doe throws her head back when she eats.

[lilly]

I have a Lamancha doe that throws her head back when she eats. It is like she is trying to use gravity to get the grain down her throat. She also chews her cud all the time it seems. She appears to be getting plenty to eat but makes a mess doing so. She seems to be very healthy and a good milker. Can anyone tell me what might be going on?

 

[ksalvagno]

She's just a little different with eating. Not really sure. If everything is fine, I would say she is just different. You could always check the inside of the mouth to make sure there are no problems there.

 

[lilly]

Thanks for the reply.
I had checked her mouth but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. She keeps a lump of cud in her jaw which I have pushed out a couple of times but she chews it almost constantly. These are new behaviors for her that have been going on now for a couple of months. Prior to that she was normal. I would be more worried about her but her weight and appetite and all else seems good. She wastes alot of grain though.

 

[bjjohns]

I've got a saanen that does the same thing. She will do it more when she gets into powdery feed. I am positive she is using gravity to help herself eat. She is doing fine.

 

[lilly]

It's a relief to know it could be 'normal'!? She has always had an attitude and pushes everyone else around-the alpha doe. She is smarter than the rest (figures out how to open the gates) so it wouldn't surprise me if she figured it was easier to use gravity and reserve the saved energy for mischief.
Thank you for replying Bill.