I posted this weekend about my goats needing antibiotics and my wether getting diarrhea after starting them. The doe and wether are both about 7 weeks old. My wether is now pooping what looks like pudding. He is eating good and drinking, I weighed him and he had gained a pound and half since he came home. At his other home they had pasture but not alot of it, they ate alot of hay and feed. Here they have lots of pasture so they are neither eating alot of hay and almost no feed. Could this have something to do with his diarrhea? If so then I wonder why my little doe doesn't have it too, she cam from a petting zoo, I'm sure she had no pasture (only hay and feed). Also in the last couple of days they have both became very mouthy. They want to chew on any part of your body, clothes included. I bought them a mineral block today, they took a little of it and lost interest to pasture. Am I worrying too much? I just don't want to put off something that needs to be looked at now and regret it later. Thanks for reading and helping!
Views: 133
You need to be a member of Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats to add comments!
Well I bought milk replacement for my little ones. They both wrinkled their noses up at the bottle. So I thought I'd put in their medicine syringe, my little doe will practically knock you down to get to the syringe. Then she will try to push my wether out of the way to get his. She just looked at it and said "maaaa" and run off. She knew I was trying to trick her, I don't know how, both the things in the syringe were white, she even drank water from it one day. I'll keep trying though maybe she was just full from eating grass and hay. And good news, my wether has stopped his diarrhea and the vet gave him a clean fecal!!! Yay!! That's a load off my mind!
Just to clarify, although kelp is a really excellent supplement, it doesn't contain probiotics. It is added to a lot of probiotic supplements though.
CDT was originally developed for feedlot lambs that are having grain pushed on them for rapid weight gain, and although it does cut down on the incident of enterotoxemia in those cases, the more logical thing to do is simply NOT overfeed goats and sheep.
Have they had thier CDT's yet that helps with overeating in most cases. I have a vet coming to look at my doe who was born the end of jan. similar problems, no fever, loose stool etc. and as Deborah stated to me probiotics (kelp, or yogurt) help maintain the rumen in these cases. Also see if your in a selenium deficient area if you are check your feed to make sure it has it added to it most feeds do this know but there are some that don't . I am still learning myself I'll let you know what my doc says and see if maybe we are fighting similar problems.
At seven weeks, they should be getting 24 ounces of milk. A lot of people feed twice a day at that age, but since they haven't been getting it, you should probably split it into three, 8-ounce feedings a day. Maybe just buy the bottle first and see if they'll suck on it with cow's milk. If they do, then you could get the milk replacer.
They can have all the hay they want at this age, but half a cup of grain, twice a day is plenty. If his poop is runny, I'd eliminate the grain entirely for a few days until his poop firms up and becomes berries again, and then start with 1/4 cup, twice a day. I'm glad the fecals are clear.
Should I get a milk replacer? I've seen them at Tractor Supply, how many times a day should they be fed at 7 weeks? My vet said our fecals were clear, no worms or things that shouldn't be there. He also said I'm feeding them too much hay and grain. He says that if it's there then they'll eat it, Kinda like me ;). I've been keeping a book on when they have gone to the vet, age, weight, etc. Thanks for your help.
Reputable breeders don't normally advertise in the local classifieds. If you are planning to get more goats, you can look through the members here, check membership lists for AGS and ADGA, and search the internet for goat breeders near you. If you mouse over "Members" at the top of the page, the drop down menu has a link for herd names and websites of group members. If you google your state and "Nigerian dwarf goats," you should find some breeders' websites near you.
It is possible to have a lot kids and know who is who. I had 52 kids this year, but there is no way I'd sell a kid that was too young. The dam and sire and birth date of every kid is written down, and the kids stay here until at least two months. They're tattooed, disbudded, and named, and wethers are castrated. I'm happy to keep kids to three months if the buyer prefers, but most want them ASAP. The issue isn't so much eating because they're eating at quite a young age -- the issue is that their immune systems are immature, so the milk helps to keep them healthy until their immune system matures. This is why I never wean does that I'm keeping. Grain and forage just don't have all the nutrients that milk has either, even if it's milk replacer or cow's milk. Grain and forage are pretty low in protein and calcium, which kids need for growth. Growing is not the same thing as optimal growth. If that doe is going to be used as a breeding animal, she may have problems that you don't realize until she has to have a c-section because she didn't grow properly. If they won't take a bottle, you can see if they'll drink milk from a pan. I've never had luck with that, but I know others who do it routinely.
I'm sorry you've had such a rough introduction to goats. I'd suggest reading the archives here and continue to ask questions. Here is my website just as an example of what a reputable breeder keeps track of: http://www.nigeriandwarfdairygoats.com It is not the best website by any means, but it will give you an idea of what you want to see and hear from anyone who sells you goats in the future.
This is the first time I've had goats so I wasn't aware that they nursed so long. After I got them home I kept reading about goats that were nursing at 4-5 months of age. They both eat really well, they are eating pasture and hay like crazy. Everytime I check on them they are eating, they haven't been eating much feed which I thought was OK since they should get most of their nutrients from forage. They are both gaining weight right now. My wether has what looks like soft but formed into small balls of poop right now. He's gone with my husband to the vet so I'm crossing my fingers. My mom and I speculated that the little doe might have been younger that the lady said. We wondered how she could keep up with every kid, when they were born and who belonged to who, there was like 20 kids and a whole bunch of adults together. Next time I buy I'll look on the classified ads here and find someone who knows what they are doing! Hopefully by then I'll know what I'm doing too :) . I've bought several books and been reading on alot of sites. I guess it's like parenting, you can read and read but nothing will prepare you for what you are getting into! But also like parenting it is going to be so rewarding watching them grow.
They should definitely be getting milk until at least 8 weeks of age. I can't believe someone took them away from their mother at such a young age. No wonder they aren't doing well. You could try offering them a bottle with goat milk replacer. At their age, they might chew on the nipple, but if they're trying to suck on your fingers, they might be desperate enough to suck on an artificial teats. If you have a Tractor Supply or farm supply store near you, a Pritchard Teat is usually the one kids like the best. It's only a couple bucks, and it screws onto a water/soda bottle. Just make sure it's a bottle with a wide enough collar (the screw area) that the nipple collar can screw down on it completely. A lot of water bottle today have very small area where the lid screws on, and it will leak if you try to use it with a Pritchard Teat.
Jessica Furnish said:
Neither of my goats were raised as bottle babies and they are both weaned. Should they still be nursing? I thought maybe they needed salt and that was why they were licking and biting me. And I know what you mean, it was all cute until my doe bit my finger really hard. I won't make that mistake again!! We go again to the vet today, hopefully it'll be something simple.
Neither of my goats were raised as bottle babies and they are both weaned. Should they still be nursing? I thought maybe they needed salt and that was why they were licking and biting me. And I know what you mean, it was all cute until my doe bit my finger really hard. I won't make that mistake again!! We go again to the vet today, hopefully it'll be something simple.
Replies
Just to clarify, although kelp is a really excellent supplement, it doesn't contain probiotics. It is added to a lot of probiotic supplements though.
CDT was originally developed for feedlot lambs that are having grain pushed on them for rapid weight gain, and although it does cut down on the incident of enterotoxemia in those cases, the more logical thing to do is simply NOT overfeed goats and sheep.
At seven weeks, they should be getting 24 ounces of milk. A lot of people feed twice a day at that age, but since they haven't been getting it, you should probably split it into three, 8-ounce feedings a day. Maybe just buy the bottle first and see if they'll suck on it with cow's milk. If they do, then you could get the milk replacer.
They can have all the hay they want at this age, but half a cup of grain, twice a day is plenty. If his poop is runny, I'd eliminate the grain entirely for a few days until his poop firms up and becomes berries again, and then start with 1/4 cup, twice a day. I'm glad the fecals are clear.
Reputable breeders don't normally advertise in the local classifieds. If you are planning to get more goats, you can look through the members here, check membership lists for AGS and ADGA, and search the internet for goat breeders near you. If you mouse over "Members" at the top of the page, the drop down menu has a link for herd names and websites of group members. If you google your state and "Nigerian dwarf goats," you should find some breeders' websites near you.
It is possible to have a lot kids and know who is who. I had 52 kids this year, but there is no way I'd sell a kid that was too young. The dam and sire and birth date of every kid is written down, and the kids stay here until at least two months. They're tattooed, disbudded, and named, and wethers are castrated. I'm happy to keep kids to three months if the buyer prefers, but most want them ASAP. The issue isn't so much eating because they're eating at quite a young age -- the issue is that their immune systems are immature, so the milk helps to keep them healthy until their immune system matures. This is why I never wean does that I'm keeping. Grain and forage just don't have all the nutrients that milk has either, even if it's milk replacer or cow's milk. Grain and forage are pretty low in protein and calcium, which kids need for growth. Growing is not the same thing as optimal growth. If that doe is going to be used as a breeding animal, she may have problems that you don't realize until she has to have a c-section because she didn't grow properly. If they won't take a bottle, you can see if they'll drink milk from a pan. I've never had luck with that, but I know others who do it routinely.
I'm sorry you've had such a rough introduction to goats. I'd suggest reading the archives here and continue to ask questions. Here is my website just as an example of what a reputable breeder keeps track of: http://www.nigeriandwarfdairygoats.com It is not the best website by any means, but it will give you an idea of what you want to see and hear from anyone who sells you goats in the future.
Jessica Furnish said:
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next