| Author | Message | ||
     Sandi Scott New member Username: sarasotasandi Post Number: 39 Registered: 07-2005 Rating: N/A |
Maggie, I think you've nailed it again. We've seen it 3 times now, twice in one of triplets and once in a twin. With the twin, we had run out of Bo-Se and that doe only got about half the usual dose. Since she was younger and smaller, we kind of let it slide. It will be interesting to see what the blood tests show. I have to take a young kid in to have his horns re-done. I'm going to ask the vet to show me how to draw blood. I can do it on humans, I should be able to learn to do my own blood draws on the goats. | ||
| Maggie Leman Moderator Username: maggieleman Post Number: 465 Registered: 07-2005  Rating: N/A |
All of Ohio is listed as selenium deficient. My area (NC) is actually listed as variable but all of the goats I have tested before I started giving selenium twice a year tested low, and I had plenty of weak kids. Even now with twice a year dosing my goats still test low normal and sometimes just under normal. I have both feed and minerals with about the highest selenium I can find. I know there is lots of scary stuff out there about overdosing selenium but you really have to get carried away to do so and it is a sudden acute massive overdosage that usually is the problem. I give my little 2.5 pound pygmy babies half a cc and that's supposed to be a 20 pound dose! Haven't lost one yet to overdosing but they nearly all respond very quickly. Let me know what you find out with the blood tests. Remember that a doe that tests low normal may have enough selenium for herself but not enough for her kids...With blood testing too your vet will be better able to make recommendations specifically for your herd. Maggie Leman Goat 911 Capri Medic | ||
| Sandi Scott New member Username: sarasotasandi Post Number: 38 Registered: 07-2005 Rating: N/A |
We are in SE Ohio. We give 2 to 3 cc to the does depending on size, and .5 cc to the kids. I was giving it twice a year, but was worried about overdoing it because of the selenium in the feed and minerals. I'm still planning to have some does tested to get a better idea of where I stand. Sandi | ||
| Maggie Leman Moderator Username: maggieleman Post Number: 464 Registered: 07-2005 Rating: N/A |
Bet you are still selenium deficient. I have to give BoSe twice a year and I still get the occasional deficient kid. Where are you and how much BoSe do you give the does? It is probably the BoSe that you give to the kids that gets them up in less than a week. You also need to be sure the herd is getting enough vitamin E to utilize the selenium they are getting in their feed and minerals. If the vitamin E is lacking they can't absorb selenium. BoSe is actually a balanced selenium/vitamin E supplement. But most feeds and mineral supplements contain relatively little selenium (but most have a good amount of E if they have it at all) because selenium is highly regulated by the FDA when used in feeds and mineral supplements. Maggie Leman Goat 911 Capri Medic | ||
| Sandi Scott New member Username: sarasotasandi Post Number: 37 Registered: 07-2005 Rating: N/A |
My neighbor and I have each had weak kids born this year. They seem healthy and vigorous, but the back legs splay out and they have trouble standing. It takes the kids 3 or 4 days before they are on their feet - meanwhile they drag around with their front legs. We bottle feed or hold them to the udder until they are strong enough to stand. I am concerned that we might be having some kind of a mineral deficiency that will only worsen over time. We do give all the does Bo-Se once a year, and all kids are given Bo-Se right after they are born. The does are fed a quality goat feed that contains extra copper, and all have access to free-choice minerals, both loose and block. We are planning to have some blood drawn on a few does, but don't know what we should test for. Sandi |