HELP! Goat got into Chicken Grower/finisher and possibly in labor OR Bloat?

[K9Dave]

So, the vet called me back with a quote on the cost of 'disbudding'. 

260 dollars.   

Yeah, he didn't know the difference between deHORNing and DisBUDDING. I've had enough 'bad' experiences with this vet on my chicken (She had a gurgle and he wouldn't test for MS or MG on my request because it'd 'take a battery of tests to do') and I lost a puppy that got bitten on the face (She was unconscious. When he thought I had an unlimited credit card the story was 'It can take four weeks to start to respond' but when he found out I was broke he decided 12 hours was enough time and put her down)

But after this I'm not messing with him again. He has lost a customer. Too much heartbreak in dealing with incompetent vets.

There are a lot of those out there. I never take my animals to the vet for this reason.

 

[cassie]

So, the vet called me back with a quote on the cost of 'disbudding'.

260 dollars.

Yeah, he didn't know the difference between deHORNing and DisBUDDING. I've had enough 'bad' experiences with this vet on my chicken (She had a gurgle and he wouldn't test for MS or MG on my request because it'd 'take a battery of tests to do') and I lost a puppy that got bitten on the face (She was unconscious. When he thought I had an unlimited credit card the story was 'It can take four weeks to start to respond' but when he found out I was broke he decided 12 hours was enough time and put her down)

But after this I'm not messing with him again. He has lost a customer. Too much heartbreak in dealing with incompetent vets.

I won't say your vet is incompetent (I might think it but I wouldn't say it) but he doesn't know what he is talking about. And for the record, goats often react badly to anesthesia. I would be shopping for another vet if I were you. One with livestock experience. This one doesn't have any. If you get a chance you might tell him nobody in this country uses anesthesia to disbud kids. In fact, I would be really interested to know what he thinks is involved in disbudding baby goats or calves.

 

[Icedangel11]

The thing is he ADVERTISES and makes it clear he treats livestock. So it's not like I had to twist his arm, you know?

But all and all, he's still not getting any money.

Sadly I just lost a lovely hen to a dog attack. Poor thing got bit and it broke her spine. I learned the hard way how to clean a chicken. x.x

 

[Malibu99]

The thing is he ADVERTISES and makes it clear he treats livestock. So it's not like I had to twist his arm, you know? 

But all and all, he's still not getting any money. 

Sadly I just lost a lovely hen to a dog attack. Poor thing got bit and it broke her spine. I learned the hard way how to clean a chicken. x.x 

So sorry. It's so hard to lose a pet.


How is Tea (if I remember her name correctly... I don't function after 9PM.)?

 

[Icedangel11]

She's doing fine. Still the same. Showing more and more signs of having them but not actually getting down and pushing.

 

[Icedangel11]

Still no babies.

I think she was playing a mean joke on us.

 

[Stacykins]

There is a reason I invested in a security camera for my kidding stall. It let me keep eyes on my does that are due with a lot less stress! I think this past winter I'd have gone insane without it.

Though I knew the exact due dates, unfortunately, your girl could go today, or she could go weeks from now. Not knowing is the worst! That is why I only let my girls have a 'date' when they are in heat, rather than living with a buck all the time until they are bred.

I hope she has an easy and healthy kidding!

 

[Icedangel11]

Well, she kidded in early December, so we could imagine her coming into heat three weeks later (Not sure on this one, how soon DO they go into heat?) then just about now would be her due date if she was rebred immediately.

I feel bad for her. She had a kid on her, still nursing, until it was four months old. And as far as I can tell she was only fed pasture (though it was a rich pasture with lots of different things to eat) and then a sweet feed corn mix at night. What things should I look for to go wrong because of the improper feed?

 

[Stacykins]

The pictures you showed of her, she at least looks to be in very good condition! Sleek, not thin/bony, bright eyed, etc.

So even though she might've not been living in ideal conditions, she did well! Some goats do fine with less, others not so much. What are you giving her for her mineral needs? That is very important.

I guess the only thing I'd be concerned about is if she is low on selenium. A rather large part of the Unite States (you are in the states, right? If not, I am so sorry for making that assumption!) has soil with low selenium levels. Normally a deficiency is rather hard to spot in an adult until it is really bad. But it shows up quite obviously if her kids are born with symptoms of a deficiency (weak kids, hard to get them to stand/walk, weak nurse reflex, etc.) because she didn't have enough to spare for them. Of course, if you are in an area with normal

Selenium and vitamin E gel is an easy way to dose her with some extra. You don't need a prescription from a vet like you do with BoSe. But BoSe works very quickly, which is great in a pinch!

I know I had to rush some selenium over to a fellow breeder friend of mine last year when she had a really weak kid born. The kid recovered with no problems, and the dam got a dose too to get her levels up to normal.

 

[Icedangel11]

I live in KY, so I'm not sure.

And as for mineral needs I have a salt block outside. It's the red mineral one. They said it'd work for goats, so that's all she has.

She gets a lot of varied foods, too. She gets pasture plus I'm often tossing out scraps for the chickens that she'll munch on. She gets tree leaves, brush, grass, flax seeds, flax grass, all sort's of weeds and dandelions (which are a great source of calcium). I have really high quality pasture grass that she gets free access too. And of course my 'treat' feed is oats, whole corn, sweet feed, and alfalfa pellets mixed all together.