Fat Doe

Backfourty,MI. · #1 10/19/10, 10:27 AM

I have a Nigerian dwarf doe that is litterally too fat I think. She is 3 years old & I weaned her kids the end of July this year. It was her 2nd year of having kids.
I know sometimes folks have trouble keeping weight on their does' that are dam raising kids but this one never had a problem with that & she doesn't look like she's lost any weight at all.
I want to breed her next month when she comes back in heat but am worried about all the extra weight giving her complications.
Really she looks like she's preggo now & I know she's not. Heck I'm worried when she's big pregnant she'll have trouble walking.

She only get's 1/4 cup of grain in the a.m. & p.m. hay anytime they want it & browse.
I really didn't think she was getting too much, no one else is fat.
Any recommendations?

Minelson · #2 10/19/10, 12:01 PM

I would cut out the grain and put her on a treadmill

DO you have a picture of her? Maybe she isn't as fat as you think. Is she fatter than my goats? LOL!!

Alice In TX/MO · #3 10/19/10, 12:28 PM

I have a Mini Mancha that gets fat if she just looks at grain.

Cut her off!

Alice

Backfourty,MI. · #4 10/19/10, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minelson

I would cut out the grain and put her on a treadmill

DO you have a picture of her? Maybe she isn't as fat as you think. Is she fatter than my goats? LOL!!

I think she's fatter than your goats! I'll have to get a good fat picture of her from the front view or something.

Backfourty,MI. · #5 10/19/10, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

I have a Mini Mancha that gets fat if she just looks at grain.

Cut her off!

Alice

She was never fat before this last years set of kids! I was afraid you all were going to say no more grain! She will litterally think she is going to die!

KSALguy · #6 10/19/10, 01:08 PM

is she FAT or does she have a large rumen? lots of goats have large rumens that swell their bellys out makeing them LOOK pregnant but not, does she have alot of padding over her back and tail head? if its all in her belly i bet its just rumen from all the roughage she is eating, which is not a problem at all,

Jay27 · #7 10/19/10, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KSALguy

is she FAT or does she have a large rumen? lots of goats have large rumens that swell their bellys out makeing them LOOK pregnant but not, does she have alot of padding over her back and tail head? if its all in her belly i bet its just rumen from all the roughage she is eating, which is not a problem at all,

I have one like this are we refer to her as "deep". She looks preggo, but isn't. I can still feel ribs and see the points of her hips.

Creamers · #8 10/19/10, 08:21 PM

This is my fat doe - is she fatter than this? lol. I can barely, barely see the points of anything on this doe and can't feel her ribs and she is NOT bred. lol

jordan · #9 10/20/10, 12:20 AM

There is absolutely no need to feed a non-lactating doe any grain at all. I never feed my ND's free choice hay (even in winter) and am actuallty not feeding them at all right now, since I let them loose daily to browse the whole property. Every day they leave their pen looking good and sleek, and come waddling back each evening

Can you feel her ribs without having to dig your fingers in? What about her hip bones and back? If it is all belly, I wouldn't worry too much about it, but if there is a thick layer of fat over those bones, you'll have to change your feeding practices.
Feeding too much during pregnancy can cause difficult births because the kids can get too large.
Lois

Backfourty,MI. · #10 10/20/10, 07:48 AM

Creamers, I think she's fatter! I'm going out in a few minutes & will feel her all over, I don't think I can see hip bones for sure!

Creamers · #11 10/20/10, 10:03 AM

LOL! Well, you've got a real porker there, then! haa haa! I talk about my doe above all the time - she is just a glob of fat!

Backfourty,MI. · #12 10/20/10, 11:39 AM

Yeah, I felt her over pretty good today, You can't see the hip bones sticking out but of course I know where they are. When I feel for her ribs I don't have to use alot of force to find them but I can tell she's got a good layer of meat/fat covering them so it's not like I could really count them.
Can't figure out why she's kept so much weight on. I cut her grain down to the 1/4 cup after weaning her kids.

As a poster said above, I don't think it's just rumen either becuase she looks like that in the a.m. when she's not been out in the pasture since the evening before. Her sides never go down.

Minelson · #13 10/20/10, 03:21 PM

one word...picture

HappyFarmer · #14 10/20/10, 04:30 PM

Hands on is the best way to tell if they are overweight, and I agree you should cut back on the grain, from your description she does seem overweight.

But a word of caution, this time of year forages do not have the same values as they did just a few months prior. In our case, our animals would stuff themselves while starving if we didn't supplement now through spring, each farm is different. Know what the nutritional value of your forages & hay is, and monitor their condition.

HF

Backfourty,MI. · #15 10/20/10, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minelson

one word...picture

OK, I'll take the camera out in the morning if it's not raining but you know what a hard time I have posting pictures! So I'll try!

Minelson · #16 10/20/10, 06:27 PM

You are a pro at posting pictures now

Backfourty,MI. · #17 10/21/10, 09:20 AM

Yeah right! Hahaha! I forgot to take the camera out this a.m., REALLY but will this afternoon. I had rabbit breeding on my brain & forgot about pictures!

Backfourty,MI. · #18 10/21/10, 06:37 PM

OK, Minelson I remembered to take pictures & posted them in the Fatty Fatty 2 X $ thread.