How to Raise Goats? Goat Farming Techniques and Precautions
AbstractGoat shed: Build the goat shed in a sunny place with high terrain and good drainage, with an area of 1-2 sq m per goat being suitable; build a manure storage pit and exercise yard outside the shed and equip them with relevant facilities. Goat breed: Choose high-quality crossbred goats. Timely castration: Castrate male goats at 7-60 days after birth. Feed feeding: Mainly forage, supplemented by concentrated feed, and adjust the feeding amount according to the growth stage. Drinking water: Provide clean water every day, and warm water in winter. Daily management: Regularly wash and disinfect the goat shed, and separate them into pens for raising in a timely manner.
1. Goat Shed Construction
Choose a place with relatively high terrain, good drainage and sunny exposure. The floor of the goat shed should be 20cm higher than the ground. The goat shed is best if sturdy, warm and well ventilated. The area should be determined according to the scale of raising, as long as each goat has 1-2 sq m of activity space. The eaves height should be controlled above 3m, and some trees should be planted outside the shed to help prevent heat and lower the temperature.
Set up an exercise yard outside the goat shed, with an area 2-5 times that of the goat shed. The exercise yard should be equipped with drinking troughs, feed troughs and hay racks. Build a manure storage pit outside the goat shed for treating goat manure.
2. Selection of Goat Breeds
The quality of the goat breed directly determines the production performance of the goats. Combining local conditions and choosing suitable goat breeds can, to a certain extent, increase yield and economic returns. Generally, raising crossbred goats is preferable.
3. Timely Castration
For male goats not suitable for breeding, except for some male goats kept as teaser goats, the other male goats should be castrated at 7-60 days of age to facilitate management.
4. Feed Feeding
Goats are herbivorous animals. The feed given to them should mainly be pasture grass and leaves, supplemented by concentrated feed. In summer and autumn, when the temperature is relatively high, feed the goats more forage, leaves and pasture grass; the ratio of gramineous grass to leguminous grass fed should be 4:1, and concentrated feed should be supplemented appropriately.
In winter and spring, when the temperature is relatively low and forage is scarce, feed the goats more mixed feed to meet the nutrients needed for their growth and promote their growth and development.
5. Drinking Water Supply
Provide goats with sufficient drinking water every day to avoid decreased appetite, indigestion and other conditions caused by water shortage. In winter, give the goats warm water.
6. Daily Management
Clean the floor of the goat shed once a day, regularly disinfect the goat shed and its surroundings, remove goat manure once every 15 days, and transport it to a place far from the goat shed for piling and fermentation.
To ensure the healthy growth of goats and increase yield, promptly place pregnant ewes, lactating ewes and lambs in separate 2 sq m goat pens for raising, so as to avoid excessive raising density, miscarriage of ewes, and lambs being crushed to death. The individual pens for raising them should be kept dry, clean and with sufficient light, and the temperature is best controlled at 18-20°C to ensure the healthy growth of the goats.