Skinny Nanny

[SarahFair]

I have an older doe. Shes not too old as her teeth are not ground down.
I bought her back in December with twins. They are gone now and she hasnt nursed in 2 months.

When I bought her she was super skinny. Not neglected thin, just thin. Ive tried and tried fattening her up. She was wormed right before I bought her and Ive wormed her again.
She has gained some weight but her sides are still sunk in. Ill try to get a picture later today.
Hay, sweet feed, normal pellets, alfalfa pellets, browsing..... Nothing really puts weight on her.


Are some goats just skinny?

 

[SheepGirl]

I would recommend you seeing what her body condition score is... http://www.luresext.edu/goats/research/bcshowto.html

What breed is she? Is she a dairy goat or a meat goat? I know with cattle and doing livestock judging, dairy breeds have what is called "dairy character" and they are naturally skinnier than their beef counterparts (not exactly "skinny" but more just a lack of muscle).

 

[ksalvagno]

Dairy goats are on the thinner side but I would have a fecal done to rule out parasites. All the feed in the world won't help if she has stomach worms.

 

[drdoolittle]

Sometimes you have to switch to a different wormer to get results----but ksalvagno is right, a fecal would really tell you if it's worms.

 

[Maria]

switching the wormers works great

 

[ksalvagno]

It is also critical that when you worm, you are giving proper dosage. A fecal will tell you what worms she has. For example, if she has coccidia and you are worming with Safeguard, it won't do a thing for you.

 

[SarahFair]

Thanks for the info guys! I dont feel her spine (well, the sides of it anyways) and I dont really see ribs, except maybe the last 2, on her either.
Guess Ill have a fecal done.