Miscarriage and Goats

Hello!!!! Pictured here is Faith. On Monday, the 8th, while doing chores, I noticed Faith in a corner by herself, with a bit of telltale (telltail? :) ) red discharge. "Oh dear" I thought, as I pulled her out of the barn and built her LITTLE temporary pen. Notice this pen is only 6 foot by 6 foot triangle as 'bed rest' is part of her natural healing program....

I put a warm goat coat on her, as goats under stress can't always maintain thier body temperature well, and I went to the house to grab my herbmix- "KeepHer".... This is a nice product to have on hand- it's usually too late to order once you have an event in progress. In the past, before I knew what I now know about herbs, within 12 hours of seeing red discharge we'd have an abortion on our hands... I took 1 heaping teaspoon of herbmix, put it in a pint canning jar, and filled with very hot DISTILLED water- distilled pulls more phytochemicals out of the herbs than any other water. Once room temperature I drenched 80 cc's down her- being careful not to upset her or move her much- for every step could get us closer to having a real problem on our hands.... She got 3 doses of that, 30 minutes apart, then went to hourly for the remainder of that day. I put a water bucket in with her- hung up higher than her hips so that she couldn't deficate or drop aborted babies into it... Day 2- Wow- we have a day 2 to work with! She gets her herbs 3x a day, still 80 cc. And Day 3, I also dissolve some wheat germ capsules into her water and some ginger for additional support. She will continue on this regimine until she either loses her pregnancy or kids. We will remove the wheat germ oil from her diet 2 weeks before she is due. She will remain in this pen until we have kids. To put her back with the does, even if she is looking good, is very risky.

Faith was 38 days from kidding when this happened. Possible causes could have been a hard fall, either caused by a misstep but probably more likely a scuffle with a herdmate. In those cases, at times you can have a 'plancenta previa' or 'partial abruption' of the placenta, which may be what has happened in this case. That means that the placenta has partially torn or has begun to tear away from the uterine wall. Not a good thing at any time, but especially before a doe is within 10 days of her due date. The kids are not yet considered 'fully baked' before that. Three weak preemies can sometimes be saved, but before that it's really tough rocks.... You need them in a very small pen, each time they take a large stride, move fast, or have a doe pester them, that rocking movement of the body can cause the placenta to tear away more.

Last year we had a doe, Nasturium, start aborting a month from her due date, probably after a serious barn scuffle as she is the herd queen, and there are a couple does that would like that position.... I gave her this same product, knowing that if the kid/s were still viable (alive and at least moderately strong), that this mix would help her hold the pregnancy. BUT, if the kid/s were dead or seriously compromised, it would cause the doe to abort them and clean out properly, without my assistance, thereby keeping her clean inside. When she did abort, it was very clear that her single kid had slipped off the naval within that day, as the skin was torn away at that location and the naval already severed. One month later we brought that doe into milk with MilkMaid, and she peaked somewhere between 9 and 10 pounds- not too shabby for a 9 year old doe, aborting, a single kid, and not milking until one month later....

Anyone that would like to say prayers for Faith we certainly welcome that. She's a sweetie and we'd like to save her kids if possible. If we lose them, then we do, that's a part of goat keeping sometimes, but if God keeps them here you know they'll be spoiled :).

Good Afternoon! Timbrel, Reflexology, etc...

We have a sunny day after several days of overcast and rain. To be enjoyed for sure! Timbrel is improving- the doe that tore/severed the main tendon to her knee end of November. She is still splinted, but is now using the leg part of the time, and can stand with it unsplinted, though the leg is not yet perfectly straight, so we keep salving it. She is being salved every other day- every day would have been ideal, but with my husband's schedule every other day works better. So we are at 2 months and still making progress. She really likes me rubbing it when the splint is removed- I can imagine she gets itchy under there!!! She's allowed to wander the barn in the daytime- so she can get some sunlight and some exercise. She's not a get into everything goat, so it works well...

Ladies are getting much more pregnant. We wonder what we have in those tummies??? :).

Herb Business is a nice moderate steady- we thank the Lord for that... Kat's reflexology work is all complete and a 95% was earned on my test. A good 1/2 of the test was on the endocrine system- so I am VERY GLAD I studied my notes on those sections!!! As soon as my diploma makes it here I can be state certified. That will be nice. It's such a HELPFUL technique for human health. If your dog or cat will let you- you CAN reflex their paws. Just push firmly on their paw pads. If you find they pull away at a spot or flinch, you have found an area that needs to be worked on- firmly but gently, you want to try and work it out if they will let you...

Spring cleaning- outside, inside, and my insides :). I've been doing a lot of juicing, herb teas, herb mixes, for internal maintenance. Always a good thing after the holiday season :O). Don't forget your pets and creatures wouldn't mind spring cleaning as well...

I did get a real fun story this week- I hear that a year ago a gal in Oklahoma with a 5 year old grey gelding had a sarcoid (cancerous growth in horses) between his rump halves under the tail. It was interfering with his work and it was continuing to grow. They told me that by using the CanCieze salve they had it gone in 6 weeks....

Currently I'm studying hard on Iridology so that I can try to complete my level 2 exam in a week or two.... It will be fun to apply it to the goats as well as other creatures. It also will give insight as to what emotional tendencies each one has- this can be seen in the eyes as well :O).

I hear we're in for more rain, and many in this country (75%) are doing snow and/or ice. Every one stay WARM and BE BLESSED :).

Dairy goat weight...

It never fails, someone will be over looking at the goats and they'll exclaim, "Wow, that goat is FAAAAAAT!!!". I then casually go into the explanation that these are dairy goats, that they are milk factories, and that to be able to produce a lot of milk, they need to be able to consume and process a large amount of feed, primarily in roughage (including hay). So that barrel they are looking at is body capacity and NOT FAT. And this usually happens in summer, so they aren't pregnant either.....

Pictured on the left see Valiant- a 3 year old in the photo- see the large barrel that I hope he passes on to his daughters (and is!), but see you can still see his bone structure- spine, hip, pin bones (under tail), but they aren't jutting out either....

How do we know that a dairy goat is proper weight? How do I know if I am feeding enough or too much? Here's a brief explanation that has worked for us for the last 10 years, allowing us to raise goats that can go the distance year after year being healthy and productive...

Hay: Ours get all they can eat within reason, and primarily alfalfa. The alfalfa discussion I'll save for another time, but suffice it to say it is VERY IMPORTANT for a dairy goat and don't let anyone talk you out of it.... Assuming the hay is clean, good quality, and no mold or dust (most 'dust' really is mold- don't feed it!), if they leave a bunch of extra in their feeders, then you are feeding too much. If on the other hand 'the plate is licked clean'- there is almost no waste or none, then you are not feeding enough- the goat/s lower on the totem pole will not be getting enough hay to sustain a healthy body or production.

Grain: feed per label directions to start with. And start them on grain slowly before they kid (see my last blog on feeding preggo does). Make any grain changes slowly- mixing some of the old brand with the new, then once a week upping it more. I usually go 1/2 and 1/2, then 3/4 new 1/4 old, then to just the new. takes 2 to 3 weeks but protects those flora hanging out in the rumen and villi in the intestine...

I have found that the alfalfa quality/quantity largely dictates the quantity of milk, and the grain largely dictates the weight of my doe. A non working doe can get fat on just alfalfa, we are not talking about buck or dry doe feeding here, just those ready to lactate or are lactating...

For weight though on any dairy goat- age, workload, or sex.....

1 to 2x a week I run a pinch test.... Stand beside your goat next to the front leg. On the outside of the goat, near where the body attaches to the leg, you will see a joint/knob facing the rear of the goat. This is their elbow. An inch or two behind that, with my thumb and forefinger, I pull the skin and tissue. On my dairy goats in summer I want at least 1/4 inch of flesh in there, up to 1/2 inch. In the winter I like 1/2 inch. If they under- I up the grain slowly, if they are over, I cut the grain a bit. As their lactation increases and decreases you'll find they need changes in the amount of grain they get. Also you'll notice individual differences and family line differences.

Also I like to run my hand along their rib cage. I should feel and slightly see the ribs in summer hair coat, but I should be able to feel a small tissue layer between my hand and the ribs. The skin should glide over the bones. If I feel any 'sharpness' to it, the goat is underweight....

Make sure in the winter months, when they are hairier, that you continue to feel. A skinny goat can easily hide under all that hair...

Don't forget routine parasite control to allow your goats to get the most out of their feed. It's expensive to feed parasites...

blessings ! Kat

Dairy goat feeding.....

We have started 'lead' feeding a few girls. One is a coming yearling and is due in just over a month, so she is just being started on a 14% grain- she gets a large handful. I'll work her up to about 3/4 pound over the next 4 weeks, adding a bit more each Monday which is the day I adjust grain.... It works for me...

I have a couple does that are just absolutely huge- not fat, just packing possibly a lot of kids. Those I have also started lead feeding some grain- they are getting about 1/4 pound of grain per day right now, again I'll increase that by about 1/4 pound each Monday... This is to prevent Ketosis as they are going to have diminished rumen space sooner, which means they won't be able to consume as much feed at a time, which could put them at a nutrient and carbohydrate deficit... These ladies are due the first week of March and are 3 and 4 years old...

Right now the herd is on 2/3 alfalfa hay and 1/3 grass hay. Due dates mostly fall into last week of Feb and 1st 2 weeks of March....

They get Kop-Sel and DWorm BWW mixed in their kelp that I'm offering them 2x a week, and also I put about 1 1/2 tsp on the grain of any does getting lead fed.... I will start putting kelp out every other day, and once they are all in milk they will have it in the bottom of their grain pan, so they can eat it after their grain if they want it....

They have their rain barrelled water for soft water, and right now the weather is contributing well to keeping that full....

Blessings! Kat