Now that we have the kidding behind us (delivered 5 days ago-whew!) I am noticing how thin mom is looking. (Looks a little thinner each day - I thought that was great when it was me getting thinner after pregnancy, but I'm not sure it's good for my goat! ) My first thought was postnatal ketosis (and I still may get strips to test) but she is eating very well both grain and hay, seems to be producing adequate milk for the boys although we have had to work with them (and her) to get them to nurse from both teats, and is having no difficulties with ambulating so I am doubting that is her issue. I bought her bred so have no way to know what she looked like pre-pregnancy and this is the first doe we have had to kid, but this seems more than it should be to my new goat owner untrained eyes. Her sides (maybe more like her hip area behind her rumen) are quite sunken when she is standing. Am I being overly concerned and this is normal or is this something I should be more aggressively addressing? Have I not upped her feed sufficiently now that she is a nursing mom? Guidance on that would be appreciated. She was given a dose of Nutri-drench in her water after delivery but she drank little of it, has been dewormed, and I gave her some Pro-bios. One thing I will add is that when she is out of the kidding pen with the rest of the herd, she is very aggressive toward one or two of the other does. That was NOT her personality prior to delivering. Lots of hard headbutting... following certain ones with fighting on her mind. Not really getting that behavior either! Even my "queen" doe has seen fit to intervene in the separation of those who are tangling.
On the kid side, THEY ARE ADORABLE. One is a little more lively than the other, but both seem healthy, are up and around following mom, have normal vital signs, and nurse pretty well.
I so appreciate this forum and the guidance ...and reassurances I get here. Thanks in advance.
Replies
It is normal for their belly to look somewhat sunken in after they kid. The thing to check is the amount of meat she still has on her spine and tail. Does her spine feel really sharp? Does the underside of her tail look like thin, like a rat's tail, or is it a triangle, thick at the base and thinner at the tip?
Yes, I'm talking about FAMACHA for the eyelids ... are they red, pink, or white?
She'll be 3 in April; poop is normal. I will assess her eyelids in the morning - a la FAMACHA I assume? Ironically, we were doing the evening feeding and she looked pretty good tonight. I guess the other factor that I hadn't really taken into account is that she really never looked that pregnant. She certainly never looked like the other 3 does who are pregnant. It may just be her frame size. Possibility?
It could be age and/or parasites. How old is she? What color are her eyelids? What is her poop like?