# Goats are having abnormal kids?



## goatlady1314 (Oct 24, 2013)

So long story short my goats are aborting and having really weak kids that eventually die. I don't know why this is happening? My last goat to kid had big babies but their necks are swollen and stiff? Will they ever straighten out? They are drinking really good but they can't even stand up? Any help is appreciated! Thanks


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

What supplements do you give? Sounds like a selenium deficiency to start with.


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## goatlady1314 (Oct 24, 2013)

We are feeding a regular goat mineral. Could selenium deficiency cause aborting?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

You could have clamydia. You could have a serious mineral deficiency. Just a mineral usually isn't enough. They need extra copper and selenium.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Selenium def can indeed play a part in the kids . Do you have kittens in the barn?


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I agree, could be any of those things. I am so sorry for the losses.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

I agree. My first thought is chlamydia. It will cause an abortion storm. A mineral imbalance...lacking selenium or something else could also be causing it. I would evaluate your feeding program and see if you can pinpoint an issue. How is the hay you're feeding? Did you make any changes in a type of feed or dewormer? There are a number of things that could be causing it, but I agree with the others that selenium deficiency and chlamydia would be top of the list for me. Look into both.


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## NWIndianaBoers (Mar 18, 2013)

For those symptoms i would start here http://www.tennesseemeatgoats.com/articles2/iodinedeficiency.html
Could be a combination of one of the common aborting diseases. Have to have a fetus tested for that either having your vet send it or if you are close to a university that has an animal veterinary school and diagnostic lab you could take it in yourself.


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## goatlady1314 (Oct 24, 2013)

I had a goat go into labor this morning and she was pushing for a good 2 hours so I figured she was having trouble so I went in and there was bones all over on there but no kids. She's really sick..I gave her antibiotics. Anything I can do for her? I just went to town yesterday and picked up some selinium so hopefully the aborting will stop. They are being fed some good alfalfa mixed with corn silage


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

By goat mineral you mean a loose mineral (sand consistency) correct? Just want to confirm. And is it available free choice to them?

How long have you owned these does and have they kidded at your farm before? Did you use a new buck this year?

If there are any fetuses from a miscarriage or stillborns, it would certainly be worth it to pay for a necropsy at a nearby agricultural lab or university. A local vet should be able to tell you where to send it. In addition, choose any doe that has miscarried early and take a blood sample and send it off to WADDL (Washington lab) for the Abortion Screen. 

I don't know what you can do for the doe who seems to have mummified kids inside - do you have a vet available to give prescriptions that would induce labor further? 

I'm sorry you are having trouble!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Sounds like you have a serious problem and need a necropsy done. The corn silage may be a problem as well.


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## MoonShadow (Mar 1, 2015)

Good Info from everyone! 
I agree, A necropsy would be a really good idea in this situation and you should get in touch with a vet regarding the seemingly mummified kid/s inside her. Two hours is really to long to be pushing with no progress, From the time the goat starts pushing until the first kid is delivered should only be about *30 minutes*. Yes, some sort of mineral deficiency is probably at least part of the problem. Alfalfa is good but If it was me I wouldn't be feeding corn silage, it really does not have a lot of nutritional value to it and it's usually GMO as well, its a high energy forage and is mainly used on feed lots and such to promote faster growing and fattening of cattle.


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## goatlady1314 (Oct 24, 2013)

Okay thank you all! I just had another one abort today...we are going to call the vet and possibly get a necropsy done. Our goats are not getting free choice hay...do they need that? Why or why not? As of right now they are getting haylage and cornsilage mixed with some hay but that's all grinded up and mixed together. My older brother is feeding them and I told him they need free choice and he doesn't agree with that....


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## goatlady1314 (Oct 24, 2013)

Is haylage even good for goats?


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## deerbunnyfarm (Dec 14, 2015)

I've never even heard of haylage... But silage is not good for goats. They need free choice hay, not ground up, plus loose minerals and supplementation depending on your area.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Yes, goats need dry hay! The dry long fibers are ESSENTIAL to the way a goats rumen works! They are not miniature cows and they have very low tolerance for any molds and bacterias that occur in silages and haylages and balages.

It doesn't have to be free choice - you can feed hay at approximately 5lbs per head per day (really depends on the size of goats and the quality of hay) if you are going to supplement with other feed-stuffs. It is best to feed in racks (not troughs) that have openings approx. 4"x4" if he is concerned about the waste. This needs to be good dry fragrant hay - not 3 year old yellow stuff that got wet. If you can get grass/alfalfa mix - that is even better! (I think Iowa is alfalfa country). I would personally pull all silage and haylage and get them on free choice dry hay for a week until their rumens (and the bacteria in the rumen) get fixed then decide what to supplement with. 

Wrap a fetus that miscarried today and refrigerate until you have instructions from the vet! Also have him pull a blood sample from the does that miscarried and send it for an abortion screen.


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## goatlady1314 (Oct 24, 2013)

Okay do you think it could be pregnancy toxemia? Or ketosis? I was thinking that maybe it could because the ones that do have healthy kids are all twins or triplets and the ones that are aborting are mostly singles. Just a thought. We are taking the miscarried kid to the vet later today. The vet said its probably a string of lepto? I personally don't think he knows what he's talking about.


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## goatlady1314 (Oct 24, 2013)

Maybe they could be getting to much energy from the corn silage?


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

I really can't guess. A mineral deficiency seems most likely because some kids are born alive but weak. But it is hard to say. Hopefully the necropsy provides answers.


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## deerbunnyfarm (Dec 14, 2015)

Lepto is very rare in goats....but if he's a cattle vet that may be why he jumps to that conclusion. We'll see what the necropsy says! I really doubt that's the reason, I think diet is probably a factor.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Really need that necropsy to say for sure. If they also have cattle, that is certainly a possibility.


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## goatlady1314 (Oct 24, 2013)

He does have a lot of cattle. One of the does are down...she had healthy kids but she didn't have much of a bad. She's grinding her teeth, breathing hard, and shivering. Those are symptoms of pregnancy toxemia am I right?


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## deerbunnyfarm (Dec 14, 2015)

Smell her breath. It could be multiple things....


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I don't have anything to add but I'm following. This is a good opportunity to learn. I'm so sorry this is happening to you.


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## goatlady1314 (Oct 24, 2013)

She hasn't cleaned yet and she kidded yesterday. I'm taking the miscarried kid to the vet now


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

For the doe that is down: What is her rectal temperature? A high temperature may indicate infection, a low temperature could be "milk fever".... or other ailments. Is she chewing cud? Normal poop? Are you bottle feeding the kids?


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Failure to drop afterbirth can be a symptom of selenium deficiency... have any of the kids been born with really tough to break amniotic sacs that didn't necessarily break during the birthing process? This is also a sign of selenium deficiency.


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