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BarnyardBlast
Ridin' The Range
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- Jun 27, 2014
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A quick update - I'm very pleased with how well the goats are doing. I'm beginning to believe that dehydration might have played a part in their appearance. They are still thin and the one above in particular - but there is a noticeable difference. My daughter helps with the evening chores and she commented to me that the goats were pushing each other trying to drink as much water as possible when she fills it back up. (They always have access to water, but seem to become thirsty all over again when we're filling it. I try not to pour it over their heads, but when it happens, they don't even pause drinking). I had noticed the same eagerness to drink.
I stopped by the vet's office on Friday. I showed the pictures to the receptionist who called one of the techs to look at them. The vet was out of town doing something with 200 head of cattle and wasn't expected back until next week, but they offered to text the pictures to him. About five minutes after I left the office, they called and told me that he had called them back and ordered some medicine for the goat. He said that he could come out next week, but until then, to give her an antibiotic and a wormer. I picked those up and gave them to her Friday.
I cut back on the feed just slightly and gave extra hay (and mixed in a bit of alfalfa and timothy grass). I've been using the probios supplement and various minerals (the goat minerals bag that TS sells). They also get an animal cookie every morning and night. They seem very happy to see us. They are still skittish while eating and startle easily.
I haven't been able to go back next door because of the bull at the gate. (I can't remember if I mentioned it, but the cow is inside of the gate and the bull on the outside of the gate. We had to stop, less than 10 feet from the bull, open the gate, drive in, close the gate and continue on. He doesn't seem all that excited about letting us get back in and I'm not ready to challenge him.) Although there are very few neighbors (due to the acreage sizes), they are becoming unhappy about an animal that size that is free to wander onto anyone's property even though he hasn't done so yet. I'm going to try again tomorrow (my husband has friends coming over who offered to go with us) but I'm worried about getting trapped between some of the larger animals in their urgency to see if we have food. They don't look aggressive, but they are hungry and rushing us to see if we have food.
I stopped by the vet's office on Friday. I showed the pictures to the receptionist who called one of the techs to look at them. The vet was out of town doing something with 200 head of cattle and wasn't expected back until next week, but they offered to text the pictures to him. About five minutes after I left the office, they called and told me that he had called them back and ordered some medicine for the goat. He said that he could come out next week, but until then, to give her an antibiotic and a wormer. I picked those up and gave them to her Friday.
I cut back on the feed just slightly and gave extra hay (and mixed in a bit of alfalfa and timothy grass). I've been using the probios supplement and various minerals (the goat minerals bag that TS sells). They also get an animal cookie every morning and night. They seem very happy to see us. They are still skittish while eating and startle easily.
I haven't been able to go back next door because of the bull at the gate. (I can't remember if I mentioned it, but the cow is inside of the gate and the bull on the outside of the gate. We had to stop, less than 10 feet from the bull, open the gate, drive in, close the gate and continue on. He doesn't seem all that excited about letting us get back in and I'm not ready to challenge him.) Although there are very few neighbors (due to the acreage sizes), they are becoming unhappy about an animal that size that is free to wander onto anyone's property even though he hasn't done so yet. I'm going to try again tomorrow (my husband has friends coming over who offered to go with us) but I'm worried about getting trapped between some of the larger animals in their urgency to see if we have food. They don't look aggressive, but they are hungry and rushing us to see if we have food.