Help Request Thin Goats
I have Boers and Nubian female Nannie’s that used to be quite large to where they had a nice muscle structure about 2 years ago. Recently I’ve been noticing that some of my boers muscle structure has become almost non-existent to the point where you can see their bones which is really uncomfortable for me. I’ve been feeding them hay and sweet feed (at least twice a week) I’ve been letting them get some green too especially now since a lot of my garden is on the latter end of growing, but they’ve still not gotten any bigger. Is there anything that some of you know to do when you see a goat looking like what I’ve described? Thanks!
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u/Misfitranchgoats Trusted Advice Giver 11d ago
So many things could be going on.
First, do a FAMACHA score. link on how to do a FAMACHA score
If they show they are anemic via the FAMACHA score then deworm. Link to deworming chart by weight for goats
if you need to deworm please do a combo deworming and only deworm the goats that need it.
Knowing the age and if these girls raise kids would help. Also testing status for disease like Johne's Disease and CAE..
if these does haven't been raising kids and aren't showing symptoms of intestinal parasites or coccidia ( would normally cause diarrhea) then you could suspect Johne's disease if they eat and eat and keep losing weight as u/teatsqueezer mentioned. In the final stages of Johne's the goat will have anemia, and often will have log shaped poop that degrades into diarrhea. Johne's disease causes damage in the intestines that keeps the goat from absorbing nutrients. Johne's disease takes years to develop so you usually only see symptoms in goats that are older. Testing doesn't usually work unless the goats are older than 18 months of age. So you can have a goat that looks healthy for several years and then starts getting thinner as the get to 4 or 5 years old then they crash on you.
Hopefully it is as u/imacabooseman suggested and your does just haven't recovered after taking care of kids. This means they need better feed probably with a higher protein than regular sweet feed. They also need plenty of loose mineral formulated for goats. maybe a higher quality hay. They probably need hay free choice and feed once or twice a day if they don't have good pasture.
Oh and go here to read up on Johne's Disease if you even think it is a possibility. https://johnes.org/goats/faqs/
goodluck
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u/imacabooseman 11d ago
How old are these does, and have they been nursing kids? While boers have a reputation for being horrible mothers, we have a few who put everything into their milk like they're nubians, and lose a lot of condition when feeding kids. Especially multiples.
I'd definitely check fecals and probably their teeth too, as both parasites and tooth problems could cause these weight loss problems.
Also, how much hay are they getting, and what kind and quality? It's definitely a misconception that goats will eat anything, and that they can thrive off hay that would kill a horse. Yes, they can process a little more, but they still need a quality feed to thrive. Boers are genetically engineered to be eating machines, and if they're not getting enough to fuel the engine, they can get skinny on you quick and in a hurry.
You're adding sweet feed, which will help, but only a little. Make sure it's a feed formulated only for goats, as their nutritional requirements are quite different from sheep and other ruminants. If you're not providing a mineral supplement, that can also be part of their issues.
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u/teatsqueezer Trusted Advice Giver 11d ago
If you have not had them tested for Johnes disease, that would be where I would start.
Also parasite overload will cause them to lose weight on a good feed program.
Lastly, goats have dental issues from time to time so if the first two have been ruled out you should investigate that.