MAIN TYPES OF GOAT BREEDS IN INDIA. North-Western A.Sirohi B.Jamunapari C.Barbari Southern Peninsular A.Osmanabadi B.Malbari C.Sangamneri Eastern Region A.Black Bengal B.Ganjam Northern Region A.Changthangi B.Gaddi C.Chigu
Totapari,Beetel,Zakhrana,Marwari,Mehsana,Gohilwadi,kutchi,Surti are the other types of goat breeds in india.
Boer,Sannen are the main imported breeds of india.Boer from Australia and sannen from Switzerland.
Cost of boer goat is 20,000-25,000rs.It is known for its meat.Adult buck weights 120kg.
Sannen is a milking goat.It yields 4-5 litres of milk per day. Price of sannen goat 25,000-30,000rs.
Adult goat weights 70kg.
A.Sirohi Distribution:
Sirohi District of Rajasthan and Palampur in Gujarat. Conformation:
Compact medium-sized animals. Coat color predominantly brown with light or dark brown patches' a very few individuals are completely white. The body is covered fairly densely with hair which is short and coarse. The hair grows at the rate of about 2 cm annually. Ears are flat and leaf like, medium sized and drooping. Both sexes have small horns, curved upward and backward. On average, the birth weight is about 2.0 kg.The age at first kidding is 19-20 months and the litter size is one kid per birth. The breed is wel suited to stall feeding.
The breed is used mainly for meat. The milk yield is relatively small, about 0.5 kg per day, with an average milk yield of 65kg over a 120 day lactation period.
Kidding : Usually doe kids twice a year, giving birth to single in 40% while twins in 60% cases.
They kid twice a year. Adult Buck weights:50kg Adult doe weights:40kg B.Jamunapari
Distribution:
The Jamunapari is known as the best dairy goat in India. It is also the tallest breed and commonly known as the "Pari" in its area of origin-the "home tract"-because of its majestic appearance. Its home tract and natural habitat is the Chakarnagar area of the Etawah district in the State of Uttar Pradesh, along the delta of the Jamuna and Chambal Rivers, and the Bhind district of the State of Madhya Pradesh along the Kwari River, east of New Dehli and not far from the famous Taj Mahal at Agra. The Jamunapari is well adapted to the unique ravines of this area with its dense bush and shrub vegetation. The Jamunapari seems to have evolved specifically in this environment, as the breed is not found naturally in adjacent areas outside of their home tract.Jamunapari buck - this breed is an important part of native life.
Confirmation:
The Jamunapari has white, short hair except for long hair on the thigh and back leg. It has a strongly arched Roman nose and long pendulous ears are the major breed characteristics. The neck is long, muscular and set erect. The loin is strong but usually arched; the tail is short and typically curved upward. Ear length is about eight inches for three-to-six-month old kids, growing to 12 inches on adults. Horns project backwards and their length reaches about nine inches on adults. The udder is relatively capacious, compared to other Asian "dairy" goats, but pendulous. Teats fit hand milking and are up to six inches long. While the ears in adult Jamunapari are about 12 inches long, the face, including the mouth, is shorter than the ears by about two or three inches, thus causing a critical and disadvantageous 1:4 ratio of ear to face length. It makes the ears awkwardly touch the ground or feed trough before the mouth does when trying to graze or feed. And the eyes can also be covered by the long ears. Thus the Jamunapari has evolved more to feeding by browsing bushes, tree leaves and the top of grasses than typical ground grazing, which makes the breed vulnerable to environmental changes.
performance:
Natural conception rates of Jamunapari are high at about 88%, kidding rate 1.6, twinning 52%, and triplets and quadruplets are common.
Age of first conception is around 18 months, first kidding at 23 months, and interkidding interval about 11 months.
Selection criteria of bucks:
Jamunapari bucks selected for breeding purposes by farmers are very carefully based on certain criteria and utilizing judiciously their knowledge and experience.
Pedigree is an important point of consideration before a purchase is made. Body color should be perfectly white and no compromise is made in this respect. A buck must be
from a high yielding female of older age. No buck from first or second parity females will be considered for breeding purposes.
Horns should not be straight but curved upward-no buck with downward curved horns will be considered. Testes should be round and small. Body hair should be short and glossy, but the hair on the thigh and back legs must be long. There should be no black color on the nose or head. The face should be well arched with a Roman nose. Males should have beards.
Adult male weights:60-70kg Adult female weights:50-60kg C.Barbari
Distribution:
district of Rajasthan, Etah, Agra and Aligarh districts of Uttar Pradesh, and Bharatpur. The breed, quite important for milk and meat, is a dwarf breed highly suited for rearing under restrained and stall-feeding conditions. In addition to being a good milkier, it is highly prolific. Considering the number of animals reported, there is serious need for undertaking conservation measures. It was observed in personal surveys that most males are castrated early in life and fattened for slaughter at religious festivals, and that a sizeable number of non-descript goats are kept for milk production by owners who maintain Barbaris, as all the milk of the latter is allowed to be suckled by their kids to ensure good growth.
Conformation:
Small animals, with compact body. The orbital bone is quite prominent, so that eyes appear bulging. There is wide variation in coat color, but white with small light brown patches,is the most typical. Ears are short, tubular, almost double) with the slit opening in front, erect, directed upward and outward. Both sexes have twisted horns, medium in length and directed upward and backward; horn length: 11.17 cm. Bucks have a large thick beard.
performance:
Adult male body weight 38kg female-25kg
Reproductivity period(kidding interval) 10months singles-49% doubles-50% triplets-1% quadriplets-nil miliking capacity-1litr/day Southern Peninsular A.Osmanabadi Distribution:
Conformation:
The goats are large in size. Coat color varies, but mostly it is black (73%) and the rest are white, brown or spotted. Ninety per cent males are horned; females may be horned or poled.
Performance:
The breed is considered useful both for meat and milk. Average daily yield varies from 0.5 to 1.5kg for a lactation length of about 4 months.
According to CIRG(central institute of reseach for goats) report Osmanbadi breed has excellent quality of goat meat and leather skin than any other breeds in india The palatability of goat meat is higher. Gestation period is 5months.It breeds twice in 10months and gives 4-6 kids in 10months.However 2 months rest shoud be given per for obtaining good result,that means nearly 40 days after each pregnancy(two estrus cycles)
Age at first kidding 380days Reproductive capacity single-10%
twin-40% triplet-40% quadriplet-10%
Adult does weights: 40-60kg Adult bucks weights:50-65kg B.Malbari
Distribution:
Calicut, Cannannore and Malapuram districts of Kerala. Conformation:
Medium-sized animals. Coat color varies widely from completely white to completely black.31% of the goats have long hair. Males and a small percentage of females (13%) are bearded. Both sexes have small, slightly twisted, horns, directed outward and upward. Ears are medium-sized, directed outward and downward; ear length: 16.20 +-0.17 cm. Tail is small and thin; tail length: 13.16 +- 0.06 cm. Udder is small and round, with medium-sized teats.
Performance:
yields milk o.5 to 1lit per day.Lactation period 143 days. Reproductive capacity
Singles 50.5 Twins 42.4 Triplets 6.6 Quadruplets 0.5
Age at first kidding 609days Kidding interval 286days
adult male weight:38-42kg adult female weight:31-35kg C.Sangamneri
Distribution:
Poona and Ahmednagar districts of Maharashtra. Conformation:
Tall animals. of animals surveyed. 73% were black and the rest were white, brown or spotted. Ears are medium long; ear length: 18.0 +-0.10 cm. Most males (89.5%) are horned; females may be horned or polled, in almost equal proportions. Tail is medium long and thin; tail length: 16.6 +- 0.10cm (210). The udder is small and round with small teats placed laterally.
Performance:.
Yields milk 350gm per day.Lactation period 165 days. Reproductive capacity
Age at first kidding 422days Kidding interval 333days Service period 155days Kidding percentage (%) Litter size: (%) Singles 69.9 Twins 30.0 Triplets 0.5 Quadruplets-nil Eastern Region A.Black Bengal Distribution:
The breed is short legged, compact animal, widely found throughout the eastern regions and also in northern part of Bangladesh.
Conformation:
The breed is known for excellent mutton and skin quality. Animals are small, the predominant color is black; brown, grey and white are also found. Shoulder and hips are of equal height, chest is wide, ears are nearly upright and pointed. The goats possesses soft but short hair. Multiple births are common, twins or triplets are born in twelve to fourteen months old doe. Both sexes have small to medium size horns directed upward and sometimes backward. Beard is found in both sexes.
Dressing percentage averages around 45.7%. Its meat is very tender and has a good taste.Skin is of excellent quality and is highly priced. Very poor in milk yield.
Reproductive capacity age at first kidding 620days kidding interval 240days single-60%
twin-30% triplet-10%
adult male weights:30-40kg adult female weights:30-35kg
B.Ganjam Distribution:
Ganjam goat is one among the twenty-two recognized goat breeds of India. It is found in the southern parts of the Ganjam district of Orissa and bordering region of Andhra Pradesh. Ganjam goats are tall leggy with distinct ground clearance, medium in size and mostly used for meat purpose. The predominant coat colours are brown and black; ears are drooping, pendulous and medium in size. Head is short, compact and slightly convex.
Conformation:
Horns are flat, twisted, directed upward and backward and curved both clock-wise and anti clock-wise. Beard is common in adult males.The hairs on coat are short however, long in the neck and rear thigh region. Wattles are present in both the sexes but are more common in females. The tail is short and twisted upward. The flock size varies from 50 to 200. No housing of any type is ever provided for the goats,even in nights throughout the year and flocks are herded in jungles. The farmers select true to breed males from a high milk yielding doe.
Performance:
Breeding males are kept in the ratio of 1:30 or 1:40. The average body weight of adults is 41.5 kg for males and 7.6 kg for females.
The body respective weight at birth, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of age is 2.70, 7.16, 9.33, 13.07 and 18.35 kg in males;
and 2.55, 6.15, 8.41, 11.76and 16.64 kg in females.
The average milk yield of these goats is 350 ml/d with total milk production of 75 litres in 160 days of lactation period. The average age at first kidding, weight at first kidding and kidding interval are 618.88days, 22.97kg and 304.15days, respectively.
Northen Region A.Changthangi Distribution:
The breed is also known as Pashmina due to the ability of the breed to produce longer and finer pashmina on the sides and shoulders. Pashmina goats are mostly reared in Ladakh, Lahul and Spiti valleys and its neighboring areas of Himachal Prades.Large
herds of this breed are found in the Changthang region of Ladakh at an elevation of 4,000 meters.
Conformation:
Medium sized animals. Half of the animals are white, the rests are black, grey or brown. Both sexes have large horns, turning outward, upward and inward to form a semi circle, but a wide variation exists in both shape and size. The breed looks pretty having fast movements and are used for transport in hilly areas. Body is covered with long coarse hair including the facial areas.
Performance:
Apart from meat, the breed is highly prized for pashmina. The fine costly hair is harvested once a year, generally in June/July, either by shearing or by combing. Average production of pashmina is 215 g with a variation range of 70-500 g per goats. Used for making Kashmir "Rug or Shawl" of high quality.
B.Gaddi Distribution:
Chamba, Kangra, Kulu, Bilaspur, Simla, Kinnaur and lahaul and Spiti in Himachal Pradesh and Dehradun, Nainital, Tehrigarhwal and Chamoli hill districts in Uttar Pradesh.
Conformation:
Medium-sized animals. Coat color is mostly white, but black and brown and combinations of these are also seen.
Both sexes have large horns, directed upward and backward and occasionally twisted. Ears are medium long and drooping. The nose line is convex. The udder is small and rounded, with small teats placed laterally. The hair is white, lustrous and long.
Performance:
Essentially single, twinning occurs in only 15to 20% of births. Yields Milk 380 gm per day
adult male weights:28kg adult female weights:25kg
C.Chigu Distribution:
Lahaul and Spiti valleys of Himachal Pradesh, arid Ut tar Kashi, Chamoli, Pithoragarh districts of Uttar Pradesh, bordering Tibet.
Conformation:
Medium-sized animals. The coat is usually white, mixed with grayish red. Both sexes have horns, directed upward, backward and outward, with one or more twists. These goats are not very different in conformation from Changthangi.
Performance:
Age at first kidding 615days Kidding interval 272days Kidding percentage (%) Singles 99.2
Twins 0.8 Triplets nil Quadruplets nil
yields milk 500gm per day. Adult male weights:40kg Adult female weights:30kg
Some important facts about goats that to be know: 1.Determining the age of a goat
Determining the age of a goat is easy to do for the first few years of its life. The procedure is called toothing a goat.A goat has no teeth in the upper front of its mouth,besides teeth it has a hard palate in the upper front.It has eight teeth in the lower front. The size and condition of these eight teeth is the best gauge to determine the goat's age.
A baby goat has a set of "milk teeth". Just like human kids, goat kids will lose this set of teeth as they grows up.You'll start seeing "adult teeth" growing in pair after the first year. By the end of three years all of the teeth will have grown in.
When the goat approaches a year of age, give or take a few months, the two center front baby teeth are replaced by two permanent teeth. Therefore, a goat with only two permanent teeth is called a two-toother and is considered at least one year old.
The same procedure occurs again as the goat approaches two years of age. The next two baby teeth, one on each side of the two permanent teeth,are replaced by two more permanent teeth.This goat is called a four-toother and is two years of age.
Similarly a six-toother goat is of two and half yeras and eight-toother goat is of atleast 3 years old.After three years of age it becomes more difficult to determine the age of a goat.The teeth start to develop gaps between each tooth and as the goat ages some teeth will fall out.Often if a goat has a tooth or teeth missing it,is over six years old. SUMMARY:
1 to 1½ years old = two permanent teeth (two-toother) 1½ to 2 years old = four permanent teeth (four-toother) 2 to 2½ years old= six permanent teeth (six-toother) 2½ to 3 years old=eight permanent teeth (eight-toother) 2.Estrus cycle,Mating,Puberty
ESTROUS CYCLE:The estrous cycle is the period of time from the beginning of one heat period to the beginning of the next. Estrous cycle length of goats is of 21 days. Goats are seasonal and short-day breeders, The most natural time for Goat to breed is from
Estrus, or heat, is the period of time when the female is sexually receptive to the buck.It is also called as mating period. Estrus can last from 24 to 48 hours in does at the end or beginning of oestrus cycle. Ovulation normally occurs toward the end of the estrus cycle. Typical ovulation times for the does are about 24 to 36 hours from the beginning of estrus. Following ovulation, goat eggs are generally capable of fertilization for 10 to 25 hours. Mating of a buck with a doe in the estrus period causes successful fertilization, which makes the doe pregnant and will be ready to deliver kids in next 5 months.
SIGN OF HEAT IN DOE:A doe in heat is restless, bleats and urinates frequently, and wags her tail rapidly. She may also experience loss of appetite and rub against other goats in the herd. Other signs include redness and swelling around the vulva, which may have a thin mucous discharge.
NATURAL PROCESS OF MATING:A doe in season (in heat) will indicate her interest in breeding by wagging her tail rapidly for the buck; this is called flagging. Her urine contains chemicals which tell the buck that she is ready to breed. The buck will urinate upon his face, beard, and front legs. He will approach the flagging doe, she will squat and urinate, and he will place his nose in the urine stream. Raising his head high, the buck will curl his upper lip to detect the pheromones which tell him that the doe is receptive to being bred.
PUBERTY:In goats sexual development is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. In does and bucks the age at puberty ranges from 150 to 230 days, dependent on nutrition, location and season of birth. Nutrition is among the most significant factors influencing reproductive development and the onset of puberty. A low plane of nutrition delays first estrus and reduces uterine and ovarian weights, while having no effect on the partitioning of fat and protein and the weight of other organs. Increasing the overall plane of nutrition generally advances the onset of puberty, but overfeeding will decrease subsequent fertility and impair mammary gland development.
3.Dry/Resting Period in Goats
Goat should be maintained in good condition during the dry period (non lactating period) so she will freshen in a healthy state and have every opportunity to produce more milk in the next lactation. A good mineral mixture should be available. Mineral may contain from 12-18% calcium, 6-8% phosphorus and 25-30% salt, with trace
minerals and vitamins.
During the last 3-4 weeks of gestation, nutrition becomes more important to the doe. She should receive a better quality grass hay and about the same type of ration she will receive after kidding.The doe should be managed during the dry period so that she is in good condition at the time of kidding. She should not be allowed to become fat.
Goats should be allowed to rest 2 months before birthing. Since there is a 5 month gestation, the goat can milk 3 months after being bred, and then rests month 4 and 5. The rest period allows the goat’s mammary system to repair.Very high producing does need a longer dry period. If you do not allow your does to rest, they will produce only 65-75% as much milk in the next lactation. DONT BREED(MATE) THE GOATS IMMEDIATELY AFTER 21 DAYS OF KIDDING.ALLOW ATLEAST 2 OESTRUS CYCYLE(42 DAYS) REST,TO GET PREPARED FOR NEXT PREGNANCY.THIS WILL SURELY INCREASE THE KIDDING AND MILKING RATIO.
WHY TO START GOAT FARM? Ans:
GOATS FARM can ideally fit into the intensive integrated farming system (IIFS). The small animals are the most efficient converters of farm and crop residues into excellent organic manure. Several farmers have successfully run stall-fed goat farms, and they have found that such an integrated farming venture was more productive and profitable as well. Goats relish the stalks and residues of most of the nutritious cereals, and they do well particularly when mixed with green fodder such as grasses and subabul. Special goat-feeds can be formulated using farm-grown millets and oilcakes. As the cost of the feed and also the labor gets distributed over other farming operations, the actual cost of raising the goats becomes minimal.The rich goat manure is ideal for fertilizing fishponds and all other crops. It is also a good base material for vermi-composting. Goat farming needs less capital when compared with dairying, and the animals can be raised in small farms. The floor space requirement per adult animal is about one square meter. Stall-fed goat farming is an idealoccupation Not only for the small, marginal and landless agricultural laborers but now a days also for businessmans,IT Professionals,doctors,politicians and money lenders. A properly fed and managed milky goat will yield at least as much milk (on average two liters per day) as low yielding desi cows. The female-goat(does) will deliver 2-4 kids at each parturition after a short gestation period of 150 days (Here osmanabadi breed is considered) The price of goat meat is increasing day by day and the present price of goat meat is 100-150rs greater than that of previous years price. The demand is increasing but yield is same as that of previous year.
The answer to the question "Is goat farm a sucefull business nowdays.?" is YES if u manage it properly and pay special attention on your goat farm.
A goat farm is sucessful when his owner manages all the facing problems like fodder,labour,disease,marketing.
You should have to be present at your goat farm atleast 8hrs a day.For alteast 1yr.Dont depend on your workers. Try to keep the village worker who has already breed goats(2-3) in his farm in your farm as a worker coz he already knows lots of thing.
They are very less cases that a goat farm turns unsucessfull.Say 1 in 10farms.Its upon you how u pay attention to your farm to make it sucessfull. A goat farm in satara got closed as there was no proper feeding management.The cost of fodder bought was higher than that of bucks sold. The owner bought groudnut flakes for bucks to achive faster growth rate.Which was not suceeded in end.All these things comes due to improper knowledge. So here is solution for your 100% sucessfull goat farm.Just follow it strictly and you will earn more than u have expected.
DRAWBACKS YOU MAY FACE AND HOW TO OVERCOMES IT.
1.Mortality of goats due to disease is the main drawback of goat farm.So vaccinate the goats from time to time.Vaccinate goat even there are no symptoms of FMD,Enterotoxaemia and pneumonia. keep their comlpete record right from birth.
2.Mortality due to ammonia toxins.So prepare proper sheds with proper ventilation and urine drainage system.
3.Feeding cost.Do not expense more on fodder.Otherwise u will get less profit then what u have expected.Do not spend more than 300rs/months (inclusive vaccination) for each goat.Try to cultivate your own fodder or buy same at cheaper rates from market.
4.Beware of thefts and predators.Make proper fencing on all sides. GOAT SHEDS
STALL FEED SHEDS
For stall feed system,for 100 does and 5 bucks 3000sqft of shed should be constructed.And a 1000ft for kids. Both the sheds should be separated by the movable compartement,so that kids can be easily released towards their mothers for milking. Make proper arrangement of water and fodder.As shown in photos.There should be lot of ventilation for the removal of ammonia. Fix two exhausts fan for easy removal of ammonia. The floor of shed can be made of simple tiles or plain cement concerit or wooden husk. If you have adequate water supply then go for tiles or plain cement concerit with slope on one side so that urine can easily drain out. Clean the floor once in 2days with germicidal,means 15 times in a month floor should be cleaned. And dry the floor before releasing goats into the sheds. The wooden husk should be replaced twice in a month.
SEMI-STALL FEED GOAT HOUSE
For semi-stall method 100 does requires 2000sqft of shed area and 4000sqft of open area with fencing on all four sides. And a 500sqft shed area for kids.U can make fodder arrangement in shed or in open area. In rainy season,u have to keep all the goats in shed till the open area is dried. The floor should be same as that of stall feed. Both the methods are profitable u can go with any one method. In semi stall feed,some people thinks that as there is open space the goats can exercise(walk) there and will remain healthy for longer time. Buts thats not true,90% of goat farms in india are stall feed and they are doing well.Think of dairy farm, 99% of dairy farm which breeds cattle in their farm are stall feed.
FODDER
Availability of fodder for goats in goat farm, plays an important role in the sucesfull goat farm.
Each goat eats 6%-10% of its body weight.Increases during lactation and decreases during disease condition.
Goats requires 2-3kg of green fodder, half kg of dry fodder and 250 gm of concentrated fodder every day,depending on weight and age.
The best green fodder for goats are the napier and lucerne.Napier is called as king of grass as it has high protein content which enhances the growth rate of kids at rapid rate. The 4 months kid feeding on napier and lucerne grass is equivalent to six months kid which was feeding on ordinary grass.
The other goat fodder
includes-CO3,CO4(hybridnapier),barseem,stylo,dashrath,african tall,sweet sorghum,subabul, gini grass,para grass,molato.
Dry fodder includes-linseed meal,soyabean meal,brewers dried grains,groundnut flakes that remained after oiling pulp of lentils,maize.
Goats require energy, protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber (bulk) and water. Energy (calories) is usually the most limiting nutrient, whereas protein is the most expensive. Deficiencies, excesses and imbalances of vitamins and minerals can limit animal performance and lead to various health problems. Fiber is necessary to maintain a healthy rumen environment and prevent digestive disturbances. Water is the cheapest feed ingredient and often the most neglected. Many factors affect the nutritional requirements of goats: maintenance, growth, pregnancy, lactation, fiber
production, activity and environment. Feeding requirements increase as the level of the goat's activity increases. For example, a goat that has to travel farther for feed will have a higher feeding requirement than a goat in a feed lot.Environmental conditions also affect feeding requirements. In cold and severe weather, goats require more feed to maintain body heat. The added stresses of pregnancy, lactation and growth further increase nutrient requirements.
FEEDING HABITS OF GOAT
1.By means of their mobile upper lips and very prehensile tongues, goats are able to graze on very short grass and to browse on foliage not normally eaten by other domestic livestock.
2.Goats have fastidious eating habits. They will accept a wide variety of feed, appreciate it and thrive on it, but what is acceptable to one goat is not always acceptable to others. In general goat will refuse any kind of feed which has been soiled either by himself or by other animals.
3.Goats consumes wide varieties of feeds and vegetation than either sheep or cattle. 4.It has been shown that goats can distinguish between bitter, sweet, salty and sour tastes and that goats have higher tolerance for bitter tastes than cattle.
5.Goats will consumes certain species at definite stages of maturity and reject them at other times.
6.The rumen is not developed at birth, but young kids start picking at hay or grass at 2-3weeks of age and by 3-4 months the rumen is fully functional.
7.Unlike sheep, goats relish eating aromatic herbs in areas of sparse food supply, and hence can penetrate deep into the desert.
8.Browse (means eating of leaves of bush and trees) forms an important part of the diet of goats. It has been observed that when goats find opportunities to browse for about 8-9 hours a day the goats can take care of their maintenance and slow rate of growth.
9.The practical rationing of goats should be based on cheap foods such as browse pasture, and agricultural and industrial waste. In rationing goats, it must be firmly borne in mind that they cannot compete with pigs and poultry in efficiency of conversion of concentrates to protein food, nor under most circumstances,
can they compete with advanced dairy cattle in utilization of concentrates for milk production.
10.Despite goats similarity to other livestock in general digestive efficiency, there is considerable evidence that it is exceptionally efficient at digesting crude fiber.Jang and Majumdar compared the digestive efficiency of goats, sheep buffaloes and cattle
fed on spear grass in its post flowering stage and groundnut cake. Crude fiber is exceptionally well digested by goats.
11.There is evidence that the basal metabolic rate and thyroxin production of goats are higher than in sheep and cattle, which may be why goats appear to require a some what greater maintenance ration than is usually recommended for sheep and cattle. 12.Goats are fond of leguminous fodders. They do not relish fodders like sorghum and maize silage or straw. They reluctantly eat hay prepared from forest grasses, if cut in early stages, but very much relish hay prepared from leguminous crops.
13.The nutrients conversion efficiency for milk production of a dairy cow is on an average 38%, whereas for goat it ranges between 45% to 71%.
14.Goat has also an outstanding mineral requirement. A small body with a high metabolic rate; a digestive system occupying at least a third of its body, and producing milk richer in minerals than the cows.
Composition of Mineral Mixture Added at a 2% a.Sterilized bone meal
35 Parts
b.Finely ground high grade limestone 45 Parts
c.Iodized salt 20 Parts
d.Copper sulphate 22 gms/ton mineral mixture e.Zinc Oxide 11 gms/ton mineral mixture/td> f.Ferrous Carbonate 11 gms/ton mineral mixture
15.The energy requirements for maintenance in goats are similar to those of sheep, being 725.8 g starch
equivalent (SE) per day per 100 kg live weight. For live weight gain the energy requirement would be 3.0 gm SE
per kg live weight gain.
NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS OF GOATS
Dry Matter Goat RequiresThe dry matter intake is an important consideration since it reflects the capacity in terms of voluntary food intake to utilize the feed. With goats there appears to be distinct difference in intake between meat and dairy types. Meat goats have a dry matter intake of 3-4 percent of their live weight whereas dairy goats have a dry mater intake of 5-7 percent of their live weight. The other factors which affect the DM (dry matter) consumptions are availability of feeds, palatability, moisture content and amount of fibrous material present in feed.
Dry matter requirements as has been observed by ICAR for kids with 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 kg body and growing at the rate of 50g/day are 425, 600, 700, 800 and 950 g respectively. For maintenance of adult it seems to vary between 66 to 70 g/w.
Variations observed might be due to the size of the species and density of the energy in the feed. However, DM intake of pregnant goat was found to be 2.96 kg/100kg body weight and 76.30 g/W. Energy Goat RequiresEnergy is vital component of goat diets affecting the utilization of other nutrients and overall productivity. The basic maintenance requirement for energy in goat diets is similar to the requirements for sheep. Additional energy is needed in the diet for increased activity, type of terrain, amount of vegetation on range, and distance traveled to get feed. Stall fed goats with minimum activity need a basic maintenance level in the diet. Light activity requires
about 25% more energy. Goats on hilly, semiarid range land need an increase of about 50% above basic maintenance requirements. When vegetation is sparse and goats must travel long distances to graze, the energy requirement is about 75% above the basic maintenance requirements.
Proteins Goat Requires The basic requirement for protein in goat diets is similar to that of sheep and dairy cattle. A minimum level of 6% total protein needs to be provided otherwise feed intake will be reduced. This leads to deficiencies in both energy and protein, which results in reduced rumen activity and lowers the efficiency of feed utilization. Additional protein is required in the diet for growth, pregnancy, lactation and mohair production.
Goats on range need higher levels of protein in the diet than do stall fed goats because of the increased activity required to get feed. Adding concentrate to the ration will provide the additional protein needed. An excessive amount of protein in the diet of goats with light activity is also undesirable. The most commonly used protein supplements are linseed meal, soyabean meal, brewers dried grains, and cotton seed meal. One of the most economical sources of protein is good quality Lucerne hay, fed as long hay, chopped or pellets,silage of napier(dried grass),azolla the aquatic plant.
Protein deficiency symptoms in goats are anorexia, loss of weight, poor hair growth, depressed milk yield and impaired reproduction. Severe deficiencies can lead to digestive disturbances, anemia and/or edema.
Minerals Goat RequiresGenerally, feeds used in goat nutrition provide adequate quantities of the necessary minerals. In some instances, deficiencies may occur, specially of the major minerals. Of the macro minerals that have been shown to be supplemented in goats are salt, calcium, phosphorus and sulphur. Sodium Chloride: Lactating does often requires additional salt as milk contains high amounts of sodium. Calcium: Must be added to the diets of lactating goats. Milk fever can occur when calcium levels in the blood drop. Phosphorus: Deficiency may occur with goats grazing on range lands if the forage is deficient in this mineral.
PRACTICAL FEEDING OF GOATS
Despite similarities in sheep and cattle, goats differ markedly from them in grazing habits, sensitivity to sweet, salty, bitter and sour taste in accepting or rejecting the feeds. Goats are more tolerant of eating feeds containing bitter principles and refuse any soiled feed. In general goat feeding agrees with the expectations based on universal formula of feeding ruminants. However, it is noted that a goat generally produces more milk than a cow from the same quantity of nutrients.
The nutrients conversion efficiency for milk production of a dairy cow is on an average 38%, whereas for goat it ranges between 45-71%. It has been observed that goats were 4.04% superior to sheep, 7.90% to buffaloes and 8.60% to cows in crude fiber utilization, a goat uses less feed for its maintenance than a cow and a
A Feeding Table For Goats
Feed ingradiens Daily amount to be feed Birth to 3 days Colostrums Ad libitum
3 days to 3 weeks Whole milk or replacer, water, salt 450 c.c. Ad libitum
3 weeks to 4 months Whole milk,, water, salt Creep feed, Lucerne hay 450c.c up to 8 weeks,
450 g daily, Ad libitum
4 months to freshening Conc. Mixture 15-16% C.P. @ 450 g Dry Pregnant Conc. mixture, Lucerne Hay Water, Salt 15% C.P. @ 400-500 gAd libitum Ad libitum
Milking Doe Conc. mixture, Lucerne Hay Water, Salt
15% C.P. @ 400-500 g Ad libitum Ad libitum
Buck Only pasture Conc. mixture non-breeding season
@ 400 g daily at breeding season
FEEDING KIDS
Kids must receive colostrum from the doe within one hour after birth and should continue for 3 days as the total energy reserves of new born kids from well fed does is about 800-900kcal and kids of under nourished does oly 400 kcal. These reserves would be adequate to meet the energy demand in drying the birth coat in a reasonable warm environment, but in winter the heat loss could well approach
150 kcal/hour in kids weighing 3 kg body weight. Thus after the reserves are over and if the suckling is not established, the kids will die, colostrum is rich in all essential nutrients, it provides antibodies for protection of man diseases and it has got laxative properties, cleans from its intestine the accumulated faucal matter known as
meconium, which is often of a dry, putty-like nature. Feeding Schedule For Kids
Body Weight (kg)
Milk (ml/day) Green Fodder (kg/day) Concentrate (g/day) Composition of Kids Starter Morning Evening 2.5 200 200 - - Gram 20 3.0 250 250 - - Maize 22
3.5 300 300 - - Ground Nuts Cake 35
4.0 300 300 - - Mineral & Mixture 2.5
5.0 300 300 Ad-Libitum - Wheat – 50 6.0 350 350 Ad-Libitum 100 Bran- 20 7.0 350 350 Ad-Libitum 150 Comman 8.0 300 300 Ad- 200 Salt – 0.5
Libitum 9.0 250 250 Ad-Libitum 250 100% 10.0 100 150 Ad-Libitum 350 100 % 15.0 100 150 Ad-Libitum 350 100 % 20.0 - - Ad-Libitum 350 100% 25.0 - - 2.0 350 100 % 30.0 - - 2.5 350 100 %
Always provide clean, fresh water and minerals to kids as they grow. Commercial mineral mixture may be used.
Feeding Schedule for growing and adult Goats (Feed Per Day) Body
Weight Kg.
Milk ml/day Concentrate Mixture (g) of kid starter Green Fodder /kg
Others Composition of Kid starter Morning Evening 2.5 200 200 Sulmet 5ml from 5th upto 3 days - - Benminth ½ tab 10th day Piparazing 5 g in 2 days at 1month age. Benminth 1 tab at 1.5 month age.
Composition of kid starter (kg)
% Compostition of concentrate mixture (/kg)% MALE FEMALE Gram 20.0 Gram 15.0 Maize 22.0 Maize 37.0 Ground nut Cake 35.0 Ground nut Cake 25.0
Wheat bran 20.0 Wheat bran 20.0
Mineral Mixture 2.5 Mineral Mixture 2.5
Common Salt 00.5 Common Salt 00.5 100% 100%
Green Lucerne (Rijka) and berseem are normally preferred for Stall Fed Goats. FINISHER RATION FOR GOATS
Since goats are slaughtered mostly for lean meat, the ration should be planned to include 30-40% of the dry matter from roughage source and the balance amount from concentrate portion having 12-14% protein and 60-65% TDN. Feeding concentrate more than this amount will yield fat in carcass.
In general goat attains slaughtering age by 10-12months having variable body weights (20-30 kg.) as specific for various breeds.osmanabadi goat attains slaughtering age by 5-6months when its feeded well.
Concentrate Mixtures for Dairy Goats
Ingredient 14 % 16 % 18 %
Ground Maize 37.0 35.0 32.5
Crushed Oats 37.0 35.0 32.5
Wheat Bran 16.0 14.0 15.0
Soybean Oil Meal (45%CP)
9.0 15.0 20.0
Iodized Salt 1.0 1.0 1.0
Feeding of Pregnant Goats
High quality roughages provide the basic nutrients needed during the last 6 to 8 weeks of gestation when 70 to 80% gain in foetal mass is made. Therefore, liberal feeding of quality leguminous fodder and concentrate having 25% protein should be offered between 400to 500 g depending upon the condition of doe
should be fed. A free choice lick of mineral mixture will take care for the calcium and Phosphorus requirement of dam and foetus. Allow good grazing if available and make sure that does get plenty of exercise.
Several days before the does freshen reduce the quantum of concentrate ration to one half and add bran to provide more bulk. After kidding, feed a bran mash for a few days, gradually bringing the doe to the full feed for milk production.
Feeding of Lactating GoatsNutrient requirements are higher during lactation. The ration for lactating does should contain high quality roughages like Lucerne, berseem and other cereal grasses through which it will receive not only fresh nutrients
particularly of minerals, vitamins and proteins but also the bulk needed for volatile fatty acids, viz., acetic, prop ionic and butyric needed for high milk production. To supplement more nutrients particularly of energy, cereal grains at the rate of 350 g for each liter of milk must be provided.
The protein percent may vary from 14 to 16 %, the feed may be fed in two lots, at the time of morning and evening milking.
Add 1% trace mineralized salt and 1% calcium phosphorus mineral mixture to concentrate mixture.
Molasses (5-7% of concentrate mixture) may be used to increase palatability and to reduce dustiness of feed.
Keep a clean, fresh supply of water available at all times. After two weeks gradually increase the concentrate level to that suggested by milk yield. As soon as the doe leaves some concentrate, reduce the amount until she again cleans it up. The concentrate should be fed on individual requirement basis of each doe. This can be done most easily by feeding the concentrate at milking times.
Feeding Breeding BucksDuring the non-breeding season, the buck does not require additional grain if he is on good pasture. During the breeding season, the same
concentrate mixture fed to the does may be fed at the rate of 450-900 g (depending on the body weight) daily. Provide roughage free choice along with clean fresh water and minerals. Care must be taken not to allow the buck to get too fat.
Reduce the intake of energy feeds as needed to prevent this. Make sure the buck gets plenty of exercise.
Each goat drinks about 500ml of water everyday.As goat is desert animal it requires less water.Water intake capacity increases during summer an decreases during cold climatic conditions.
Production of fodder.
In 1 acre of land hybrid napier yields 100ton/year.It requires little water.Sprinkling water system is best for napier and lucerne.So if you have farm u can obtain green fodder like napier and lucerne at the rate of 2rs/kg.
Napier and lucerne requires choppers for cutting to small size.The goat cant eat larger grass.So if u cultivate napier or lucerne u requires 5 acre of farm land for 100goats and their kids.Also in between these crops cultivate maize,corn which can be supplied as dry fodder.
IF U DONT HAVE FARM LAND.
The cost of fodder increases if u dont have farm land.But still u can spent rs 10 for per goat on fodder per day. U can buy rotten vegetables(1day old) at cheaper rates from market.Say speench,cabbage,collard,lamb's lettuce sunflower sprouts or any other green leafy vegetables easily available in market.For 100goats u have to buy 300kg of vegetables very day. Dont worry of deworming or other disease as these vegetables are easily digested by goats.
Here, consider the transportation charges of fodder from market to your farm everyday.For dry fodder u can use wheat grains hafly crushed,soyabean seeds,gram,maize,corn etc.
How to avoid 25% wasting of fodder.
When u place the fodder on floor in farm,lots of fodder is wasted by goats.When goats gets urinate on fodder they donot eats tha fodder.Also if they walks over that fodder,again that fodder is not eaten by goats.
So its important to utilize all the fodder to reduce fodder.Construct two bars(pipes) one above and other at lower size in between fodder trays.So that goats cant enter or urinate inside it.As shown in feeding photos.Only the head of goat reaches the fodder trays placed on floor.Also place the water tubs in 4 corners in such a way that only head of goat enters the tub.Place metal pipes at the level of legs of goats and one at the level of chest of goats infront of water tubs.In between two large pipes a large gap is present say about 2ft.So that only head of goats and kids enters the water tubs. And no more water is wasted.
Same arrangement for fodder.If fodder is placed on floor,surely it will be wasted.So construct brick rows in between two rows of goats,as u have seen in any dairy farm,or cattle shed.In dairy farms they doesnt fix pipes in between legs and chest of cattles(buffaloes & cows) as they are heavier animals and cant enter in that bricks rows as goats can easily enter.So take precautions so that goat cant enters or place her legs or urinates in the fodder row tub.
SILAGE
Silage is fermented, high-moisture fodder that contains high nutritionalvalues.Silage is cut green plant material that is sealed in a concrete pit without air and water. Silage can be stored for approximately two years and still have up to 85% of the energy and protein value of the original fodder crop.
Silage preparation
Silage preparation is one of the important methods for storage of green fodder for dairy animals & it is necessary to adopt this method by Indian goat farmers on large scale in situations like drought or heavy rainfall or scarcity of fodder.
What is silage making?
Silage making means preservation of chaffed cereal green fodder in anaerobic condition by way of fermentation method.
In anaerobic condition (no air inside pit/tank),with the help of micro organisms, sugar contained in green fodder is converted in to Lactic acid ,which help to preserve the green fodder for longer duration.
Respiratory function of living cells present in green chaffed fodder utilises Oxygen in air tight condition & releases water & carbon dioxide in closed environment in pit/tank. Due to Carbon dioxide releases in pit/tank, air inside is expelled outside as well as organism which depends on oxygen (Like bacteria & Fungi) cannot withstand in CO2 atmosphere in Tank/PitThese effects in to preservation of chaffed green fodder in silo pit/tank as silage for longer duration (6 months or max. a year if good care is taken).
Essential fodder crops for silage making-
To prepare best quality silage, cereal green fodder like Green fodder maize, Fodder sorghum, Bajara, Hybrid Napier, Sugar cane tops, Oat, Marwel etc are required. Preference for cereal green fodder (monocotyledons) is due to it has more sugar content than protein, as sugar is utilised in fermentation process to make lactic acid by microorganisms.
These cereal fodder crops have hard stem, which takes more time for drying in making hay of these crops, so it is better to use these kinds of crops for making silage than hay.
Benefits of silage making-
■Silage is storage system of green fodder which keeps all parts of fodder in
appropriate condition for feeding than any other system of storage of fodder.
■Silage requires less space for storage as it is pressed in pit/tank than hay making. For
daily cutting, transporting & chaffing of fodder in traditional way requires more labour &time but in case of silage, fodder cutting, transport, chaffing is done at one time only, so it is less labour & time consuming practice. Land under fodder cultivation is emptied, and immediately it is used for plantation of other crops. So
farmers’ can take more crops in same land in a year against traditional way where land is reserved for fodder until all crops is harvested.
■Silage is prepared in closed & air tight condition so there is no danger of fire. (In
hay making, dry fodder is stocked & exposed for fire like situation) Due to lactic acid
in silage, it is easily digestible to animals, so energy required fordigestion is used for
other purposes like milk production.etc.
■Silage is tasty & flavoured, so it increases appetite of dairy animals.
Important thing behind to adopt silage is in scarcity it provide supply of fodder to dairy animals and goats. Situations like drought, high rainfall & scarcity of fodder, farmers may use silage for feeding to dairy animals. (Rain fed area where shortage of green fodder is for March to June & in high rainy area or water logged lands, it is impossible to cultivate or harvest fodder)
■Due to treatment of additive for silage, farmers can supply energy, mineral &
vitamins to goats.
■Silage plays an important role in fatening of bucks as it enhances the growth rate.
Planning for silage making-
There are two methods for silage making which are vastly used i.e. Pit method or tank method. These two methods are economically viable for dairy farmers.
For planning of silage, following aspects needs to pay attention-
Pit/tank method for silage making-
Depending upon local situation like ground water level, number of animals & duration of feeding silage to animals, decide shape & size of constructing pit/tank for silage making.
For pit method, select location for making pit at higher level on ground so that rain water cannot percolate in to pit.
In rectangular pit, corner edges should be making round so that while filling & pressing chaffed fodder, air will not remain inside in the corners of pit or tank.
Wall of pit/tank should be air proof to avoid air too come inside in pit /tank through cracks or crevices .To avoid this situation, plaster wall of silo pit or tank with cement or moistened soiIf ground water level is nearer, then go for building tank for silage making than pit method.If plastering cement to the wall of pit/tank is uneconomical, then you may use HDPE plastipaper (200 micron) to cover pit/tank inside out position.
Treatment for Silage-
1. For making best quality & balanced silage, needs proper treatment. 2. Per ton of chaffed green fodder requires 1 kg Urea, 2 kg jaggery kg mineral mixture & 1 litre of Whey.
3. Prepare separate solution in 15 to 20 litres of water for Urea, Ja
mixture & common salt in separate pots/buckets & then spread itchaffed green fodder while filling silo pit/tank.
Procedure for filling silo pit/tank-
When fodder crop is in cob stage or Tussling stage, harvest it for preparation of silage. Very mature stage is not good for preparing silage as its sugar content is
decreased as well as fibre percentage in increased; this kind of fodder is less suitable for silage making.
After harvesting fodder crops, let it dry for 5-6 hours in shed so that moisture content of fodder will decreases from 80% to 65-70%.Care to be taken to avoid silage making in rainy days or crops containing dew drops in winter season because moisture is more in this situation so there may be chances for development of mould in silo pit during storage period.
Following steps to be taken while filling silo pit- ■ Prior to filling silo pit / tank, clean& dry it.
■ Cover with plastic film inside pit/tank in such way that it will cover all sides of pit/tank.
■ For making silage, chaffing of fodder is essential component. With the help of chaff cutter machine, make pieces of 1.5c.m. to 2 c.m. length of green
maize.sorghum,sugarcane tops,marwel,Fodder bajara etc for filling silo pit. ■ Prepare separate solution in 15 to 20 litres of water for Urea, Jaggary, Mineral mixture & common salt in separate pots/buckets & then spread it on layer of pressed chaffed green fodder while filling silo pit/tank.
■ Start to fill chaffed green fodder in pit or tank.
■ After making 4” thick layer of chaffed green fodder, press it with woode
Mortar) in such a way that air will not entangled in chaffed fodder. Thewith prepared solution of Jaggary, Mineral mixture, Urea, Common salt
■ Follow the same procedure until filling of pit/tank 1 to 1.5 feet above thlevel(In pit).Then covet it from plastic film from all side carefully.
■ Covet it with Trash, Wheat straw, Soil & dry hay to protect it from entein to it. If possible to temporary arrangement of shed above the silo pit/t
■ It will require 45 to 60 days to make good quality of silage. Use of silage-
After 8-10 weeks, silage is ready as feed for animals. Open pit/tank initially from one side of for use. If it is not in use, then cover it carefully with plastic film so that air will not go inside in silage.
Initially fed animals with 5-6 kg silage by adding it with chaffed green fodder to develop taste to animals. Once animal likes sweet-sour taste of silage; it will eat it with good liking.
Quality of Silage-
Mould- If silage while filling pit/tank, not well pressed; there will be growth of mould.
Odour- Good quality silage has sweet & sour taste.
Colour- Good quality silage has faint green or brownish colour. Rotten silage has black
colour.
How much silage should be made?
The quantity of silage to store depends on several factors such as how many animals are to be fed, how much they are to be fed, for how long they are to be fed, the storage space available, the amount of excess feed to conserve, forage DM content, available labor, etc. The following example shows the calculations for total silage requirements for a smallholder goat farm. Assume that a farmer has 10 goats that need to be
supplemented for 90 days on 1 kg fresh material at 20% dry matter (200 g silage DM/d) for each goat.
To calculate total silage requirements:
10 goats x 1 kg/ goat/day x 90 days = 900 kg fresh silage required.
In most storage systems, there will be a loss of about 15% due to fermentation. Consequently, the fresh weight that needs to be stored for the total of 900 kg required is:
1. 900 kg divided by 0.85 = 1059 kg fresh silage for 90 days. 2. This is equal to 1059/90 = 11.8 kg fresh silage/day.
3. If the farmer is using plastic bags to make silage, he will need silage stored in 2 plastic bags of size 30 x 30 cm (see Table 1 for capacity of plastic bags) each with a capacity of 4-6 kg to feed his sheep daily. He will need 180 bags for the 90-day feeding period. The typical weights of silage in various types of storage are listed in Table 1. Weights will vary widely according to content of material, chop length, type of material ensiled and how well it is compacted.
Table 1. Weights of chopped silage in various types of storage Storage type Silage weight (kg fresh weight) or per unit volume
Small plastic bags 30 x 30 cm 4-6
Medium sized plastic bags 10 x 85 cm 35-45
Small plastic drum 20 L 15-20
Large plastic drum 120 L 60-120
Steel drums (200L) 140-190
Pits in the ground 300-500 kg/m3
Azolla as a fodder for Goats(for commercial purpose)
Importance of Azolla
Azolla is very rich in proteins, essential amino acids, vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin B12, Beta Carotene), growth promoter intermediaries and minerals like calcium, phosphorous, potassium, ferrous, copper, magnesium etc. Azolla, on a dry weight basis, is constituted of 25-35% protein content, 10-15% mineral content and 7-10%, a combination of amino acids, bio-active substances and biopolymers. Carbohydrate and oil content in Azolla is very low.Thus the biocomposition of Azolla, makes it one of the most economic and efficient feed substitutes for livestock. Moreover, Azolla can be easily digested by livestock, owing to its high protein and low lignin content. “Azolla”, which holds the promise as a sustainable feed substitute for livestock. What is Azolla?
Azolla is a floating fern and belongs to the family of Azollaceae. The fern Azolla, hosts a symbiotic blue green algae anabaena azollae, which is responsible for the fixation and assimilation of atmospheric nitrogen. Azolla, in turn, provides the carbon source and favorable environment for the growth and development of the BGA symbiont. In Azolla, the endo- symbiont, the BGA is even carried through the sexual reproductive phase, perhaps the only one of this kind in the plant kingdom. It is this unique symbiotic relationship, which makes Azolla, a wonderful plant.
Cultivation of azolla:
Azolla is cultivated in water tanks,it yields 300 tones/acre/year.Initially a water tank is build with soil at its bottom and azolla culture is added to it, after wards azolla gets rapidly multiply in following conditions:-
Temperature of water tank shoud be maintain below 25 degree C by providing shade or green house effect.A place of direct sunlight must be avoided.Periodic application of cow dung slurry,super phosphate and other micro and macro nutrients must be added.Biomass must be removed every day or the alternate day to avoid the
overcrowding.PH should be maintain in between 5.5 to 7.5kg of soil must be replace every after 30 days.25%-30% of water must be replace every after 10 days.
Replacement of water and soil must be followed by fresh inoculation of azolla at least once in six months.
Yield of Azolla 730MT/Hectare @ of 200gm/sq.m/day
Sl.No Crop Annual
production Of crop in MT Dry Matter Content in MT Protein Content in MT 1 Hybrid Napier 250 50 04 2 Kolakattai Grass 40 08 0.8 3 Lucerne 80 16 3.2 4 Cowpea 35 07 1.4 5 Subabul 80 16 3.2 6 Sorghum 40 3.2 0.6 7 Jowar 35 03 0.6 8 Azolla 730 56 20
HYDROPONICS FODDER.
It is the artificial fodder thats is produced by machine from seeds in one day.
A Hydroponics machine can produce 1000kg of green fodder in 1day.The fodder produced is of dust free,has high moisture content and greater nutritive value.
To produce 1kg of hydroponic fodder 1lit of water is enough.Whereas field requires 80lit(1lit per day) The area require to produce 1000kg of hydroponics fodder is 360sqft,the space require to maintain machine Whereas farm land requires 6-8 acres. Now you are thinking that hydroponic fodder is profitable for your goat farm. The answer is no,absolutely not.
Lets see how:
1.To produce 100kg of hydroponic fodder in 1 day 18kg of seeds are required.And the seeds are only one time used In field u can obtain 5-6 time output(grass) from one time sowing of seeds.
2.Hydroponics machine requires 24 hr of electricity.(4-6 units per day)
3.The cost of hydroponics machine that produces 100kg-120kg of fodder is 7lakh rs.Only this machine is available in india.
4.It requires one skilled labour to operate.Hydroponics machine is useful for those goat farms which do not have farm land to produce the fodderIt is generally used in commercial goat farms and dairy farms.
Supplier of hydroponics machine:
Hari krushna machinetech private limited,Gujrat. Phone:917926463903
DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENTS IN GOATS
You all know that "prevention is better than cure. "A livestock farmer can maximize his/her profit by taking some simple remedial measures against diseases which is otherwise called as preventive health care.
We all take different precautionary measures to protect our wealth. Our farm animals are also our wealth & we must protect them against diseases. The measure we adopt to protect our farm animals from disease are called Biosecurity. It is a planned integrated approach to reduce disease incidence in a farm. Here are some important biosecurity measures for sheep/goat farm
1- Control cat, dog,rodent & insect population inside farm premises as they carry & spread diseases.
Cats should be kept away from sheep & goats as they are major carrier of toxoplasma which causes abortion.
2- Limit visitors into your farm as disease causing organisms enter farm through their shoes sole.
Visitors must disinfect their shoes in antiseptic foot bath before entering in to the farm.
3- Limit entry of vehicles in to your farm as disease causing organisms enter farm through contaminated tyre of the wheel. Disinfect tyres of vehicle entering in to your farm by spraying a disinfectant liquid.
4- Feed of sheep & goat should not be moldy. If moldy feed is found in a farm it should be buried.
5- Deworm your animals at regular interval after faecal sample examination 6- Vaccinate your animals against contagious diseases
7- Do not mix sick animals with healthy animals. Isolate sick animals in a separate pen.
8- In case of abortion in ewe/Doe Remove the dead fetus & placenta immediately & burry it.
The lambing/kidding area should be disinfected with an antiseptic lotion.
9- Do not mix newly purchased animals with other farm animals, New animals should be housed separately for
21 days to one month & watched for presence of disease. Trim the feet of newly purchased animals & treat it
locally with 10% zinc sulphate.
10- Do not mix your animals with animals of other farm. 11- Do not share your farm equipments with other farmers 12- Disinfect farm equipments before sharing if it is unavoidable
13- Do not allow ewe/doe of other farms to breed with buck/Ram of your farm & vice versa.
14- Avoid taking your animals to shows/exhibitions as there is increased chance infection in shows/exhibitions
15- Conduct post mortem examination by a veterinarian In case of death of a farm animal.If death is due to any
contagious disease take preventive measures accordingly in consultation with the Vet. By taking these biosecurity measures you can reduce disease incidence in your farm & maximize your profit.
A.Deworming of goats
Sheep & goats are susceptible to worm infection due to their grazing habitat. Deworming is one most important disease prevention measures for them. Internal Parasites harbours in alimentary track & other internal organs(liver,bile duct etc.) of sheep & goats. They suck blood, digested nutrients ,damage tissue & make animals week, emaciated. Helminthes parasites of sheep & goats can be broadly divided in to three Categories Round Worms,Flukes & Tape Worms. Out of the these Barber pole worm (Haemonchus) a type of round worm, is the most important & dangerous internal parasites of sheep & goats. In heavy worm infestation animal may die without any symptoms in some other cases death occurs after diarrhea & colic. Worm
infestation is more after rainy season.
You can follow the following principles for deworming of your flocks.
i. Randomly collect fecal sample of 10% animals get it examined to find the parasitic load
ii. Choose appropriate dewormer in consultation with a veterinarian
iii. Use appropriate dose (under dose may create drug resistance & over dose may kill your animals)
iv. Deworm your animals at least twice in a year.
v. The first deworming should be conducted before rainy season in the month of June & July.Repeat drenching of drug on 21st day of first deworming.
vi. The second deworming should be conducted after rainy season in the month of October.
vii. Use a drenching gun/ syringe for effective drug delivery
viii. Conduct fecal sample examination on 10th day of deworming to know the effectiveness of the drug.
ix. Change deworming drug every time to prevent drug resistance. x. Do not sell your dewormed animals during withdrawal period. B.Mastitis
Mastitis is a disease of mamary gland in goats.Due to this milking capactiy of goat is reduced.
So its important to take precautions of mastitis.It manily occurs due to unhygienic conditions in goat farm.
Treatment of mastatis
The treatment should be based on the results of the microbiologic culture obtained from milk samples. Dry off the affected half, and apply a commercially intramammary infusion of 2 percent chlorhexidine solution into affected half twice at 24-hour intervals.Treatment during the dry-off period is an efficient method for the cure of subclinical mastitis and for control of somatic cell counting. Drugs should be administered for a period of 5 to 10 days to allow efficacy of the product.
The use of antibiotics or corticosteroids are recommended in some cases. Antibiotics like
benzylpenicillin, cloxacillin, amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid, cephalonium and cefoperazone,erythromycin , tylmicosin, kanamycin, penicillin, ampicillin, erythromycin, or tetracycline have been recommended to treat mastitis. However, cure rates may vary from animal to animal and according to the severity of the case. After treating goats with antibiotics, it is necessary to withdraw drug treatment to prevent antibiotics from building up in the milk, and meat that can be hazardous to humans. Dairy goat owners are advised to test milk from treated animals before readmitting them back into the milking program.
Herbal medicines for mastitis. Several herbal medicines are available in market for treatment of mastitis . I am giving below few of them. I have tried these medicines in field with good success rate in sub clinical mastitis. So far as clinical mastitis is concerned these medicines can be used as supportive therapy along with antibiotics & other drugs.
1-Mastrilep gel- This gel must be applied twice daily liberally over the udder after milking for five days in case of sub-clinical mastitis.
2-Dermanol ointment –This drug is useful treatment for oedema of udder just after calving and thelitis. This drug must be applied over udder & teat twice daily at least for five days.
3-Wisprec spray/cream:-This product is available as spray & cream. It must be applied on udder or to be sprayed on udder after milking for five days.
C.Control of coccidiosis in sheeps & goats.
Coccidiosis is a parasitic disease of sheep & goats .This disease is caused by single cell protozoa Emeria sp .The parasite remains in small intestine & damage lining of
small intestine. This parasite affects lambs & kids from 2-6 months of age. Affected lambs and kids suffer from diarrhea stained with blood & mucus. Death occurs in kids & lambs due to dehydration. Some animals do not show any symptoms externally but there is stunted growth. Outbreaks of coccidiosis occurs due to over crowding & poor sanitation.
You can follow to following steps to prevent coccidiosis in your farm
1- Provide adequate floor space to sheep & goats as over crowding is a major cause of the disease
2- Prevent contamination of feed & water as adult sheep & goats are
carriers of the parasite. They shed oocyst in their feces which is the major source of infection for kids and lambs.
3-Preventive dose of coccidiostat can be given to given to kids and lambs in consultation with a veterinarian. Coccidiostart can be mixed with feed as a preventive metod.
4- Treat the infected animals with anti coccidial drugs as per prescription of the veterinarian
5- In case of outbreak clean & disinfect goats shed house daily this will reduce source of infection.
D.Control of external parasites in sheep & goats
External parasites like Tick, Lice. Mite & fleas & flies reduce profit & cause economic loss of sheep & goat farmer .They cause following losses to the farmer. 1-They suck blood from animals causing ill health & anemia. 2-1-They damage the skin for which skin becomes unsuitable for leather & its value reduces greatly.
3-Skin injury causes irritation & discomfort to animals 4-There is loss of wool in case of sheep.
5-They transmit disease External parasites can be controlled by Dipping or spraying with insecticides & by good managemental practices. Three to four dipping or spraying is essential every year for control of these parasites.
The following insecticides are mostly used for control of ecto parasites. 1-Deltametherine (Butox) 2ml/litter of water Spray or dip
2-Cypermethrin (Ektomin. Cyprol, Tikkil, Tik-out, Pektocide) 1 ml/litter of water for spray or dip. (for flies 5ml/litter animal dip, For spraying animal house 20ml/liter of water is used) Ivermectin injection (Neomec, Ivomec, Ivectin, Avertin) is also used as sub coetaneous injection at the dose of 0.5ml/25 Kg body weight Doramectin (Dectomax) 1ml/33Kg Body weight can be used as intramuscular injection.
Precautions :-
1-Read all manufacture warnings & instructions before using insecticide
2-Provide adequate drinking water before Dipping else animal may drink insecticide poisoned water
3-Do not use insecticides on sick, weak animals or animal with damaged skin. 4- Do not use insecticides in kids and lambs up to 6 months age
5-Conduct dipping/Spraying in morning hours
