[MapleValleyAcres]

So I kept these two doeling kids from 2022's kidding, due to me loving their confirmation and believing they would make great milkers.
The Nubian, Violet, was born March 9th and the LaMancha, Ava, was born March 17th. Guys, they have grown like at all in the last several months!!!
I find it very worrying. Last time I weighed them they each weighed around 50 pounds (I need to reweigh them). They are very healthy, lively, sassy gals, they're just tiny! They nursed until they were around 5 months old, have high quality Alfalfa/Orchard Grass hay, free choice minerals, and pasture. I've dewormed them, but they've never had worms.
I need help!
Please note I'm a herbal farmer, and do not give antibiotics or chemical dewormers UNLESS I have a sick goat and the vet prescribes it, and these girls are not sick. And my goats that are pregnant/lactating get Soy-Free, Non-GMO Dairy feed w/ Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, Alfalfa Pellets, and Non-GMO Whole Corn mixed in; if y'all think it would help I could start giving them some too.

TIA!

 

[Boer Mama]

Have you tested fecals for cocci?
I guess that can be a problem even without showing runny poo as a symptom.
Some of my goats were slower growing this year due to the extra long hot summer. It got early and stayed hot and they just didn’t really grow 🤷🏼‍♀️

 

[MapleValleyAcres]

Have you tested fecals for cocci?
I guess that can be a problem even without showing runny poo as a symptom.
Some of my goats were slower growing this year due to the extra long hot summer. It got early and stayed hot and they just didn’t really grow 🤷🏼‍♀️

You mean coccidia? I have not. Could I not just treat them? I've dealt with it before in poultry.

 

[Boer Mama]

You mean coccidia? I have not. How would that be done? I'm guessing by a vet? Could I not just treat them? I've dealt with it before in poultry.

You can have their fecal tested by a vet for a full panel to include coccidia or send to meadowmist labs.
That would be a good start. Just to help you confirm they are not having any worm issue.
Maybe somebody else has something else to suggest as well. It sounds like they have a good diet and plenty of food tho 🤷🏼‍♀️

 

[toth boer goats]

I agree get a fecal done for worms and cocci.

I use corid powder and go by medicine cabinet 2020 instructions on the goat spot.

 

[happybleats]

Both are beautiful. We too are a herbal farm..and some years I have slow growing kids. Always healthy looking, just slow growing. I would remove whole corn as it can be hard on the teeth and offer very little. Other than that. Diet is fine.
A fecal would be wise. I would collect a fresh sample from both them, then do acute dosing of herbal parasite formula. No reason to wait for results since it wont hurt them and adds nutrients. I would also do daily probiotics to help boost their flora and help them uptake nutrients better.

Best wishes

 

[goatblessings]

Unfortunately cocci is one of those things that cannot be addressed by herbals. They are very small. Run a cocci: worm fecal. Also, any damage done by cocci preventing absorption of nutrients is not reversible. Mine are Feb kids and weigh in around 130#.

 

[Cedarwinds Farm]

I would re-weigh, sometimes they are bigger than you think. Coccidia and heavy worm loads can stunt growth, as mentioned above. Sometimes the kids will not show many obvious symptoms, so a fecal would be good. I've never had LaManchas, but I raise Nubians and they often just grow slowly. They will continue growing until they're approx. 3 years old. That's why I wait til their second fall to breed, as I feel they need that full first year to grow and mature. I have a Nubian doeling right now who is a little on the small side. She is plenty long and wide, so I went ahead and bred her to kid as a 2 year old. Her dad and half brother both took a long time to reach their full height, so I expect she will get there eventually. She is quite healthy, just taking her sweet time to grow.

 

[SayYesToGoats]

Can you run cocci fecal without using a lab? Sorry wondering for my own sake.

 

[NigerianNewbie]

Can you run cocci fecal without using a lab? Sorry wondering for my own sake.

It is possible to learn to do fecals for your own herd. It requires investing in the equipment and supplies needed, teaching yourself how to identify the different species of larva being seen, and how to calculate the counts.

 

[Feira426]

Unfortunately cocci is one of those things that cannot be addressed by herbals. They are very small. Run a cocci: worm fecal. Also, any damage done by cocci preventing absorption of nutrients is not reversible. Mine are Feb kids and weigh in around 130#. View attachment 246083

I’m interested in your statement because I was under the impression that herbals can work against coccidia. I remember seeing something about it on the FiasCo Farm site a couple of years ago, where Molly talked about her experiences with coccidiosis and how she came to use herbal dewormer as a preventative for her herd. I couldn’t show you exactly what it was that I read, because the whole site is being revamped right now, but this seems to be the page where most of her coccidia-related info is currently located:

Fias Co Farm/Goats: Coccidiosis

After I stumbled across Molly’s story, I tried her prevention schedule on all my kids last season, and either I got lucky or it worked well for me - I was assuming the latter, but I do have a small herd and honestly it could have just been that all of last spring’s kids had really good immune systems and never showed any coccidiosis symptoms. But if you know something I don’t, I would love to read more about it. If it was just luck last year, I probably ought to have a different plan for this spring’s kiddos!

 

[CrazyDogLady]

What were the size of their parents? Some are slow to mature, knowing your lines helps.