Too small or right on size??

Harmony_Meadows · #1 02/10/08, 04:36 PM

Hey all! I was just wondering if any of you Alpine or Nubian folks could help me. I know my girl has had a rough go of things and I'm a little concerned she might be a bit too small for her age. She is just hitting the 9 month mark and stands right now about 24 inches give or take...about the size of a lab or a small German Shepherd, just a bit taller than my Boarder Collie/Aussie cross. At what age do they hit their main height? She is active and healthy except for the cough and sniffles she still has. She eats well.....almost too well

and is always climbing on her house (the dog crate we left in with her in her stall). She really looks great....a bit furry from the cold but otherwise fit as a fiddle. She is my first so I wasn't sure what their growth rate is like. She just seems so much smaller than the adults I remember. She is 3/4 Alpine and 1/4 Nubian. And there is no way she could be dwarf or pygmy blood as the breeder only has Alpines, Cross Nubians and LaManchas. I took a couple pics, will post once I can oust my man from the desktop and download them

. Anyways any input would be great!!!

Harmony_Meadows · #2 02/10/08, 05:30 PM

Here are some pics of Nova I took today. I only had my cell phone so they aren't great. Thanks all!!

Too small or right on size?? - Goats

What do you all think? Big difference from before!!

Oh, the bald patch on her nose in pic 1 is where she rubbed herself raw eating her Christmas tree that the stable owners brought for her.

They do spoil her LOL!!!

Tracy in Idaho · #3 02/10/08, 05:57 PM

She's pretty tiny. My girls were 23-24" (according to my appraisal forms) at just 3 months old! Now at nearly 11 months, they are 100-120# and some are almost as tall as the adults.

Tracy

Harmony_Meadows · #4 02/10/08, 08:08 PM

Could this be dangerous for her or could she catch up? She is definately no more than 55- 60 # and I'd say closer to the 50 mark....I can pick her up easily. She is lighter than my dog!! I'm getting really worried about her but I really don't trust the vets out here, they know nothing about goats!! Any suggestions??? After everything she has been through I really don't want to lose her!!

southerngurl · #5 02/10/08, 08:28 PM

Did she have Cocci problems?

Harmony_Meadows · #6 02/10/08, 08:45 PM

Good heavens I don't even know what that is

I'll run a quick background on her from my earlier post.....I got her at about 6 days old..she lived with me until 3 months old when I lost my farm....boarded her with goat dairy I bought her from thinking it would be the best place for her.....I had some afairs to deal with that kept me away for about a month.....came back to sick, filthy skeleton!!....took her home then to a horse boarding stable, nursed her back to health...now she is 9 months, looking much healthier, fat and happy...except a perpetual runny nose and cough...I dewormed her regularly myself and her fecal came back clean. She eats horse quality alfalfa/grass mix hay and a 14% "goat mix" that looks like a sweet feed. She gets about a half a pound(a soup can and a half approximately) now that she is in good weight for her size. Was giving a pound a day of a 16% version when she was so emaciated. I am so worried about her. She is my first goat. I have already lost the goat she was with because of the horrible conditions they were in. The vets out here are worse than useless they just don't know. I need all the help I can get.....any advice would be greatly appreciated!!! HELP!!!!!!

goatkid · #7 02/10/08, 09:40 PM

You might want to treat her for cocci. I have a Nubian doeling who hadn't gained in almost 2 months. She's bigger than your girl, but I was still concerned she weighed only 78 pounds at 9 months old. Last week, I treated her for cocci. Today I weigh taped her and she's gained 2 lbs. I then wormed her. I expect she'll grow. I bought a doe who was stunted as a doeling. She freshened as a 2 year old this year abnd I bought her then. While she was/is smaller than the two year olds I've raised from kids, she's growing right along with mine under my management. It sounds like your girl is getting some good hay and should grow more.

CookingPam777 · #8 02/11/08, 08:12 AM

I have a nubian whom is only maybe 70 pounds and she is a year old. We think she may have had worms. So we dewormed her and she is gaining a great amount of weight. She was also breed to early which stunted her growth. Your goat however looks kinda short maybe she won't get real big but could be bigger. I don't know I am pretty new at this.

DQ · #9 02/11/08, 09:16 AM

I would at least consider putting her on a feed medicated for the prevention of cocci. sounds like she could use all the help she can get. you could treat for cocci perodically too but in a situation like this I think you want no oppurtunity for cocci to get ahold of her, even for a few weeks. most feeds geared towards "show goats" contain cocci prevention and are high in protein and fiber. these are meant to be the sole source food. slowly switch her too it and slowly increase the ration and take away the hay until she has it in front of her all the time. that way when she eats she is getting the most safe calories she can for each bite.

gracie88 · #10 02/11/08, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Good heavens I don't even know what that is

There's an article here: http://www.goatworld.com/articles/co...coccidia.shtml
Basically it's a protozoal parasite that usually affects kids, esp. in less than ideal conditions, and can have long-term effects on their health (thriftiness).

dkdairygoats · #11 02/11/08, 12:36 PM

Just so you all know, "cocci" is a shape of bacteria. "Coccidia" is the protozoal parasite. I see that a lot on here.

She is around the same size as my doelings. I have one born May 31 who is probably 50 lbs, about the same height as yours. I wouldn't worry. They keep growing right up until they are 3-4 years old. My yearling milkers are always much smaller than the 2 yr olds and 3 yr olds. She looks healthy, nice thick coat.

DQ · #12 02/11/08, 02:48 PM

yeah most peope use cocci for short. just like prego doesn't mean spagheti sauce.

susanne · #13 02/11/08, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkdairygoats

Just so you all know, "cocci" is a shape of bacteria. "Coccidia" is the protozoal parasite. I see that a lot on here.

She is around the same size as my doelings. I have one born May 31 who is probably 50 lbs, about the same height as yours. I wouldn't worry. They keep growing right up until they are 3-4 years old. My yearling milkers are always much smaller than the 2 yr olds and 3 yr olds. She looks healthy, nice thick coat.

i thought alpines are one of the bigger breeds?
i have a nubian doe kid born end of may last year too and she is well over 100#.

i agree, this doe in the picture is very tiny. since she was starved at the place where you borded her, she might catches up.

dkdairygoats · #14 02/11/08, 03:22 PM

Alpines are medium size. I have 3 bred doelings from April that are over 100 lbs. I also have one born in April that is closer to 60-70 lbs. She is small-boned, from a small doe and is just growing slower. The little doe born end of May is also very petite. That's why I did not breed those two. I had a 1/2 Nubian/1/2 Alpine doeling also born in May a few years ago and she was also 100# by fall. Nubians are bigger than Alpines in general.