Scours? HELP!

[TroutRiver]

I know there have been posts about this before, but I haven't read them because they've never applied to me. My 2 day old triplets all have diahrea, I am worried about them. They are up and walking around and nursing, 2 appear to be getting nice and strong but the runt (the first born who came out backwards) is very scrawny. None are as active as I think they should be. I gave them some probios yesterday. Is there anything I can do for them?

[Alice In TX/MO]

Did they all get colostrum?

Are you sure it's diarrhea? Newborns have nasty black poo first, then sloppy yellow poo from the colostrum. That is normal.

Unless it's really really runny, it's just the normal process.

Remember that the activity level of newborns is --> eat, sleep, poo, pee Repeat.

[HappyFarmer]

Do they indeed have diarhea or is it the normal, yellow, loose stools (pasty log-like) stools of a young goat? If they indeed have diahrhea I would perhaps give them some pepto bismol.

Are these kids dam raised or bottle fed?

If these kids are bottle fed, whole milk is best and causes less problems. I'd re-evaluate the feeding schedule making sure any mixing is done correctly and no overfeeding.

They are too young for coccidia & many normal issues other than pathogens, do they have a fever?

HF

[TroutRiver]

They don't have a fever. They are being dam raised for now and all got colostrum. They have very loose, yellow stools. I don't remember our other newborn (about a week old now) being so messy. It isn't liquid, but is all over their tails and back legs.

[HappyFarmer]

Sounds normal to me. The other kid may not have been so messy or mom may have cleaned it up.

Some are cleaner than others-it will improve. I find some even get bound/clumped in the rectum & need help moving it outduring hot days.

I'd just wash them off & keep them on clean bedding/pasture.

Congrats on the new kids.

HF

[Alice In TX/MO]

Yup, colostrum poo.

[dustin biery]

Sounds like mom just isn't keeping up that well. My does will keep their back-ends cleaned up some what.

[TroutRiver]

awesome, thanks so much, that is such a relief! I think I am going to start bottle feeding them tomorrow, mom isn't taking the best care of them. She is letting them nurse but tends to wander off and eat grass and ignore them a lot. This morning she was sleeping in one corner of the stall, and the 3 babies were all huddled together in the opposite corner. It wasn't cold...I just thought it was weird that mom was not near them.

[Alice In TX/MO]

That is normal behavior also.

If you have waited this long, the kids most likely will not take a bottle.

Think about deer behavior. The mom nurses the kids, beds them down, and goes to browse. Goats are very similar.