My oldest (and I'm pretty sure pregnant) doe lost all her winter undercoat pretty suddenly.
Along with her lost undercoat, she seems to be more bony than my younger doe. She has also started shivering... I live in Oregon. She and the younger goat are housed where they have two dry areas in times of rain. It's warmer most days, above 35 degrees, and most of the time in at least the lower 50's. I don't see external parasites, but I plan to dust her and their bedding. I have Apple Cider Vinegar in the water. Any thoughts? Am I just being paranoid? She has missed at least three heat cycles, so I'm pretty sure she's pregnant. I give free access to hay and alfalfa, which she doesn't seem to like. I think I'm going to start feeding alfalfa pellets even though her grain has it mixed in. She gets about 1/2 c goat mix from the local feed store, and free access to mineral block. I also have loose min. but she eats around that when I try to feed it in their goat feed.
I need to get my hands on a couple copper bolus!! I asked my local feed store to order them, and they couldn't, but never told me, so when I went in to pick up they didn't have it! I am hoping one of you might have a bottle and be willing to ship a few to me.
Replies
Goats only need alfalfa when they're milking, and believe me, they will eat! Having so many freshen so quickly this year, it was quite a shock to suddenly have the hay consumption increase exponentially -- water consumption, too!
I totally understand about the difficulty of finding information on doing things more naturally. When I got my first turkeys, I had never found anything that did NOT say they would all die if I didn't give them medicated feed. At the time, it felt like a huge leap of faith to feed them organic feed, but on the other hand, I kept thinking that they'd be extinct if they needed medicated grain -- and turkeys do live wild in Illinois -- so unlike the goats, I know we have everything we need right here for them to thrive.
Rachel Whetzel said:
Kare at Chaverah Farm said:
Hmm ... you sound like my mother. Whenever I didn't clean my plate, she would say, "What's wrong? Are you sick?" Unless the goat was losing weight, it's okay if she doesn't eat much. I have a 12 year old doe that gets a cup of grain every day because she gets skinny without it, but otherwise, I haven't seen a non-lactating doe that needed grain. If we're thinking of the same post, the person who said that goats don't switch well if they're not started on hay was talking about goats that are NEVER fed grain -- in other words, if you want grass-based dairy, it's best to never feed grain. But you can definitely stop feeding grain to a goat that's not in milk. I do it every year as soon as a doe stops milking two months before her due date. She gets no grain for about six weeks between the time she's dried off and the time that she's a week away from kidding.
If you have loose minerals available free choice, you don't need to feed grain. The loose minerals should provide everything they need.
Your LGD theory is certainly worth pursuing. Some of them can be a little hard on goats, especially if they're young.
Rachel Whetzel said:
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
Thanks, Deborah!! I spent the after noon with her... she seems to be OK this evening... No shivering. I'm thinking maybe she's cold in the mornings? My younger goat has a more undercoat. The main reason I give any grain is because it's got minerals in it... and she doesn't eat much else very well. (someone mentioned that goats not started out hay/alfalfa only sometimes don't do so well switching? I think she might be one of THOSE goats. lol)
I'm also thinking my livestock guardian dog might be harassing her. I'm going to start separating them at night again and see if she doesn't gain back some confidence.
Today I combed her coat and didn't find any external parasites, but I dusted her with DE to be sure, and gave her some wormer (safe for pregnant goats) Trimmed both of their hooves... We'll see how things go.
ETA I'll have to wait until payday to order copper in that quantity. :P