Now a ? about one of the kids

[Zookeeper]

I think he's dying. Started out we thought he had pink eye...which I still think he does, but maybe something else is going on too...his eyes started to get cloudy, and we've given him an antibiotic injection, antibiotic ointment in the eyes, and a B12 injection. He seems to still be going downhill...won't eat...very lethargic...now his neck's arched back like his mama's was while she was dying...he's making a whimpering sound every so often...

???????

I don't know what else to do but honestly...I can't carry a buckling who will yield us $30-$40 worth of meat to the vet...but I don't want to just watch him die either. Trying to save a nanny with a herd to raise and lots of good milking years left in her was a whole different story.

I had just bragged about "how easy" goats seemed to be to raise (compared to our other animals) before all of this happened over the weekend...

[mamahen]

What's his temp? Is his mouth cold (not a good sign)?

How much did he have to eat? Keep him warm, maybe rub some karo syrup on his gums, tongue? Rub him with a towel to stimulate his circulation.

[dkdairygoats]

How old is he? Odd for them to get pinkeye that young. What are you feeding him?

[ozark_jewels]

What are you feeding them and did they get enough colostrum(not colostrum replacer, but real colostrum)??

[Zookeeper]

He is gone.

We are feeding them milk replacer, with some real (fresh) goat's milk from our other nanny. These kids' mother died so they got about a day's worth of her colostrum and after that we had to put them on milk replacer/goats' milk.

He was 5 days old.

*SIGH*

[dkdairygoats]

Sorry to hear that....they are so fragile at that age.

It would be best to keep them off of milk replacer, that stuff is risky. Use straight goat's milk or I've heard some people use Vit. D cow's milk from the store. One day's worth of colostrum should be enough to give them what they need...more is better but obviously you didn't have a choice about that.

[GoldenWood Farm]

I second getting them of milk replacer. I am so sorry you lost the doe and now this little buckling . I can't imagine loosing one of my girls...

I would stick all the kids on some Vit. D milk from the store and mix it with the other doe's milk. I have never had good luck with milk replacer nor have I ever heard of anyone liking the results on it (around me that is). I am just not a big fan of the stuff. Good luck with your other kids!

Justine

[nehimama]

If you've already bought an (expensive) bag of milk replacer, at least you could mix it half and half with the other goat's milk or half and half with store-bought Vit D whole cow's milk. I've had decent results doing it this way, but MUCH prefer to use the Vit D milk or goat's milk all the way. Good luck with the other three little ones.

NeHi

P.S. When using milk replacer powder, some people think "More is better". They wind up making a formula that is way too rich. Please be sure to mix up the replacer EXACTLY according to the instructions for goat kids.

[mamahen]

What brand of replacer are you using? While it is usually NOT good to feed it, I've found that Land O' Lakes is ok. I started out using that before I knew any different.

It is more $$$, $50 for 25lb, way back when, but I never had trouble with it. I've used both the sheep formula & the goat. It even smelled good.

However, now I use the buttermilk/whole milk mixture.

[ozark_jewels]

*If* you decide to use the milk replacer mixed with real milk, please wait until the kids are older and "started". 1-2 month old kids who are eating other things besides milk, can handle the milk replacer much easier than newborns.
Hopefully they got enough colostrum.
Are the rest acting just fine?? How much are they eating and how often??

[fishhead]

You may be able to get free whole milk by contacting the stores or milk truck drivers to see what they do with outdated milk and assure them it is not for human consumption.

[susanne]

zookeeper where are you located?

[Zookeeper]

I am in N. Georgia.

The other 3 kids seem okay, although they are not running around and playing as well as the other set of kids were at this age...they also are still not fully walking on their hooves yet (they're 5 days old today)...but doing better than they were a couple of days ago...they eat just fine and are eating 4 x a day, averaging 8 oz. each feeding.

[Zookeeper]

What source of minerals do you all use? Do you give them a separate supplement other than what's in their feed?

[deafgoatlady]

I use sweetlix mineral.. I dont put it in the feed. Just leave it as free choice. I am so sorry about ur buckling died. It is awful.. I would use the cows milk from store or raw.. It dont matter. Dont use milk replacer.

[susanne]

zookeeper get some vit e capsules from the pharmacy, cut the caps open and squish one caps per kid in their mouth. see if you can get BO-SE from your vet. each kid can get 1/4 to 1/2 cc sq. this will help to get them on their feed.