Goats are notorious for taste testing everything in sight.
Unfortunately, this sometimes leads to some strange-looking poop.
It’s good to know what goat poop should look like to detect any issues early on.
This is especially true for baby goat poop.
Poop from baby goats tends to look slightly different from stool from goats who are fully grown.
Baby goat poop starts thick and black for the first 48 hours of their lives. During the first two weeks, baby goats will begin to have yellow poop, the consistency of pudding. The poop will then look like little grape clusters as they reach 20 days old. These are all considered normal.
Monitoring poop consistency and looks are essential for keeping track of a baby goat’s health.
Let’s dive more into what is considered normal for baby goat poop.
What Does Baby Goat Poop Look Like?
Baby goats tend to have very different poop than adult goats.
This is because they are still developing their digestive tract.
Taking note of the color, consistency, and frequency of their poops is vital to monitor their gastrointestinal health.
Knowing what to expect from healthy goats will help goat owners pick up any potential health issues early on.
Newborn goat poop is often very dark.
It is almost black and has a thick, tar-like consistency.
These first few poops are called meconium.
This changes as the goat begin to digest.
After a few days, the baby goats will have yellow poop.
For the first few weeks, the color of baby goat poop will stay yellow, but the consistency will change.
After about a week and a half, the poop will look like yellow berries.
This isn’t anything to be concerned about.
The change is a result of the development of their digestive system.
Baby goat feces changes a lot during the first few weeks, so it is helpful to know what is normal and what is not.
Keeping track of the poops in baby goats and baby goat scours is an essential indicator of their overall health.
As they age, you’ll start to notice brown baby goat poop.
This is part of the transition into their normal adult poops.
Once they reach adulthood, you won’t experience much change in their poop.
Table For Baby Goat Poop
During the first few weeks of a goat’s life, it is helpful to know what is normal and abnormal for their stool.
As their digestive system develops, there will be noticeable changes in baby goat poop color.
Newborn goat poop looks significantly different than what is expelled from adult goats.
Keep this helpful baby goat poop chart on hand during the first few weeks to refer to when you are unsure if your goat kids are healthy.
| Age | Poop Color | Poop Consistency |
|---|---|---|
| 0-48 hours | Very dark, black | Thick and tar-like |
| 1-14 days | Yellowy | Pudding |
| 10-20 days | Yellowy | Grape-like clusters |
What Is Not Normal For Baby Goat Poop?
Baby goat feces does change quite a bit, but there are some abnormalities to watch out for in your baby goat kids.
These are some colors and consistencies you need to address in any baby goat scouring if you encounter these characteristics.
In general, anything outside the normal poop for their age is something all responsible goat owners should address.
Baby goats are actively growing and developing.
Any health issues occurring in the first few weeks of their lives will negatively impact their overall health.
In many cases, health issues become a matter of life and death.
The goats may suffer from stunted growth or improper development in less severe circumstances.
We all want our goat herds to be full of happy and healthy animals.
Monitoring their poop is a great way to catch any health issues early on.
Watery Yellow Scours
Scours refers to baby goat diarrhea.
This watery yellow consistency is an indicator of some health trouble.
Usually, it has to do with dehydration caused by excessive milk consumption.
It also occurs when the milk is too rich for the babies to digest.
To treat this, you’ll need to limit the milk consumed in a sitting.
It also helps to use a formula formulated for baby goats to replace the mother’s milk until the baby goat’s diarrhea clears up.
Bright Yellow Or Green Scours
Profuse amounts of bright yellow or green scours indicate serious digestive system damage.
If you notice this coloring, it may be associated with coccidiosis.
Coccidiosis in goats occurs when there is an infection in the intestinal lining of an animal.
If the parasite load is severe, you may even see blood in the stool.
Ensure veterinary attention as soon as possible to receive proper treatment as this may kill goat kids.
Treatment usually consists of large doses of CD Antitoxin to effectively neutralize the toxins in the bacteria causing the health issue.
Green Diarrhea
Smelly green diarrhea often occurs between 21-30 days of age for baby goats.
Green watery diarrhea is almost always a sign of coccidiosis infection.
The single-celled internal parasite takes up residency in the intestinal lining.
Most deworming pills do not take care of this parasite.
Treatment involves sulfa-based antibiotics.
See your herd veterinarian for treatment advice.
While green diarrhea may not seem like the most alarming thing, it is very dangerous.
It may kill baby goats or stunt their growth and development, especially if it is persistent diarrhea.
Addressing the issue quickly is key to the well-being and health of your goat.
No Poop At All
A constipated goat will not poop at all. If there is no poop occurring, there are a few reasons.
They range in severity, but all should be addressed.
Constipation in goats is one of the leading mysterious causes of death in young goats.
Here are some potential reasons for constipation in goats.
- The goat is born without an anus.
- The initial thick, tar-like poops are causing a blockage.
- They are not eating enough.
- They aren’t drinking enough clean water.
Treatment depends on the cause of the constipated goat.
One trick of the trade is to dilute a drop or two of soap with 1 tsp of mineral water into 1 oz warm water to form a solution.
Use a syringe to insert the solution into the anus.
This usually makes a constipated goat poop within 15 minutes or so.
Treating the constipated goat is vital as the risk of toxicity is serious.
How Often Should Baby Goats Poop?
In addition to color and consistency, it is also important to note how often your baby goats poop.
Ideally, a baby goat will have a bowel movement at least once every day.
If this isn’t occurring, there may be an underlying issue.
The goat may not be eating enough to produce a bowel movement.
This means they aren’t getting the vital nutrients to grow and develop into healthy goats.
Another reason your goat may not be pooping daily is it may be dehydrated from lack of milk or water.
Ensure all of your goats, babies and adults alike, have constant access to clean water for drinking.
Dehydration is often enough to keep a goat from pooping.
The goat may also be constipated, another issue as toxicity may occur.
Some goats are also born without an anus which is a serious concern.
Make sure to monitor your baby goats to have healthy poops.
What Does Adult Goat Poop Look Like?
During the first month or so of your baby goat’s life, their poop will change dramatically.
Knowing what to expect at various stages of their growth is a great way to ensure they are developing healthily.
Once your goat reaches adulthood, its poop will change again.
As adult goats, their poop should stay fairly consistent for the rest of their life unless some underlying health or digestive issue occurs.
Normal adult goats poop out brown-colored pellets. Often they are oval-shaped and hard.
The pellets should be fairly separated.
If they are producing clumpy goat poop, it may indicate an underlying digestive issue.
Further reading: Is clumpy goat poop a cause for concern?
Goats’ digestive system is easily upset, and often the first indicator is their stool.
Abnormal poops in baby goats and adult goats alike may also indicate a more serious underlying health issue.
Many people like to think of goats as having stomachs of steel.
While they may love to taste anything they get their mouths on, this does not necessarily mean they can digest everything they eat.
When goats eat something they shouldn’t, their sensitive stomachs often react adversely.
This means diarrhea and watery scours.
