Another Day with the Goats: Pt. 5- Contracted Tendons in Newborn Kids

Have you ever seen a kid with legs so bent that it is walking on it's knuckles? This is usually a condition known as contracted tendons. Bent legs in newborns are not uncommon, and are not such a very bad thing. Usually, this condition caused either by improper nutrition (deficiency in vitamins A & D, or selenium) or by crowding in utero, sometimes by both. This buckling is one of Nelly's triplets. He and one of his sisters had badly bent legs, the other one also had slightly bent legs. Good news: the legs straightened out in just a few days (3 if I remember correctly). In the video below, I show the kids legs and the treatment. I hope this helps someone!

Basic treatment outline:

1. Administer A & D

2. Splint legs with cardboard

3. Continue the above until legs straighten.

Contracted tendons in Charlemagne, a Saanen buckling.

As you can see, his legs are severely bent, so that he is actually walking with his hooves curled under him.

Charlemagne at about a 7 days old. His legs are now perfectly straight.

Juliet (the doeling with contracted tendons at birth), at about 7 days of age.

Comments

Marvelous Seeds- Natural Dewormer for Dogs and Others

Naturally de-worming animals can be challenging, and some people will say that you are just better off going with the chemicals. There are several problems with chemical wormers however. You see, a chemical wormer is actually a poison, which is fed to the animal in large enough doses to kill, or expel the worms, but in small enough amounts that it hopefully will not injure the animal. Trouble is, worms have an ability to build up resistance to the chemical poisons used in these wormers. For example: A few years ago, when I first started with dairy goats, I had major trouble with worms. In fact, I lost quite a few goats to them. I tried using the chemical wormers- SafeGuard (at 4 times the dosage for horses, for 3 days straight), and Ivermectin. The goats' hair remained curly (a sign of a heavy worm load), and their gums and eyelids were pale. Finally, most of them died- including three beautiful purebred, registrable Nubians. I was heartbroken. Several years later,

Puppies For Sale!

Looking for a good family dog? Need one who will be friendly with your animals? We are offering Inez's puppies for sale/adoption to good homes. As stated in other places on this blog, the sire is a beautiful, purebred Chocolate lab who lives near us. Inez is a full-blooded Great Pyrenees. We used to lose chickens to the many predators which live all around us (foxes, raccoons, opossums, hawks, and coyotes, etc.) But since we got her, we have lost hardly any poultry at all. In fact, we no longer even need to shut or lock the coop door at night. (Note: We do not guarantee that the puppies will be as good at protecting as she is- simply that they come from a dog who is excellent at it.) She is also super sweet to people and our farm animals. She is gentle, and enjoys being petted, and although she is slightly reserved with strangers, she has never been at all aggressive. Little children love her, and she loves them and is sweet and gentle. The puppies wi

Natural cure (and prevention) for foot rot in goats and other animals

Several years ago, I began learning about the benefits of copper as a supplement. I learned that it is actually a necessary mineral for goats, cows and sheep, and is best absorbed in sulphate form. What prompted the research was a case of foot rot in one of my goats. I was unaware that it was foot rot until someone diagnosed it for me over the phone. I had noticed that his foot had been swollen for a couple days, but didn't pay much attention to it, thinking that a bug might have bitten or stung him. After about three days from the time that I initially noticed the swelling he was limping badly. I mentioned this to a man who was interested in buying him, and he said that it might be foot rot. He said to check and see if it smelled bad, and that if so, it was probably foot rot. I checked, and sure enough there was a strong putrid smell to it. So I started researching a natural, and speedy, cure for foot rot online. There was very little information to be found

Chicken Scraps Blog

Search This Blog