# Goat not eating in her new home



## Mamaz (Mar 23, 2012)

We sold one of our does last Monday. She is two years old and has lived here since she was 7 months. I have her dam and she had freshened with two buckling kids three weeks ago. They are telling me she will not eat. She has basically dried up by now. This is a very socialized goat with no bad habits, never had eating issues here, milked very well and quietly last year. The new owner says she has given her goat drench, loaded her feed with molasses, given her treats, held her and tried getting her to eat at the end of the trough with her other goats, and led her into their woods to eat. They don't have the woods fenced, so can't let her freely roam which is what I think would do the trick. I really need suggestions here. I'm not sure what to tell these people. I asked her to put her in a stall with another one of their goats. They don't have a stall big enough. They have her in their kid pen with full time grain. I asked her to put another doe in there with her. She said the other does would try to protect their kids and be mean to Bella. The new owner says if she stays there she will die. I've never heard of a goat not eating when they got hungry. The new owner feels she is mourning without her dam or kids with her. I can't even send the kids over to her as I just sold them yesterday! HELP!!


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Has the new owner tried just leaving her alone? Rehoming can be quite stressful on some goats. She needs to have a feed similar to yours...and make sure at feeding time there is plenty of room for her to eat on her own. It would be very unlikely that this doe will starve herself to death with food right in front of her. Is she sure she's not sick?


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## Mamaz (Mar 23, 2012)

I've told her to put her out alone and let her be. She tells me that she just stands off by herself and won't eat. I also offered to give her some of our feed as ours is an all natural hammered feed, and she told me she had ground some of theirs and Bella wouldn't eat it. I told her it would have tasted different to her. I'm not sure how they feed. She did say it was a trough, but she held Bella at the end of the trough. I know she wouldn't eat if she was being held. She was very healthy when she left here Monday. I asked her if she had had a vet look at her and she told me that is cost $75 to have the vet out and they didn't want to put anymore money into her if she simply won't eat, and that she was sure Bella wasn't sick unless of course I thought there was something wrong with her when I sold her! Now I think she is getting a little offensive. Maybe just frustrated. These people are opening a grade A dairy. I really thought they had a little better set up than they apparently do. Also, now they have no way of transporting her and want me to drive the hour to their farm and pick her up. When I said I couldn't do that tomorrow, she told me they couldn't bring her back here until next weekend and she would probably die by then.
I just feel very stuck here. I love my goats. But I sold her a healthy two year old doe in milk and now have a possibly very thin dried up doe. They also told me that they have been having parasite problems probably due to the Boer buck that they have used to breed their does!! So...I will have to isolate and test Bella if I do bring her back here!


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

I would not take her back. This new owner sounds not very goat savvy...to put it kindly. This is a tough position to be in, but you sold her a healthy, happy goat...so something is not right on her end. SHE needs to figure it out or have a vet look at her. I'm sorry you've been put in this position. :hug:


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## Mamaz (Mar 23, 2012)

She said to me today that if Bella stays there, she will die. If I'm ok with that or can live with it then so be it. I'm NOT ok with that! I have to agree that I don't believe a goat will starve to death if she has food available.
Another thing that has occurred to me is that she has been giving her goat drench. I don't even know how much. I've never used goat drench except for a touch after an extremely hard birth. Not so sure that can be good for her in large doses.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I think kw is very right. I bought a doe and kid yesterday and they have yet to come out of their house. They need to leave her alone. If she is not sick she will eat when she feels like it. Im sure she is confused on what is going on, and having kids, a little stressed out. I too, would not take her back. If she is a very loved animal and you thought she was going to a good home, maybe I would take her back, if you do that you would still have to treat her as a new goat and keep her away from your other goats. She very well have got sick from something they have over there and it might not be showing up in her goats because they have already had it.

Ok you just posted while I was typing......Its your call on getting her or not, just keep in mind what I said, she may be sick and got it while she was there, if you decide to go get her, what I would do, is look at her before you take her home. You know your goats, if she looks off to you I would drive away, if death is coming her way its going to happen if she is with you or with that lady. I am so sorry you are going threw this, to be honest, I dont know what I would do if I were you.


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## Ebony Queen (Oct 8, 2011)

I'm not sure this lady knows what she's doing, she i opening a dairy, you say? Well, then she should really understand goats first! You've told her to not hold Bella while she eats, you have told her to let her out and eat by herself, you've told her that she should probably see a vet, and she STILL won't listen?! If she isn't willing to put the money and energy into the well being of the goat, then she shouldn't be opening a a dairy. Ask her how much goat drench she puts in the food, that would really affect how she eats. Just keep listening to what this lady tells you and REALLY question what she's doing if you get confused or what she's doing is strange. If she decides to be flustered and mad, so be it. This process isn't about her it's about Bella. Hopefully, Bella is just nervous and will eat when she really gets hungry. :hug:


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## sunshinegoat (Feb 7, 2012)

I bought a goat in milk from a commercial dairy this past fall..The woman even gave me a few pounds of her feed that she has mixed up special and shipped by the ton.. The new goat wouldn't even touch it here for almost a week. It was nerve racking..I tried to give her something I had that I thought was similar and she wouldn't touch it...I tried mixing everything up with no luck...finally after a week she started eating sweet feed only and that's all she'll eat even though her former owner only fed a pellet.
You are at this woman's mercy unfortunately as far as her taking your advice. The goat will eat when she's hungry as long as she's healthy..She should offer separate types of feed in separate dishes and leave Bella alone..She has to settle in.Maybe all the fussing over her is stressing her out even further.. My heart goes out to you..It is hard knowing what would be best for the animal and not being able to get her the help she needs Good luck..:hug:


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## Burns Branch Boers (Apr 11, 2011)

Gosh I am so sorry you are going through this! I agree with the others--this goat owner does not appear to understand goats very well. 

I purchased a goat in January-I was going to quarantine her-but she would NOT eat in quarantine. I still kept her there for 2 days (enough to know for sure she was showing no signs of illness and time to get a fecal run) then I put her in w/my does. She began eating immediately. She would still stand off to the side when they were all around but she would sneak up when they were done and eat hay. I fed her and one of our little does in a stall together out of buckets and then turned them back out w/the others. 

I think this lady is way to "hands on" and she seems to be really upset over the entire deal. I mean, I worried too when my girl would not eat....but I knew how to fix it. 

I think that if you don't have a way to quarantine her yourself, if you bring her home, you should not do that--you are risking your entire herd. Maybe go over and try to help this new owner. Bring a vit. B injection and pick a goat from her herd that could stay w/the newcomer and be a buddie to it. 

I hope your old goat will be alright. This has to be hard for you.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

They need to get her a buddy...goats are herd animals and need someone....if she cannot even see another goat ...she will be very depressed...

I agree... that the stress is bad on them...when rehoming...they need to get a temp on her ...in case she is sick...

They should get a fecal on her for worms and cocci...stress can trigger them both...

If her temp is normal then.... I'd give probiotic paste and a fortified vit B complex shot ....in case her Rumen is off.... :hug:


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## Mamaz (Mar 23, 2012)

Thank you all for your help. I've also talked with another goat friend of mine and she says about the same thing you all are saying. I should not take Bella back, she will eat when she's ready, and the lady doesn't know much about goats. She also said she needs probiotic and a B complex shot. I have already told her those things. She told me the drench had all of the Vit b's in it. You're right. I have to give it up and leave it up to her. Thank you all soooooo much! Bless ya!


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