I have a 2yr old doe that has hollow areas in front of her hips, on either side of her spine. She was purchased with some other goats when we bought this place. The hollow areas have been there since we've had her, and we now have many more goats, but she is the only one with them. She is a good weight, not skinny and not fat. She is an Alpine cross (maybe with nubian?, she has airplane ears) and has never freshened. We were concerned if maybe she was injured or something. She and some of the others were raised with horses and a neighbor says it looks like she was bitten right on top of her spine. The hollow areas are symmetrical (sp?) and seem to make her spine very obvious. Any ideas?

-- Sharon in AL (sharonspaws@aol.com), December 26, 2001

Answers

Could you possibly be referring to the normal sunken-in areas goats have between the thigh (rear) and belly? Or is this high up above where the spine bone starts?

-- Dianne Wood (woodgoat@pacifier.com), December 26, 2001.

She may just be thin. Or maybe she just has a lot of dairy character. Most of my goats have the hollowed area on the flank. If it is very pronounced, she probably needs to gain some weight. Go to this page, and see if Kameleon has the hollows you are talking about. Walnut Fork Kameleon

If these are the hollows you mean, your doe is fine.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), December 26, 2001.

It is called Dairy Character. You can't look at a diary goat and say, "she is fat" or "she is thin" by looking at their hips, pins and flanks. They carry internal fat first and then flesh over their ribs. Like folks who look at very productive dairy cattle and think they are skinny compared to an Angues or meat cow. Two different animals completely. I would bet that all your other goats are meat animals, they do not milk for a living so they carry meat and fat all over thier bodies. The hollows become more pronounced in a very pregnant doe when she is due to deliever and the babies drop out of this area and down toward the middle of her belly, infront of her udder. I would bet that this doe with the hollows :) is also going to be your best consistant milker. Check over your yearlings ribs, if all you feel is bones and skin, then yes she needs more fleshing. You should feel the ribs but they should have a layer of flesh this time of year, unless she is milking. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), December 26, 2001.

Also, sunken in front of the hips can be not drinking enough water. Cows, horses, goats, all get sunk there if they are not drinking, or not drinking enough.

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@msn.com), December 26, 2001.

She isn't thin, she has a nice layer of meat over her ribs, but when I press down I can feal her ribs. This isn't the hollowed out area that typical goats have in front of her flanks, and all of my goats are dairy goats. This is just on either side of her spine, viewed best from above her rather than beside her. It looks as though whatever muscles or tissue should be there is sunken in. She has the normal hollow areas between her flanks and stomach like the rest of mine do also. This may or may not be related, but I run our buck with the does we want to breed during the duration of breeding season. This particular doe is 2 yrs old and has gone into heat 4 times so far this breeding season and each time I have actually seen our buck mount her and mating take place. Why is she continuing to go into heat? All the other does we run with him are either actually pregnant or presumed to be pregnant, so we know it isn't the buck. Maybe she is sterile? Thanks for all of your help.

-- Sharon in AL (sharonspaws@aol.com), December 26, 2001.

Haven't a clue then on the hollows :) If she is coming back into heat and hasn't kidded though with a buck and is 2 and 1/2 than you can pretty well be assured there is a problem. A doe who doesn't cycle or recyles AFTER she has kidded normally, is usually cystic and can eaisly be re-hormoned, if there is such a word, with luteyse and cysterellon. But a doe who has never freshened is another story. Have you looked at her very critically? Is her vulva smaller, tipped or tightly together, if you insert a finger can you feel any small protrusions? Are here teats abnormally small, even though she hasn't kidded they should be mature for her age. Does she mount the other does in heat, and fight with the buck during pen breeding? Do you AI or know someone who does that can go up inside the doe and see if she has all her parts? Do you have ultrasound in your area, so you can see if she is a female or perhaps is missing her uterus? It's tough to use Lutelyse or Bo-se to try to help her ovulate if she may yet be bred again, and the buck is in with her. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), December 26, 2001.