URGENT!!! Really skinny dairy goat needs to gain weight

Feo

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Hey guys, I have a really skinny goat that needs some weight now. She was giving 3-4 cups a milking but now only 2 cups. And I sell my milk as organic so any methods or links of natural links would be great! She is good on CL, CAE, and brucellosis. And she has red eyelids and solid stool so no worms, just skinny. You can clearly see her ribs and her backbone sticks out really bad. Thanks! Here is a not very good pic...
00404_lRFfJPrQPTh_600x450.jpg
 

Green Acres Farm

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Eyelids only check for anemia, not all worms cause anemia. You should get a fecal run.

So she has tested negative for CAE? What about Johnes?

What brand of feed does she get? What kind of hay? Does she get any legume hay? Minerals?

Dairy goats to tend to be thin, especially when in milk for awhile.

Can you get a pic showing her whole body and from above?
 

Southern by choice

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FAMACHA (inner eyelid check) was never intended to be the "be all/end all" parasite check. It is suppose to be used as a quick check for anemia. Fecal analysis is the MOST important way to determine parasites.
FAMACHA was created for the Barberpole worm only.

There are other parasites that are not bloodsucking and therefore may not cause anemia but can be robbing your goat of much needed nutrition.

So, first have a fecal run and check for parasites.
Second, diet.

It takes a great deal of energy to produce milk and sustain body condition.
What are you feeding her?
How much?
How long has she been in lactation?
 

Feo

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I am feeding her 2 pounds (1 in morning 1 at night) of new country organics goat feed (it is 15% protein). She gets free choice mixed hay that I buy directly from the large animal vet in my area plus free choice loose minerals. She has been in milk since May, so about 5 months. She is a registered Saanen, and VERY large. Yes, Green Acers Farm. I tested her for Cl, CAE, and Brucellosis 2 months ago and she came back negative on all of them.

I am actually pretty young, so I can't really afford much more feed. But just because I am young, do not think I am inexperienced. I have gone on many forums and quit because people think I "can't do it" and it gets really annoying when people underestimate you. But trust me, I know a lot more and have seen a lot more than you would think.

Anyways, she gets Molly Herbals dietary supplement in her feed everyday and Molly's wormer on schedule. I would be using chemical wormer but she reacts to fenbendazole (the active ingredient in Safeguard) and Ivermectin is not available in my area. Where is a good place to send a fecal? I have seen many places but not all have good reviews. Thanks.

(Edited by staff: 9/14/2016)
 
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OneFineAcre

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What the others said !!
Get a fecal.
What is your feeding protocol?
Dairy goats can get thin when producing milk.
What kind of goat is she?
 

frustratedearthmother

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Not to discount what the others said at all - but - like Green Acres Farm asked - how much and what are you feeding her?

I used to work with a vet and we would go on farm calls. When folks had a skinny animal they would tell us everything they had done....wormings, teeth floated, vitamins for this and supplements for that along with the best feed money can buy. First question doc would ask - how much are you feeding? All animals are different and some just need more calories to not only support themselves, but to manufacture milk too.

Definitely get that fecal - but also think about doling out a little more feed/hay.
 

OneFineAcre

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Not to discount what the others said at all - but - like Green Acres Farm asked - how much and what are you feeding her?

I used to work with a vet and we would go on farm calls. When folks had a skinny animal they would tell us everything they had done....wormings, teeth floated, vitamins for this and supplements for that along with the best feed money can buy. First question doc would ask - how much are you feeding? All animals are different and some just need more calories to not only support themselves, but to manufacture milk too.

Definitely get that fecal - but also think about doling out a little more feed/hay.
x2
 

Southern by choice

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:D
I think we are all on the same page... we all want to know more about what and how much she is getting fed.

What brand of feed does she get? What kind of hay? Does she get any legume hay? Minerals?

What are you feeding her?
How much?
How long has she been in lactation?

What is your feeding protocol?

how much are you feeding?
 

frustratedearthmother

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This is weird - but, at least for me, these posts are coming in out of order.... My alert said that Feo replied 19 minutes ago and the time on her second post says 9am. Hmmmm...

Where are you that Ivermectin is not available? You could always try to order it online. Jeffers Livestock Supply has it, and it's not terribly expensive.
 
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samssimonsays

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I was feeding what a friend was feeding for HER goats that she milked, which worked amazing for her goats, and it was just not enough for my girl. She dropped weight even with no parasites while milking and she dropped to the 2 cup a day mark as well. I changed feed and beefed up the amount and got her back up to weight as well as her milk production back up to the 6 cups a day mark. Then I started to drop back on the grain until we found the happy ration for HER. This ratio was different for my other doe in milk even with them being the same size.

My Nubian doe got 2 quarts twice a day of grain. Sometimes more if she seemed to be lacking, some days she ate more, some less.
 
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