Ok, so only one more topic, I swear. I wanted to separate this out from the other as it is different. The kid looks like a cocci stunted baby. Hasn't grown a bit since I saw her at 4 months old (she is now 8 months old, just got her two days ago.) Her butt is up in the air, but her front end is way down and looks shrunken. She looks like a tick actually. The doe I got with her has a severe selenium deficiency as far as I can tell (very weak rear legs, kid this spring died of white muscle disease.) So, she could have nutritional deficiencies as well. They worm with Safeguard, which I think is non-effective. I wormed with Ivermectin, and am re-worming for two more worm cycles to catch all the eggs. I am also getting some Vit A/E/D/B12 gel in the mail to give to both of them. They have plenty of free choice minerals available (both loose and a block) with a good analysis, should get plenty of copper, selenium, iodine, etc. etc. The block is Champion's Choice Selenium "90"....and the loose mineral is Manna Pro Goat Mineral. I am switching to Purina goat minerals in the next month because I like the analysis better. They are getting as much high quality grass hay as they can. I am picking up some goat specific feed in the next few days. Probably Purina to give to the pair. I have been feeding All Breed to my others when they need it, but I feel these guys need a higher quality feed due to their conditions. What else can I do for her? What are your stories with stunted kids? Do they generally pull out with plenty of TLC and nutrition? What methods worked for you?
You aren't going to like to hear it, but if she is stunted now, she is probably not going to grow anymore. I got a stunted doe like that before, actually a bit better off, but she never grew a bit more. I would worm with more than ivermectin, probably a white wormer too to get any tapes... like Valbazen.
I got one of the goats as a freebie, and the one I really wanted should be great for kids. Just was hoping I could get this girl big enough to breed, at this point she is definitely not large enough.
At 8 months old she still has a lot of time to play catch up in size. I would be sure to treat her for coccidia...get a fecal first to be sure that is a problem though. You mentioned having minerals out but have you seen this doe frequenting it? If not, you may want to look into a different brand that is more palatable... I only say that because my goats wouldn't touch the Manna Pro minerals... I had to top dress their grain with it to get em to eat any. Picky little buggers! LOL Also, I would add alfalfa pellets or hay to her goat grain as the extra calcium can really be helpful for her growth. Otherwise, sounds like you are already doing everything you can for her!
Ah! I had to re-type all of this! Stupid internet! Anyways, I have only had her since Saturday so I am not sure if she is using the minerals much. I will spend some time watching her tomorrow and see if she utilizes them. My other goats love it. Sometimes I think they eat too much. I am going to switch to Purina because I feel like Manna Pro is lacking in several areas. That and Purina is more economical than that itty bitty bag Manna Pro comes in. I will have to see if I can get it ordered in at one of my feed stores... I planned to start a 5 day regime for cocci with Sulmet tomorrow, because I know I'll have the extra time the next few days. I use it for preventative with my kids and it has never hurt them to do it, so I don't see how it will negatively affect her if she doesn't have an issue. Better safe than sorry, and I am paranoid about dosing meds, so I weigh carefully. Great idea about the alfalfa and the added calcium! I'll grab a bag from the feed store. I've always been one to mix feed though. The stuff out of the bag never has exactly what I want. I mix All Breed from Nutrena with rice bran pellets for my horses because it doesn't have enough fat content for shiny coats, strong hooves, and added energy....but they won't eat the non-"sweet" feeds well because it isn't tasty.
I agree....if fed properly....ect....she will have a chance to grow more...she may not end up being as big as... a standard goat of that breed but.... at least she will have that chance to get big enough to breed her...... If you can't get Alfalfa pellets then... get good quality Alfalfa hay.... but with anything you feed ...that is new........... do it slowly and gradually ....I would get a fecal done testing for cocci and worms.... to get that under control....if it is an issue... as that alone ....can stunt growth..... goats can grow up to 4 years old...
The breeders claim that they did preventative treatment for Cocci with Dimethox. They said they had some problems with diarrhea after weaning, but gave a stronger treatment of Dimethox and the diarrhea went away, but it took two weeks. I have never even heard of Dimethox though...From what I can Google, it is the generic equivalent of Albon. They worm with "herbal wormer"...so I imagine they have worms. I don't put much stock in herbal remedies. They swear that Safeguard works and the vet told them it is good. They said they have "funny milking stories about worms exiting the system after a Safeguard dose..." Doesnt' seem like worms should be coming out in a doe's milk! I have never had any such occurrence! Icky.... So I am hoping it is a case or worms stunting her growth, because I think that would be easier to over-come than Cocci stunting. They don't get a normal brand of minerals...they get a special blend from The Grange here that is supposedly made specifically for the area and the minerals we are lacking. They said it is called Meat Goat Mineral. I don't buy feed or minerals from The Grange because you can never see the content until you buy the bag. Its all specially made locally.
I think they meant exiting their system through their poop worms dont go through the milk Sounds like the safeguard is working for the tapeworms but you might want to try Ivermectin or Valbazen after a fecal to see if they are still wormy and what kind of worms they have. Preventive treatments rarely work -- just builds up immunity to the drug and then its not as effective if at all. Dimethox is a good coccidia medication like I said on the other topic but its only really effective when treated individually and not just in the water as instructed (and most vets recommend).
