Young doe, underweight

My big reason for joining is a question that has me quite stressed. My nigerian/pygmy doe, Hershey is almost 11 months and is only 21 lbs, yes 21! And basically I can't figure out why, we have had her since she was 8 weeks old, she has always seemed healthy, she has been getting grain about a cup now, and lots of hay everyday. She initially had a mineral block but has had free choice minerals for about the last 6 months. She was wormed when we first got her and again in Feb, she also got selenium and copper in Feb. We do have her separated at the moment from our weather because he was quite pushy but we held him away to let her get her grain. My intention is to breed her, and I wanted to do that soon, but with her weight I can't. Other then this she seems healthy, playful, happy, doesn't look bony on the underside of her tail, no fishtail. Her hair is possibly a bit rough but I'm not sure.

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  • I'm not sure that copper deficiency would stunt her growth. You'd be more likely to see bowlegs or a sway back or some other bone malformation.

    Were you able to get new pictures?

  • So I checked her eyelid and it looks to me to be a fairly dark pink. Weighed her again today (4 days since separating her from our wether Gizmo) and she is up 2-3 lbs. She came out with me while I raked and ran around as fast as she could, very playful. haven't had anyone to help with pictures, but thought I should mention that her hair has lightened since we got her, looks to be a pale chocolate brown and used to be darker. This was one of the reasons I ordered copper boluses from the states! if she was significantly copper deficient before that would it cause her growth to be impeded? Should I do another copper bolus?
  • Oh also her hair on her back was standing up because my dog was behind me and she wasn't too sure of that.
  • I will have to get new pics tomorrow, I have checked her for lice, which I am familiar with and haven't seen any on her ever... as far as I know she was never sick, the lady I got her from has a large herd and is very knowledgeable of goats because she was actually raised at a local small zoo. I will have to check her eyelids bit her poop is pebbles. I don't understand how she could be malnourished :( Oh and Purina minerals, she has in a container bit we have also put some on her food because she doesn't often go for it.
  • If you could get someone else to hold her attention while you take pictures of her straight from the side, that would be helpful. The two from the front are probably distorted, so I'm mostly looking at the one you took from above. It looks like she is underweight, and her head looks too big, which could mean she's been malnourished. Do you know if she had a severe case of coccidiosis as a kid? The can cause scarring of the intestines, and they can have trouble absorbing nutrients forever. 

    Her hair also looks kind of thin and wispy. Have you looked her over for lice? They're very tiny, and you'd have to separate the hair and stare at specks for a bit to see if they move. As I get older and my vision gets worse, I have more and more trouble finding them, and my vision is not that bad. I only started wearing glasses three years ago. Lice are just really small.

    Have you checked the inside of her eyelids to see what color they are? Are they red, pink, or white?

    Does she poop pebbles or logs?

    What type of minerals are available free choice? Brand? Loose or tub?

    You might want to check out my free course on copper deficiency: http://thriftyhomesteader.teachable.com/p/copper-deficiency/

    I'm so glad that you realize you should not breed her at that size.

  • 1st pic

  • sorry pics didn't post ? I am adding them to my page pictures in an album (I think) because they don't seem to be posting here?

  • These are not the best, but she would not stay still, lol.  She is in our backroom because we have her separated from our wether, hence the weird floor.

  • Can you post a few pictures from different angles?

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