The team generated reconstructions of the many thousands of microbial genomes present in goat-poop samples – taken from a Santa Barbara Zoo resident named “Elway” – and helped identify genes for metabolic enzymes and other digestion-related proteins. Once they used to nursing on mom, it takes a lot more work to get them switched over. How much does she weigh? I had my first goat kid for two weeks before I saw any poop and then I freaked out because it looked like mustard, but that’s normal, and so is a scrambled egg look. She is urinating and pooping some. She does not show interest in playing with the other goats today and a really has not had anything to eat in over 12 overs. Most of the time, it is a joy and pleasure to live with these incredible animals. It sounds like he is dehydrated, which can happen with repeated enemas. It was normal kid poop. However as my other does started peeing in it, she moved over to a straw bale I sat in the corner for her. Typical NPK values for goat manure are around 1/2 - 2 N: 0.3-1P: 1-3K and a range of trace elements as well. The vet said it should subside with in a few hours or bring him in tomorrow any suggestion to help him? One interesting aspect of pig poop is its high pH level: use it to help make acidic soils more neutral (i.e. Thanks for the great info. But I think mine is more of a moisture thing. In a week we have gotten 3 more goats for companionship for her. Trying to get a kid to eat when they’re alone is incredibly challenging. What is wrong with him? Anthony. It will break down in the water. If you have a dog, he may be eating the poop. That’s very small for a three-month-old goat. For the last two days while doing my daily chores in the pasture with our two three & half month old little bucks, I noticed that one of them is having some "stools" that are more of a "clump" instead of the typical little goat pellets. Your email address will not be published. They should have 10-20% of their body weight in 24 hours, so 3 pounds = 48 ounces, which is 4.8 (10%) to 9.6 (20%) ounces. He will come to me and jump on me and nibble at my fingers. Cud is what is in its rumen, and they burp it up to chew it. That actually sounds like a goat in labor. I started thinking constipation because she had not pooped in 12 hours, had urinated several times, bloated belly and not wanting to eat much. Never been bred, but incessant pseudo-pregnancy with one bag full all the time. I saw the same thing in a chicken group with egg binding a couple of years ago. We believe she went into heat and then ended up with a uterus infection. It’s hard to believe that all of the goat veterinary texts would ignore something if it were a common problem, especially one that allegedly kills kids. I gave energy drink and milk and bcomplex but situation did not settle, I continued with same and gave antibiotics but still the situation becoming worse, not sure whether it will be alive tomorrow or not, we don’t have experienced vet doc near by. I have heard people say, “she’s trying to poop but can’t” when a doe is actually in labor. This Winter, temps have gone from sub-freezing up to 70*, all in a matter of a day or two, conditions my dear old grandpa used to call “pneumonia weather.”. I appreciate you sharing your experiences, but please do not act like you are the end all of goat husbandry. A newborn kid this size is pooping something smaller than a peanut or a pinto bean. Is Goat Manure Good for Fertilizer?. Very Warm Water. My weekly newsletter includes recipes and articles on homesteading, raising livestock, health, and gardening. Making him drink a bottle. His body has to make that transition to being a ruminant. And as I said in this post, it’s not just kids, it is adults that are being misdiagnosed too. Feeding whole cow milk is a perfectly acceptable alternative. The fact that very little came out when you did an enema — which I do not recommend — shows you she had nothing in there to poop out. I sprinkle stall … I have almost never had a dam-raised kid that wanted a bottle, even if it was on the verge of starvation, so refusal to take a bottle does not mean a kid is constipated. Our dog also licks the goat’s back ends, so if they poop while he’s licking, we’d ever know. Since I don’t know how much experience you have or whether it’s possible that she could be pregnant, I have no idea if this is plausible, but that’s what your description sounds like. Can anyone help me out with whats going on with him? Please try again. He will probably be in better shape tomorrow. Not everyone has had years of experience in dealing with various intestinal issues in their stock. With Nigerians, I want to be sure they are gaining an average of 4 ounces per day. Here is a post that gives you more info on that: In a few days there was improvement so I kept her separated for one more day and then brought her in with the rest of the goats. Yes, it’s a real thing. That sounds like either worms or coccidiosis, or it could be a combination of the two. It was very disturbing. Diarrhea in a kid that age is usually coccidiosis, although they don’t have a fever with that. She is a ravenous eater, was bottle fed and raised in my house. Hi, my baby goat is only 4 days old. https://thriftyhomesteader.com/debunking-9-ill-conceived-notions-abou/. Your email address will not be published. Just wondering what you think is going on? I took him to the vet last week for boosters and they did a stool sample which showed coccidia and small amount of worms. I had never heard of such a thing until I started reading some of the posts throughout the internet and thought I must really be ignorant. If she ate something like a plastic bag and has a blockage, she may not survive until tomorrow. This is why I now weigh kids daily for a couple of weeks. Just an occasional cluster. Still not pooping but he isn’t acting like he has a sick tummy. Maybe we are not giving him enough milk? He is drinking and eating a little. Because most livestock are herbivores (plant eaters), their poop doesn't contain harmful pathogens that can contaminate food crops. The fact that he can’t lay down makes me worry about the hip bone the most. Again, why would a brand new veterinary textbook not include anything on constipation in its 500 pages if it were a real problem? Recovery is slow but sure. The vet said just keep fluids in him. And what could be causing her problem? Amelia has lately seemed to be cramping, looking as though she is having ‘contractions’…. ). I’m feeding him milk directly from his mom so i milk her then feed it to him. repeat above I gave Baking Soda which she ate initially but doesn’t seem to be eating now. Weighs 3.5 lbs…checked Anus, Dont see any poop…sometimes when he stand, he’s hunched…I don’t know..my first kidding season. She stands with her tail tucked a lot, and isn’t as active as the others. She walks around the yard when I let her out of her pen. Unfortunately a few years ago, a popular goat website published an article about constipation in newborns, calling it a “common” problem that can kill kids quickly, which is not backed up by any credible source. A distended belly is not bloat unless it’s as tight as a drum. He is thinking if this round of antibiotics doesn’t work, we will have to fix her. In others, it is mentioned once a year or less. When large enough moved outside in a pen with another female and then the two eventually moved into their own stall in the barn with my Morgan Mare. Many of my fellow goat friends have lost goats this year due to worms, and these people were not just goat newbies. He needs a minimum of 10% of his body weight but 20% is better. We have been raising goats for 11 years and have never had this problem before. Either type of obstruction means he could die without veterinary attention. ... that could be used to perform the complex chemistry needed to break down plant matter on an industrial scale. Nobel goat grower is a grain but a better choice than corn to lure them in. the vet recommended bran which he loves and his poos are larger and softer now but he’s still uncomfortable around his rumen and windy. What do I do if my whether is grunting and pushing like he is trying to poop and has already pooped? So if he is not pooping, then there is either something wrong with him or something wrong with what you’re doing. I took her back in because it is so cold. It’s a misdiagnosis. Once goats go off feed, they don’t survive very long because their rumen needs constant feed to keep working. Other worms do not cause anemia, so you may want to get a fecal. I think it’s the goat owner’s version of med school syndrome — basically medical school students start to think that they are suffering from the diseases that they are studying. He keeps laying down and groaning, he has a brownish yellow liquid ring around his anus. Thrifty Homesteader is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. It doesn’t matter what else he is eating. With too much grain and not enough forage and hay, they are more likely to wind up with serious rumen disturbances that can also be life-threatening. She could have some type of bacterial infection in her intestines, which caused the diarrhea. Is it normal for him to be so little and not pooping but once a day? (You have to hold the nipple in its mouth while the milk drips and the kid swallows. A loose tooth is not normal either, and I can’t imagine why that would have happened. If a kid cannot swallow, then you have to tube feed.) I am a new goat owner and have a two week old bottle fed male kid. But the biggest symptoms goat producers should look at is the goat’s poop. He is crying can’t sit down without pain hasn’t peed or pooped in 2 hours and acts like he needs to poop. If this happens the baby will not be able to pass more poop and will get very sick and perhaps die if not taken care of. She struggles when going to the bathroom. Another person had a buck that started thrusting when she was taking his temperature, which is also normal, yet the first person to comment suggested that the goat was constipated. The weather has been horrible so he’s been in his stable for a few week ( he doesn’t like snow and rain). She eats lots of fresh hay and I see her nurse, they have access to fresh water and some warm water in the mornings with molasses as well. I want to let them back with the rest of the herd at the end of the week but also want them to come back for food. They were usually advised not to worry about it. A low temperature in a doe that is at the end of pregnancy or has recently given birth can also be a symptom of milk fever. Access to PASTURE #3 (goats will break down leftover corn stalks) for 2-3 weeks. Due to weekend, she needs comfort until she can get to vet on Monday. She is still grinding her teeth, and her poop has changed to a black sticky glob when she does go. I’m sorry the vet was not able to help you. She will not touch it. when I looked up the advice given, I found conflicting information from reputable sources. Only two of my goats get these 'Christmas tree poos' (laugh), now and again, this is because these two are the top eats and eat A LOT, this increases the amount of liquid in the poo making them moist and clump. According to an article in Forbes Magazine, new research shows that the fungi found in goats’ stomachs – and eventually their excrement – are adaptable enough to stop breaking down goat food and start attacking something new. And if you water your yard regularly, it will probably break down in under 45 days. She’s only 15 lbs. Now we don't get every last little nannyberry, but it's good enough. A kid that is arching its back with its tail down is often cold, especially this time of year, but that is also typical when kids are starving because they can’t keep warm and are just generally depressed from not enough milk. Hello! If it’s an all-species milk replacer, those are terrible and may be causing a problem with dehydration, especially if it is not being mixed with enough water. Even if I had one tomorrow, that would mean it happened in 0.02% of kids. Grinding teeth is a sign of pain. But what do you give? I have also tried water mixed with corn syrup, baking soda, and salt. Unfortunately not all vets have much experience with goats. I think one reason we are hearing more about constipation in goats is because more and more breeders are pulling kids to bottle feed and many are now feeding Vitamin D (whole cows milk) from the grocery store. Good luck! Sounds like she needs to see a knowledgeable goat vet. Milk is about 85% water, and that’s gets peed out very quickly. It is not getting fat. It comes down to the goat's will to live and YOUR willingness to put all out when the goat is too weak to fight for itself. We have Boers. Although powdered milk replacers can work, one potential problem with them is not adding enough water. My thinking was that way she got more water and help with her movement. She always has hay, mineral, and sodium bicarbonate available to her for free choice. That’s why it’s a social media epidemic — NOT a goat epidemic. I’ve been feeding him about 4 times a day as of right now. Discussion in 'Mini Mania' started by NuMosaFarms, Oct 16, 2012. It says that symptoms of constipation in a kid are a big, firm belly, not wanting a bottle, and standing hunched up with tail down. 24 hours later and my trusted goat friend tells me to give him an enima. Milk is about 85% water, so there is no need to give him water in a bottle. If it's too much green brouse, dose her on Probios. He is urinating about 3-4 times a day. 6-8 or 12 weeks at every 8 hours. I took her back out to mom and her twin, she nursed. The truth is, there’s a place for most livestock poop in our gardens. A urinary stone could cause a blockage and make it impossible for him to pee, but if he ate something like a plastic bag, it could cause an intestinal obstruction or something stuck in his rumen. I drenched for bloat and massaged her ramen, no luck. He is also walking backwards and crying. They just do. Which is way different than when I got him where he was pooping every time he finished eating. In the case of the later enemas, the woman even reported that no liquid was coming back out. She also seems to have a hard time pooping. Plz suggest anything that can i do in this situation. He needs to see a vet. Trying a dewormer first might be your best bet. I bring her out warm water twice a day when I feed her. All we can do is keep him comfortable. I have felt her stomach and finished like she has just finished a bottle. No BM and very clean backend. What color are the inside of his eyelids? ... You should repeat this process throughout winter and with each layer that you add, the manure and urine will break down and your goats will have a natural heat source to keep them warm in the cold winter months. That means the kid was dehydrated and was absorbing the water, which would be due to not consuming enough milk. Also, keep in mind that the milk is very well utilized, so they don’t poop much at all. The Green Secrets of Goat Poop ... communities living inside of us are performing an elaborate disassembly line of coordinated chemical reactions to break the plant matter into simple sugars that human cells can use. She’s in pain and I feel terrible. In this case, the kid was one of quadruplets, and it is not unusual for a kid in that situation to wind up starving because there are only two teats. I personally won’t sell a single kid. I don’t want to treat for constipation if it could harm her, but I definitely want to her to feel better and spunky again. Baby goats should be fed 3-4 ozs per every 5lbs of body weight. I started out my goat-raising education in 2002 in Yahoo groups. Does in heat hunch up and arch their back like that, and if your vet has never owned goats, he or she may not realize this. Great article! Provided electrolytes and minerals as well as fresh hay. Thank you for your help!! A goat has to have enough to eat to make poop. He is doing alot of laying around and only nibbling on food and water, but what makes me think he's constipated is the fact that when he lays down he shifts from side to side and seems to push occassionally like hes going to the bathroom. He only mentions plant poisoning as a cause of constipation in mature goats. Late afternoon or early evening they come out and thin again. The vet has seen video of her trying to go to the bathroom. Honestly, I believe I fell for that popular online article. That’s completely normal. Getting her to survive at this point will be very challenging, and if she does survive, she will likely never be big enough or healthy enough to breed. And if it’s not treated, it can kill her. 3-6 weeks at every 6 hours. Unlock additional features, and fewer ads while browsing. The key is to be aware of your dirt’s dynamics through soil testing and to keep your applications of natural mulches, composts and manures varied and balanced. The most common reason for a kid to not poop much in the first few days is starvation. They really do not poop much at all at that age because milk is so well absorbed and utilized by their body. There is no other food that can provide as much protein and calcium as milk. I ran across your post after searching for constipation in goats, because I was told my goat was constipated but I just couldn’t believe it. I had a doe die when her triplets were 5 weeks, and it took about a week to get them to NOT act like I was killing them. What did they tell you cause my kid went from the runs to nothing. First of all, newborns poop so little that if they are being dam raised you probably won’t see any kid poop at all for days or weeks at a time because it’s tiny and just disappears into the bedding. I thought she might have cramps or something because she ate to much but when i felt her belly it wasn’t very full. and also maybe he needs extra electrolytes?? When searching various Facebook goat groups, there are some where constipation is discussed at least weekly. Is he making any noise? Now check your email to confirm your subscription. Unsubscribe at any time. It should be a minimum of 10% of their body weight but no more than 20% of their body weight, and remember to convert pounds to ounces when figuring it out. How old is he? And here is more on coccidiosis — If you do that, you could cause constipation because basically the baby isn’t getting enough water. I seriously doubt your goat is actually constipated, as it is not something that really happens to goats. Then went back to standing hunched , noticed belly bloated. My husband said this morning he also felt a loose tooth. Hopefully he doesn’t have a broken rib or broken hip bone. It is absolutely vital that you get milk into them immediately. If a kid is not getting enough milk, it will be standing with its back arched or laying down unable to stand and may or may not be crying. In 2015, American spent $1.2 billion on laxatives, so some people just assume all critters have the same poorly functioning digestive systems. He is 1.8kg ( sorry I’m in Australia so it’s kg here). Whenever he sits, his cries are short and distinct, and sounds like he is saying “mat”. Please can you advise me. They should be a bright pink or red. The guy didn’t know much about her, just said that he had traded her with someone else. Probably fairly similar to the organic fert you are currently using. If it's cocci, she needs to be on Dimethox, 40% your vet should have it. The doe bags up. My dog doesn’t go inside my goats pen and I’ve searched the entire pen which has a solid ground with no bedding and there’s nothing so my dog isn’t eating it and it’s not getting lost anywhere so I know he’s not pooping. He’s just be put on scourban for scoures that maybe Cryptosporidiosis. We slowly noticed that her poop changed to diarrhea and she was grinding her teeth a lot. He didn’t poop again after that and I kind of stress about my goats way to much to Thursday morning (this morning I did it again and he pooped those little chunks again. Newborn goats’ first feces are called meconium. In other words, dehydration and not enough fiber. Pig poop is the mildest omnivore manure in terms of nitrogen content. my female is about 16 and lost her cud, and I have been giving her mineral oil, yogurt, sweet feed oats orange peels, apples she is very tight and swelled, this article talked but didn’t say anything about what to give a constipated goat to help them use the bath room. Or you need to make sure that your goats have plenty of clean water available 24/7 and that they have access to enough hay and forage. Coccidia can be hard to see on a fecal because it’s really tiny. This can give clues to whether the goat has a digestive upset or perhaps a parasite problem. Or maybe the kid is having some kind of challenge with nursing. He poops a little after an enema but still is not back to his normal bowel movements. Here is more information about using dewormers: She wanted to warn other members that if you ever see a male goat straining, you should first seek treatment for urinary calculi, which can kill a goat within hours. And just a small amount. I know I have not seen everything in goats. This will harden like tree sap does and will be very difficult to get off the butt and hair. today. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it. We got out first goat a week ago (3/7/20) and we were told she was a week old. I have brought him in away from the other kid so he doesn’t get hurt any more. One of the easiest ways of dealing with hard poop is very warm water. Her grain has PROBIOS sprinkled in it. You’re welcome! The past two days her appetite has dwindled to her eating around 1-2 ounces per feeding and that’s if she chooses to eat. It’s interesting that you set out to prove wrong the diagnoses of constipation -and you succeeded. Does he have a fever? Hi As browsers, they should have food available to them 24/7, meaning hay or pasture. Good luck! I have a 3 year old Doe. Sulfa drugs kill both coccidia and bacteria. I am, by nature, a catastrophic thinker, and the last thing I need is a bunch of alarmist, non-factual advice. I know it’s challenging to get a dam-raised kid to take a bottle, but it is possible. I have been feeding him 3oz of milk mixed with a bit of mineral oil, heated to 100F, 4-5 times a day. Living through scenarios like this and worse is why I almost never leave four kids with a doe. There is really nothing you can do for him. Pooping like a dog can also happen if the goat is eating an unusually large amount of grass — if they have been eating mostly hay in the past. His poos were very dry like little pieces of grit and he went off his food. The reason I don’t tell you what to do with constipation is because goats don’t really get constipated. I put her back out with mom and sister hoping this would get her started on regular bowel movement. You just have to hold it in her mouth until she gets the amount she needs. He stays in a roomy container at night, yet I see no fecal matter. You pay the same price when you purchase through affiliate links as you would if you went directly to Amazon, and our site earns a small commission, so by shopping through our links, you are helping to support our blog so that we can continue to provide you with free content. This sounds like uterine pain, especially if she is dripping blood from her vulva. Took her to the vet, no worms barely any coccidia which he couldn’t believe and he didn’t suspect bloat. The vet we tool him too really didn’t fill us with confidence so I thought I’d ask here before looking for another vet These are a few. I tube fed her warmed goat milk, 2 oz, and kept her warm. Hello. Best Wishes, Suzie. Until recently, I had never even heard of a constipated goat. Went to the vet and they did an enema. We also keep the sheep with the goats and off the main pasture as well. A 6# kid is 96 ounces, so 10% would be 9.6 ounces, so he needs about 10-20 ounces of milk per day and will need more as he grows. You can still see the "pellet poop" in the stool clump, but it's as if they have been compressed together. “Hunched up with tail down” is the classic posture that means a kid is unhappy and could be suffering from a painful disease or is simply cold, according to veterinary texts and my own personal observations. People who dam raised back then were accused of being lazy and irresponsible and not caring about their goats. and let me know what happens. Hi, my goat kid is around 2 month old, had high fever and dyrehea, after medicines fever is normal and started eating, but next day onwards stopped eating and drinking. Some people refused to buy dam raised kids at all. He ate 17 oz. Today it just looks runny with no blood. She also has not pooped in about 24 hours. Q. She has blood that drips from her vagina. Hi I have a 4 month old goat that got head butted in his stomach area. If you are in a controlled environment i.e the dog is watched and on a leash so it can’t come in contact with the Lime then all you need do is apply a cup of lime to the feces and the Lime will destroy the dog poo. Drinking 150ml x 4 times a day 4 hours apart. I have a 7 month old that is having a hard time pooping. If a newborn kid is weak, the first thing you have to do is get colostrum into it, and you cannot expect it to grab an artificial nipple and start sucking. Access to PASTURE #1 (goats will break down leftover wheat stalks) for 2-3 weeks. Not enough milk = little to no poop. In the morning she was standing, had urinated and was hungry, wanting to eat. According to Goat Medicine, second edition, by Smith and Sherman, the reasons for constipation in goats, in general, are intestinal blockage, pregnancy toxemia, coccidiosis, poisoning, liver damage, dehydration, or lack of fiber in the diet. I am ok with that. Is this normal for a new kid? 06.22.2017 by thriftyhomesteader // 76 Comments. A woman posted about how her assumption that her wether was constipated ended with having to euthanize him for urinary calculi. It may have started with dehydration in that one, as we received him from a person who was not terribly attentive in maintaining her bottle babies. You’re one of the few online sources I trust, because you combine your hands-on, practical knowledge with factual information from trusted sources. We went from a cosmically wet Spring into a drought-stricken Summer and Autumn. Next, Note What The Poo Looks Like. The urethra or bladder can rupture. We work hard to bring the best Goat discussion! So dog poop. I’m not surprised he only has one tooth left. She’s been getting daily antibiotic shots that are broad spectrum. Here is more information on bottle feeding — https://thriftyhomesteader.com/bottle-feeding-goat-kids/ — and calculating how much she needs to be consuming. They are dark-colored and sticky. If I were completely new to goats and read that article, I might be a little paranoid about my kids’ pooping, but after having 650 kids here, and without a single case of constipation, I’d say it is not a common problem in newborns. It sound like she has some serious medical problems. Constipation should never be the first diagnosis you make whenever a goat looks a little off. If she had not had enough milk, she will be weak. I take a handful and pour Mineral Oil over 6 or 7 handfulls in the am after she’s had her 1/2 Cup grain and she eats it right away. My goat’s belly is feeling like a balloon he hadn’t passed motion since 2 days and hardly urinate 3-4 times he’s shouting with pain. Milk is 85% water and is the perfect food for babies. When one person asked about an adult doe being constipated, she was advised to add wheat germ to her feed. I have a goat that is acting like he is constipated. If he has a urinary blockage and can’t pee, he will probably die without surgery. She is my pet so she has never been bred. In this case, plant material for renewable biofuel. The vets are useless because not many peopl Le have mini baby goats as pets. She is not nearly as distended as she was but is still not ejecting Pellets. More power to you! Unfortunately, constipation is becoming such a hot topic that too many people are assuming that it’s a problem with one of their goats. At some point, it will affect his growth. One woman described a doe that was basically acting like a buck, arching her back and making weird noises, which can be common when they’re in heat. I know when he’s hungry by how he behaves. He isn’t eating much. At night I pour Phillips Milk of Magnesia over them and she likes that also….the grunting slowed down but last night she had cramps again. The best way to treat constipation is by administering an enema. We now have a 2 week old buckling in the house. https://thriftyhomesteader.com/deworming-goats/.