HELP!! newborn problems

Beulah Gardens · #21 03/19/09, 10:12 PM

that is an iodine deficiency. False Tansey in their feed. I hate to tell you this but I have heard it ruins the doe for life. I cannot believe the babies are still alive. I'm so sorry.

Jcran · #22 03/19/09, 10:20 PM

The doe who just died (other thread on aborting doe) was one of the does who had "flixweed babies" three years ago. She never had a normal pregnancy since then according to the neighbor who said she hadn't even conceived for the past two years. That being said, I know she's had other does who went on to be ok and kidded ok, too.

boilerjoe_96 · #23 03/19/09, 10:32 PM

I just had to buy some coastal bermuda to feed them along with the same alfalfa all of them had eaten from Indiana. could the new hay have done this in 6 days? It looked like moderately green grass....was dry, smelled good...

I was weaning them off my indiana grown alfalfa to local(Texas) hay....

Otherwise all the other goats are fine....which is baffling...

fishhead · #24 03/20/09, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LomahAcres

There was some discussion on this board a while back about a kind of weed (flixweed? I think). It's my understanding that if the does eat this it can cause the kids to have large goiters and be born with little to no hair. I don't think the kids survived either. I don't know much about it myself but this looks an awful lot like it to me, the pictures on the older topics don't work but somethings are hard to forget. Try doing a search on this board for goiters or flixweed and see if you find anything.

Here is a link to one I don't know if it helps much,

OH MY GOSH!!!-Flixweed in year 3!!

That's what I was thinking too.

boilerjoe_96 · #25 03/20/09, 07:07 AM

Well quick update.... the weaker of the two, the one with the double goiter, passed away this morning about 5am. We are still caring for the other one she appears weak this morning... She has eaten 2 - 3 ounces4 or 5 times, she has pooped and peed... keepingour fingers crossed but not sure she will make the day...

Thanks again for all your thoughts and suggestions it was really appreciated!

Joe

fishhead · #26 03/20/09, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LomahAcres

There was some discussion on this board a while back about a kind of weed (flixweed? I think). It's my understanding that if the does eat this it can cause the kids to have large goiters and be born with little to no hair. I don't think the kids survived either. I don't know much about it myself but this looks an awful lot like it to me, the pictures on the older topics don't work but somethings are hard to forget. Try doing a search on this board for goiters or flixweed and see if you find anything.

Here is a link to one I don't know if it helps much,

OH MY GOSH!!!-Flixweed in year 3!!

That's what I was thinking too.

bloogrssgrl · #27 03/20/09, 09:16 AM

Aw Joe, sorry about the little one. You're doing what you can and what will be, will be.

Jcran · #28 03/20/09, 10:38 AM

Boilerjoe,
The flixweed would have been in browse or alfalfa (its an invasive weed along the borders of alfalfa and has been noted in eastern Calif as a problem in alfalfa fields). Your goat would have been exposed a lot further back than just the past 6 days. Look through any alfalfa...I don't think many feed stores are aware or even care about it. We found it in a shipment of alfalfa a year or so ago and luckily the feed store was really responsive and took the hay back. Anyhow, I hope its not in your pasture. The weird thing was, in Jean's herd (my neighbor) the bucklings affected were HUGE with ginormous goiters, while the doe kids affected were TINY and weak. And then part of her herd didn't seem affected at all. We surmised that maybe the dominant females who got the lion's share at the feeder and the first go at it were most affected as they got the best feed. In addition, IF you buy second or preferably third cutting alfalfa, you can bypass the flixweed flowering/seed stage as its already been cut with the first cutting alfalfa and you don't get the high toxin levels. Good luck! And please send your info to Dr. Knight. I KNOW he'd be interested!

boilerjoe_96 · #29 03/20/09, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jcran

Boilerjoe,
The flixweed would have been in browse or alfalfa (its an invasive weed along the borders of alfalfa and has been noted in eastern Calif as a problem in alfalfa fields). Your goat would have been exposed a lot further back than just the past 6 days. Look through any alfalfa...I don't think many feed stores are aware or even care about it. We found it in a shipment of alfalfa a year or so ago and luckily the feed store was really responsive and took the hay back. Anyhow, I hope its not in your pasture. The weird thing was, in Jean's herd (my neighbor) the bucklings affected were HUGE with ginormous goiters, while the doe kids affected were TINY and weak. And then part of her herd didn't seem affected at all. We surmised that maybe the dominant females who got the lion's share at the feeder and the first go at it were most affected as they got the best feed. In addition, IF you buy second or preferably third cutting alfalfa, you can bypass the flixweed flowering/seed stage as its already been cut with the first cutting alfalfa and you don't get the high toxin levels. Good luck! And please send your info to Dr. Knight. I KNOW he'd be interested!

This was all 2nd or 3rd cutting, I baled my own hay in Indiana. It had gotten rained on lightly but was very dry when baled. Mostly alfalfa orchard grass mix. Would this have been the time of conception or even before(as someone had stated, i think, the doe was never right again?

I bought this doe in august(actually all my goats) she was bred in Oct i presume, i got the buck on sept 20. I know my hay fields didn't have any significant weed presence on 2nd or 3rd cutting. I fenced in part of the hay field for their pasture. No border area, no brush for browse, just a corn field turned into an alfalfa field and then only part of the field...

The thing that still stumps me is why not the others?(They kidded 3/1, 3/5 and 3/7)

Beulah Gardens · #30 03/20/09, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boilerjoe_96

This was all 2nd or 3rd cutting
I bought this doe in august(actually all my goats) she was bred in Oct i presume, i got the buck on sept 20. I know my hay fields didn't have any significant weed presence on 2nd or 3rd cutting. I fenced in part of the hay field for their pasture. No border area, no brush for browse, just a corn field turned into an alfalfa field and then only part of the field...

The thing that still stumps me is why not the others?(They kidded 3/1, 3/5 and 3/7)

Oh, no. False Tansy or Fixweed will not show up in 2nd and 3rd cutting. I think you bought a bad doe. The toxin flushes all the iodine out of the does body, then builds up in the liver to show up again and again. Your other does can still be effected even with normal births this year. But then again she may be the only doe exposed. I am so sorry.