3 Day old weak Boer kid

[mdavenport0121]

I've got a boer goat kid that is 3 days old. He was the runt of triplets. The nanny didn't have enough to feed all three. I am bottle feeding the runt and one of his brothers. the brother that is being bottle fed is doing real good, the runt is not. The runt is not eating very well over the last two days. He has gotten weaker, not standing, and has scales over his eyes (maybe something that would look like cataracts). He did get some colostrum from his mom and I gave him colostrum supplement the first day and a half. Any ideas what he may need? I had several have kids three weeks ago and all were dead because I don't think they were getting enough protein from the hay I had bought.

 

[Hens and Roos]

sorry to hear this . Is he warm enough? Maybe @Southern by choice , @OneFineAcre @SA Farm could have some suggestions for you.

 

[mdavenport0121]

I've got a heating pad on him. I've been bedding him with his brother and the brother is just fine.

 

[TGreenhut]

If you've lost multiple kids, I would search for an underlying issue. I'm not sure if just a lack of protein in the hay would kill 3 kids... The fact that this particular kid is weak could be due to a lot of things but selenium is what comes to mind first with weak kids. Do you give selenium/ vitamin E shots such as BoSe or MuSe?
For the eyes, was he born with it or did it develop? It could be pinkeye. Also, check his eyelids for entropian (flipped inward) eyelids that could be rubbing and causing cloudiness.

 

[Southern by choice]

Honestly, I would get the kid to a vet asap. Any that die or are born dead should be necropsied ASAP. State labs are far better than a regular vet as they have the resources available to do extensive testing.

This is not just a hay issue. It could simply be a nutritional deficiency, a toxicity or you may have a bacterium in your herd.

I hope things start to improve and you can find some answers.

 

[OneFineAcre]

I agree, I don't think a lack of protein in hay would kill three kids. I honestly have no idea, but I agree with SBC, I'd get a vet involved asap.
Sorry for your troubles.

 

[elevan]

You definitely need to get a vet involved and get some necropsies done. You're also not providing all the pieces of the puzzle here...how old were the other three kids when they expired? What were their symptoms? Were they on their dams or were they being bottle fed too?

You don't lose kids like this because of lack of protein in your hay alone, though if you suspect that to be a problem then you should definitely do something about it for the nutritional benefit of your animals.

Please update us on the status of the 'runt' @mdavenport0121

 

[bonbean01]

Have been following and have no suggestions, but also waiting for an update and hoping it is a good one?