Drying off without losing condition?

[RoosterHollow]

I have an FF alpine doe who kidded a single on 3/26. I have struggled to keep condition on her up to this point, and am in the process of drying her off. She's currently getting alfalfa, pasture, and 3 cups of dairy parlor twice a day (so 6 cups total). I'd like to drop her feed, but I don't want to lose any more condition on her (about a 2 to 2.5 BCS). I thought for sure once I started drying her off, that she would start to look better, but she actually looks a little worse.

Any thoughts, suggestions or tips/tricks, would be very much apprectiated!!

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Drying her off should not cause her to "lose condition" since she will be cutting her calorie output quite a bit. First, you should take a fecal sample into a vet to see if she has a parasite load and if so, what kind so you can pick out an appropriate treatment (don't throw a dewormer at her without a test first). Second, it takes time to build up condition after kidding and lactating but once she is lactating, she doesn't need as much feed and can still regain her condition over a few months, so long as she isn't harboring a parasite load. Do you know how much she weighs?

 

[RoosterHollow]

I don't have a current weight on her....I'll have to get hubby and the bathroom scale out to the barn and get one. I did run a fecal and dewormed her in April, I guess I could run in another one and see if that's the issue. Thinking back a bit though, I'm thinking the most current dip in her condition is most likely due to stress....I sold some of her herdmates and she was pretty upset. (I haven't quite got my goat psychology figured out yet...I thought she might do better without the bossy herd queen pushing her around...and actually she was just really insecure after she left). It's been a few weeks now, and everything is leveling out that way. I did drop her feed down to 2 cups twice a day...and well see how it goes.