[clydesdaleclopper]

I was wondering if any of you could suggest anything for our old lady. I think she is about 11 (she was a rescue) and she is really thin and missing a few teeth. The goats are in a 1.5 acre field with gorse, brambles and trees as well as grass. They are getting sugar beet, Alfa A oil and goat nuts with added seaweed, garlic and cider vinegar. I've also given her a multi vitamin shot I got from the vet and they have been wormed recently. She is my eldest son's favourite animal on the holding and I am trying all I can think of to keep her going but with the bad weather imminent I'm wondering if I should cull her or if there is something else you can think of that I could try in order to get some weight on her.

[WaltDisneyWorld]

Oh bless her. Have you thought about a goat coat or maybe converting an old woolly jumper for her to help keep her warm. Just a thought, hopefully someone with a lot more knowledge than me can give you further guidance. Good luck.

[colliewoman]

you can ask the vet to check her teeth, i know with sheep it is possible for a vet to remove the wobbly ones. when they are gummers (no front teeth left) they can eat just as well as when they had a full mouth.
also we used to give the old biddies a liquid molasses feed in a roller feeder. all they had to do was lick.
i agree with the goat coat, the less energy she uses to keep warm the more weight she can put on, so a coat and a well bedded shelter with full hay racks (so she doesn't have to go out if she is chilly) would help loads too.

[Lesley Silvester]

I found a pattern for a goat coat by googling it.  Very easy to make.  I used a quilted bedspread inside a cotton duvet cover, both from a charity shop for a fiver and made two coats.

[Lesley Silvester]

Oh and I know someone who has a seventeen year old goat.  My old girl will be 11 next April and I'm still milking her. 

[wytsend]

I make goat rugs.... they are modelled on mini horse rugs and are guaranteed to stay inplace and not slip.

As far as feed goes change to cattle nuts, loss of condition can be due to lack of a number of important minerals including COPPER.  Don't forget goats need as much copper as a cow to maintain their body condition,  and all goat feed is made safe by including SHEEP minerals mainly.

Allen & Page do a feed called Fast Fibre, which you soak for a few minutes before feeding... I have used this very successfully on old goats.... my oldest was 19 !!   She probably has a problem with the harder Alfa A... try Mollichaff Condition instead,  it is much softer.   I have just changed my 30 year old horse onto it and he is eating much better now.

[clydesdaleclopper]

I make goat rugs.... they are modelled on mini horse rugs and are guaranteed to stay inplace and not slip.

As far as feed goes change to cattle nuts, loss of condition can be due to lack of a number of important minerals including COPPER.  Don't forget goats need as much copper as a cow to maintain their body condition,  and all goat feed is made safe by including SHEEP minerals mainly.

Allen & Page do a feed called Fast Fibre, which you soak for a few minutes before feeding... I have used this very successfully on old goats.... my oldest was 19 !!   She probably has a problem with the harder Alfa A... try Mollichaff Condition instead,  it is much softer.   I have just changed my 30 year old horse onto it and he is eating much better now.

Thanks for that. I did notice that they had run out of the red Rockies lick which is the one with copper so I have just replaced that one. I'll have a look at the Fast Fibre - I went for the Alfa A Oil as it is much higher calorie with the oil content and she does seems to manage to eat it ok.

[wytsend]

I don't rely on goats using licks... I add the minerals to their feed.... this way I know they have had the correct amount.

I can give you details of a mineral mix & arrange for a free sample to be sent to you,  if you would like.

[clydesdaleclopper]

I don't rely on goats using licks... I add the minerals to their feed.... this way I know they have had the correct amount.

I can give you details of a mineral mix & arrange for a free sample to be sent to you,  if you would like.

That would be great. Thanks

One thing I was wondering is whether some of the herbs that I feed the horses might help. I have Linseed, yea-sacc, rosehips, brewers yeast and hawthorn berries at the moment. Would these be safe to feed the goats?

[wytsend]

I gave you my telephone number in a PM.... if you would like to call me as a matter of urgency I can help you.

[Hopewell]

Changing her feed as suggested by wytsend may certainly help especially if the problem is due to her teeth or a nutritional cause. Other things that may be worth considering is worming - I know you said that she has been wormed recently but resistance to wormers is not uncommon and it is also easy to underdose as well. You can have a poo sample checked for worm eggs. Another possibility is Johne's disease. This is a slow onset infectious disease that in cattle causes diarrhoea but in goats is more likely just to cause them to loose condition. It isn't always easy to diagnose but again a poo sample can be checked for it - positive is extremely reliable but negatives are less reliable. Unfortunately if it is Johne's it is bad news as she won't recover.

[clydesdaleclopper]

Changing her feed as suggested by wytsend may certainly help especially if the problem is due to her teeth or a nutritional cause. Other things that may be worth considering is worming - I know you said that she has been wormed recently but resistance to wormers is not uncommon and it is also easy to underdose as well.

She has been treated with Pancur a few months ago and more recently with one that also treats Fluke - the dosage for that was recommended by the vet so I don't think that is the problem.

She has never been a good doer ever since we rescued her (about 2 years ago) but has deteriorated a lot over that past few months.

[clydesdaleclopper]

I gave you my telephone number in a PM.... if you would like to call me as a matter of urgency I can help you.

Thanks I'll try to phone this evening when I don't have children to deal with.

[Hopewell]

If she was wormed a few months ago then that doesn't really count as recent worming. BGS recommendations are actually to worm every three weeks from spring to autumn if no safe pasture is available. The description you give of your pasture is one where the goats have continuous access and therefore isn't safe from a worm point of view. Every three weeks does sound excessive and I don't do mine as frequently as that, but it will depend on how many goats are in that area. Also Panacur is from the group of wormers that most commonly have resistance to them so I don't think you can rule out worms. If she's never been a good doer for the last 2 years it does sound like there is an underlying reason.

[lachlanandmarcus]

Just to say Ascott smallholding supplies are flashing up that they have goat coats in stock - might be worth a look, esp if she is a pet to your wee one.

"We are now offering goat coats to keep your animals warm all year round. There are cotton and fleece coats, designed for different weathers, or you can get a coat custom made. For more information, please visit www.ascott.biz or call 0845 130 6285."

NB if these ones arent waterproof I found a large greyhound dog coat worked well for a poorly ewe - perhaps a Great Dane sized one will work for Goatie