# goat scrunching up to poop--is this a problem?



## JoannaCW (Nov 29, 2008)

When I went out midmorning with warm water for the goats I saw my milking doe scrunch up, almost the way they do when they're bred, before defecating. The stool looked normal. She didn't pee. She's eagerly eating whatever I offer her. I wondered, though, if the scrunching indicated constipation or something else I need to try and fix. She puffed her sides way out while hunching, so it looked as though she had extreme hay belly, though after defecating she looked normal again.
I've upped her grain slightly, slowly, and also slowly cut back the amount of it that is homegrown rather than storebought with molasses, both in an effort to maintain milk production; I also gave her a quarter of a pie pumpkin yesterday. As always she's getting all the grass hay that she can eat. I'm not sure if I need to cut back on rich feed or...
Yesterday and today when she was on the milk stand I also thought I noticed unpleasant smelling flatulence. Not sure if that's new or just new to me due to the fact that I've finally beaten my allergies and my nose is unplugged. 
Any advice greatly appreciated.


----------



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

I'd just keep an eye on her for a couple of days. She may be slightly uncomfortable due to the feed changes.


----------



## JoannaCW (Nov 29, 2008)

Thanks. Sorry. I take my own minor ailments fairly calmly but can be hypochondriac about my goats. Just went out to give her more maple leaves and willow twigs and saw her having an easier-looking bowel movement. I will pay attention and stop overreacting


----------



## Doug Hodges (Jul 22, 2013)

I don't know about goats but.......nevermind.................


----------



## dozedotz (Dec 12, 2012)

No one here thinks that you are overreacting! We use it as a defense mechanism..."if I think it is pneumonia, then it will just be a sneeze.." That's how we do it!


----------



## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

And with goats tending to go downhill so fast at times, it's the observant owner who saves them by catching stuff early.


----------



## AuntKitty (Oct 25, 2004)

Does she have baking soda?


----------



## JoannaCW (Nov 29, 2008)

Not routinely. I'll try offering some. I've never yet had a goat with apparent digestive trouble accept baking soda, but should try again....


----------



## PermaAMP (Jun 13, 2013)

Are you sure she was straining to poop? I've seen my girls get "goat boners" sometimes. Out of no where the scrunch up like they do after a breeding or sometimes if I scratch them in a certain spot on their belly. If her stool is normal it's probably nothing but keep an eye on her just in case.


----------



## JoannaCW (Nov 29, 2008)

She did eat the very small amount of baking soda that I offered her. How much is it good to give them at a time--will they overdose?


----------



## JoannaCW (Nov 29, 2008)

Never mind that; I read online and saw it seemed safe, and after she'd had maybe a tablespoon or so she lost interest.


----------



## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

I have baking soda out all the time for them to use or not. I have noticed that when the are on more alfalfa, they use it more.


----------



## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I am one of those who get concerned when any of my animals (including goats) do the slightest thing differently.....suspect it is simply part of who goat owners are.

As for Baking Soda, I leave it out ALL THE TIME along with their free-choice loose minerals. They eat it as they need it and, no, they cannot overdose on it.


----------



## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Sounds like a goat boner to me....


----------



## Doug Hodges (Jul 22, 2013)

Minelson said:


> Sounds like a goat boner to me....



Hmmmmmm.


----------



## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

I guess it's called a girl boner....Mine do it occasionally and they are not bred or near a buck or in heat. It just happens 
From Fiasco site
*Squatting & Back Arching: *
Question: 
Ever since we bred one of our young does has been doing this weird squatting thing. She squats like she is going to pee, but then she tucks/curls her bottom in, her front and back legs are very close.... she kind of turns into a ball. It's like she is trying to push/squeeze something out, but nothing comes out! I have seen it 5 or 6 times, and it's getting very troubling. She has no discharge or blood, but I wonder if she's aborting or having an abnormal pregnancy. ​ Answer:
Your doe is having what we refer to as a "girl boner", for lack of a better term. It looks totally involuntary - like she has no control over what is happening.. right? 
The act you describe is what a doe does when she "comes" when a buck breeds her. It happens right when the buck has a successful thrust and meets his mark. You want to see arched back at breeding; it means a good solid "poke" that satisfied everyone. She is not trying to squeeze out the semen; it really means the semen is on it's way. 
We have seen our does have "girl boners" many, many times over the years. We can't really explain the whys and wherefores for it, but we do know, at least in the cases of this that we have seen in our own herd, it is absolutely nothing to worry about.


----------



## JoannaCW (Nov 29, 2008)

Good to know. Thanks.


----------

