Goat just not herself anymore...

[_sonshine_]

My dad has been an acting farm manager since the end of summer (the farm manager died very tragically and suddenly over the summer) The owner relied on the farm manager for everything to do w/ the animals. Anyways one of the does had triplets new years day but all the kids died. My dad said that she just has not been the same since her kids died.... like maybe she is depressed?? or could use something extra to eat?? IDK We have never raised goats so we just continued to get the same feed ect. that the farm manager got (I only know it is refered to as stock 12 and stock 14) The manager kept all records of what he did in his head... we dont know when they were wormed or had vaccines last. We are going to give CD/T vac tomorrow. One of the other does is pregnant so can I worm her?

Any suggestions as what we can do to get the doe her happy self again?

TIA

 

[ksalvagno]

I'm sure the goat could be depressed from losing her kids. Also, I would have her checked out to make sure nothing more is wrong. Have you taken a temp on her? She could have an underlying problem going on.

You can worm pregnant females.

 

[samplekasi]

be sure the wormer is safe for pregnant does there are some that are not. Also I would try to get some BoSe. Did you dry her off or is she being milked? have you checked her udder lately?

 

[Roll farms]

Her temp should be around 102 degrees.

I'd give her a B vitamin shot (cheap and easy) and if she has a fever, call a vet.
If she's a milker, they should really have a 16% ration and lots of good hay.

Good luck!

 

[ThornyRidge]

definately could be depression.. losing triplets would be devastating.. also could be she is depressed over unexpected loss of previous farm manager.. animals do know and can become attached and with his abscence this could be upsetting her too.. I would recommend giving this doe a thorough once over.. temp, eye lid color.. what/how much is she eating/drinking, someone mentioned her udder.. check for heat and hardness.. since she lost kids she could either be really bagged up and very uncomfortable since noone is releasing milk or she could even be with mastitis.. do you see her cudding (belching up and rechewing food when relaxing)- this is a decent indicator of health or ill health when not doing this.. the b vitamins would be ok.. those can even be dosed orally if you are skittish of shots.. a dose of probios could not hurt and even some power punch or nutridrench as a pick me up too.. before major dosing of stuff some more info on the doe may be helpful.. do we know if she passed the afterbirth(s) of triplets ok??

there are a couple ok wormers for pregnant goats.. ivomec given orally and safeguard.. I would caution this though and only worm if absolutely necessary.. check eyelid color and if really pale to white then worming would be needed.. if pink/reddish then hold off till kids born before worming.

 

[_sonshine_]

Thank you everyone for your help!! I didnt make it the farm it is 1 1/2 hours away, I have 5 kids w/ me and roads were flooded...so I didnt get to vaccinate them today. I'm going to go there this weekend so I can spend more time. I went to TSC and got a probiotic, power punch, and a purple mineral block b/c I have not seen one in the goat pen so I thought they would like one??? I dont think I'm going to worm them until the doe kids and that way I can just do them all at once.

The sad doe kidded all alone, out in the open in 20 degree weather so we are guessing the kids froze We have no clue when when they were bred so we dont know due dates. My dad said he thought the doe was acting funny just before she kidded so we are going to lock the next doe in a stall when she starts to show signs of labor, even if that means being in a stall for a few days.

Really, I think one important lesson we have learned is to keep a log of everything you do for your animals. I've committed myself to helping my dad raise happy healthy goats! My kids and I really like goats and one day like to have some pet goats of our own. Thank you for all the information!!

 

[hoosiergal]

maybe you could advertise for an orphan baby to put on her.
just a thought.

 

[freemotion]

Go check out www.fiascofarm.com and read up on signs of labor. There are ligaments that go soft about 12 hours from kidding, and it is really easy to feel them. So you won't have to lock her in a stall for days, which could be very stressful on her if she is not used to it.

That website has a lot of fantastic information for newbies, and covers natural and conventional management methods. Mostly natural, though.