# underweight goats/feeding problems?



## Confusion (Jul 25, 2017)

hi so i have a year old nigerian dwarf doe, a nubian/boer mix 1 year old buck, and 2 kids (one doeling and one buckling. they are a mix between the nigerian dwarf doe and nubian/boer mix buck). the problem here is that i'm concerned for my nigerian dwarf doe and my nubian/boer mix being underweight. we try to give them all a lot of hay and they go through it quickly and we also try to give them a decent amount of sweet feed. the nigerian dwarf doe and the 2 kids are able to forage but not my nubian/boer mix. we have him on a chain as people in the house are afraid of him due to him headbutting sometimes and also to keep him from constantly bothering the females but we do give him lots of hay and sweet feed to eat. we try to keep the females from eating his food since every time they eat sometimes the females will finish their food early and they will try to eat from other goats feeding containers and if they ever do that to the big buck he will knock it over and not eat it. i'm afraid he may be underweight though and despite trying to feed him more sweet feed or trying to give him hay to eat he still looks skinny to me and i don't know how to fatten him up more. any advice?


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## Boer goat27 (Jun 30, 2017)

Feed him cracked corn its high in carbs so it will help put the weight on


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## sassykat6181 (Nov 28, 2012)

Have you done a fecal to check for worms and cocci, or have they been treated recently? Are they getting a good loose minerals? Copper bolus?
Pictures would help us to see their condition

I know everyone has their own ways, but a goat is not safe on a chain. If you cannot properly separate a buck, maybe you should sell him and consider taking your does to get bred elsewhere. There are many friendly bucks out there, I wouldn't keep one that my family is afraid of


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## Confusion (Jul 25, 2017)

Boer goat27 said:


> Feed him cracked corn its high in carbs so it will help put the weight on


thanks! will look into buying some today and add it to his feed


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## Confusion (Jul 25, 2017)

sassykat6181 said:


> Have you done a fecal to check for worms and cocci, or have they been treated recently? Are they getting a good loose minerals? Copper bolus?
> Pictures would help us to see their condition
> 
> I know everyone has their own ways, but a goat is not safe on a chain. If you cannot properly separate a buck, maybe you should sell him and consider taking your does to get bred elsewhere. There are many friendly bucks out there, I wouldn't keep one that my family is afraid of


i know for all of that, no we haven't treated him for worms yet and i think we need to buy more dewormer. we had it before but i don't know where it went. i'm not quote sure for the other questions. and yes, we are planning on selling him but we needed a way to separate him at the time and we don't have any other place to put him but he does have a makeshift shelter that he can go in when it rains and he does get food and water everyday. we are planning on giving him to some place that i was told wouldn't kill him for meat but instead it would use him instead for brush eating.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

Regular wormers don't work for cocci, and no wormer works for all parasites. I suggest putting some fresh pellets into a Ziploc bag or a clean jar and taking it to a vet for a fecal. Be sure to ask the vet to check for cocci, as they won't usually do it automatically. The vet should be able to advise you on the proper wormer for your particular problem.

If he is on a chain, and can't exercise, giving him grain may make him too energetic and frustrated, thus making him more dangerous. Don't just give out high energy foods to a buck. Be absolutely certain he needs it.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

You would know for sure if you were giving them minerals, as you have to buy them and then give them. Cattle minerals are a good place to start, not sheep minerals


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Corn causes scouring. I wouldn't give them any. 

Can you post photos of them?


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

Breeding a standard Nubian/Boer buck to a Nigerian doe is asking for troubles. When you find a buck to breed her to the next time, look for another Nigerian. A large buck can cause kidding problems for the doe that can be fatal. The rule of thumb is to breed to a buck the same size or smaller than the doe.

It sounds like you probably have a worm problem, so the best thing to do is to bring a fecal into your vet and have it checked for worms/cocci.

If you are going to continue feeding grain products to your boys, check out a meat goat grower that contains ammonium chloride to help prevent urinary crystals from forming. Most of those types of feed have added fats too, which will help him gain weight.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Yes you need to bring in fecal samples so you know exactly what you are dealing with.


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## Boer goat27 (Jun 30, 2017)

Look up the Famacha Scale. It is one of the best scales to use for determining if your goat needs worming. We often have fecal samples tested as our first determination, but we follow up with our entire herd by using the famacha scale. It has been very accurate for our herd and was highly recommended by our vets. Your issue may be parasites, but then again it could be lack of fat in the diet as well.


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