Stunted Growth in Buckling?

[Rechellef]

I have three registered LaMachas that are out of slower growing lines. The two girls are 3 and 4 months old and are smaller than their Saanen pasture mates. However, all the adult LaMachas from this line are smaller than all but one of my adult Saanens (I do have one particularly large Saanen doe and one smaller one). However, the buckling is the smallest one of all. He is 4 months old (5 on the 28th) and is just a little guy. The breeder had not done worming or cocci treatment because she bottle raises her babies in a large stall with a small indoor paddock. His momma is CAE negative, so that isn't an issue either. Since he has been under my care, I have performed his first worming and just got done with his first round of cocci prevention as well. I continue to bottle feed him hoping the extra calories will help him out. He is otherwise healthy and eating well, pooping normally and active. Could there be another reason why he is growing slower than anyone else in my herd? He is one of triplets and I am thinking maybe he just may have been the runt. Will being the runt cause any problems in breeding him in the future? He is a handsome guy from nice milking lines, so I would hate to have to get rid of or wether him at such a mature age.

[farm mom]

If his worming and cocci are up to date then all you can really do at this stage is food. He should have access to free choice alfalfa pellets, browse or hay, and all the grain he can eat in 20 minutes twice a day. He SHOULD NOT still be on the bottle. It is definitely not necessary at almost 5 months old and keeping him on the bottle at this late of an age can retard his growth. He needs to be eating regular food, developing a nice big rumen so he can grow. Lots of food, keep up on worming and no more bottles : )

[Alice In TX/MO]

Keep him on the bottle. It won't hurt him.

[southerngurl]

Milk will in no way retard his growth. It could be argued it could delay his rumen development a tiny bit as he may not eat as much rumen foods, but not really. Is he getting grain? With my first buck I made the mistake of no grain and weaning at 3.5 months and he didn't grow so good because his rumen wasn't very well developed at weaning because of the lack of grain. Perhaps get him on a kid grower pellet with coccidiostat in it and reevaluate in a couple months. Nothing grows a kid as well as milk, so don't stop it if you are looking for growth.

Just because he's small, doesnt' mean he won't breed. So long as he can reach

What have you wormed him with and at what dosage. What cocci med and what dosage? Does he have access to fresh browse?

[Rechellef]

Originally Posted by southerngurl

Milk will in no way retard his growth. It could be argued it could delay his rumen development a tiny bit as he may not eat as much rumen foods, but not really. Is he getting grain? With my first buck I made the mistake of no grain and weaning at 3.5 months and he didn't grow so good because his rumen wasn't very well developed at weaning because of the lack of grain. Perhaps get him on a kid grower pellet with coccidiostat in it and reevaluate in a couple months. Nothing grows a kid as well as milk, so don't stop it if you are looking for growth.

Just because he's small, doesnt' mean he won't breed. So long as he can reach

What have you wormed him with and at what dosage. What cocci med and what dosage? Does he have access to fresh browse?

He has access to alfalfa hay free choice and plenty of browse and he is out there browsing all the time. I feed all the kids grain when I milk, so he gets to eat pretty much what he wants during those two times. For cocci, I did 5 days of Corid in his bottle, but I am thinking he might need something more just in case. As far as worming, I wormed him with Valbazen (2 cc's) about 2-3 weeks ago. He chews his cud, so I am pretty sure his rumen is developing as it should. I forgot to add that I do put a pinch of baking soda in his bottle every day.

[susanne]

i would have a fecal check done.

[bknthesdle]

When you say grain, you mean goat pellets? I've also heard on here many times that bucks don't need grain? Or is that just wethers? My doelings are three months old, should i be offering free choice alfalfa pellets? I do offer them free choice alfalfa hay. I am so confused.

[Creamers]

I'd bet it is a cocci problem. . .Fecal and see - then you'll know for sure.
Bucks - if they get grain (in rut they need it) - need Ammonium Chloride added. . .

The Lamanchas should not end up as large as the Saanens, so I couldn't judge growth on that, though.

[HappyFarmer]

I would check the following, in said order:

Cocci levels
Worm levels
Feed energy levels

One year my feed was horrible and it stunted all of my kids; it was a rainy year with little energy content in the hays, coupled with my grain mixture not making up for it (because I didn't test at that time) and my kids grew lousy.

HF

[hyamiranda]

My buck La Mancha buck Toby has finally come into his own. I raised him on a bottle- weaned at 3 months and he had no grain because I was brand new to goats and didn't know any better. Toby's Big Wig, his son, was nearly as big as his father at 5 to 6 months because I left him on a bottle and supplemented with grain. The difference was amazing.

I also agree with having a fecal done, just to make sure. Also, comparing across breeds doesn't really work. You need to compare within the breed.

[Natural Beauty Farm]

The Alfalfa hay around you is mixed if you bought it locally. Some is good, but most is poor quality stem with no leaf. If you found a good supplier let me know cause I'd love to buy local. Right now the fields are dry and the pastures are low quality, so feed all the later cutting hay they will eat. This rain should help us, but......

Worms are bad here right now. The dry weather concentrates the eggs and then the wet warm weather hatches out 1000's at once. You are only a few miles from us. Valbazen is only good for tapes in adults here. We have to use a rotation of Ivomec and Cydectin, 10 days apart. Think I told you this before, but if you need to talk to a good vet, the State lab in Wytheville, VA has some of the best goat vets running it. They do necropsy s on all my goats and we all learn something.

[noeskimo]

I think your goat has been coaching my goat.She looks about the same , but I couldn't laugh about it until I read the "true story."