[mistyblue]

Got another questions for you all.

I got a call on Christmas Day from a friend of my mothers wanting to know if I could take in another goat. Got the info, went Friday and picked her up. Now this is a 6 month old Nigerian Dwarf doe that is the size of my 2 month olds, weighs approx 15 to 20 lbs. She is dehorned and does not seem to be growing, I have already contacted my vet about having her spayed (at the tune of $200.00), he would like me to give her another month before spaying to make sure she is done growing.

Has anyone had any experience with something like this and am I doing the right thing by having her spayed, is there anything else medical that I should be aware of. Also she does not seem to walk right on her back legs, almost like she is bowlegged. Vet will do full physical (sp) when she goes in next month.

I did not forget photo's. Here is SweetPea

 

[liz]

Without seeing her parents it's hard to say wether or not she isn't "normal"....she looks healthy and bright in the pics, but as you said, the vet would run a fecal as well as the hands on to see if anything is wrong...some lines are very slow growers and there are some that are just meant to be small...she is a very pretty girl and I'm sure she will thrive in your care. Not all goats are the same....even if they are the same breed, Heidi, my pygmy doeling is 10 months old and weighs 25#, my pygmy/nigi doeling is 9 months old and weighs 35#, believe me, they are very healthy and normal, Heidi has small parents as both are at 18". Your little doe may just be of small lines. Why are you spaying her? Around here, you can't find a vet that would do a "voluntary" spay on a goat unless they need a c-section.

Most goats, especially the mini's are not done growing until they are 2 to 3 years old , 3 years being the extreme, the mini's won't reach their full growth til at minimum 2 years. To have your vet want her to be "finished" growing at 6 months old isn't possible, she's still a baby.

 

[mistyblue]

She is very cute, just a doll, but not breeding quality at all for one, look at those back legs. I would be scared that if she did get bred it would be to much for her if she stays small. Maybe I am jumping the gun and should give her more time to grow, but I would hate for one of the bucks to accidently bred her. As for the vet he wants to see is she grows any at all during this time.

Just to give a example of her size here is a pic I took today of my 2 month old babies, they are a approx the same size as Sweetpea

 

[KW Farms]

I have seen 6 mo's the same size as your new girl. I have a couple that are slow growers, but really healthy... they are about 5 months and are about the same size. Diddo what Liz said. She also might not have been getting proper nutrition. Just because she's not breeding quality doesn't mean you need to spay her. Unless you have a really good GOAT vet, I would definately not spay her... and that is A LOT of money, at least for me to spay her when you could just sell her to a pet home. If I were you and think your buck's might breed her, i'd just give/sell her to a good home that won't breed her. She would make a wonderful little pet. Not trying to be rude whatsoever,,,just my 2 cents. :wink:

 

[mistyblue]

Dont think you are being rude at all, this is why I am here, to learn. Sounds like I will be putting off the spaying for now. My boys should not be getting anywhere near her, but accidents do happen.

As for finding her another home, she has one here for life. Since she is the only one that I have that has no horns, she is perfect for my four year old niece to play with. Also if she does stay this small then I will probably be making a house goat out of her, as she is such a doll. My SO is so going to love that. :ROFL:

The only thing I know about her past is that the lady I bought her from found out that the breeder she got Sweetpea from does alot of inbreeding. I wonder if that could be a contributing factor.

 

[SDK]

she just looks like she is too refined in her body structure.. she'll most likely always be on the smaller side.. but like others have said she wont be full grown until 2 or 3 years

she could also be lacking some essential minerals.. like copper and selenium.. that could be linked to her rear legs being odd and her being small

our little doe sweetie was only 25 lbs at 6 months.. and it was because her momma wasn't being the best and we had to use a powdered milk to feed her.. so she was stunted.. when i gave her copper and selenium she boosted up fast and is now a year old and about 45 pounds

 

[mistyblue]

SDK, did not think of the minerals yet, will be sure to give them. I am just hoping those back legs straighten out a little more as she grows. I have already learned some new things on this thread. I did not know that some are slow growers and take longer than others.

 

[SDK]

selenium and copper are big ones that they need..

she may also need to be wormed..

 

[sparks879]

I agree, before you consider spaying her i would have a fecal done. She shouldnt be done growing for another twwo to three years. A lot of goats really slow down their growth this time of year as well. You might be surprised that by the time time next year she has nearly caught up with her age group given the proper nutrition and worming schedule.
Spaying a goat can be very risky in itself. Goats just dont do well under anasthesia, especially smaller ones.
beth