The choice of breed type should be influenced by the type of product to be produced, e.g.milk or meat or fiber. Within each type there are several breeds that will be productive under a range of production systems.
There are different advantages and disadvantages to consider when choosing either meat or dairy type does as your maternal line. Some disadvantages of using dairy does include: 1) They are often raised under intensive feeding and rather pampered situations, and thus you …
Goats can transmit several diseases to humans, including:
Leptospirosis — This disease is widely distributed in domestic and wild animals. Transmission of the organism to humans can occur through skin abrasions and mucous membranes by contact with urine or tissues of animals infected with leptospirosis. Inhalation or ingestion of organisms can also transmit the disease. The disease can vary from an asymptomatic infection to severe disease with symptoms ranging from flu-like ailments to liver and kidney failure, encephalitis, and pulmonary …
The recommended planting dates for oats, rye, and wheat (small grains) are between December and January. Plant ryegrass, crimson, and clover between February and March. For other areas, contact your local Cooperative Extension agent for a list of recommended forages.…
For oats, rye, and wheat the seeding rate is 90 to 120 lb per acre when planted alone or 60 to 90 lb per acre when planted with something else. The rate for annual ryegrass is 20 to 30 lb per acre when sown alone or 10 to 15 lb when sown in a mixture.…
Corn is safe for goats in small amounts. While corn is relatively low in protein (8% CP), it does contain a certain amount of calcium, which, in excess, can contribute to the onset of urinary calculi in bucks.
Although there is a tendency to feed corn because it is less expensive, never feed more than 50% of the total diet, except for heavily producing dairy goats. Adult meat goats should be fed a maximum of 1% of bodyweight in supplemental …
There are several plants that can be poisonous to goats. However, the severity of plant poisoning depends on the quantity of the plant that was eaten, the amount of ground moisture, the health of the animal prior to consuming the toxic plant, and the size and age of the animal that consumed the plant.
Under normal circumstances, animals will not consume poisonous plants. However, there are some factors that might cause goats to eat poisonous plants. Those factors include starvation, …
Grasses are monocotyledons and belong to the family Gramineae. Leaves from these herbaceous plants appear as blades, with parallel veins. Grasses seldom exceed 15 percent crude protein content. Some examples of grasses are the following: Bahia, bermudagrass, stargrass, bluestem, sudangrass, barley, oats, rye, rape, switchgrass, pearl millet, ryegrass, wheat, dallisgrass, and brown top millet. For more information on grasses, see Goat Pastures and Forages .…
Browse is the tips of woody shrubs and trees, as well as the occasional broad-leaved plant, and forbs are flowering plants. Some examples of browse and forbs are mimosa, sagebrush, chicory, and briars. For more information, see Goat Vegetation Management.…
To achieve maximum production levels, it is necessary to provide a free choice complete goat mineral supplement or a 50:50 mix of trace mineralized salt and dicalcium phosphate. In addition, goats need the following:
Calcium: Major functions include blood clotting, membrane permeability, muscle contraction, nerve function, cardiovascular functions, and enzyme activity. Adequate levels of calcium for lactating goats are necessary to prevent parturient paresis (milk fever). In browsing or grain-fed goats, the addition of a calcium supplement (dicalcium phosphate, limestone, …
Goats need two to three gallons of water daily. However, goats may get by on only about a half gallon a day or less while grazing lush green grass. In addition, a lactating doe requires more than two to three gallons of water, depending on how much she is getting from grass and how much milk she is producing. For more information, see: Goat Nutrition Water .…
