Lets talk about goats!

[cassie]

Can you get a picture of the discoloration? Could be a deficiency, but a pic might help.
Also, I would highly recommend getting a fecal done on both goats, wait at least 10 days after the date of worming. You can get them done at http://www.midamericaagresearch.net for $5 a sample if your vet charges too much. It's very important to get fecals done so you know which worms you are dealing with so you can choose an appropriate wormer. Not all wormers are created equal.
Emily was more likely to have pneumonia than lung worms. You wouldn't treat lung worms with penicillin anyway, and 10 days would not be a recommended length of treatment. (More like 5) penicillin is also not the stuff of choice for treating pneumonia.
I'm really glad you're taking the time to learn more about your forks! We'll be happy to help as much as possible!

As for penicillin and pneumonia, it depends on what pneumonia you have. I always tried penicillin first, then if the animal didn't respond promptly I consulted my vet to see what she suggested. Where I lived, during hot weather the goats would occasionally come down with a very fast moving pneumonia that penicillin would cure but that the fancy newer medications wouldn't touch.

 

[potagergirl]

H Diamond , thank you for responding. Here are pictures of my lovely Deliah:

this is the before picture the day we first got Deliah, she is a beautiful white.


this is today, she has the brownish tone to her skin, her shape looks like we are starving her and her eyes/nose are brown. I did notice her hair is a bit rough compared to Emily's.

I could see it being a deficiency but can you suggest what it is maybe copper? I have them on minerals free choice but that doesn't mean it covers all the needs of each goat.
thank you for any kind of help you can give me.

 

[H Diamond]

H Diamond , thank you for responding. Here are pictures of my lovely Deliah: this is the before picture the day we first got Deliah, she is a beautiful white. this is today, she has the brownish tone to her skin, her shape looks like we are starving her and her eyes/nose are brown. I did notice her hair is a bit rough compared to Emily's. I could see it being a deficiency but can you suggest what it is maybe copper? I have them on minerals free choice but that doesn't mean it covers all the needs of each goat. thank you for any kind of help you can give me.

I'm having trouble seeing any change in color in the eyes and nose area. The rest of her body though. ... It looks like she was shaved when you got her, and now her hair has grown back in, you can see the red roan type color she has. Maybe you can help me more with the face discoloration, I just can't see anything in the pics? Usually with deficiencies color goes the other way, black turns red, brown turns light tan/white etc. As for her weight, it's SUPER easy for goats to lose weight and hard for them to gain. Also, an increase in milk production will require more calories. I would also still have a fecal done on her to see how she's doing with the worms. Make sure she's on a good dairy goat grain, at least 14-16%, good quality hay/forage, and a free choice goat mineral. If she's not showing any other signs or symptoms, it has to be internal. Usually nutrition and worms are the biggest culprit. Has she been tested for CAE, CL, Johnes? Also, is she registered with ADGA?

 

[chickenewbee]

My two cents worth, I don't see much difference in weight between the two pictures....a little thinner in the flanks, maybe?

Is her coat thinner or thicker than when you got her? I'm just wondering if you are seeing darker skin through the hair. White animals often have dark skin underneath.

H Diamond , thank you for responding. Here are pictures of my lovely Deliah:

this is the before picture the day we first got Deliah, she is a beautiful white.


this is today, she has the brownish tone to her skin, her shape looks like we are starving her and her eyes/nose are brown. I did notice her hair is a bit rough compared to Emily's.

I could see it being a deficiency but can you suggest what it is maybe copper? I have them on minerals free choice but that doesn't mean it covers all the needs of each goat.
thank you for any kind of help you can give me.

 

[sugarstark]

Hey all, we are moving (sometime in the next couple of months) to Putnam/ westchester ny. I want a kinder goat for milk and company for my German Shepherd who gets lonely. A few questions:
Firstly, any one here live in that area with Kinder goats?
Secondly, is there a better small milk goat?
And finally, what's your experience with keeping a pair of goats for babies in the spring? We wouldn't mind a small herd of 5-6 if the buck*? Is nice enough
Thanks!
Kate

 

[Stacykins]

Hey all, we are moving (sometime in the next couple of months) to Putnam/ westchester ny. I want a kinder goat for milk and company for my German Shepherd who gets lonely. A few questions:
Firstly, any one here live in that area with Kinder goats?
Secondly, is there a better small milk goat?
And finally, what's your experience with keeping a pair of goats for babies in the spring? We wouldn't mind a small herd of 5-6 if the buck*? Is nice enough
Thanks!
Kate

A goat will not be a good companion for a dog. A dog will not be a good companion for a goat. Dogs are not part of a 'herd', they have different behavior compared to prey herd animals. Plus, German Shepherds are a breed with a strong herding instinct, not a livestock protecting instinct.

You will need to start with two goats, never one, because they are herd animals. Without another herd animal, they are incredibly stressed. And do not get an intact male and a female to keep together, unless you want the female to die an early death. As soon as she gives birth, if kept together, he will breed her at her first heat (doesn't take long for that to happen). So she'll be pregnant again while nursing newborns. It takes a lot of energy to grow kids in pregnancy and to lactate, so she will suffer if she is constantly bred and lactating because the buck is kept with her.

The better scenario is to either get a pair of does to start, or a doe and a wether pair (a neutered male). When you are comfortable taking care of those two, then think about breeding. Or don't even get a buck, send your girl/s away for buck service to another person's buck. Because when you get a buck, he needs a companion, too. So you either need two bucks (2x the smell) or a buck and a wether pair.

Kinders are ok milkers I hear. I know more about purebred Nigerian Dwarf goats, a small dairy breed. I think a better milking mix than a Kinder (a pygmy x Nubian, and Pygmies are NOT good milkers) would be a mix of a Nigerian Dwarf mixed with a large dairy breed (since Nigerian Dwarves ARE good milkers).

 

[sugarstark]

Oh thank you!
What great advise!
Two Nigerian dwarfs it shall be then

 

[chicken pickin]

My darn goats recently learned to escape their fence

I have had them since they were 8 and 10 weeks old and they have been here with us now for over 2years and never have they gotten out before, until these past couple weeks. I have been finding one goat out of the fence on occasion and just today they were both out and a neighbor noticed them and brought them home. Im a little frustrated since I have never seen them jump the 4ft fence. Its time I reinforce the fence and add an additional foot to the top of the fence though Im not sure it will work. Makes me nervous because my road has pretty fast traffic.

Tomorrow on my to do list - work on the fence.

Maybe its time to build them a small "play ground" of platforms and ramps. Maybe daily walks through the yard for more forage will help.

Any tips are appreciated. DH wants me to rehome them, Im sort of having the same feeling but I have grown feelings for them, so we will see how it goes.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Mine always used to escape in the fall, their grazing get low so they go looking for something better, we now have three foot tall woven with an electric strand along the inside to keep them from rubbing and climbing. We also start feeding them some hay, they are less inclined to go wandering. I truly believe they could get out at anytime but agree not to as long as they are content, goats believe they are royalty.

 

[Farmgirl47]

Here is Romeo, a Mini Lamancha buckling we bought yesterday. He is three months old and will be our future herd sire