May 2011 overview...NOT for the weak in stomach!!

Hi everyone!  I have been such a slacker on my blog, but it's been a really busy month!  Let's see, where do I start?  Here's an overview of my month (photos included)...

May 16th, 2011 - Saturday

At around 9:30 a.m., my sister comes and wakes me up saying that Sprite, one of our junior does is dead (I was sick in bed).  I ran as fast as I could down to the barn, being sick and tired...I was definitely running on adrenalin at that point!  Sprite was only 1 1/2 years old and had never been bred.  She was acting so happy the day before, just like she always is...no sign of going downhill.

After the tears settled, it was time to find out what the culprit was.  Some good friends of mine came over and helped us do a necropsy on Sprite, to determine what went on.  I've included some pictures for all of you "farmy" people who'd like to see what I saw...NOT FOR THE WEAK IN STOMACH!!

This is what we saw upon opening her up...fat attached to the whole gut

The fat was actually attached to her gut, which was SUPER strange.

This is the small intestines, all encased in thick fat, preventing an easy flow of the rumen.

Circled is the heart and lungs, embedded in fat.

Left:  a part of the thick fat that was previously encasing the heart and lungs.  Right:  the heart and lungs after fat was taken off.

The large intestines encased in fat

This was the most bizarre thing me and my friend, who's been doing goats for a LONG time, had ever seen!!  It was exactly like pig fat...hard like plastic, but soft enough to bend and pull off.  So, any input from experienced goat people would be HIGHLY appreciated!  I personally think it's a genetic mutation, but it could be something else too.

This is a good example of why doing a necropsy on an animal that has died in your herd is so important...for your knowledge and the health of your herd, that way you can determine if it's contagious to other goats and watch for any "off" symptoms in the herd.

I've learned loads from this experience and hope that this will help others, although I'm not sure of what exactly it is.  I encourage you, if you are feeding your goats a lot of grain, or any other fattening feed, please do it with caution and moderation!  I'm not saying this was the cause of Sprite's death, but it can aid to it and is something that ALL livestock owners should be aware of.

So that was my first goat death, and hopefully the last for a long time :-(

In loving memory of Mercyfarms MI Sprite - 2010-2011

May 17th, 2011 - Sunday

The whole herd gets really sick with coughs, runny noses, scours and...you know, all the nasty parts about being sick!  I felt like I spent all day drenching the goats with various things!  I was so tired by the end of the day :-)

May 18th, 2011 - Monday

Ohara, my 7 year old LaMancha doe sprains her ankle.  It was really swollen and she couldn't walk on it at all.  I gave her a strong dose of Turmeric powder for a couple of days and she healed up very quickly!


Turmeric is an herb that I keep in my barn at all times!  It's an anti-inflammatory and helps keep swelling down, which speeds up the healing process.

May 20th, 2011 - Monday

The whole herd is better now...Praise God!  I treated them with a bunch of my homemade concoctions :-)

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Here are a couple of cool cloud pics from May!

Clouds just before a HUGE storm moved in

A cool picture of the sun!

Have a good night!

-Hannah

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