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As some of you know from reading my post about the calf injury, I can't get to the barn or pasture to take care of my goats, so my sweet hubby is doing it. I'm constantly asking him questions about their poop, their eyes, their rumens, how they are eating, etc. Well, yesterday he came up after milking and told me that Bella didn't want her grains. That concerned me because she usually inhales them in the morning.
I sent our son out to check on them yesterday, mid morning. I asked him to tell me what she looked like and what she was doing. He came back and let me know that she was lying down and didn't get up when he came down there. That was unusual since she's the queen and thinks she gets first pets when we are there. He got her to come over to the fence so he could check her out. He told me she looked fat. I sent him back down with baking soda and some olive oil. She scarfed them both right up. I had him put another load of hay in the pasture, hoping she would eat that rather than greens. She did.
When hubby got home he put her back in the pen and withheld grain last night. This morning at milking time, her rumen looked like it was back to normal size and she was feeling like her spunky self. Because I wasn't sure when to start her back on grains, we again withheld them, but gave her about 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds, a little sweet feed and baking soda. She wanted her grain! I ended up okaying 1 cup of it. I figured she must know if she's feeling better. I think she had a mild case of bloat due to eating too much the day before. He had given them a lot of ragweed, which they adore, and she ate a LOT of it. More than usual.
My questions...
1) With a mild case of bloat like that, when do you go back to feeding normal amounts of grain? Little by little?
2) Is there anything else I should give her now, even though she appears to be back to normal.
3) Where do you all get your B Complex? Would Farm and Fleet have it?
4) Are the MOM and Pepto Bismol that I see you all talk about the human type, or is there another type made for critters?
And one more question with some explanation first.... again, because I can't get down to the barn yet, hubby has to take care of the milking and all before work. He leaves for work at 5:20 a.m. I read in another post that we should wait until the dew dries up before putting them out to pasture. Well, he's at work then, so in your opinion, would it be better for them to go out early so they can pasture all day, or stay in their pens all day and be put out around 4:45 p.m. when he returns home. They'd only have a few hours because it's getting dark by 7:30 now. What would you do?
Thanks so much. Sorry this is long. I guess being cooped up for so long is making me gabby.
I sent our son out to check on them yesterday, mid morning. I asked him to tell me what she looked like and what she was doing. He came back and let me know that she was lying down and didn't get up when he came down there. That was unusual since she's the queen and thinks she gets first pets when we are there. He got her to come over to the fence so he could check her out. He told me she looked fat. I sent him back down with baking soda and some olive oil. She scarfed them both right up. I had him put another load of hay in the pasture, hoping she would eat that rather than greens. She did.
When hubby got home he put her back in the pen and withheld grain last night. This morning at milking time, her rumen looked like it was back to normal size and she was feeling like her spunky self. Because I wasn't sure when to start her back on grains, we again withheld them, but gave her about 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds, a little sweet feed and baking soda. She wanted her grain! I ended up okaying 1 cup of it. I figured she must know if she's feeling better. I think she had a mild case of bloat due to eating too much the day before. He had given them a lot of ragweed, which they adore, and she ate a LOT of it. More than usual.
My questions...
1) With a mild case of bloat like that, when do you go back to feeding normal amounts of grain? Little by little?
2) Is there anything else I should give her now, even though she appears to be back to normal.
3) Where do you all get your B Complex? Would Farm and Fleet have it?
4) Are the MOM and Pepto Bismol that I see you all talk about the human type, or is there another type made for critters?
And one more question with some explanation first.... again, because I can't get down to the barn yet, hubby has to take care of the milking and all before work. He leaves for work at 5:20 a.m. I read in another post that we should wait until the dew dries up before putting them out to pasture. Well, he's at work then, so in your opinion, would it be better for them to go out early so they can pasture all day, or stay in their pens all day and be put out around 4:45 p.m. when he returns home. They'd only have a few hours because it's getting dark by 7:30 now. What would you do?
Thanks so much. Sorry this is long. I guess being cooped up for so long is making me gabby.
