Goats will not gain weight

[Hound]

Here are some pics. The black one is the worst, the white one is pretty representative of the rest. The small black doe is one of this year's kids, she looks good to me. I haven't had any problems with the bucks either.

 

[ksalvagno]

I would definitely have a large animal vet do a fecal for you and make sure they also check for coccidia. Even though generally adult goats don't have it, that is no guarantee. DiMethox is a better drug for coccidia. As far as Ivomec, the cattle injectible given orally is better. Give it at 1cc per 25 lbs. But I wouldn't do any more worming until you have a fecal done. They don't look that bad but do look like they could use a little weight.

 

[suzettex5]

Hmmm, I would say the white one looks ok, even a bit bigger than mine when the vet said she was not bad at all. But she did need a really good, thorough worming. The black one does look a bit too sunk in, and looks like a worm issue. Do they have the runs at all?

I would have to agree with most posters and get a fecal check for parasites.

Have you been to the sister site to this one- Backyardherds.com? There are alot of helpful peeps with goats who might give more advice. Just be prepared to wait up to a day for a response since it is not quite as busy as this site, but its usually much faster.

How are they doing as of today?

 

[Hound]

They don't seem to have any health issues other than looking thin. Their poop is always normal and they act like they feel fine, their eyes look bright. They come into heat regularly also. They're pretty lively and playful.

 

[lasergrl]

Have the vet draw blood for CAE. The other doe looks very good. The black one is thin. I had one that I couldnt get weight on, always wormy. turned out she was CAE positive.

 

[bigshoes213]

We have saanen milk goats and your white ones look perfectly healthy to me from the pictures but the black ones look a little thin. Corn is a good fattener. Ours free range and have limited grain mixed with corn but mostly during the spring, summer, and fall they graze and are all fat goats from it. They get wormed regularly by my mother in law however.

Do the younger black ones have their own feed trough or do they eat with the older ones. Our younger goats sometimes do not get a lot of grain/corn because the older ones head butt them out of the way and eat it. So we have to be creative when feeding.

Good luck discovering what is wrong and hopefully it is nothing very serious.

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

I just have no idea how people have trouble with fat goats, I feed these as much as I can get them to eat just short of cramming it down their throats!

I am one of those people with the fat goat! I have an alpine wether that looks ok, but my 8 month old toggenburg doe is a little overweight. I took both to a goat breeder to get vaccinated and have her horns burned a second time this summer. Her exact words were "the doe likes her grain doesn't she?" They get less than 1 cup of grain per day. Maybe she's eating so fast she eats his portion too. I don't know. Otherwise they forage and get a small amount of hay.
I have seen goats thinner than yours, but it sounds like you are feeding yours a lot. They should be fat with 4 lbs of grain per day. If their stool is normal then it has to be worms. You should get a fecal test done and treat for specific parasites.​

 

[Beekissed]

Johnes? http://www.goatworld.com/articles/johnes/johnes1.shtml


If not, maybe you just need some good probios? I use an unpastuerized apple cider drench that works wonders on my sheep.

 

[Hound]

They've been Johne's tested annually. I think one of their many supplements has probiotics but i'll double check. The bucks are a good weight, as are the doelings, it's just these grown does.

 

[texascowboy1979]

OMG... I too have bad luck with Goats.... Ive tried everything... Im now trying Baytril... Just started today.. Ill let you know how that works.

By the way... I got a new billy goat, and he seems immune to everything... hes got great size, body and weight.. so im hopping its Genetics and can pass it to his offspring so they will be healthier.