# Why are my (maybe) bred goats so thin?



## Spitchtara (Aug 13, 2011)

Please bear with me. I am very new with goats.  In March, I got two 3 month old buck Nigerian/pygmy. Days later I got 5  Nigerian/pygmy does 8 months old (never bred). They have all shared a pen since then. They all share free choice minerals and baking soda, coastal hay and alfalfa every few days and I let them graze the pasture for hours most days. I also give them 2-4 cups of grain(shared) a day. I am hoping all of my girls are bred. Looking at the hoo-hoo pics posted all over the place I think they look bred "back there", but all of them seem skinny. If they eat a lot of pasture or hay they get really fat looking until the morning then they look like I have starved them. Sometimes they look down right abused, so thin. 
Days after I got my girls I am pretty sure they came into heat, and I have seen no signs of heat since then. I definitely saw my buck at least attempt to breed on several occasions in the beginning. My buck is much smaller than my girls, I wasn't sure if he could reach(?).  If they did settle in March/April, I should be having babies very soon. I'm not going to bother with a pregnancy test this time. Is there anyone who could give me some ideas of what is going on? Am I doing something wrong? I WILL get the hang of being a goat herder. All suggestions and opinions and ideas very appreciated. Thank you. I LOVE this forum!!


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## kstaven (Aug 13, 2011)

If you can post some pictures that would help. Have you checked for worms?


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## elevan (Aug 13, 2011)

kstaven said:
			
		

> If you can post some pictures that would help. Have you checked for worms?


x2

And 


A thin pygmy is usually due to parasite issues.  

Given that they are mixed with ND, they could also have that svelte dairy look and not be the cobby pygmy look...pics would definitely help to determine that.

And if they favor the pygmy side in build, note that some pygmies don't ever really look pregnant even though they are.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Aug 13, 2011)

Don't ever judge the body condition or amount of fat based on the size of the belly.  A seriously underweight goat could have a huge hay belly while an overweight goat getting too much grain might have an underdeveloped rumen, making it appear narrower.  Pics can be helpful, but to really see what's going on they need to be clipped.  Ultimately you have to judge body condition by feel and not just by how they look.

A fecal would be step number 1- give yourself an idea what type of wormload you're dealing with and then worm appropriately.  The pygmy influence should make them easy keepers, so it may not be solely nutritional.  You want to be sure your gals are in good condition going into late gestation.  If you do a search here you'll find some pretty good threads about nutrition and body condition.

Good luck and


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## Spitchtara (Aug 13, 2011)

Thank you all. I am a newbie here so I don't think I can post pics yet (can't wait, though ).I haven't checked for worms, but I will. They all definitely favor Nigerian, not cobbly or barreled, all but one buck. Does my feeding schedule and amount sound alright? Too much, too little? I didn't get much info from the previous owners on that question. Now, when you shave them, do you use special clippers or just regular people hair clippers?  Thanks again


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## elevan (Aug 13, 2011)

Spitchtara said:
			
		

> Thank you all. I am a newbie here so I don't think I can post pics yet (can't wait, though ).I haven't checked for worms, but I will. They all definitely favor Nigerian, not cobbly or barreled, all but one buck. Does my feeding schedule and amount sound alright? Too much, too little? I didn't get much info from the previous owners on that question. Now, when you shave them, do you use special clippers or just regular people hair clippers?  Thanks again


10 posts and you can post pics I think...easiest way is to go to the new member section and welcome 10 people  

On feeding:
Feel free to check out my goat feeding discussion (link in signature) lots of members have posted their methods there.
I would remove the free choice baking soda, it can cause them to reduce their intake of the minerals...keep it on hand in case you need it though.
I offer hay free choice in months that they don't have good browse and then they get browse all day.
I also don't grain during months that they have browse all day...I only grain daily in winter.
Your graining schedule would be adequate though.  If you've got some underconditioned goats you'll want to separate them for feeding and add something to boost condition.  There are several posts on that topic so I would read through them.
In my parasite management thread (link in signature) there is a power point presentation link...have a look at it as it can help you with learning body condition.


Shaving:
A human hair clipper _might_ get you through 1 goat...or 2.  A good set of dog clippers could probably handle your small herd.  Most use livestock clippers though.


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