# My bow-legged babies



## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

Last year we had a couple of kids born with feet that sort of bent in or out, can't remember which. In any case, they were not perfectly straight. I did bo-se every day for a few days in a week or so they were straight. (Triplet boys). This year I had another set of triplets born to a different doe and two of them have similar feet, with bowed legs too! We do bo-se 4 times per year and copper 2-3 times, (depending on wether I get my dates on the calender mixed up!) This doe got bo-se and cdt and copper bolus one month before her due date. We use a commercial dairy ration, not the same as what we had last year though. 

I'm assuming these legs will straighten out. We have no adults with crooked legs. The kids are 4 days old today and they are getting better, walking, running, jumping, etc. I gave one of them an extra shot of bo-se, 1/4 cc. (I have those little diabetic syringes that work great for tiny amounts of anything). To see if it actually helped, I gave it to the doe, not the buck, he just got the normal at birth. Doe also get extra vit. e.

My question is, for anyone who has had this problem, is additional bo-so for my herd a possible solution, or is this something I should be worried about? (Well, I'm going to worry regardless.) Maybe there is some other imbalance? They do get a mineral, it is sweetlix. Not my preference, but the best I've found available locally.

Thanks for any thoughts.


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## Guest (Mar 14, 2011)

Increase your AD& E in their feed and you will see less of this... 
Barb


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

Thanks Barb. You mean the vitamins A, D and E? If so, what is the best source? A different mineral?


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

I am bumping this up because my senior doe at 11 had a single buckling who has a classic case of rickets. I have never seen this before but wow it is obvious when you do. 

I have supplemented the dam with AD&E and wanted to ask if anyone knows if you can supplement a kid that young with out problems. I read one article that said to give D gel but of course don't have any...I do have tabs I could crumble but how to figure dosage? 

My quest for the why of this after 30 years without ended up on the fact that Poa has teeth issues and was failing to maintain weight so she has been eating a soft senior horse ration and looks better by far but obviously the cal/phos ratio is different than in my normal grain/alfalfa mix. And her feet are beginning to change and toe in pretty dramatically. 

Any ideas on pulling this guy out of it? He is happy and chipper and very active. How did your kids do after starting out like that Anita? Any ideas how often I can supplement the doe?

Thanks for any input.
Lee


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

Hi Lee,
Yes, my kids legs straightened out perfectly. I think it took about two weeks, but it was complete. This year, out of seven kids so far, just one little doe was born with bowed legs. But, I have noticed with her, having her out in the bright sunlight, that it's really not her legs that are bowed, it's her feet. She is walking on the outside of them and it's clearly visable from the slope on the bottom of the hoof that she is doing that. The feet are still very soft and pliable. I was able to see this when I had her outside yesterday in the bright sunlight, and think that with my other kids, it was probably more of a soft hoof issue than bent legs. She did get bo-se yesterday and I'll check them again today. This makes maybe 5 or 6 kids born this way over a three year period on two different farms, out of three different does, and three different sires, using various feeds and minerals, and in the past, all have straightened...don't know if they straightened because of the bo-se or just because their hooves finally hardened up. 

I'll see if I can attach a picture of the little doe. 

It's more obvious on the right side, but both legs do bow out. She's kind of cow-hocked in the rear too. Neither her sire or dam are cow-hocked or bow legged so I expect her to straighten out. It's kind of uncomfortable for me until they do though...I keep thinking that one day I'll have a kid that will set up permantely like that.


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Thanks Anita-glad to have your input.
I did a before photo but will wait to post it until there is an AFTER one  
Hope yours do well too.
Lee


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## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

I had an orphaned ewe lamb given to me several years ago with severly bowed legs (like old time cowboy cartoon bowed). Very little history except the mother died and she was an orphan. I gave her BO-SE, human infant vitamins and raised her on goat milk and she pulled out of it perfectly, but it took her about 3 months to be fully straight legged.

Not sure if this is the same issue or not.


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

This little doe in the picture is actually not as bad as the bucks in previous years. Her legs looked straighter tonight when I had them out in the yard playing. It always bothers me though especially when I know I have people coming to look at kids....would "I" buy a bowlegged kid? I don't think I would. LOL


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## Guest (Mar 22, 2012)

I use a powdered AD&E vitamin,, you can get it at most feed places or elevators...


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

MRFBarbara said:


> I use a powdered AD&E vitamin,, you can get it at most feed places or elevators...


How much do you add to the ration, Barb?


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## Guest (Mar 22, 2012)

It doesn't take much at all... I put in the grain bin.. I add about three tablespoons to 100 lbs of grain.. it sifts down thru it..


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## [email protected] (Sep 18, 2008)

I had two with bowed front legs this year. Never had it before. First was one of ZeeZee's trip doelings--first one born, but the smallest. DH even noticed it and said 'Her legs make her look like a little bulldog', and he NEVER notices stuff. :/ She also had 'puppy paws' (front and back)--yanno--how they rock back on their heels making their feet look like paws instead of hooves. She got an extra day of BoSe/E for that, but I never associated the bowed legs with it. Her suck reflex was fine and was on the lambar at 2 days old. ZeeZee didn't get *extra* BoSe (which I did for one line cuz it's NOTORIOUS--weak suck, FKS), cuz I've never had a problem with her kids. Chalked it up to trips. <shrug>
The other was out of her daughter, Bug, who didn't get *extra* BoSe, cuz I don't give *extra* to FF. Single doe kid. She got extra BoSe/E for 3 days. Puppy paws and weak suck reflex--took me almost a week to get her on the lambar. Bowed front legs, too. Bug is on the list for extra next year.
Both have normal straight legs now.
May got extra, cuz I had to tube feed her doeling for almost 3 days last year. She had twin bucks this year and one had puppy paws and got extra BoSe for 2 days, but his suck reflex was fine and his legs weren't bowed.


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