All owners periodically face the problem of lack of appetite in small ruminants. But it can be difficult to understand why a goat is losing weight quickly and what to do to help the animal regain its weight. It is dangerous when deviations in an animal’s behavior and changes in appearance are symptoms of a disease. Although sometimes a lack of appetite may simply be a whim and a reluctance to eat the food offered. And then it’s easy to solve the problem by simply changing your diet.
Why does a goat lose weight quickly?
If we exclude the possibility of serious illnesses, veterinarians and experienced livestock breeders suggest several reasons for the loss of livestock weight:
- postpartum constipation and refusal to eat. Failure of the hormonal system can cause constipation. Intestinal dysfunction also provokes the disease, which is explained by feeding the goat heavy, high-calorie food before giving birth;
- a common phenomenon is weight loss during pregnancy and lambing, since in the case of a difficult pregnancy the female does not have the strength to eat well;
- lack of vitamins, micro- and macroelements.
If the goat has lost a lot of weight, do not panic. It is necessary to examine the animal, make sure that the diet is nutritious and that there are no irritating or unnerving factors.
How to deal with the problem?
Before you start fighting for weight and appetite, it is advisable to examine the animal. If there are no visual problems with the body, then you need to contact a veterinarian and have the skinny goat examined. Since weight loss and food refusal are common symptoms of a number of diseases.
A properly formulated diet is the key to the full development of any animal. A goat is considered an undemanding animal, but it is not surprising that it will refuse to eat rotten hay or spoiled food. You must always monitor the quality of feed and water.
To prevent rickets and weight loss due to vitamin deficiency, animals are fed green grass in the summer and high-quality hay in the winter. The diet constantly includes twigs, sprouted grains, sunflower seeds, soybeans, and salt. It must be borne in mind that in extreme heat, animals may also refuse food.
Measures to prevent exhaustion
If cattle are provided with the right conditions and a nutritious diet is selected, then there will be no problems with weight loss or lack of appetite.
Of course, taking into account seasonality. During the cold season, animals are allowed outside for a short time to prevent hypothermia. A reasonable alternative to winter walks is to periodically ventilate the room during the day for 5-10 minutes.
Keeping animals in cramped, damp or poorly ventilated spaces is not conducive to weight gain and development. Therefore, the pens must be spacious and kept clean. It is recommended to periodically disinfect premises from parasites. Sometimes exhaustion can be caused by worms that the goat has become infected with.
Therefore, periodic deworming of both adult goats and young animals is encouraged.
If weight loss and loss of appetite are caused by illness, the animal must be restored to shape gradually. To awaken the appetite, the goat is fed with delicacies. Creating the right conditions, a fortified diet, and clean water will contribute to weight gain and full development of goats.
