I have a doe that is zinc deficient. Perhaps due to alfalfa? Perhaps other factors. Bottom line is - I am cutting way back on alfalfa and upping the sunflower seeds, but thought I'd try the sunflower oil as well. But not sure how to do that without making her a goey mess? Cool temps ensure it doesn't absorb right into the skin all the way.
Ideas?
For her needs right now - should I supplement with zinc?
The vet says (she has goats) that almost all the goats she sees in my area are zinc deficient. She recommends a zinc cold pill but I'm just not sure about that.
Judy
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Yes! I was finally right about something! LOL I was just saying to my mom today that it must be that the babies have a lowered immune system right now, so they can't fight them off. It just made sense seeing as how the adults didn't have them and the babies were covered with them. I love it when I get something right!
I am going to get your book ASAP because I have decided to raise my goats as naturally as possible since I plan to drink their milk. I have to get it immediately because I am not vaccinating any of my goats anymore and I need to boost their immune systems. I can't wait to read it! Thanks for your time Deborah.
I know it sounds crazy (at least it sounds crazy to me) but the fleas are probably on the kids because their immune systems are not as developed as the adults. Lots of sources talk about an animal's ability to resist parasites, even external parasites, and there are times when only one or two goats in a herd will have lice or mites, and they will be one with lowered resistance. I had my first case of mites last year, and it was only on my mini manchas that later got meningeal worm and on my oldest buck (8 1/2) who is sterile. SOoooo, obviously those animals were not at optimal health. As a species, goats tend to be highly resistant to meningeal worm, but these two full sisters contracted it.
I never even knew goats could get fleas until I was researching for Raising Goats Naturally, and that's when I learned that the species of flea that infests cats can infest goats. Since goats are not their natural host, that's probably why it is seen so rarely. Like meningeal worm, whose normal host is white tail deer, they are only able to infest animals whose immune systems are not fully mature or not working at 100%.
Oh, good, because they love the alfalfa. Copper deficiency is the first thing I thought of, but her coat is gorgeous and vibrant and she doesn't have a fish tail. The buck I had bought last year came with a fish tail which is how I learned all about copper deficiency, so he has been getting a full bolus of copper every 4 months and everyone else is getting half a dose every 4 months. I just can't figure out what the hair loss is at all. Her babies are big and healthy little jumping beans, and she just had them a week ago. None of her symptoms got any worse during pregnancy, and I would think it would if it was a deficiency of some kind of mineral. I'm over here scratching my head.
The fleas are a very surprising nuisance. We have never had fleas, but apparently our entire area is having some kind of outbreak because when I went to Tractor Supply the other day, the lady that works there said that people are coming in in droves asking for something that will kill all the fleas in their yards. ??? We only had one freeze this winter and it wasn't very long so the fleas didn't get knocked down. Anyways, my adult goats don't have any fleas, but the babies were covered in them. I put some DE in a sock and dusted them with it and that seems to have done the trick. I freaked out when I saw the fleas on their bellies. They are so small. I wonder what keeps the adults from having them? I checked them over really good because one is pregnant and the other is with the babies all the time. I'm sure there is a possibility that they have one or two, but they are not infested in the least. I am trying to figure out what I am going to use on our property to help get rid of them. I keep my goats on a dry lot with 24/7 hay, but I like to let them out in the summer when the grass is real dry so that they can graze. Not sure what to use.
I would be very surprised if fleas had anything to do with her problems. I have never heard of a goat with fleas.
I'm sorry to butt in here, but I was wondering how much alfalfa is too much. My one doe has lost all the hair around her eyes and around her mouth. She also has very flaky skin, so I am thinking maybe a zinc deficiency. She doesn't have any lice. We are having a flea problem right now thanks to a new stray cat we took in, but the hair loss started way before the cat showed up. I have been giving her a little square of alfalfa about the size of two hands every day since she her last month of pregnancy. I felt that it was even more important now that she is feeding twins. So, after reading this post I am worried that maybe I am making a zinc deficiency worse. Any advice is appreciated.
She just has a little dandruff and coat is a tad dull - some shine to it but not like it was even a month plus ago.
I'm not sure I'd be comfortable doing any injection during the last month of pregnancy.
I think she is already responding to the increased sunflower seeds. I just am being careful of creating a big baby.
Like you wrote in a post - nixing the alfalfa might also help her rebound.
Judy
When I used sunflower oil on the one buck, it was right after clipping him, so his hair was not an issue. We were going to be doing classifications, so we were clipping all of the goats, and when his hair was clipped off, I saw how bad his skin was. So, I would say that if a goat's skin looks bad with their long hair, it's really far worse than it looks. If I had to do this with a goat that had a coat of hair and it was too cold to clip them, I would just target the spots that look bad so as to minimize the mess.
I read somewhere that human zinc doesn't work that well for goats, but can't remember where I read it. I used Multi-Min injectable the year that several of my bucks had an issue, but quit using it because the copper in there is excreted through the urine far too fast for my goats. I had a buck die from lab-verified copper deficiency three months after an injection. It also contains selenium and another mineral or two. Injectable minerals are great for an acute situation, but in an environment where chronic deficiency is likely to be a problem, it's better to add something to the daily diet, even if it's some type of oral supplement.