# Is my goat a little too boney?



## Shellshocker66 (Mar 19, 2012)

So I picked up a mini Nubian female last week, from a family who one member has health problems and they admit they didn't have time for the goats anymore.

I notice momma was a little on the skinny side when I got her and asked what they were feeding her. The reply was just some grass hay and of course whatever was in the pasture (which was pretty short grass). Momma also has a buckling that is still nursing that I also purchased.

So I wormed her when I got her home and started her on a mixture of higher protein goat food, along with grass hay and some cob. She has a good appetite. Her stools are firm, but she is still a little boney along the spine and hips. I also have minerals available to them). She does have a good amount of milk in her udders that the boy is keeping down daily. She is acting perfectly normal (other then the high pitched screech that she has for a voice, which I decided sounds more like a bigfoot then a goat!).

Is this normal or should I be doing something else?

Thanks in advance!


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

With a kid on her and producing milk it sounds normal. Dairy goats have a tendency to be high in the hips which makes them look much thinner than they really are. Feel the sides of her back bone and see if there is any meat between that and her ribs. If not she is thin if there is she is fine. With being on just grass hay before it takes a bit to get that internal fat back on. If you really want to put some weight on her you can also try giving her some alfalfa too. How much grain are you feeding her and what is the brand? And how old is her kid?


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

My doe was pulled down quite a bit when she had her kids on her and I was milking her. Her hips are still prominate and she still needs weight by her back bone. Kids have been weaned for 4 months now. I give alfalfa and grass hay. She is starting to pick up weight now. Dairy goats if they are older will always look a bit thin to me!

How old is her kid? Can you wean it and dry her up? I think adding alfalfa and drying her up would make a big difference. As long as she is in milk and a kid is on her, she will put everything into her milk production.


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## Shellshocker66 (Mar 19, 2012)

As for brand, I don't remember and I just showered otherwise I would head out and look (I want to be clean for at least 30 minutes before those goats call me down wanting something). It was the high protein milking goat feed (lactaide?)

Her buckling is unknown age, the family thought he was half the age of the other bucklings they had in the pen which were born in November, but he acts a lot younger then that. I really don't have anything to compare him to other then the Pygmy's which were born Jan 21st. They act much older then he does and Momma kicks them off the teat when they try to nurse.

She has little fat between the spine and ribs. So I will grab a bale of alfalfa tomorrow and try that with her. I feed her dry about 6 cups (these are large solo cups) split between morning and night. She is about 50-60 pounds total in weight. 

Thank you for the advice all!


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## Christina Smith (Jul 19, 2020)

Get her on a higher fat feed (not protein) and give her 1.5 pounds twice a day of grain and free choice grass hay and m
minerals. Also, get ricebran oil or flaxseed oil and drence her 30 cc a day. Keep her penned and not free roaming to avoid burning of any extra calories. From my experience, goats tend to show viable signs of weight gain pretty slowly so just that all up for about 2-3 months. She'll put on weight


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## NigerianDwarfOwner707 (May 17, 2018)

Can we get photos?

She should have alfalfa.

What did you worm her with?


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## Iluvlilly! (Apr 6, 2019)

This thread is from 2012, i think she solved her problem


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## NigerianDwarfOwner707 (May 17, 2018)

Iluvlilly! said:


> This thread is from 2012, i think she solved her problem


LOL. Silly me should have looked.


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## Iluvlilly! (Apr 6, 2019)

NigerianDwarfOwner707 said:


> LOL. Silly me should have looked.


:heehee:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

:haha:


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