Five Key Points to Nail Down in Winter Goat Farming

When it comes to goats, I think everyone is very familiar with them. In China's rural areas, you can often see people raising goats. Some households keep 2 or 3, while others raise them on a larger scale. So goat farming in China's countryside is still very widespread and very common.

Winter goat farming requires nailing down the “five key points”

1. Graze scientifically. The winter climate is cold, with frequent wind and snow, so when grazing you should choose low-lying, sun-facing flat areas surrounded by hills, and do not roam too far, so that you can return to the pen in time if the weather suddenly changes. At the same time, the winter dry-grass period is long, and pastures often feel insufficient, so you should save grazing land as much as possible. When herding sheep, choose far first then near, shade first then sun, high first then low, gullies first then flat ground, go out late and return late, walk slowly and roam slowly. If conditions allow, leave some pasture near the sheep pen so it can be used for emergency grazing in bad weather.

2. Prepare enough forage. In winter, there is little forage in the wild for goats to eat, and dead branches and withered grass have very poor energy and nutritional value. If goats eat poorly or do not eat their fill during the winter, they are very likely to lose weight. Therefore, preparing enough winter forage and supplementing feed to goats in winter is crucial. Forage storage is generally done in summer and autumn, because pasture is abundant and its nutritional value is also high in that season. In addition, some concentrate feed should also be stored to improve the effect of supplementary feeding.

3. Sort the flock in good time. Before the flock enters the winter ground, it is best to sort the flock. Aside from appropriately culling old, weak sheep and those in very poor nutritional condition, group the rest according to nutritional status to make grazing easier. At the same time, female goats often give birth during the winter, so female goats should be moved into the kidding room for separate care before giving birth. And after newborn lambs have suckled for a period and been trained in good time, a separate lamb flock should be organized to prevent them from grazing long distances with the large goat flock. A dedicated person can be responsible for letting the lamb flock graze and move about at close range. After returning to the pen, they should also be driven into the lamb pen and raised separately from the adult goat flock.

4. Protect against cold and keep warm. Check the goat shed, repair leaks, prevent drafts and rain or snow from blowing in, and ensure the shed is warm and dry. When a cold wave comes, add thicker bedding. In addition, never light a fire inside the shed to raise the temperature, to prevent the goats from getting pneumonia from the smoke.

5. Do a good job of sanitation and disease prevention. In winter, frequently inspect the pens and keep the pens, bedding, drinking water, and forage clean and hygienic. When necessary, thoroughly disinfect the pens. At the same time, goat farmers should learn to prevent and treat the main diseases of goats, and manage the goats well so they do not come into contact with sick goats, and do a good job of disease prevention. In early winter, goats are prone to goat lice. Once found, rapeseed oil and kerosene can be mixed and applied to the affected area, 3—5 times a day for 3—4 consecutive days. You can also take 100 grams of raw pig lard and 150 grams of ginger, mash and mix them, and rub them onto the affected area of the goat's body; 1—2 times is enough to eliminate it.

Nutritional needs and breed selection  

1. To raise Black goat meat goats, there must be sufficient roughage to meet the needs of rumen microorganisms, and then formulate the daily ration according to the production purpose and economic benefits of Black goats at different stages.  

2. In terms of breed, excellent Black goats suitable for confined raising should be selected. For example, Weiyan Black goats have the characteristics of a strong physique and strong disease resistance and survival ability, and have achieved large-scale development in many farming areas. This kind of Black goat is suitable for intensive confined raising or free-range raising.  

3. In terms of the daily ration for confined Black goats, note that feed formulation should be comprehensively nutritious, diverse in type, highly palatable, and easy to digest, with reasonable matching of concentrate, roughage, and green feed.  

4. Lambs should be allowed to suckle enough colostrum early to ensure health. Nursing lambs can be grazed early and supplemented with plant-based feed to promote the development of rumen function and strengthen the lambs' ability to adapt to the external environment. The daily ration of growing goats should be mainly roughage, and concentrate should be reasonably proportioned according to the production purpose and the quality of the roughage. Black goat fattening goats should be fattened mainly with a high-concentrate daily ration. Breeding female goats should be given supplementary feeding in late gestation to ensure the normal growth and development of the fetus in the later stage.

Benefits of housing Black goats  

1. Black goats grow and develop quickly. Because wandering and foraging activities are reduced, the proportion of forage converted into mutton increases, a unit of grass can produce more mutton, the raising cycle can be shortened by half, turnover is fast, and benefits are high.  

2. More manure accumulates. A free-range goat accumulates an average of 500 kg of manure per year, while under confined raising it is 1000 kg.  

3. Fewer diseases and a high lamb survival rate. Free-range goats, because they are “exposed to wind and rain”, are prone to infection, and sick goats are not easily discovered in time, so lamb deaths often occur. Confined Black goats can be managed carefully, do not drink dirty water, and have fewer chances of infection, so the mothers are fat and the young are strong, and the survival rate can reach almost 100%.  

4. Promote the restoration of vegetation, resolve the contradiction between forestry and grazing, help commercialize the forage industry, and drive the production of herbivorous animals toward intensive and large-scale development.

Advantages of confined raising of Black goats  

1. Black goats grow and develop quickly. Because wandering and foraging activities are reduced, the proportion of forage converted into mutton increases, a unit of grass can produce more mutton, the raising cycle can be shortened by half, turnover is fast, and benefits are high.  

2. More manure accumulates. A free-range goat accumulates an average of 500 kg of manure per year, while under confined raising it is 1000 kg.  

3. Fewer diseases and a high lamb survival rate. Free-range Black goats, because they are “exposed to wind and rain”, are prone to infection, and sick goats are not easily discovered in time, so lamb deaths often occur. Confined Black goats can be managed carefully, do not drink dirty water, and have fewer chances of infection, so the mothers are fat and the young are strong, and the survival rate can reach almost 100%.  

4. Confined raising of Black goats can also promote the restoration of vegetation, resolve the contradiction between forestry and grazing, help commercialize the forage industry, and drive the production of herbivorous animals toward intensive and large-scale development. 

Although raising goats is fairly common in our country, and the market demand for goats is also very high, and in daily life mutton is a fairly commonly eaten dish, farmers still need to make their choices based on the current market conditions when raising them.