A LESSON LEARNED: MILK FEVER

BRIAR CREEK FARM
May 31
3 min read

No matter how experienced one may be in raising goats—whether for milk or meat—there is always something new to learn. Now that our 2024–2025 season has concluded, and aside from sending the weaned kids on to greener pastures, I can take a moment to pause, breathe, and reflect on the past kidding season.

BRIAR CREEK FARM NIGHT SKYLAR WITH MAX AND SAMSON

Briar Creek Farm Night Skylar was a beautiful doeling born on our farm on April 14, 2021. From the beginning, she exhibited a gentle and affectionate nature, quickly becoming one of the sweetest does in our herd. Her exceptional temperament made it clear that she was meant to remain a permanent part of Briar Creek Farm. Skylar eventually became the face of the farm, featured in a memorable image alongside Max and Samson as they greeted each other at the fence. Until this year, Skylar’s progeny included two doelings born in 2023: Miss B’Haven and Morning Star. Of the two, we retained only Miss B’Haven, affectionately known as Haven. However, we made the difficult decision to sell her later last year due to limited pasture space. Skylar did not settle during the 2023–2024 kidding season. Naturally, we were overjoyed when Skylar delivered healthy twin doelings on March 6th of this year: Briar Creek Farm Dance’n Boots and Briar Creek Farm Eleanor (Ellie). However, that joy was short-lived, as Skylar began showing signs of illness just a few days after kidding. Her sudden decline was deeply concerning and marked the beginning of an unexpected and difficult journey.

Skylar stopped eating, became lethargic, and her body temperature dropped significantly. Concerned, we immediately contacted the veterinarian for guidance. Since we had already begun treatment for suspected pregnancy toxemia — an issue we were somewhat familiar with — the vet confirmed that we were taking appropriate steps and advised us to closely monitor her condition. However, we later learned that Skylar was actually suffering from milk fever, not pregnancy toxemia as initially suspected.

Unfortunately, the revised diagnosis and subsequent treatment were initiated too late to change the outcome. We lost this beautiful doe later that evening.

This experience was a difficult and painful lesson. However, if sharing Skylar’s story can help even one person recognize the signs of milk fever sooner and seek timely treatment, then we’ve at least turned that loss into something meaningful.

Milk Fever in Dairy Goats

Milk fever is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition that affects high-producing dairy goats. Despite its name, it is not an actual fever, but rather a calcium deficiency in the bloodstream that occurs when the doe’s body cannot meet the high calcium demands of late pregnancy or early lactation.

What Causes Milk Fever?

During the final stages of pregnancy and the early days of lactation, a doe’s need for calcium increases significantly. If her diet doesn’t provide enough, or if her body cannot mobilize calcium fast enough, blood calcium levels drop, leading to milk fever.

Goats at higher risk include:

Older does
Does carrying triplets or more
High-producing dairy breeds

Signs and Symptoms

Milk fever typically appears 2 weeks before or after kidding. Watch for these warning signs:

Isolation from the herd
Wobbly or unsteady gait
Muscle tremors or twitching
General weakness or inability to stand
In severe cases, a pregnant doe may be too weak to deliver her kids

Treatment Options

Milk fever requires prompt treatment. If you suspect a doe is suffering from milk fever, contact your veterinarian immediately.

Common treatments include:

Intravenous calcium: 50–100 ml of 23% calcium borogluconate
Subcutaneous calcium: An additional 50 ml may be given under the skin after IV treatment
Oral calcium supplements: Suitable for mild cases or follow-up care

Prevention and Management

Prevention is key to protecting your does from milk fever. Focus on providing adequate dietary calcium during late pregnancy. Effective strategies include: