Goat too skinny?

[abbymckinn]

I just got two nubian does, one of which is 3 mo. pregnant, and she seems kind of skinny. I am wanting some opinions of people who have goats, and know more. If she is to skinny, what should i do to fatten her up? Thanks in advance!!

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[abbymckinn]

 

[cassie]

She is thin. The first thing I would do is to pull down the lower eyelid and check the color. It should be a dark pink. If it is a pale pink or white she is anemic and needs worming. Your doe needs grain. I used to feed my goats COB, which was rolled corn, oats and barley. Start slow with the grain. You also need to give the goats shots for enterotoxemia. You can get the vaccine at the feed store or livestock supply. You need clostridium perfingens toxoid. Sometimes you can get it combined with tetanus. You should also keep clostridium perfingens antitoxin and GasX on hand. Goats can get entero even if they are vaccinated and if they do, it is a true emergency. They can also bloat, which is what the GasX is for. Hopefully, you won't need either one, but if you do you don't have time to go to the store to get some in time to save the animal's life.

 

[enola]

This goat is very thin. Besides the grain, she needs a VERY GOOD QUALITY hay 24/7.

If she were my goat, I would worm her even if she is not anemic. And the advice on vaccines was good advice.

ps. and worm her buddy too.

 

[cafarmgirl]

This goat is very thin. Besides the grain, she needs a VERY GOOD QUALITY hay 24/7.

If she were my goat, I would worm her even if she is not anemic. And the advice on vaccines was good advice.

ps. and worm her buddy too.

X2. I'd let her have all the good hay she wants along with a little grain or a pelleted complete goat feed. I am very, very cautious in giving grain to goats as some of them bloat on it so easily. Whether you give a grain mix or pellets start very slow with it as mentioned.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

She needs ALL the good quality hay she can get, and needs to be GRADUALLY brought up to about 1 lb of grain per day

I WOULD give the CD&T vaccine NOW

I WOULD NOT worm her unless she is SEVERELY anemic, since many wormers aren't safe for pregnant goats

Make sure she has free choice GOAT minerals and a good source of Calcium

The next 8 weeks are when the kids will grow the most and she needs a LOT of nutrition to survive and produce enough milk

 

[cassie]

Most, although not all, of the wormers on the market are safe for pregnant goats. Just read the warning label. If a goat is carrying a heavy load of worms it needs to be wormed pregnant or not. If the color of the eyelid is a healthy dark pink I wouldn't worm her, but if it is pale or white I would. Why on earth would you suggest not giving the entero vaccine now? A goat can get entero at any time for any reason, and sometimes for no reason at all. And if it does, you won't have to worry about vaccinating it because chances are it will be very dead very soon. For the record, although I currently do not own any goats, I bred purebred dairy goats for over 40 years. For many of those years I had a commercial goat dairy where I was milking over 100 head. I had many friends that were milking more goats than I and had even more experience than I did and I was fortunate to have the advice and counsel of several vets who were very knowledgeable about goats.

 

[cassie]

I forgot to mention that you can greatly reduce the risk of digestive upset from grain by mixing it with beet pulp if it is available in your area. The fiber in the beet pulp really helps. Also, beet pulp is high in energy and most goats like it. And as others have mentioned, give just a little grain at a feeding to start and gradually increase it day by day.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

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[Bear Foot Farm]

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