Many homeowners are thinking about getting a goat. After all, this “little cow” is an ideal animal for keeping. Small size, unpretentiousness, cheerful disposition - these attractive qualities of small cattle only increase the number of his fans. Caring for a goat is comparatively easier than caring for a cow, and on the table there will always be environmentally friendly products: milk, tender cottage cheese, delicious feta cheese. Or maybe there will be something left for sale, then the purchase of some feeds will pay off. If you get not one goat, but a small herd, then the family budget will be significantly replenished. But those who decided to try themselves in this field have quite justified questions. How much milk does a goat give per day? How to feed her, how to care? How to choose a milk goat so that the purchase does not disappoint?
Breeds of dairy goats
Of course, you can buy the usual outbred goat, and if you are lucky, the amount of milk that the goat gives per day will be 2.5, or maybe 3 liters. This is enough for a family of 3-4 people. But it also happens that for some goats 1.5 liters a day is a ceiling, and it will not be milked for 8-11 months a year, but 6, and then keeping the animal will be unprofitable. Therefore, if high rates are important for the future owner of a productive herd, then you should think about buying thoroughbred goats that can provide not only his family with dairy products, but bring little benefit. On which breed to stop, and which goats will give the highest milk yield?
On the territory of Central Russia, its north and west, the Russian breed prevails. For 7-8 months of active lactation, it can produce from 400 to 600 liters of milk. These goats are not very large, their weight is on average 35 kg, but larger specimens weighing up to 55 kg are also found.
Gorky breed is very similar to Russian. And not surprisingly: after all, this is one of its branches. The best individuals give up to 5.5 liters per day, and the fat content reaches 4.5%. Lactate up to 10 months.
I especially want to highlight the goat of Swiss selection - Saanen. These animals are very large: their weight is 50-60 kg, and there are also those that weigh 90 kg. Mostly these goats are hornless (i.e. hornless), with white coat, very elegant and beautiful. Milking reaches 600-700, and even 1000 liters per year. They are popular all over the world, they were used to improve domestic breeds in Russia, Europe and Asia.
But representatives of this breed also have a drawback: they are demanding on food and stall keeping, do not tolerate severe cold, as their coat does not have undercoat, and it’s not easy to buy a purebred goat in Russia. But they offer a lot of mestizos, which are given out as purebreds. However, such goats are dairy, and keep them profitable, especially since they are more adapted to our harsh winters.
How to choose a goat
When buying an adult animal, you need to consider that, in addition to its dairy qualities, it is important that it is healthy. Shiny hair, dense smooth skin, peppy look - indicators of her well-being. A developed proportional body, a wide chest, a straight back, convex ribs and a voluminous stomach, strong straight legs - all this speaks of the productive potential of the animal. Of course, by eye it will not be possible to determine the real milk yield of goat milk per day, it is better to do this by monitoring the milk yield for several days. But based on an external examination, certain conclusions can also be drawn. A goat with good milk yield has a voluminous elastic udder, its shape is spherical or pear-shaped, there is no hard hair on it, nor growths and hardenings. Milk veins shine through the skin. Folds are located along the edges: a kind of "stock" of the udder in case of an increase in the amount of milk.
Containment room
A separate room should be equipped for the goat. It is better if it is a barn built in a dry place from boards, hollow bricks, clay or adobe. Keep goats with chickens and pigs should not be, since they can be infected by skin parasites from the bird, and the pig smell is poorly tolerated.
The optimal ceiling height in the barn is 2 meters, with a low ceiling the owner is uncomfortable, and a high one prevents the room from heating well. It is better to position the window on the sunny side and a safe distance from the floor, because the animal can break it.
It is undesirable to make a concrete floor in the goathouse: this material is very cold and raw, it is better to lay wooden boards on it. But they also have drawbacks. Over time, the tree rots, and the animal can injure its legs. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the floor. Although there is an alternative: on adobe coverings goats feel great. A slight slope of the floor will not hurt, then all the liquid will drain into a special container, and the pen will be dry and clean.
It’s good to arrange wide shelves along the wall, goats love to sleep on them, and even in the cold weather, sunbeds will save you from colds and inflammation of the udder.
For a couple of goats, 8 square meters of a pen is enough, and in a narrow stall it is difficult for them to move, and this can negatively affect how many liters of milk a goat gives per day.
Goat keeping in summer
In the summer season, goats usually feed on grazing. But it’s not enough just to bring the goat to a clearing, tie it to a wooden or iron peg and leave it unattended for a day. Properly organized grazing is the key to high milk yield, how much milk a goat gives per day depends on it. They feel great on a free walk under the supervision of a shepherd, then the food will be more complete. But in the absence of such an opportunity, a change of place from 2 to 3-4 times a day will help the animal to satisfy the need for favorite food.
When the grass is abundant in the field, the goat needs to be watered at least 3 times during the day. If she does not consume enough liquids, then milkings will not please either. Goats should be drunk from clean dishes, because these whims are very clean and squeamish, and they will never touch a dirty bucket. If there are several goats, then some “ladies” refuse to drink from common dishes, then you will have to take care of a bucket for each. Water should not be too cold, acceptable if it will be 10-15 degrees.
Stall Content
With the onset of cold weather, goats are transferred to a constant stall until spring. At this time, diverse and nutritious feeding is most important for prolonging lactation and giving birth to healthy offspring.
Juicy food is not excluded from the diet, all kinds of waste, coarse and concentrated feed are given.
There is no need to tie a goat in the stall, and there should be a warm bed of hay on the floor. On sunny days, a goat can be released into the courtyard, for 4 hours. If there is a little frost, then 2 hours is enough.
It’s great if the air temperature in the barn where goats hibernate is positive, since the udder can become inflamed in a frosty room, and the cold decreases the rate of how much milk a goat produces per day. Especially demanding for heat are “foreigners”. Goats imported from Europe have no undercoat, therefore, this feature should be taken into account and try to create conditions concomitant with high productivity and preservation of animal health.
Succulent feed
The category of these feeds includes vegetables and root crops grown in the garden: carrots, beets, cabbage, potatoes, pumpkin, zucchini, and Jerusalem artichoke. The amount of their use is due to the milk yield of the goat per day. Vegetables are thoroughly washed and finely chopped, 500-700 grams are given per head per day. Sugar beets are especially prominent in this series: excessive consumption may cause bloating, fermentation in the intestines, and diarrhea can begin.
Concentrated feed
Concentrated feeds include oats, barley, bran and animal feed. Oats and barley are given in crushed form.
Bran is fed in the form of a mash. They contain a lot of protein, so it is advisable to dilute it with food waste. Peeling potatoes, beets, carrots need to be slightly salted and mixed with bran. To enrich with vitamins, bone meal and chalk are added.
Compound feeds contain vitamins and minerals. Nutrient mixtures adapted for birds can be used for goats. They positively affect the intrauterine development of the offspring, the health and immune system of animals, and, of course, how many liters of milk a goat produces during the day. In the stall period, the animal eats them up to 300 kg.
Roughage
The basis of the feeding of artiodactyl pets in the cold period is hay. Dry food with thin stems of herbs, legumes and cereals is especially appreciated. Hay should not be overdried, the moisture content of a good harvest is about 17%. It makes up a third of the total goat diet in winter, it is enough 2 kg per day, but if the animal is large or lactates, then the norm can be increased to 2.5 kg.
Goat straw is preferred by spring cereals, bean, lentil, pea, and bean. But the stalks from winter crops goats are reluctant to eat.
To increase the nutritional value of straw, as well as to give it a more attractive taste, it is crushed and sprayed with warm salted water (10 g of 50 g of salt). Then, they are kept in a wooden box for 16-18 hours, concentrates and root crops are added. They like to eat such a goat product, but the next time they should not be left, it can go bad.
They are very fond of goats and branch feed, in addition, it significantly increases milk yield, significantly affects how much milk a goat gives per day, and contain an impressive set of trace elements. Begin to collect brooms from the very beginning of summer. The branches of willow, linden, poplar, birch, hazel, ash, elm, mountain ash are suitable. Branches with a thickness of not more than 1 cm and a length of half a meter are cut with secateurs and dried for several hours in the sun to produce vitamin D. They are then hung under a canopy or in the attic and dried for 2 weeks. Then they are stacked in rows in several layers.
In the stall period, a goat can be given 5 brooms a day, but birch can be given in limited quantities, they can provoke inflammation of the kidneys. A minimum of 100 brooms is required per goat.
If it was not possible to prepare brooms in the summer, then thin branches up to 4 mm thick can save the situation. Goats gladly eat up to 40 at a time. They are also rich in vitamins, they have a lot of chlorophyll. Sprigs can begin to be cut in November and until spring.
In the feeding of goats, fallen leaves are also used, vitamins are stored in it, and they have sufficient nutritional value. Leaves are collected with a rake in dry weather, rolled up into rollers, dried and cleaned of dirt.
Approximate daily diet
If in the summer the goat is mainly saturated in the pasture, and the green succulent grass practically covers the need for nutrients, then properly organized feeding plays a huge role during the stall period. After all, a well-fed animal will never freeze, it will be fun, and a balanced diet will help maintain its health, and future offspring will be born strong and developed. Plus, this will positively affect how much milk a goat produces per day.
In the morning, the goat is better to give concentrates - 150 g or a little more for a large animal and half a kilogram of root crops per head.
At lunchtime, hunger will quench hay, wreaths or leaves.
In the evening, as much concentrated feed as in the morning. And more hay for the night.
If feeding norms are not followed, cattle may develop rickets and vitamin deficiency.
How to increase milk yield
How much milk does a goat make per day? Quantity depends on several conditions. This is a hereditary factor, conditions of detention, feeding, the age of the goat, the number of milks per day, and the duration of lactation. Some of them are not dependent on the owner: they are due to genetics, but there are reasons that a person can significantly affect. The set of correct measures will help the goat to fully reveal its productive potential.
- As soon as the kids are born, the goat needs to be bred: frequent milking up to 4 times a day, massage of the udder stimulates the addition of milk, enhances blood circulation, which positively affects the quality of the product.
- Significantly increase the amount of milk by increasing the rate of concentrated feed. But here it is important not to overdo it, otherwise you can harm the animal.
- Milk comes from juicy supplements, especially pumpkins, apples, root crops.
- Experienced breeders recommend feeding turnips to goats: it has a milk-producing property. It should be added to the mixers.
- Tree branches diversify the diet, they contain trace elements and vitamins.
- Sometimes vitamin deficiency is the reason for a decrease in milk yield, therefore, especially in winter, vitamin supplements must be included in the feed.
- The amount of milk a goat produces per day is affected by the amount of water she drinks; the animal cannot be denied this neither on a hot summer day, nor in severe frosts. Some caring owners offer their pets water with the addition of a decoction of herbs, lemon juice, regular tea or Kombucha. They steam a handful of rowan berries or viburnum, some dried fruits. Goats drink this kind of water with great pleasure, only you need to pick it up according to the taste of the animal.
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How to milk a goat
How much liters of milk a goat produces per day depends on how well milking is organized. Some recommend starting to massage and develop the udder of the goat a month before giving birth, but this is wrong. Irritation of the udder can provoke a miscarriage, and then the young will be lost.
It is better to start the massage an hour after lambing, during milking, then the benefits of it will be obvious. After the goat has given birth, the offspring should be immediately isolated, otherwise the uterus may subsequently not allow the udder of the host.
In order for the animal to stand still, it is necessary to place dishes with water in front of it and throw pieces of bread, dried fruits, sliced apples there. The udder must be washed with warm water, wiped dry with a towel and massage each lobe. Then grab the nipple with your fingers, squeeze and pull down, squeezing the milk with sliding movements. The first trickles should not fall into the podium, as they are non-sterile.
The udder needs to be emptied completely, because mastitis may begin due to milk residues in it. It also affects the increase in lactation: empty udders fill faster.
If the goat is young, and the goats appeared for the first time, then it is more difficult to milk it. She still does not understand what they want from her, and she is worried about new sensations. Not everyone has a machine, so you need to tie it on a short leash, offer it a favorite treat or a tasty drink. Well, if someone from your relatives helps, he will hold and stroke, calming. A little patience - and your nurse will get used to the procedure, will take it calmly.
Having successfully bought a goat with good heredity, properly caring for it, the owner can be sure: how many liters of milk a goat produces per day is enough to provide the whole family with high-quality dairy products, and even bring tangible profits.