Feed preparation methods in Boer goat farming

Speaking of Boer goats, perhaps some people are not particularly familiar with them. There are many breeds of sheep, and different sheep have different rearing methods and different feeds. Therefore, before farming them, farmers must first understand the living habits of this breed of goat.

Common feeds and their nutritional characteristics

 1. Green forage: There are many kinds of green forage, including various weeds, various usable branches and leaves, as well as artificially cultivated forage grass, leafy vegetables, aquatic green forage, and so on. 

2. Silage: This is a feed made by chopping green, succulent forage, compacting it, and sealing it in a silage pit (pond) or plastic bag, where it undergoes lactic acid fermentation. Silage is characterized by a sweet-and-sour smell, good palatability, rich nutrition, and the ability to be stored for a long time. Sheep farms and specialized sheep-raising households can use it as an excellent feed for sheep in winter. The stalks of crops such as barley and green corn, peanut vines, sweet potato vines, and various grass-family wild grasses and leaves can all be used as silage raw materials. Silage can replace up to 50% of the coarse feed in the daily ration and is a winter feed for Boer goats. Silage must be of good quality and not moldy, otherwise it will cause gastrointestinal disorders. 

3. Dry coarse feed: Dry coarse feed is an important feed for Boer goats during the housed or semi-housed period. It includes green hay and the stalks, chaff, and vines of various crops. This is the most abundant and lowest-cost feed resource. In order to fully and rationally use this type of coarse feed, scientific and reasonable processing and preparation methods must be adopted to improve its feeding value. 

4. Concentrate feed: Concentrate feed mainly refers to the seeds of grass-family crops and legume crops, as well as processing by-products. Such as corn, barley, soybeans, bran, oilseed meal, and so on. Concentrate feed has high digestible nutrients and is an essential supplementary feed for Boer goats. Especially before slaughter for fattening and in the winter and spring dry-grass season, more attention should be paid to supplementing concentrate feed. 

5. Succulent feed: Mainly refers to root and tuber feeds such as carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes, sugar beets, and pumpkins. It is characterized by high water content, low dry matter content, low crude fiber content, rich vitamin content, and high digestibility. It is a good feed for Boer goats in winter and spring. 

6. Animal-based feed: Mainly refers to the general term for by-products of fish, meat, and dairy processing, as well as other animal products. Commonly used ones include eggs, fish meal, meat-and-bone meal, blood meal, feather meal, silkworm pupae, whole milk, and skim milk. Animal-based feed is a high-protein feed, generally containing more than 50% protein, and its cost is relatively high. Ruminants generally rarely use animal protein feed, but during lactation of Boer goat ewes, the peak mating period of stud rams, and the fattening stage of crossbred goats, animal-based feed can be appropriately supplemented. 

7. Mineral feed: Natural feeds all contain mineral elements, but there are problems such as incomplete composition and inconsistent content. Therefore, for housed and grazing Boer goat breeding ewes, stud rams, and young goats in the growth and development stage, some minerals should be appropriately supplemented. Calcium-containing mineral feeds include shell powder, stone powder, and so on. Calcium- and phosphorus-containing mineral feeds mainly include bone meal and calcium phosphate types. Salt can supplement the sodium and chlorine needed by the goat's body, and can also stimulate appetite and promote digestion. In addition, trace elements are also needed——zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, cobalt chloride, magnesium sulfate, and so on. Precautions: The supply of concentrate should be arranged and provided according to differences in herd structure, breeding plans, grazing intake, and nutritional needs. The hay supplied in the winter and spring dry-grass season should be arranged according to the length of the local dry-grass period. For example, in the north the dry-grass period is generally 4 months to 6 months. The amount of dry matter consumed by Boer goats is 2.5% to 3% of their body weight, among which coarse feed accounts for the following percentages of the daily ration: 60% for post-weaning lambs and 80% for adult goats. In actual arrangements, it should be implemented at an amount 30% higher.

Preparation of feed for farming Boer goats

Cultivated forage grass: In recent years, the area of cultivated grassland and improved natural pasture has continued to increase. Forage grass from cultivated grassland can solve the need for supplementary feeding grass and grazing during the winter dry-grass season. 

1. Perennial ryegrass: It has strong adaptability, is not strict about soil requirements, and has relatively strong regrowth ability and cold tolerance. The fresh grass yield per mu is 5,000 kg. It begins to turn green seven days after cutting. The grass is soft, aromatic in taste, and good in palatability. 

2. Red clover: Legume, perennial (2 years to 4 years). It adapts to humid and warm climates. Areas where summer is not too hot and winter is not too cold are most suitable for planting. Red clover has high yield and strong regrowth. In Beijing, it can be cut three times a year, with a yield of about 2,000 kg per mu. In the south, it can be cut 4 times to 5 times, and with good management the yield can reach 4,000 kg to 5,000 kg. 

3. White clover: Legume, perennial herbaceous plant, with a relatively long lifespan, generally more than 10 years. It prefers warm, humid climates, and its optimum growth temperature is 19°C to 24°C. Its heat tolerance and cold resistance are stronger than those of red clover. It tolerates acidic soil, is not tolerant of saline-alkali soil, and is not tolerant of drought. Its nutritional value is very high. Whether grazed or cut, its leaves are mainly used, and its yield is relatively low.

4. Alfalfa: Legume perennial, known as the king of forage grasses. Its usable lifespan is 5 years to 7 years. It likes warm, semi-arid climates. Warm days and cool nights are most suitable for alfalfa growth. It has strong cold resistance and can withstand low temperatures of —20°C. It prefers neutral or slightly alkaline soil. Cut at the early flowering stage; cutting too early affects yield. In the Beijing area, it can be cut 3 times to 4 times a year. Its nutritional value is high, and it is rich in crude protein, minerals, and vitamins. Generally, the fresh grass yield per mu is 4,000 kg to 5,000 kg, and every 2 kg to 3.5 kg of fresh grass can be sun-dried into 1 kg of hay. 

5. Bird's-foot trefoil (also called horned flower): Legume, perennial herbaceous plant. It prefers warm and humid climates, has relatively poor cold tolerance, and does not adapt to cold and arid areas. It can also grow on barren soil and poorly drained soil. It is tolerant of trampling and grazing, and its regrowth ability is moderate. Its nutritional value is high, its quality is good, and its palatability is good. It is suitable for pastures mainly used for grazing. Its stems and leaves contain low saponin, and sheep are not easily caused to develop bloat after eating it. 

6. Flat-stemmed brome: Grass-family annual or short-lived perennial herbaceous plant. It is suitable for humid climates with warm winters, and its cold tolerance is relatively poor. It cannot overwinter in Beijing or Inner Mongolia. It has relatively strong saline-alkali tolerance and strong drought tolerance, but it is not tolerant of standing water and has relatively high requirements for soil fertility. Flat-stemmed brome has good palatability, and all kinds of livestock like to eat it. The hay yield per mu is 700 kg. Feed preparation: Feed should be properly prepared. Concentrate should preferably be processed into 0.5 cm to 0.6 cm pellets. Stalks and grass-family grasses should preferably be cut into 1 cm to 2 cm pieces. Root and tuber types, melons, and fruits should be washed clean and cut into small pieces before feeding.

Methods for combining concentrate feed

Concentrate feed should be reasonably combined, and every effort should be made to diversify it, especially ensuring the supply of protein, mineral elements, trace elements, and vitamins A, D, and E. Grass-family grasses are best cut at the heading stage, and legume forage grasses at the early full-bloom stage. The water content of fresh grass should be below 15%, reaching a green color with fragrance and containing no impurities. Corn stalks for making silage should be harvested at the dough stage. Silage should be green or yellow-green and have an alcoholic fragrance. Silage feeding amount: adult Boer goat rams 2 kg to 2.5 kg per day, ewes 2 kg to 2.3 kg, and lambs should not be fed it. 

1. Preparation method of hay: The preparation of dried green grass, sweet potato vines, and peanut stalks mainly consists of cutting them short. Cutting short can both reduce waste and increase intake. Generally cut into 3 cm to 4 cm small sections, and as far as possible mix and feed grass-family hay and legume hay together. The shortened hay can be moistened with clean water or light salt water, then sprinkled with some concentrate and fed to the goats together, and the effect will be better. According to need, the concentrate can use some cornmeal, bran, or mixed feed. 

2. Processing and preparation of stalk feed: Stalk feed is mainly crude fiber, with relatively low nutritional value and relatively poor palatability. Only after processing and preparation can its palatability be improved and its utilization rate and nutritional value be increased. Commonly used methods are ammoniation and microbial storage. Ammoniated feed: Because ammonia can break the firmness between lignin and cellulose in stalks, it can improve the digestibility of stalks. At the same time, the nitrogen contained in ammonia can also increase the crude protein content of the feed. Stalks or other coarse feeds treated by ammoniation can increase nitrogen content by 0.8% to 1%, and can increase crude protein content by 5% to 6%. Feeding sheep wheat straw, rice straw, and corn stalks after ammoniation treatment can increase digestibility by about 30%.

Specific methods for ammoniation of stalks

Stack the stalks. Generally, for 100 kg of stalks, pour in 12 kg of 20% ammonia water. The temperature of the liquid ammonia should not be lower than 20°C. Stack layer by layer and spray layer by layer, and finally seal with plastic film. The mixed stalks can also be placed in a pond for sealing or sealed in a plastic bag. Farmers processing a small amount of ammoniated feed can use urea ammoniation. The ratio is 1 kg urea and 10 kg water mixed, which can then be sprayed on 25 kg of stalks. The stalks and the sprayed urea water must be fully and evenly mixed. After mixing, they can be put into plastic bags, large vats, or cement ponds. The key is to seal them tightly without air leakage. Treated stalks require sealing for 15 days to 20 days in spring and autumn, 7 days to 10 days in summer, and 45 days to 50 days in winter before they can be opened. After opening, they should be left for 1 day to 2 days to let the excess ammonia volatilize before feeding. Feed with relatively good ammoniation quality is brownish and has a burnt aroma. After more than 1 week of adaptation, the intake of goats is generally 3.3 kg to 8.8 kg per 100 kg of body weight. Each time ammoniated stalks are taken out, the plastic sheet must be covered again properly. Ammoniated feed generally has no side effects, but it should be fully ventilated and evenly mixed before feeding. If poisoning occurs, each goat can be drenched with 0.5 L to 1.5 L of vinegar to detoxify. 

In the process of raising goats, the combination of feed is very important. Only by using farming feed reasonably can twice the result be achieved with half the effort, can farming costs be effectively saved, and can the benefits of farming be maximized.