# Doe is getting Skinnier



## SarahFair (Mar 19, 2010)

I got a little doe from a petting zoo type place and since I brought her home she has been getting skinnier and skinnier.

Im wondering if its not because she is use to being *hand fed* crackers, carrots, etc and doesnt really know how to forage for herself..
Im also wondering if it might be a little bit of depression. She cries a lot (even though I have another goat back there with her...) and loves when we come out there. 
If I go out there and sit on the porch or stay in one location shell curl up next to me. She follows my kids around like a little puppy and is constantly at one of our sides. Right now Im only feeding them a little feed everyday and letting them eat what is in my backyard (which is what I got them for). They really only have grass and the tree branches and blackberry bushes to eat on. I am about to move them to another area where the will have many different trees, bushes, weeds, grass, and hay to eat on. 

Ill pull grass out of the ground or pick her some leaves and she eats it vigorously from my hand but isnt as eager getting it for herself..

My other goat is doing just fine with his weight...

So what could be wrong with her?


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## ksalvagno (Mar 19, 2010)

It does sound like she is too used to being hand fed. What you could do is start giving her some food and then move your hand closer and closer to the ground when you give it to her.

I would also have a fecal done and see if she has any parasites. Do you have a good goat mineral? That would also be important.

I'm sure she misses her old place even though she has a buddy. They do have to get used to each other.

I would also get some hay and give them hay when they are locked up in their area. You want to get second cutting hay. First cutting hay isn't as nutritious. You may want to up the feed a little if you are giving them a goat feed. At this point it is more important to make sure she keeps weight on, as time goes on, I bet she will get the foraging thing.


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## SarahFair (Mar 20, 2010)

Alright! Thanks!


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## SarahFair (Mar 21, 2010)

Could she be in heat?
I noticed my male (whom I banded last Saturday) trying to mount her. Could he still impregnate her?


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## ksalvagno (Mar 21, 2010)

Being in heat won't stop her appetite. It is certainly possible for her to be in heat. As far as if the male can impregnate after being banded, I don't know. I don't know what the timeframe is for them not to be viable anymore. Hopefully someone else will jump on here and let you know. If he still has his testicles, then I would guess that there is the possibility but I'm really not sure.


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## SarahFair (Mar 21, 2010)

ksalvagno said:
			
		

> Being in heat won't stop her appetite. It is certainly possible for her to be in heat. As far as if the male can impregnate after being banded, I don't know. I don't know what the timeframe is for them not to be viable anymore. Hopefully someone else will jump on here and let you know. If he still has his testicles, then I would guess that there is the possibility but I'm really not sure.


I was reading and it said that a goat may stop/eat less during heat. So I didnt know...
Would the male try mounting her (with his peni out...) if she was not in heat?


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## freemotion (Mar 21, 2010)

Yup!  Little buggers!


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## dkluzier (Mar 21, 2010)

I have a wether (banded)  in with my breeding bucks and they all run around mounting one another all the time. they are all males, none of them are in heat and the females are not always in heat in the other pasture at the time.  It's just a male goat thing.


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## cmjust0 (Mar 22, 2010)

SarahFair said:
			
		

> I got a little doe from a petting zoo type place and since I brought her home she has been getting skinnier and skinnier.


What does that mean..."skinnier and skinnier"..?

Is she getting 'ribby,' or just seeming more 'hollow' than before.

I ask because there's a big difference between a skinny goat and a goat with an empty/near-empty rumen.  A well-conditioned goat can look 'skinny' if they're hollow, and a ribby goat can look 'fat' if they have a full rumen.

Does she have any fat over her ribs?  Does she have a little fat in her 'armpit' area, like behind her 'elbows' up front?  Does she have a little pad of fat around her tailhead?  

If she's truly ribby, bump up her feed.  If she's just hollow...hopefully she'll wise up and browse, in time.  Browsing is ultimately going to be better for her than consuming a lot of feed.


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## SarahFair (Mar 22, 2010)

Behind her ribcage is getting a "caved in" look. She looks better today though...


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## cmjust0 (Mar 23, 2010)

Yeah, that's just a hollow rumen..  Can't really judge a goat's true level of condition (condition being _fat_, or lack thereof) from their rumen, which is what you're seeing behind her ribcage.

Not uncommon for their rumen to go from full to hollow...or vice versa...or to and from any level in between...throughout any given day, if you watch closely.  

If she's used to being hand fed goodies and getting most of her nutrition from pellets and whatnot, she may not have really developed a nice big rumen yet.  Rumen development requires roughage like hay, browse, and graze.  Some folks even call a big wide rumen a "haybelly," just for that reason.


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## SarahFair (Mar 24, 2010)

Good to know! Thanks!!


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