Not sure what this issue is, i can't find anything online.

She said if he clears up she'll help me get him papered but more inportantly i want to get him healthy, im sure he doesnt feel good with his butt like that!

 

[cassie]

He should have access to hay and grain. Personally, I hate replacer. Some kids do fine on it and some don't. When I had my dairy, my kids got fed 20 oz of milk twice a day plus free choice alfalfa and grain. I weaned them at 8 weeks. As for milk, they got pasteurized goat milk, raw cow's milk, or milk from the store depending on what I had available. It is also important that he be vaccinated for clostridium perfingens (enterotoxemia). And keep some GasX on hand. Kids on replacer can blow up and die with no warning.

 

[nissa_loves_cats]

I'd be careful about the grain--- too much can kill a goat, and it really isn't good for a goat with scours. When mine get it, I take them OFF grain. When I bottle-feed kids I prefer to give them goat's milk--- or even store-bought cow's milk--- rather than replacer, and even then they don't do as well as kids on their mother (or A mother--- I've grafted a few onto other moms).

I'd keep an eye on him to try to catch him 'pooing' so you can confirm whether or not he has scours and if so, cut his grain ration and perhaps increase the number of feedings you give him a day (same amount though, just give him more feedings with smaller amount).

But don't worry that you are doing something 'wrong'. You seem to be giving him good care. Sometimes a kid doesn't do as well, and you don't know why. Usually goats bounce back and do OK. Unless they were really expensive in which case they have a 50/50 chance of dropping dead the first year.

 

[ksalvagno]

Do you have a good goat vet in your area? I know people don't want to spend money on the vet but when you are new, sometimes it is worth it to have a vet visit or two when there are problems. You learn and won't need the vet the next time. The problem could be so many different things and treatments aren't the same so you would want to make sure he is on the right meds or dewormer or whatever he might need. While everyone does their best to help out on the internet, we aren't physically looking at the goat and most of the time that really helps. You never see the "whole picture" in pictures.

 

[nissa_loves_cats]

Good point--- even a vet that isn't a specialist in goats may be helpful. (A large animal vet that does cows and such being better than a cat-and-dog man.)

 

[cmjust0]

If he doesn't have it down the back of his legs, just hang out with him and wait for him to go poo. Shouldn't take long.

Sometimes, if you're looking really closely, they can get some residue that makes it look like they've been scouring when they really haven't.