The goat does not eat well and gives little milk: what to do and the reasons, the rules of treatment

Goat breeding can bring not only joy to a novice breeder, but also difficult situations. It happens that after childbirth or during lactation, the goat suddenly loses its appetite and does not give milk as much as it should. There may be several reasons for this pathological condition of the animal. Consider what to do if the goat does not eat well and gives little milk.

Main causes and treatment rules

Loss of appetite and insufficient milk production in a goat may be due to diseases of the udder, diseases of other organs or errors on the part of the breeder - improper feeding or maintenance.Often several causes can be combined at once, or one may be the result of another.

Udder diseases

Childbirth is stressful for any animal, and the process does not always go without consequences. A common problem that can happen to goats after giving birth is udder swelling. The edema is not life-threatening for the animal, but still, the animal needs help, as the edema can lead to a more serious problem - mastitis. In order for the udder to return to normal sooner, you need to lubricate it with honey, Troxevasin, wrap it with a heated towel before milking.

If the udder is not soft, but inflamed and hard, it is most likely mastitis. The disease itself is not cured, you can help the goat by giving antibiotics: Streptomycin, Cefazolin, Benzylpenicillin. Do not use ointments and vegetable oils, rub them on the udder.

Mastitis can be caused by improper milking, ingestion of microorganisms if hygiene is not maintained, or keeping the animal in a cold or dirty environment.Often, a late launch of a goat before childbirth also leads to mastitis. In this case, the animal's body does not have time to recover and prepare for the next lactation.

Incorrect feeding - a high content in the goat's diet of juicy root crops, fresh grass, concentrates that are given to stimulate milk production, can also be the cause of mastitis. Sour in the rumen, food causes the death of microflora, toxins irritate the parenchyma of the udder. Milk stagnates in it, inflammation occurs. To avoid this, you should not give the goat a lot of juicy food and increase the proportion of rough. Grass to give only dried.

Other diseases

Endometritis is an inflammation of the uterus that develops as a result of a delayed placenta. The cause of the disease is improper feeding of the goat during pregnancy, especially in recent months. The ruminant body requires fiber and carotene, which it can obtain from feed.And since it usually occurs in the winter-early spring, at this time there are not enough nutrients in the food.

To replenish the goat's body with dietary fiber and carotene, the animal needs to be given more hay, branches with leaves, concentrates, reduce the amount of root crops and silage.

Maternity paresis or milk fever. This disease develops during the first days after childbirth, the reason is a sharp calcium deficiency. This element is consumed for the production of milk and is taken in large quantities from bone tissue, therefore, goats with high milk yields most often suffer from paresis. Symptoms - goat refusal to feed, drop in temperature, wobbly gait.

Treatment should be done by a veterinarian. Due to the decrease in temperature, the animal freezes, and it needs to be warmed up - rubbed with hay plaits and covered with a blanket.The scheme of malnutrition leads to another disease - atony of the proventriculus (cessation of their activity). Symptoms - lack of chewing gum and peristalsis, development of tympania. The goat should be treated with ruminative drugs, such as hellebore tincture or Tympanon, and a starvation diet, given only hay and water.

Ketosis is a disease that develops due to an excess of protein in the feed (when fed with legumes before childbirth or at the beginning of the lactation period).

Symptoms - refusal of food, rapid weight loss. Ketosis affects mainly multiparous animals with high milk yields. It is necessary to treat by following a diet in which the amount of protein corresponds to the energy capacity of the food. At the beginning of treatment, milk yields will be small, all milk must be given to the goat.

Improper feeding

Little milk happens in those goats that give birth for the first time. For the first 1-2 days after giving birth, this is normal. To increase milk supply, a goat can be given a liquid mass of bran, water and a small amount of sugar.

A goat can give little milk after a sharp change from one feed to another, with poor feeding, lack of protein, vitamins and minerals, feeding poor-quality feed. If she milked well at first, but then stopped giving milk in the same volume, she needs to be fed with sunflower cake and other nutritious food - concentrates, good hay, dairy products.

Containment Breach

Any pet should be kept in a warm, dry, spacious and bright room. In a cold, dirty, windy and dark goat house, goats get sick, and if they remain he althy, they do not feel comfortable. Due to poor maintenance, milk yields are declining.

If you bring the goat's rue in order, clean it, insulate it; turn on the light in the evening and in the morning, change the bedding in time, take the goat outside for a walk every day, the animal will feel better and the milk yield will increase.

Udder care during lactation is essential. Before milking, it must be washed with warm water, and after that, massage and smear the nipples with a special cream for the udder. It is better to keep kids separate from their mother and bring them to her only for feeding.

When is reduced milk production considered normal?

A goat's milk supply gradually increases up to 3-4 months after birth. Then it starts to decrease gradually. This is considered normal, the milk decreases so that the goat can prepare for the next lambing.

If a goat does not eat after lambing and gives little milk, such situations are often dangerous for her he alth and life. When such symptoms appear, you need to find out their cause and start treating the animal.

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