close to kidding-stiff back legs

[Jcran]

Hey, one of my does who is slated to be due on the 20th-22nd of this month is walking pretty stiff on her back legs. Now, she's not very bagged up, but might this indicate a deficiency of anything like calcium? She's not trembly, just walking like her feet hurt. I have had problems with foot rot this year, but she just had one hookey FRONT foot and everyone got treated and trimmed just last week. She's been getting alfalfa pellets, barley and shattered/fallapart/can'tbelieveIpaid220perton/alfalfa hay. The grass is "foundergreen" right now, but she's been out on it and doesn't graze much.

[bergy5]

I don't know if this helps, but one doe here is always stiff in the backend a week or so before. She has been that way every time. We are guessing it is just discomfort.

[Goatsandsheep]

Jcran, A selenium deficiency will cause stiff legs. Are the babies possibly laying on a nerve? G&S

[Jcran]

She's had a bo-se shot about Feb 23rd; I'm thinking its a nerve or general discomfort as well. She's eating and moving around, just stiff. I'll just keep an eye on her.

[Freeholder]

Babies moving into the birth canal can make the doe walk stiff in the rear. Last year I had one doe who, the last two days before she kidded, was walking with a hitch -- she'd hitch one back leg forward, pause, then hitch the other one forward. She had large triplets -- about 27 lbs of baby, total, which is a lot of baby for even a 200 lb. doe (which is what she taped at) to carry!

Kathleen

[DocM]

Joan, stiff back legs in a goat that close to kidding usually means calcium deficiency. Start now drenching her with cal-drench, 1 oz per 100 lbs, goat if you can get it, but cattle cal-drench with propolyne glycol and calcium is fine. Dose her for a couple of days in a row, and then again when she goes into labor, and again after she gives birth. Catch it now before it's a problem. Don't mess around with this - it can quickly turn into milk fever, she'll go down, and you'll be in trouble. A BoSE dose won't hurt her either, but I don't believe that's the problem. Make sure she's getting enough good feed between now and when she kids.