Okay, folks, I made a rookie mistake today and didn't brace the barn door so the goats couldn't go through the bar to where I had the hens loose - and the door to the pen open. I went out to ascertain the hens were headed to the roost. Lo and behold - Summer and Dollie were in the chicken pen with their heads in the feeder. The worst thing is I have no idea how much feed was in it - probably two gallon a week or less ago when I filled again. I only know for sure there is about a quart to a quart and half left in it now. I am hoping they just got in there and got very little. Hope is not fact, however.
This is regular layer pellets from the feed store, not mixed with grain. Summer is four and a half and in milk, was just bred last week. Dollie is a little over one, not bred yet.
I read through a previous thread but didn't see anything that "gelled" for me regarding this tonight. http://nigeriandwarfgoats.ning.com/forum/topics/goats-with-chickens
I know I need to watch them for bloat - never had to do this before. They do have free choice baking soda. Should I give them activated charcoal? Should I try to get them to drink more water by adding a touch of molasses? Should I try to force baking soda or just take them to it every hour or so? Will giving them fresh hay help "dilute" the effects? Summer gets grain at evening milking - should she have it as usual or pass on it tonight?
I sure didn't think this is a question I would ever be asking since I am so careful about the chicken feed - and feel fortunate I saw that it happened.
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Different people said one or the other and some said either of both (is that worded right?<g>), but the most common was MoM. I just did not feel comfortable with it at all. My most trusted local person favored MoM. Not only did I have this terrible childhood memory of it but I really didn't want to be forcing it down them if I didn't know they needed it - and, honestly, in my gut I felt it wasn't right.
My gratitude is greater than I can express that there don't seem to be any effects from their mischief. I think they may have just gotten in there. It is a good lesson in not filling up the feeder, however, and even putting a "lid" inside it so they cannot any feed except what is the outside tray if they do get in there. And a better lesson to not be careless and let my guard down at all.
It also told me that when I put up a new chicken fence that it will be chain link, not 2x4 weave held in place with lightweight posts like I had pre-goat. With Dollie, it will likely need to be five feet tall also. It seems absurd to have an inside fence that tall!
Are you sure they didn't say Pepto Bismol? I've heard that a lot, although I have never used it. It's labeled for diarrhea, but I don't like using it because if a goat has diarrhea, there's a reason, and PB does nothing to correct the problem. It just covers up the symptom. If diarrhea doesn't go away within 24 hours, you need to look at other possible causes.
The only person I've ever heard of giving MoM to goats was that one woman who did it -- and she did it because she read something online that made her think that her goats were magnesium deficient and that giving them MoM would help! Argh! She couldn't tell me where she read that, and I searched but could never find anything that said that.
If a goat gets diarrhea from eating too much grain, the last thing you'd want to do is give them something to make the diarrhea worse.
If the goats are going to react, it happens within a few hours, so you are totally out of the woods! :)
Like I said, this has happened here far more than I care to admit, and no one has ever had any problem other than diarrhea a few times, but that passes on its own with no help from me. Within 24 hours, they're back to pooping pebbles. I do keep baking soda available 24/7, but I don't do anything other than keep an eye on them when I know they're managed to get into the chicken grain. If they wind up with symptoms of bloat, enterotoxemia, or goat polio, the quicker you respond, the better the chances of survival.
Oh, my, Deborah, because several people said I should give it to them. I didn't with no symptoms because it would mean a battle. My mother used to live on it which never made any sense; I only took it when she literally forced me to - I hated it. She took/gave it all the time for an upset tummy. With her doing it and so many goat people saying to use it, it sounds like way back when they did a good marketing job with it!
Truthfully, given that I didn't know for certain how much they ate, with a good chance it was very little, I didn't want to do anything unless there was some indication something needed to be done. I took them often to the baking soda, but there was no interest. It's been several days with no symptoms so they may very well have gotten little - thankfully it is not a medicated feed. I still am astounded I was that careless - thankfully it didn't turn out to be a fatal mistake.
I should not say no symptoms since they are all on grass hay only for this time period. It is no big deal to three of the four since they get only grass hay and bedtime treats. However, Summer is *not* liking it one little bit! That little girl wants her grain. "I earn it and I want it!" I started grain back yesterday, gradually. She usually leaves some in the pan, but not a bit yesterday.
Why do you have Milk of Magnesia? That would cause diarrhea. I know because a woman called me one time and wanted to know why her goats had diarrhea after she gave it to them. Plus it's a laxative.
All seems fine so far. Summer, however, accustomed to getting grain at evening milking and in the morning when it would be milking if I were milking twice a day is not happy with me. She has the ingrained ability to make me feel guilty. Goats are quite good at that.
Everyone is on grass hay only (the others were already) and their bedtime snack has been a small handful of alfalfa pellets instead of the usual apples or carrots. I guess it cannot get blander than that. They did get some blackberry vines late today but that is part of their normal diet. I'm am so grateful I have been so compulsive about the baking soda always there for them.
Over the next couple of days, I'll continue watching closely but if until now is any indication, all is well. My logical mind tells me they got little, if any, chicken feed based on the level and there were two trying to get their heads in there. However, my heart worries . . . a lot.
Very little OTC meds come into this house but I now have milk of magnesia in case there is another such accident or, of course, any symptoms still show up.
This has happened here more than I care to admit. The worst thing that's ever resulted was diarrhea, which usually passes within 24 hours, and everyone is fine again. However, when you upset the rumen, you could also wind up with bloat, enterotoxemia, or goat polio, so check those sections of my book for symptoms and details. But remember that they don't usually happen.