Updated Herd Pics and Condition Question

[V-NH]

Hello everyone! I am looking for some thoughts on the condition of my goats. I am specifically wondering if they are underweight or if I am just losing my mind. I have only been a goat owner for six whole months, so this is my first summer with them. I noticed that when they shed their winter coat they looked much smaller and I want to know what you think.

A bit of information about their feeding schedule. I have bounced around quite a bit based on information I read here and on other sites, so their feeding schedule has changed several times since I bought them. The first two months I had them, I fed them free choice grass hay and about one cup of generic sweet feed per day each, plus free choice loose minerals. I then started only feeding them free choice grass hay for about a month and decided that wasn't enough after testing it out. In order to try to prevent them from wasting as much hay, I then spent a month feeding them two cups of DuMor goat feed each day and 20 pounds of hay per day at feeding time (1/2 a bale). For the past month I have been feeding them free choice hay again and three cups of DuMor goat feed per goat each day, with an ounce of loose minerals mixed in with each bowl of food. Can't really feed them loose minerals free choice because the alpha goat smacks the other goats around and knocks the minerals all over the ground every time I try. I just switched over to Noble Goat feed and have been feeding 3 cups of that per goat each day, in hopes that it will help them put on some more weight.

I also recently wormed them twice with ivermectin. I applied it once, then did it again two weeks later.

So, what do you think? Do my goats look thin or am I just losing my mind? If they do look thin, let me know what you think I should do about it. Just to recap from above, they are currently getting fed free choice hay (they go through a 40 pound bale every 2 days), 3 cups of noble goat feed per goat each day, and an ounce of manna pro loose minerals mixed in with each bowl of food. Note that they are 16 month old alpine/nubian crosses and they have never been bred.







PS... Ignore the random goat feed bag in the back. That blew in there today.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Goat worm treatments are given orally. I recommend taking a sample of fresh poo berries to the vet to find out about their worm load.

The goat in the last pic is thin.

You are doing right to mix the loose minerals with the feed.

[V-NH]

Thanks for the feedback, Alice. The goat in the last picture is the one I am worried about. She's getting tons of access to food, but I am not sure if she just isn't getting enough to eat because of the other ones or if she has a big worm load. She is the lowest goat on the totem pole. I'll contact a vet. I used ivermectin pour on to worm them.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Ivomec pour on is part of the problem. Get Cydectin. Give orally.

[mygoat]

The last goat is the thinnest of the bunch. She is not emaciated, but I do suggest her a little fatter for breeding this fall so she lets down more eggs when she ovulates. I agree with Alice to get a fecal done on them and see what/if eggs are present.

Dewormers are best given orally, and in some cases as an injectible (more rare). With so few goats, you'd probably do pretty well using something like a Quest horse dewormer paste instead of going out and buying a whole litre of cydectin pour on (same drug, but be sure to get dosing right - cydectin pour on is 1ml per 22lbs, quest horse paste is 1ml per 100lbs (about 4x as strong).

[Cannon_Farms]

also if she is an older goat her intestines may be really damaged from previous worm loads to keep her from absorbing nutrients and also teeth problems can cause malnutrition.
Considering they are like stair steps in body condition you may need to clip the chunky one to the fence or separate her some how so others can get their fair share.

Originally Posted by mygoat

With so few goats, you'd probably do pretty well using something like a Quest horse dewormer paste instead of going out and buying a whole litre of cydectin pour on (same drug, but be sure to get dosing right - cydectin pour on is 1ml per 22lbs, quest horse paste is 1ml per 100lbs (about 4x as strong).

Thanks mygoat for the tip. And to the OP, definitely be careful not to overdose.