# Wife thinks I'm starving them



## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

My little goats almost always have a round shape to them, but the larger goats are a bit hollow under the pin bones? (the part just in front of the rear legs). 

So my wife says I am starving them.

Things I interpret as not starving:
1. They still leave stems from the hay I feed them.
2. I have green grass growing in their area.
3. There is still some bark on some trees.

So the right answer is: Bob, you're stooopid, of course the goats are starving, goats are like teenagers and always starving.

But if there are other right answers I am glad to hear them.


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## sanhestar (Dec 10, 2008)

Well,

as goats are picky eaters they tend to leave the parts of the food when first hunger is satisfied.

I don't know if you know Grimm's fairy tale of The Wishing Table: The goat that one time says "I'm so full, I can't eat anything" and the next time "only jumped over ditches and didn't find anything to eat" - very ("!) loosely translated...

Don't know how the weather's at your place but here I notice something that I see every year around this time. The grass is coming out but the goats still have to stay in the paddock and suddenly the hay isn't good enough for them. They only eat to take the hunger off and leave a lot of hay just laying around.

Another thing: if your goats are still growing they could have done a growth spurt and are now in need of some additional energy and protein.

Or, they have worms - silent eaters.

Or, the coat shedding is costing them energy.


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## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

Their eyelids are pink. The weather is fine, they lounge in the sun lying on the grass all day. I would think if they were hungry they'd be browsing. The area they are in is 70 ft x 110 ft for four goats, so they don't even burden the soil. Some of the spring grass is already 6" tall in their pen.

They are the adults (4 & 5 yr old) so I think they would be past growth spurts.


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## Rex (Nov 30, 2008)

If they have feed, regular worming and look like they are happy I wouldn't worry about them. You didn't say how old your bigger ones were but mature goats tend to have more of a hollow behind the ribs than kids.


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## eastcoastpackers (Feb 27, 2010)

What kind are they? Nubians tend to have a hollow look from the backbone, but that's their shape.


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## sweetgoatmama (Dec 10, 2008)

http://kinne.net/bcs.htm

THis is the best body condition scoring article I've found. It actually had pictures to compare with your goat. People who are used to evaluating horses will think goats are too thin based on their bony protrubances. It takes a completely different eye to tell on goats.


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