# Geriatric Goat Diet



## ThornyRidgeII (Aug 1, 2011)

I have an older grade pygmy that appears to have lost a few pounds.. worming/parasites not issue now (recent fecal done)  and I have taken to feeding her separately most of the time to ensure she is at least getting access to food and not being pushed around by other goats. This goat is very much low goat in pecking order and is very docile.. as a result she would much rather go lay down and then when everyone is done eating go nibble the scraps that have fallen down from hay bags.  Anyway along with her age she does eat slower so this was other factor in my pulling her to feed separately.. is there any special geriatric supplements that anyone uses.. my routine feeding includes high quality alfalfa and alfalfa/orchard grass hay, sweetlix meatmaker loose minerals,  a local mixed textured/sweet feed goat grain with copper, calf manna added to feed and b.o.s.s. added to feed - I grain no more than everyother day or so since noone in milk and this goat with her older goat teeth eats the grain ok but does take some time chewing it up.. I do see her browsing out in pen area as well during day.  This goat is 9 years old and with her age her front teeth look to be ok but guessing some wear and tear on back teeth ( hard to see and have to be careful feeling around) . she was never a large pygmy goat.. probably only tipped scales at around 40 lbs at her prime but she is definately starting to lose conditioning and other than that appears ok..  was wondering about aiding in boosting her condition with reference to her age.. advice?


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## elevan (Aug 1, 2011)

I certainly don't consider a 9 year old "geriatric" but hey, that's just my opinion.  She could have "another lifetime" left in her if kept healthy and not bred past age 10.

Calf Manna is good for adding weight when necessary.  You could also try feeding her everyday instead of every other day.  Adding another hay feeder (or 2) could solve the problem of her not being allowed to eat the hay until just scraps are left.


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## aggieterpkatie (Aug 2, 2011)

There should definitely be enough feeder space for all animals to eat at the same time without being harrassed by bullies.  If you can't do that, she should definitely be separated so she's allowed to eat at her pace.  If you think she's having a hard time chewing, maybe try supplementing with beet pulp that has been soaked.


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## 20kidsonhill (Aug 2, 2011)

I have four 8 year old does still in production, I don't consider 9 to be geriatric, either. Sounds like her problem is more from being on the bottom of the group and not getting a chance to eat.  She may not even be getting enough hay to eat, if the other does are running her off just for the fun of it. I would take her and maybe another one that is nice to her, a smaller one perhaps or younger and pen them up at night seperate with all the food they can eat and then let them out in the morning to be with the the main herd and to have more room. 

I had two new does, that I purchased at the end of last summer, that I had to seperate all winter, because my main herd wouldn't even let them in the barn and made them stand outside any of the shelters.  One of them still wont go in a shelter even during rain in the summer, she just stands out in the field looking pitiful. I seperated them during the evening feeding, it only took them a few days to catch on to the fact that they had their own special pen and they would very carfully follow me through the barn and into their pens for the night. It was pititful how they would scurry behind me through the barn, any other goat that would even look at them would cause them to flinch and move to the side, they learned to walk along side of me. They looked so much better even after a couple weeks of penning them at night and seemed so much happier, if we had steady snow or really high cold winds i would just keep them penned for the entire day as well. 

Good luck with your girl. it sounds like you are doing everything right with the kinds of feed you are using.


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## Ms. Research (Aug 2, 2011)

20kidsonhill said:
			
		

> I have four 8 year old does still in production, I don't consider 9 to be geriatric, either. Sounds like her problem is more from being on the bottom of the group and not getting a chance to eat.  She may not even be getting enough hay to eat, if the other does are running her off just for the fun of it. I would take her and maybe another one that is nice to her, a smaller one perhaps or younger and pen them up at night seperate with all the food they can eat and then let them out in the morning to be with the the main herd and to have more room.
> 
> I had two new does, that I purchased at the end of last summer, that I had to seperate all winter, because my main herd wouldn't even let them in the barn and made them stand outside any of the shelters.  One of them still wont go in a shelter even during rain in the summer, she just stands out in the field looking pitiful. I seperated them during the evening feeding, it only took them a few days to catch on to the fact that they had their own special pen and they would very carfully follow me through the barn and into their pens for the night. It was pititful how they would scurry behind me through the barn, any other goat that would even look at them would cause them to flinch and move to the side, they learned to walk along side of me. They looked so much better even after a couple weeks of penning them at night and seemed so much happier, if we had steady snow or really high cold winds i would just keep them penned for the entire day as well.
> 
> Good luck with your girl. it sounds like you are doing everything right with the kinds of feed you are using.


Excellent explanation of the "pecking order" of animals.   They are pack animals and always vying to see who will lead and who will follow.  Finding this out while researching bunnies.  Have to watch how you introduce and those older animals too lose their ranking to younger animals.  It's great to know ways to help those who are having a hard time with the established herd.   Though I don't have goats, it gives me ideas on how to introduce rabbits and to remember that all herd animals have "pecking" orders.  (I know that's not the right term, but hope you get my meaning.)  

Good luck with your girl.  Hope you find a way to make her feel accepted and comfortable.  If not by the herd, but by you.  There are ways as 20kidsonhill has posted.


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## 20kidsonhill (Aug 2, 2011)

I should mention that these new does weren't young animals, they were full-grown adult boer does and as big as any of my does on the farm, if not bigger in some cases.  And they did come from another herd that had around 20 does in it, just like my herd.


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## Goatmasta (Aug 2, 2011)

I have a few does of that age here, they do require a bit more care (i.e. we don't put them with any of the bossy does) other than that, all of our goats are fed a ration of a "quality goat pellet" 2x/day.  Your feed may be fine, however, a goat can "pick" through a textured sweet feed and eat what they want and not necessarily what is good for them.  If here I would be feeding her a pelleted feed 2x/day with the calf manna but probably wouldn't be using the BOSS.  IMO I would rather feed more pelleted grain since I can buy at least 2 bags of a quality pellet for the same price or less than 1 bag of BOSS.


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## Ariel301 (Aug 2, 2011)

I've got an older doe with some health issues that leave her  chronically thin, and the only thing I have found that has really done any good for her is rice bran. She's been on it about 6 weeks and has gone from a skeleton with a hide draped over it to having a little bit of padding on her bones and a shiny coat, she's gaining slowly. She's about 90 pounds, and I give her a half pound or so of the rice bran a day, for a Pygmy you would probably only need  a couple of ounces unless it's severely underweight.


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## ThornyRidgeII (Aug 2, 2011)

rice bran eh?  hmmm how do you feed that.. and where do you buy it (as in bulk?)   we have developed a "hidden" feeding spot that I typically have certain does at certain stations.. I currently have 6 different feeding stations for the 10 goats in this particular pen... anyway I have attempted at secretly adding a 7th just for her..for the past two nights I have camoflauged a nice pile of hay in the corner where she usually lays looks and blends in with what is already down on floor as waste and bedding.. not sure on goat perception but only difference is a hump. I also do this when they are all occupied out of the pen so noone sees me putting this down for her.. gonna try this to see how we go.. when I did have her separated she cried herself more hoarse than her normal voice already is.. despite being lowest on pecking order it was obvious she was not enjoying her time away from herd mates.  as far as calling this goat geriatric.. well she is my oldest lady. acquired her just weaned and have had her now for nearly 9 years.... never been bred.. just a lovable kinda doppy pygmy.. will keep experimenting and see..she definately could use some padding.. nice round barrel for a pygmy but bony in spine, ribs and hip bones...


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## Ariel301 (Aug 3, 2011)

I buy it from the feed store. It's about $28 for a 40 pound bag, the brand name at my store is "Satin Finish". That one is a powder, but also comes in a pellet for a higher price. I top dress it on the grain, it helps to wet it down a little so they don't just snort it out of the bowl. Some don't like the powder texture. 

This week my store was out of the rice bran, but they had a product from TDI feeds called "Competition Conditioner" for horses that is a pellet made of rice bran and flax seed, with some added vitamins. I got some of that to see if it works as well, the price was about the same. I think the goats like the pelleted texture better, but we'll see if it puts weight on as fast.


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