Lost another goat today

[User635240]

Hi, I just lost the 4th female goat in two months from my herd of now 10 dairy goats. Her kid was getting out of their stall on a daily basis, it was driving me crazy, I could not afford to reinforce or replace all the lumber so today I didn't try to repair the stall but tied the dam to a feeding rack with a dog leash around her neck. I went out for 4 hours when I got back found her strangled on the leash. It looked like she had struggled to chew it off and it was twisted like she had turned around several times. She was still warm as if I missed her by minutes. She was a prime doe, 2 years old, robust and healthy.
I lost another dam, 5 years old, last month, to total lameness probably from meningeal worm and damage from induced labor. I had taken her to a couple of vets and they weren't able to troubleshoot her lameness.
Also lost two newborns doelings; one had floppy kid syndrome, I did not take her to the vet, tried to care for her at home, and she died of probably milk toxicity after one week. Her sister died of head trauma; she got out of her enclosure while I was gone for less than an hour, and when I got home found her injured and hiding under the RV, and she died shortly after.
I have owned goats for 2 years and have not had deaths before. I am low income and have been sick the last six months or so, probably due to mercury poisoning (have had a lot of testing done). I just got organized to purchase stronger lumber. I know these are not excuses. Please be honest: am I unfit to own goats?

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I have a good friend that if she sees an animal in poor conditions she will walk right up the home owners door and offer to take the animal. She has 3 rescue goats. It doesn't mean you're unfit, it just means that she can give it a better life. So I guess the question is, if she knocked on your door what would you do?? I'm very sorry for the tragic losses. Hope you find a solution that works for you and for them.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Sorry you lost your goats. Goats are a lot of work. Sounds like maybe you aren't in a good place currently, and perhaps they are adding too much stress to your life. A couple of goats are manageable, but more than a few and things can get complicated at times.

 

[StinkyAcres]

I'm sorry and I feel you. I had a similar experience with goats and I didn't even have milking does. I and my vets just couldn't keep them healthy. They are so fragile. It was so stressful I would never do it again, for myself and the animals. I still blame myself for some of it, but I now think in my case the climate and area where I live was a big part of the problem. My Katahdin sheep barely had any health problems compared to the goats. I still have one who is 16 years old. Maybe the breeds you have are not a good fit for your area?

 

[21hens-incharge]

I am sorry for your losses.

It sounds like you have a lot of things going on. Maybe it's time to take a break from goats. You can try again of course. A break may give you a chance to fix things up so future goats will be fun and not as stressful.

 

[lindy]

- goats dont do well tied, especially if she has not been trained. i collar would of been alot better.
- menigeal worm is horrible. i have been lucky but most fight with it all the time.
-was the doeling being bottle fed? or dam fed? usually dam fed ones do well and dont overfeed.
I have a larger herd then i like, but the market is so slow. Its hard for me to keep up daily especially when i work from dawn to dusk.
I have lost one goat a year it seems to pneumonia. its heartbreaking every time. I have also lost an adult one of my favorites, but it looks to be an aneurism. She was perfectly fine when i fed her in the evening and she was dead on a ramp in the morning.
how is your setup? hot wire works well too. I am teaching this years kids about it so we shall see if it makes it easier with thekeeper kids.

 

[User635240]

Thanks for all your responses. I think I'm still in shock. I saw her stumble before I headed out, and had a bad feeling the whole time I was out, but still didn't rush home.
I guess I'm not ready to give them up, or give up on them. I do live in a wet, cold climate, which is not ideal for goats.
I'll re-read your responses tomorrow, see if I can get additional insights. Thanks

 

[Kiki]

Hi, I just lost the 4th female goat in two months from my herd of now 10 dairy goats. Her kid was getting out of their stall on a daily basis, it was driving me crazy, I could not afford to reinforce or replace all the lumber so today I didn't try to repair the stall but tied the dam to a feeding rack with a dog leash around her neck. I went out for 4 hours when I got back found her strangled on the leash. It looked like she had struggled to chew it off and it was twisted like she had turned around several times. She was still warm as if I missed her by minutes. She was a prime doe, 2 years old, robust and healthy.
I lost another dam, 5 years old, last month, to total lameness probably from meningeal worm and damage from induced labor. I had taken her to a couple of vets and they weren't able to troubleshoot her lameness.
Also lost two newborns doelings; one had floppy kid syndrome, I did not take her to the vet, tried to care for her at home, and she died of probably milk toxicity after one week. Her sister died of head trauma; she got out of her enclosure while I was gone for less than an hour, and when I got home found her injured and hiding under the RV, and she died shortly after.
I have owned goats for 2 years and have not had deaths before. I am low income and have been sick the last six months or so, probably due to mercury poisoning (have had a lot of testing done). I just got organized to purchase stronger lumber. I know these are not excuses. Please be honest: am I unfit to own goats?

Do you think you are fit to own goats?
Does it really matter what other people think?

 

[User635240]

Do you think you are fit to own goats?
Does it really matter what other people think?

It wasn't smart of me to tie up the goat on a looped leash. She died due to my carelessness. I'm just not sure if it's normal to lose so many animals at once.