What can I expect from a Runt bottle doeling?

**mygoat** · #1 08/28/06, 01:13 AM

She was the firstborn of quads, and is now 4 something weeks old. Her sister is at least 5lbs heavier than her, and she was born about 1/2 the size of her sister. She was weak at birth and was touch and go for about the first 4 days. She is really nice and has the most AMAZING color. But she is just small, I can't see how she'll ever be normal sized enough to breed. If I can't breed her I don't know that i'll want to keep her, as she would be taking up the room of a productive doe... And I'd preffer to sell her as a pet at that point.
Also, I've never seen a baby goat shed. This doe has been actively shedding chunks! When she was born she had really funky hair, she had long hair and then a shorter hair coat underneath. Not fuzz, but a shorter coat. Now the longer coat is shedding out and she's got a lovely shorter coat underneath. Her brown legs are turning creamy, as are her face markings. I'd take a picture but my cameras in for repairs right now... She is NOT balding, she's just majorly shedding. To a nice glossy short coat. I hope she'll grow one back before winter...
Also, she just plain looks different than most baby goats i"ve ever seen. Her face is majorly dished, she's got a wierd haircoat as I just explained, and she's a funky color I've never even heard of before (black and brown sundgau paint)

Jillis · #2 08/28/06, 05:26 AM

Perhaps she is a genetic throwback to one of the breeds used in developing your breed of goats? What breed is she?

If she were mine, and I liked her, I would breed her to my Nigerian Dwarf buck.

Of the triplets my ND doe threw, the last one was HUGE! The littlest one has pretty much caught up but it took 6 months. Yours sounds a lot more dramatic of a difference, however.

If the dished face is not a fault, like a parrot mouth would be, why not breed her to a ND and have her babies as minis? Or sell her to someone who just wants a sweet pet and make sure they know not to breed her to a big buck...

Edited to add that I just noticed in your sig line that you raise pygmys. Okay, that could be a problem! She would make a great pet!

**mygoat** · #3 08/28/06, 12:20 PM

ARG. These guys aren't registered, so I don't care what they look like as long as they aren't disabled or inhibited by it... She looks rather like a ND doeling, as her face is really dished. She was a quad, firstborn, and the runt of the quads. the third born doeling didn't make it, but was normal as well.
Now, I was also thinking that she could be behind her doeling sister because her sister is still on the dam 24/7; Goat milk and free acess to milk whenever she wants. I HAD to take this small girl off mommy because she wouldn't have made it; She was WAY to weak at birth. I was thinking she may have goat dwarfism... Hehe. Her brother who I also bottle fed wasn't very much bigger than her, but still alot heavier. The doeling's bones are also very thin; delicate. I sold her brother so I dont' have anyone to compare her bottle fed growth too. OH, she's also getting fed grain twice a day...

This is her, Giselle.

What can I expect from a Runt bottle doeling? - Goats

This is her sister, Havyn... Note that she has a 'pygmy' face

What can I expect from a Runt bottle doeling? - Goats

And her brother, "Rocketbutt", also with the 'pygmy' face.

What can I expect from a Runt bottle doeling? - Goats

Dee · #4 08/28/06, 06:33 PM

I had one of triplets that couldn't stand for three days. She was bottle fed and did well but was smaller then the others. When she was two, you couldn't tell she was ever a runt so I bred her and she had beautiful twins. Sometimes it just takes them a little longer to catch up. If you don't have the time, by all means, sell her. You might get more for her if you sell her NOW as a bottle baby... all tiny and cute.

What can I expect from a Runt bottle doeling? - Goats

**mygoat** · #5 08/28/06, 08:25 PM

I'll probably be able to wait, I jsut wanted to hear that she would be normal sized or at least breedable sized. These doelings won't be bred till they are 18 months old, so they should be a fairly large goat by then. She'll have time to grow.
The reason why I'm worried is because it's hard to find a simple pet home where you have to drill it into thier heads that this goat CAN"T be bred... but I can't keep her when she takes up the place of a productive doe...
But it sounds like she runs a pretty good chance of being normal sized or breedable size... Good to hear!

GoldenWood Farm · #6 08/28/06, 10:02 PM

I had a doe who had triplets this year. She had a kid that was alot like yours. She was a standard alpine X bred Alpine and had three kids. One was HUGE one was middle size and one was ITTY BITTY. Paige weighed in at 2 3/4 pounds at birth. She was SO tiny and weak that if I had not been there at birth she would have died. Took her a few hours to stand up.

She was just a natural dwarf. She is at a great home now but will never be normal size. She is perfectly formed in everyway. Just fine boned and TINY. My bet is yours is a dwarf dwarf

. She sure is cute...she has a pygmy face to me though

.

MotherClucker

goatkid · #7 08/28/06, 11:57 PM

She's cute and looks like a Pygmy to me. I've had runts in large litters or even in twins born to yearlings. They generally get big enough to breed. It just takes them a little longer. My elderly Nubian doe had triplets the last 2 years. One kid is always smaller. Last year's runt is now bigger than her sister, but smaller than her brother. She successfully gave birth to a nice healthy doeling last May.

Jillis · #8 08/29/06, 07:29 AM

My Nigies' faces don't dish like that...also her ears look like they are not quite as erect as the others ears? Do pygmies not have erect ears as the Nigies do?

She is adorable thought!

Jillis · #9 08/29/06, 07:35 AM

Dee, that picture of the mama and baby Boers is absolutely wonderful. So full of tenderness and sweetness. I am saving it to my picture files. You should enter it into a contest or something. It says so much, so simply...

steff bugielski · #10 08/29/06, 09:08 AM

If it were me I'd try to sll her. Last year my babies got hit pretty haaard with worms. I kept all the girls and now have 4 very small does that probably will never have an easy time delivering or give any good amount of milk. Yet they all must be fed and the like.
Steff

moosemaniac · #11 08/29/06, 09:12 AM

My favorite doe had twins in March 2005. One was something of a runt. Now she's caught up with the other kids born at that time and I'm going to breed her shortly.

Ruth

Dee · #12 08/29/06, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jillis

Dee, that picture of the mama and baby Boers is absolutely wonderful. So full of tenderness and sweetness. I am saving it to my picture files. You should enter it into a contest or something. It says so much, so simply...

Thanks Jillis. My husband wouldn't let me sell her after she spent so much time in the bathroom, growing stronger. He would say hi to her every morning and got attached. I still call her my husband's bottle baby, even though I took care of her. We have to keep her babies...husband's orders. Hey, at least Moose is a really, really nice looking doeling.