For the past 3 days now our 8 month old goat kid,Mollie,has had frost on her coat.Could this be from a fever? She is active and eating well but,this morning we noticed she rolls her head back funny like she maybe dizzy or "out of it". Our other 2 goats do not have this problem. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated!:)

Thanks!:)

-- Laura (snoopy@portup.com), January 20, 2001

Answers

Hi laura,

I'm not exactly sure of what you mean by "frost on her coat." Has she perhaps had an injury? It could me any number of problems, from nutritional to goat polio, listeria... If you can give me a bit more information that would help.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), January 20, 2001.

I am with Bernice - definitely need more information. Just off the top of my head I would give some Vit. B right away, won't hurt anything and could head off polio, which the head rolling is a first sign off.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), January 20, 2001.

Being from the south :) Frost as in frozen icy crystals? Are the other goats in the pen keeping this doe out in the weather? As far as the head twisting, we always saw that does without horns do this to scratch their back, with their horns removed, being instinctual they still do this. Has anyone yet figured out that the goats are just so damn much smarter than us that we make up all this stuff to explain what is probably perfectly normal behavior? Perhaps your other goats are the weird ones because they don't roll their heads? :) Not a clue, and I am only teasing! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), January 20, 2001.

Laura, need more information for good answer. Please visit http://www.cybergoat.com/ to find links to many great resources for goat health. Also go to: http://www.goatworld.com/911/

-- Skip Walton (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), January 20, 2001.

Hi, As far as the frost on her coat,it looks like someone took a spray bottle and turned the nozzle to a mist and sprayed it over her and it froze. The goats are housed in a pole barn,and we only let them out on nice days. She is an Alpine goat. If you need anymore info. just let me know. Thanks!:)

-- Larua (snoopy@portup.com), January 20, 2001.

Hi laura,

i'm stumped... interesting situation. I raise alpines too. I have not experienced anything like that so maybe someone on goatworld Er can help. It may be nutritional.... not exactly sure if the others are OK. Hmmmmmmmmm....... I wish I could help.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), January 20, 2001.

I'm sorry to be so dense, but this just didn't click for me until today. It isn't uncommon for one of my goats to have a patch of frost on her back early in the morning. For warmth in this wicked cold we've had in MO the last 6-8 weeks, mine will pile up side by side with their heads across a partner's body. The moisture from their breath collects and freezes on the tips of the hairs and really is frost. It's interesting to watch because mothers and their kids and grandkids will sleep in groups even if the kids were bottle raised. I have also noticed that when I have a group of kids in a pen, they will sleep with their siblings. This seems to hold true except with a single kid in cold weather when they will get on the edge of a set of kids. My husband calls this grouping "wombmates."

I've seen mine toss their heads then take off in that sideways, stiff legged, ain't life grand run that usually ends with some kicking and posturing with their fellows. Some have just seemed to like to look at the sky and otherwise were perfectly normal. Question is what's normal for a goat.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), January 21, 2001.

'The frost on the coat' got me. However the dizzy and 'out of it' that I have experianced. They act that way when they get into something they shouldn't have, nightshade maybe. If she is still alvie, try feeding her charcoal.

-- Carroll (waelibry@gvtc.com), January 25, 2001.

'The frost on the coat' got me. However the dizzy and 'out of it' that I have experianced. They act that way when they get into something they shouldn't have, nightshade maybe. If she is still alvie, try feeding her charcoal. I have also been experianceing strange things with my goats. New borns with 'weeklegs'-stop feeding soy beans. One lady told me her goat died of cancer due to the excessive pesticide and fertilizer on the hay.

-- Carroll (waelibry@gvtc.com), January 25, 2001.