Breeding of dairy goats on the farms of the russian federation
Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Stavropol 2005
These recommendations summarize the research materials in the field of dairy goat breeding, carried out for 15 years by scientists from the All-Russian Research Institute of Sheep and Goat Breeding and subsequently its successor, the Stavropol Research Institute of Livestock and Forage. The authors set themselves the goal of bringing their own experience of creating a pedigree reproducer, breeding and keeping dairy goats in conditions of medium and large farms to a wide range of business executives, farmers and specialists. In the course of the work, the works in the field of dairy goat breeding by foreign and domestic authors were analyzed and summarized, their conclusions and proposals complement our recommendations for production.
We express our gratitude to the authors of the guidelines
MIKHAIL YURIEVICH SANNIKOV and SVETLANA IVANOVNA NOVOPASHINA - Head. laboratory of goat breeding and herding dog breeding, for the materials provided
INTRODUCTION
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Dairy goats have long been bred in Russia. These animals are distributed throughout the country, especially in the Central, North-Western parts, the Volga region, in the South and the Urals.
Dairy goat breeding is characterized by small-scale production and almost complete absence of industrial processing of goat milk. Historically, the overwhelming majority of goats were concentrated in individual household plots of the population living mainly in workers' and dacha settlements, small towns.
During the existence of the USSR, this trend has only intensified. Under the conditions of a planned economy, the state did not show interest in goat's milk, since in terms of gross production it could not compete with cow's milk. Only in the mid-80s of the twentieth century, some steps began to be taken towards the creation of a commercial dairy goat breeding. Highly productive goats of the Saanen breed were purchased abroad, and pedigree farms for breeding these animals were created in the Moscow and Poltava regions.
The collapse of the USSR, the economic crisis of the 90s practically destroyed the basis for the creation of large-scale dairy goat breeding in our country. The breeding reproducer of Zaanen goats has ceased to exist at the Nikonovskoye GPZ in the Moscow region, and the situation is similar in Ukraine.
Nevertheless, the transition of the economy to market relations gave a powerful impetus to the development of dairy goat breeding, already on a new basis of private production. The number of these animals is growing in the country, the first farms for breeding dairy goats with a number of broodstock of 200-300 and more heads appear.
The creation of large-scale dairy goat breeding in Russia and the solution of the problems facing it made the task of scientific support of the industry in all directions urgent: breeding, selection, feeding and keeping of dairy goats, milk processing, development of regulatory and technical documentation. The absence of planned scientific research in dairy goat breeding in our country until the mid-80s of the last century has led to the fact that domestic scientists have not yet created a single dairy breed of goats.
Milking goats
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When milking goats, manual and mechanical milking methods are used. With the manual method, goats are milked in special milking machines, while the load per milkmaid is 25 heads. This method of milking goats is used on small farms with extensive animal husbandry technology.
Mechanical milking of goats can be carried out with various milking installations. The choice of a milking installation depends on the number of dairy herds, the technology of keeping animals and the material capabilities of the customer. However, it should be borne in mind that for the normal functioning of the farm, the milking time for goats should be no more than 2.0–2.5 hours. Milking equipment for sheep and cows can be adapted for machine milking of goats. So, in the breeding reproducer SNIIZhK, a mobile milking machine for cows AID-2 D has been successfully used for many years.
To milk the goats, it was only necessary to muffle 2 extra glasses. This milking machine is designed for milking two goats at the same time and allows serving 120 milking goats in 2-3 hours.
However, on a farm where intensive technology is planned, goats are milked using stationary milking equipment, which is installed in milking parlors. The set of such equipment includes: milking machines, devices for distributing concentrated feed, a vacuum system, milk pipelines, milking machines, a system for primary processing, cooling and storage of milk.
Goats quickly get used to machine milking and after a short period of getting used to (2-3 times) they independently go to milking.
The frequency of milking directly depends on the technology of raising the kids. With the artificial method of rearing the kids immediately, from the moment of birth, the first week the goats are fed 4–5 times a day, and the kids are fed colostrum. Then, during the period of abundant milk production, which lasts about 6 months, the goats are milked 2 or 3 times. Goats are launched two months before the goat. The lactation period in specialized dairy goats lasts 9-11 months.
With the suckling-sucking method, the kids are suckled from the moment of birth, and from 8-10 weeks of age they begin sucking the queens. Milking them once a day, milking out a limited amount of milk. The rest of the milk remains for feeding the kids so that they keep up with their growth and development.
After beating the kids from their mothers, which can occur in 7-10 days, 30, 45, 60 and 120 days (the last term in dairy goat breeding is used extremely rarely, only when raising goats for a tribe), goats are milked 2 times a day. Before the launch, they gradually switch to one-time milking and 2 months before the goats of the queens are launched.
EXPERIENCE IN CREATING A BREEDING REPRODUCTOR OF THE STEPS FOR BREEDING GOATS OF THE ZAANENSKAYA BREED
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In 1989, Saanen goats were brought to the USSR from Australia. In Russia, they were located at the Nikonovskoye gas processing plant in the Moscow region. Due to the difficult economic situation in the country's agriculture in the 90s of the last century, the farm for breeding dairy goats in this farm ceased to exist. In order to preserve the unique gene pool of these animals, in 1994 purebred goats of the Saanen breed at the age of 4 months - 4 goats and 21 goats - were brought to the experimental farm of the All-Russian Research Institute of Sheep and Goat Breeding from the Nikonovskoye State Reservoir.
The scientists of the institute were given the task of creating a breeding reproducer. In this regard, it was required to increase the livestock and develop a system for keeping animals for the period of expanded reproduction of the herd.
A stall-pasture system for keeping goats was applied (Fig. 7, 8.)
Rice. 7. Goats of a breeding reproducer in the pasture.
The offspring after the goat did not fight off the queens and was kept on suction until 4 months of age. With the development of cicatricial digestion, coarse, succulent feeds and concentrates were introduced into the diet. At the age of one month, the live weight of the young was 10–12 kg. In the process of development, the kids sucked out more milk and thus distributed the goat. But in specialized dairy goats of the Saanen breed, kids are not able to completely suck milk from the udder. Therefore, the goats were fed daily, although the ability not to give up milk completely during milking remained in the queens and after the kids were beaten off from them. In our experiments with repeated milking of queens after 30–40 minutes. after the first milking, it was possible to additionally obtain 0.2–0.4 kg of milk.
The lactation period in suckling goats is 210–240 days, which is 30–60 days less than the genetically inherent ability of Saanen goats. Therefore, with this method of raising the kids, the duration of the lactation period and the milk productivity of the queens were not as high as when the kids were beaten from the moment of birth. However, with this technology, by the age of 4 months, the goats weighed 32.5 kg, and the goats - 27.6 kg. By the age of 7 months, the average live weight of goats reached 36 kg.
Rice. 8. Stall keeping of goats with feeding with hay in a walking yard.
For accelerated reproduction of the herd, early insemination of goats at the age of 7–8 months was used, which reached a live weight of at least 32.5 kg. The first goat took place at 12-13 months. The offspring from one-year-old goats practically did not differ in live weight, growth and development from peers obtained from older queens. However, in queens inseminated at 7–8 months of age, more singles were born. The milk productivity of these animals for 1 lactation was low and amounted to 0.5–0.9 kg of milk per day.
At the initial stage of herd reproduction, the method of manual mating was used. The load on one adult broodling goat was 40-50 heads per breeding season, on a 7-8-month-old replacement goat - 10-15 heads. Subsequently, methods of artificial insemination and synchronization of sexual heat in dairy goats were developed. This made it possible to carry out a breeding campaign in a short time using the best producers.
The domestic industry does not produce equipment for machine milking of goats. Therefore, studies were carried out to determine the optimal milking regimes for goats using individual milking machines for cows such as AID. The approximate milking time of one animal with machine milking is 2.5–3.0 minutes. Milking machines for goats have been developed. Machine milking of goats is successfully used on the dairy farm of the Institute.
As a result of purposeful selection and breeding work in 2001, the dairy goat farm received the status of a pedigree reproducer and a license to breed Saanen goats. In 2005, the total number of dairy goats was 250 heads, of which 57.6% were queens. The average milk productivity per lactation is 546 kg, the average daily milk yield is 2.2 kg with an average milk fat content of 3.81%. The average milk productivity of elite goats was 637 kg of milk for 250 days of lactation. To carry out selection and breeding work in the herd, a selection group of goats with a milk production of 704.5 kg per 250 days was selected.
Goats of the Zaanen breed of the SNIIZhK pedigree reproducer are rather large animals (Fig. 9).
Rice. 9. Goats of the Saanen breed of the breeding stock of SNIIZhK.
Height at withers of adult queens is 73–75 cm, average live weight is 51 kg. Brood goats have a height at the withers of 80 cm, an average live weight of 89 kg. The constitution of animals is strong and dry. The body is long, deep and wide enough. The bones are strong, the limbs are correctly set. Goats are white, their coat consists of a thin awn without noticeable undercoat.
Specialists of the pedigree reproducer carry out selection and breeding work aimed at increasing milk productivity, improving the class composition of goats and the reproductive abilities of animals. At the same time, methods of targeted selection and selection are applied, work is underway to identify the ancestor of the line of high milk production and high fertility. On the basis of the pedigree reproducer, experimental work is being carried out to clarify selection indicators and technological parameters for the development of a new OST for grading dairy goats.
The pedigree reproducer has accumulated experience in various technologies for raising goats and milking goats. Experiments on raising kids by sucking, sucking and milk feeding and hand feeding have been carried out. The optimal options for raising young kids have been determined, depending on the conditions and purposes of keeping. The milk flow rate has been set for manual and machine milking of goats.
The pedigree reproducer is a permanent participant and winner of Russian breeding animal exhibitions. Its creation had a positive impact on the development of dairy goat breeding in many regions of the Russian Federation and the CIS countries. During the existence of the reproducer, more than 150 heads of goats and replacement goats were sold to the tribe in order to improve the local dairy goats. In this direction, cooperation is underway with state organizations, private and farms of the following constituent entities of the Russian Federation: the Republics of Sakha (Yakutia), Bashkortostan, Buryatia, Tatarstan, Mari El, Mordovskaya, Altai, Dagestan, North Ossetia (Alania), Kabardino-Balkaria; Krasnodar, Stavropol, Altai Territories; Astrakhan, Vologda, Volgograd, Kaluga, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Samara, Saratov, Sverdlovsk, Chita regions, Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as the states of Belarus, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Georgia.
BREEDING WORK IN DAIRY BREEDING
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Goat breeding profitably requires raising animals that produce a lot of milk at the lowest cost. At the same time, goats must have good health, good resistance to diseases and adaptability to natural and climatic conditions, have stable fertility and low feed costs. Breeding work with dairy goats should be carried out in the direction of increasing milk yield and improving milk quality.
In breeding farms, it is necessary to draw up a plan of selection and breeding work for 3-5 years, which should reflect: the current state of the farm, the conditions for keeping and feeding goats, the process of completing the herd, the desired type of goats, methods of selection and selection, the structure of the herd, the number of culled animals, the size of the breeding group.
Most often in dairy goat breeding, purebred breeding, absorption and introductory crossbreeding are used. In purebred breeding, purebred queens mate with purebred goats of the same breed. The purebredness of goats and goats is confirmed by the relevant documentation. Purebred breeding of Saanen goats is used in the breeding reproducer SNIIZHK.
As you know, crossing is the mating of animals of two different breeds. The most common use in dairy goat breeding is absorption crossbreeding in order to quickly transform a worse breed into a better one. Absorption mating queens are taken from a breed that is widespread in the area. You can buy queens in another zone, but this will require additional costs for acclimatization and adaptation to local climatic conditions. Our data indicate that local improved goats of the Zaanen breed, brought from the Stavropol Territory to Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Sverdlovsk and Novosibirsk regions, have acclimatized well. For this, the optimal conditions for feeding and keeping were created for them. These goats were interbred with purebred goats from the SNIIZhK reproducer, and their offspring (hybrids of the 1st generation) grew and developed well, and the milk productivity of queens for III lactation for 200–250 days was 400–500 kg of milk.
Another positive experience of absorption crossbreeding in dairy goat breeding was obtained from the mating of local dairy goats, common in the Stavropol Territory, with purebred goats of the Saanen breed from the SNIIZhK reproducer. The results of absorption crosses were taken into account in more than 200 crosses of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd generations. Crossbred animals of average size, in adult goats the live weight is 45–55 kg, in goats at the age of 4 months - 23 kg, in goats - 20 kg. The color of crossbred goats is different: gray, gray-black, brown, white. It should be noted that with an increase in the proportion of blood in the Saanen breed, white color of goats predominates. Milk productivity of goats for I lactation is 250 kg, for II - 400 kg, for III - 550 kg. The fat content of milk, depending on the season of the year, ranges from 3 to 5.5% (average fat content is 3.7%).
Since there are few purebred breeding animals of the Saanen breed in Russia, and the goal of goat breeders who are seriously engaged in breeding dairy goats is to create a breeding farm, absorption crossbreeding is one of the ways leading to obtaining purebred offspring and the status of a breeding reproducer, because animals of the 3rd and 4th generations obtained from absorption crosses of local dairy goats with purebred dairy goats can be considered purebred if they correspond to the desired type of this breed.
In dairy goat breeding, even on breeding farms, introductory crossing (“bleeding”) can be used - this is a temporary departure from purebred breeding. The purpose of this type of crossing is to take from another breed the qualities that are missing for the given breed, provided that the type and characteristic valuable traits of the main breed are preserved. Introductory crossing consists in a single mating of queens of one breed with goats of another. Thus, the fat content of the Saanen goats can be increased by a single “blood infusion” of the Nubian goats, and the “blood infusion” of the Saanen goats can increase the live weight of the Alpine goats.
An important goal of breeding work on farms for the production of goat milk, especially under industrial technology, is the creation of highly productive animals suitable for intensive use on mechanized farms. In the process of breeding, there is a need to increase the proportion of purebred animals, since they have a higher milk productivity, which is steadily inherited.
Selection and selection of animals are important when carrying out selection and breeding work. When selecting, a comprehensive assessment is carried out according to the following criteria: goats - according to milk production, conformation and constitution, genotype, type of birth; breeding goats - by exterior and constitution, genotype, type of birth; young animals - by genotype, exterior, development, type of birth.
Evaluation of goats for milk productivity is carried out by milk yield, the total content of fat and protein in milk or the total amount of milk fat and protein, or one of these indicators for 305 days of lactation or for shortened completed lactation, the definition of milk flow properties.
To evaluate goats by genotype, information about the productive and breeding qualities of the father and mother is required. When evaluating goats and goats by their constitution and exterior, one should pay attention to the shortcomings of the physique and take them into account in breeding work (Table 1).
Especially important for improving the herd is the assessment of brood goats by the quality of the offspring. The evaluation of the test goats is carried out by examining their offspring at 4–5 months of age and at the end of the first lactation of the daughters. The category of improvers includes goats, the offspring of which significantly exceeds the average productivity of the offspring of all the tested goats.
Breeding and breeding work with goats implies a strict keeping of zootechnical records: tattooing on the ears and tagging, keeping individual cards for brood goats and queens, an individual appraisal log, a mating and goat queen mating log, a milk yield log, a book for breeding young stock ... This information serves as an auxiliary material for the subsequent selection of goats to queens.
Table 1. Disadvantages of the physique of goats and dairy goats, for which the score for the exterior and constitution decreases
In goat breeding, individual, group, homogeneous, heterogeneous and age selections are used.
Individual selection is applied among elite animals, and on the basis of an individual assessment of origin, constitution, exterior, productivity and breeding qualities, an appropriate breeding goat is selected for each uterus.
In group selection for a group of queens of the same class, a goat is assigned a class higher, so that each generation is better than the previous one.
Homogeneous selection is used when it is necessary to consolidate a single valuable feature. For example, for queens with high milk productivity or with a high fat content in milk, a goat is assigned, preferably evaluated for the quality of the offspring and classified as a milk productivity improver and milk fat content improver.
Mixed match is based on the rule of “worst with best gives the best”. This type of selection is convenient for artificial insemination of goats. For this, elite goats are assigned to queens of different classes, preferably tested for the quality of the offspring. Often goats with low milk production are selected by a goat that is assessed as an improver for this trait. Sometimes goats of the desired type are selected for the goats of the desired type according to their milk production according to another criterion - according to their fat content or live weight. Through this selection, the offspring display the valuable traits of both parents.
Age selection is of no small importance in goat breeding. The most fruitful and productive age of goats and goats is from 2 to 5 years. It is at this age that animals produce the most biologically complete sex cells. Therefore, it is desirable to use it most intensively for mating goats and goats of this age. However, any herd contains animals of different ages, and it is necessary to regulate the mating of animals depending on this trait. For example, it is advisable to select middle-aged goats for young and old queens, and goats of any age for middle-aged queens.
To select a specific breeding method, it is important to know the degree of inheritance of the most important quantitative and qualitative indicators of productivity. N. Pingel cites the following data:
Table 2. Inheritance of traits in dairy goats
The data in the table show that not every productive indicator of goats is influenced by the environment in the same way. So, the degree of inheritance of fat and protein in milk is 50-60% due to hereditary factors and 40-50% - by environmental factors, and milk yield by 20-30% depends on heredity and 70-80% - on environmental factors Wednesday.
For successful selection, it is necessary to take into account the relationship between the productivity of animals and the main constitutional and exterior indicators (Table 3).
Table 3. The relationship of milk productivity with exterior and interior indicators in goats
According to our data, breast width, longitudinal and transverse girth of the udder, the size of the nipples, and the level of a-globulins in the blood have a positive relationship with milk productivity.
I would especially like to dwell on the issue of hornlessness and horniness of Saanen goats. Most authors in the specialized literature claim that Saanen goats are exceptionally hornless. This thesis has historical roots, since at the World Exhibition of 1856 in Paris, these animals were presented as white hornless Saanen goats. However, according to our data, Saanen goats can be both hornless and horned, as well as with parted or removed horns. Thus, N. Pingel notes that, in spite of many years of selection for hornlessness, it was not possible to achieve homozygosity for this trait in goats. This is due to the fact that in homozygous hornless animals anomalies in relation to sex occur, which are expressed in an increase in the number of intersex (hermaphrodites).
Thus, Brandt's studies (cited by N. Pingel) on 3693 German improved white goats revealed 6.1% of hermaphrodites, H. Pingel's studies of 235 goats of the same breed revealed 5.1% of hermaphrodites, our studies of 132 Saanen goats revealed 2, 3% are hermaphrodites. The fact that horned intersex are extremely rare suggests that intersexuality is a consequence of long-term selection for hornlessness. When mating horned goats, it was not possible to establish a single case of hermaphroditism.
It is precisely because of the influence of pollutants on the sex of the kids that the Württemberg goat breeders' union (Germany) has allowed the use of horned goats in breeding since 1987. In herds of hornless Saanen goats, it is recommended to periodically use horned goats, followed by cauterization of the horny processes in their offspring. In particular, the batch of Saanen goats brought to our country at the end of the 1980s from Australia included both hornless and horned individuals.
INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY OF MAINTENANCE OF DAIRY GOATS ABROAD
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Even 25-30 years ago, nothing was reported about the industrial technology of keeping dairy goats. A priori, it was assumed that, in contrast to dairy cattle breeding, which is of an intensive nature, extensive low-energy technologies should be used in dairy goat breeding. But the experience of the USA, France, Holland, Germany and other countries shows that highly mechanized technological processes of keeping, feeding, milking and raising animals can be successfully applied in dairy goat breeding. At the same time, the milk productivity of goats significantly increases, the economic efficiency of the industry increases.
What are the main principles of intensive technology in dairy goat breeding? First of all, it is a high concentration and specialization of production. The size of the farm and the number of animals in it are important. Of course, these conditions depend on the economic situation in specific countries, but it is obvious that the size of farms and the number of animals in them must be significant. For example, in Holland it is believed that for a profitable farm it is necessary to have at least 700 milking goats, while the profitability of production is at the level of 8-15%. Often, specialized farms are created for growing replacement young animals, obtaining marketable milk, and fattening animals. As a rule, separate services are created for the procurement of feed, the repair of milking and feeding equipment, and veterinary services.
Human labor on industrial farms is highly productive. This is achieved primarily through the correct organization and high mechanization of production processes. For example, on a farm with over 800 milking goats, a family of two may work. A high degree of production automation is combined with a simple system of keeping and feeding the animals.
What are the main elements of industrial technology for keeping dairy goats?
Keeping animals -
year-round stall, loose on straw bedding in trenches up to 70 cm deep (Fig. 10).
Instead of feeders, the principle of a feeding table is used. Watering of animals is carried out from automatic drinking glasses attached to the wall at a sufficient height. Light-weight premises with good natural light, as a rule, with forced ventilation. This principle of keeping goats allows you to minimize the cost of human labor. The daily care of the animals, including feeding them, can be done by one person.
Rice. 10. Stall keeping of dairy goats in Holland.
The deep litter, as needed, is replenished with fresh straw and generates a significant amount of heat due to biothermal processes, which reduces the cost of heating the premises in the cold season. The premises are cleaned twice a year. The same number of times a hired team of specialists performs hoof trimming and compulsory veterinary treatments.
Animal feeding
It is produced from a mixer-feeder, which scatters the crushed feed mixture onto the feed table (passage).
Fig. 11. Dispensing feed mixture using a mixer-feeder
As a rule, the cheapest feeds, food waste (beet or sunflower cake, brewer's grains, haylage, silage, straw, etc.) are used. To increase the biological value of milk, you can feed chopped hay or dried grass. At the same time, milk produced from animals receiving hay, grass or grazing for a short time on pastures is considered environmentally friendly and increases in price.
The feed mixture used for feed for dairy goats must be balanced in terms of basic nutrients, macro- and microelements, vitamins. This is achieved by adding concentrated feed, vitamin and mineral premixes and biologically active additives. The study of the qualitative composition, as well as the manufacture of concentrates and premixes, takes place centrally at industrial feed mills.
Experts working in feed supply companies provide advice and recommendations to farmers on the correct balanced nutrition of animals.
Milking goats -
automated in milking parlors of various designs (Fig. 12, 13). The goats are usually milked twice a day. Usually
the milking process does not exceed 2–2.5 hours. Milking equipment is used by renowned companies (De Laval, Westfale, SAK, etc.).
Fig. 12. Automatic milking parlor "carousel"
Various types of milking parlors are used: carousel, herringbone, side-by-side. At the same time, the milking place can be equipped with an auto-takeoff, a movable front panel, individual milk meters, etc. The high degree of automation of the milking process allows one person to milk goats. The supplier of the equipment carries out warranty and service maintenance of this equipment.
Rice. 13. A side-by-side milking parlor equipped with an auto-pick.
The milking parlor is combined with the room where the animals are kept, and is connected to it by a system of passages, flyovers and underground runs (Fig. 14).
Rice. 14. Suspended passage to the milking parlor.
Herd reproduction
As a rule, manual or harem mating is used (Fig. 15). Goats are inseminated 180-200 days after the goat. Brood goats are raised on the farm or purchased from specialized reproducers. The goats are kept in separate pens. In the case of deep frozen semen, artificial insemination methods are used.
Rice. 15. A brood goat with a group of queens.
2–3 months before the goat, 30% of the goat population stop milking and start by themselves. The remaining 70% of goats are milked right up to the goat. Sometimes high-yielding goats are not inseminated, and they can be milked for two years or more. Such a technological process leads to a reduction in the time of their economic use.
The average service life of dairy goats with industrial technology for keeping animals is 4–5 years. The first insemination of goats is carried out at 12-14 months. There are no special places for the birth of offspring on farms. Goatling is carried out in the same pens where the entire herd is kept.
Growing young animals.
The kids are beaten off by their mothers from the moment of birth or in the first two or three days of life and are artificially fed. Newborn kids are placed in wooden corrals with a slatted floor made of plastic. A nipple is mounted on the wall of the pen, which is connected to the automatic goat feeder
Fig. 16. Goat Feeder
The machine is designed for mixing water and milk powder, maintains the set temperature and dispenses milk mixture in portions from 0.3 to 0.5 liters. One machine provides the nutritional requirements of 150 kids.
Grown up goats are transferred to fattening farms for meat or to special reproducers. The goats are placed in special pens, where they receive high quality feed and a balanced diet depending on age and development. In the future, replacement goats are transferred to pens, similar to adult goats and differing in the depth of the trench.
Fig. 17. Growing replacement goats in the pen.
Selection and breeding work.
When breeding goats, the main focus is on the milk production of animals. Goats with low milk production, short lactation period or not suitable for machine milking are rejected. Individual registration of daily milk yield allows you to check the breeding goats for the quality of the offspring and use them in reproduction of proven producers.
The industrial technology of keeping dairy goats makes it possible to have an average milk yield of one goat on a farm of 1000–1200 kg per lactation and above. High labor productivity saves labor resources.
The stall system for keeping animals protects the environment from pollution and creates favorable environmental conditions in the surrounding area.
Rice. 18. Goat farm in Holland
Not a single industrial-type farm has yet been created in Russia. But, of course, given the high economic efficiency of such production, large mechanized farms will appear in the country in the near future.
(The article was written in 2005 - ed.)
DISTRIBUTION AND SPECIES COMPOSITION OF DAIRY GOATS IN RUSSIA
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Due to the fact that the bulk of dairy goats is concentrated in individual farms, and the statistical registration of animals in private farmsteads of the population is imperfect, it is impossible to provide accurate data on the number and breed composition of dairy goats bred in the Russian Federation. This problem can only be solved by conducting the All-Russian Agricultural Census. Nevertheless, when assessing the number and territorial distribution of goats, it is recommended to use a number of official information sources.
According to A.D. Veniaminov, about 150 main breeds of goats and a large number of intra-breed types are bred in the world. V.V. Sokolov, G.A. Kuts et al. Provide data on 234 goat breeds. In terms of productivity, breeds belong to dairy, meat, downy, wool, park, hide and mixed types of double and triple direction of productivity. Of all the variety of breeds bred in the world, the most numerous group (more than 50%) are breeds in which the main product obtained from goats is milk (dairy, milk-meat, milk-wool and others).
In 2004, the number of dairy goats in the world was 151.5 million heads. In Russia, this figure was 1.1 million heads, or 0.7% of the global livestock. But it can be noted that the number of goats in the country is growing. So, according to A.I. Chikalev, in 1997 there were 830 thousand dairy goats in Russia, or 34% of the total livestock bred in the country. By 2004, this number had increased by 270 thousand heads. In our opinion, the main increase in the number of goats occurs precisely due to the increase in the number of dairy goats, and this tendency will, apparently, continue in the near future.
The main areas of distribution of dairy goats are traditionally considered to be the North-West, Central, Central Black Earth, Volgo-Vyatka and North Caucasian economic regions of Russia. At present, the list of territories where the number of dairy goats is growing can be supplemented by the republics of Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Altai Territory, Sverdlovsk, Novosibirsk regions and other subjects of the Russian Federation.
Due to the fact that there was no purposeful selection and breeding work to breed a highly productive domestic breed of dairy goats, local dairy goats became widespread in our country. This name brings together various populations of goats specialized in milk production. It is believed that they were bred by the method of folk selection. At the same time, the genotype of these animals was formed as a result of the "infusion of blood" from foreign dairy breeds, primarily the Zaanen and Toggenburg breeds, which at one time or another were imported into the territory of Russia.
Local dairy goats are characterized by a strong constitution with a well-defined dairy type. Among these animals, both hornless and horned individuals are found. The color is usually white or black and white, less often black. In the event that the Toggenburg breed participated in the cross-breeding, the animals have brown markings on the body, and two characteristic parallel white stripes stretch along the muzzle. The coat is rough, non-uniform. Depending on the climatic conditions of the region, goats can be covered with short covering hair or have a short downy undercoat. Animals of medium size. The live weight of the queens is 36–48 kg, sometimes reaching 55 kg and more. The weight of goats is 50–65 kg, some individuals can reach a body weight of 90–100 kg and more.
The milk productivity of these animals largely depends on the applied feeding technology and maintenance. Lactation in local dairy goats lasts 180–240 days, milk yield is 250–400 kg, fat content in milk is 3.5–5.5%. It is not uncommon for animals to receive significantly more milk: 600–800 kg at 240–300 days of lactation and up to 1200 kg at 300–400 days of the lactation period. The fat content of milk in high-yielding goats, as a rule, does not exceed 4%, the protein content is 3.0–3.5%.
Fertility of local dairy goats is 140-200% per 100 queens. Goating is usually done once a year, but there are often two goats a year or 3 goats in 2 years. The economic life of animals is relatively long. It is 5-6 goats, and quite often 8-10 goats are used by goats. At the same time, animals retain their milk production. Dairy goats are early maturing animals. The timing of the first insemination depends on the development of the goat. Usually they are inseminated at the age of 1–1.5 years, but cases of insemination at 6–8 months of age are not uncommon. Thus, the economic life of animals can be 7-8 years or more.
As additional products from dairy goats, meat and valuable leather goat, harvested under the name "bread", are obtained. From goats of the combined direction of productivity, with a downy undercoat, 100-200 g of down are combed, and the wool is cut 300-500 g.
From all the variety of local dairy goats bred in Russia, experts in the field of goat breeding distinguish two breeds - Russian White and Gorky. But it must be borne in mind that these breeds do not have an official status, since there are no breeding farms in the country for breeding these animals and they are not included in the state register of selection achievements approved for use in the Russian Federation. It seems to us correct to attribute the goats of the Russian White and Gorky breeds to the breed groups or offspring of dairy goats. However, in these guidelines, we adhere to the generally accepted breed names for these goat populations.
strong> Russian white breed
developed on the basis of long-term folk selection for milk productivity (Fig. 1). The animals have a strong constitution and a well-expressed milky exterior.
The coat consists of opaque hair or coarse hair with a short awn and undercoat. Goats are horned and hornless. The color is predominantly white. There are animals with black, gray and tan marks. Live weight of queens is 40-50 kg, in some cases up to 60 kg, goats - 55-70 kg with variations up to 85-95 kg.
Duration of lactation 200–250 days, milk yield 350–550 kg with fat content 4.5–5.0%; some individuals give up to 800 kg of milk. Fertility of queens is high - 180–210%. The meat productivity is satisfactory. The average daily gain in live weight of castrated goats during feeding at the age of 8–10 months is 80–120 g. The goats are used to produce high quality leather.
The territory of distribution of Russian white goats is the household plots of the population in the North-Western and Central economic zones of the Russian Federation, especially in the Moscow, Leningrad, Yaroslavl and Ivanovo regions. The exact number of animals of this breed is unknown. According to E.B. Zaporozhtsev, in the early 1980s there were more than 1 million goats of this breed.
Rice. 1. Goat of the Russian white breed.
When creating large herds of dairy goats, the uterus of the Russian White breed can be used when crossing with goats of the Saanen and other foreign dairy breeds in order to increase their milk productivity.
Gorky breed
obtained by improving goats of the Russian white breed with goats of the Saanen breed. Animals of strong constitution, exterior of a pronounced milky type. The coat is mainly white, the coat consists of cover hair or with a short awn and a slight downy undercoat. The animals are mostly hornless. Live weight of queen bees is 45-50 kg, of goats - 75-80 kg.
The lactation period in Gorky goats is close to that of the Saanen goats and is 240–300 days, milk yield of 450–500 kg per lactation with a fat content of 3.5–5.0%. In the best animals, milk yield reaches 1000–1200 kg. Fertility of queens is high - 180–210%. The meat productivity is satisfactory. High quality goats are used to produce high quality leather.
The Gorky breed was bred in Pochinkovsky, Arzamas and other areas of the Nizhny Novgorod region. Animals are bred in some areas of the Middle Volga region. Goats of this breed can serve as a good basis for the creation of large industrial herds. Further selection work with the breed requires the addition of blood from the Zaanen and other related breeds. The exact number of animals of this breed is unknown.
Thus, the breeding of domestic breeds of dairy goats in Russia has a number of features:
- The breeds of local dairy goats were bred by the method of folk selection with the participation of European dairy breeds, primarily the Zaanen and Toggenburg breeds.
- Animals are kept in individual backyards of the population. The number of dairy herds in such farms is insignificant and, as a rule, does not exceed 5-10 heads.
- There is no purposeful selection and breeding work with herds of local dairy goats. Individual populations of goats differ significantly from each other in constitution and conformation, the level of milk production.
- When creating large commercial dairy farms based on local dairy goats, it is difficult to obtain a uniform herd structure with high milk productivity.
Thus, the creation of highly productive herds of dairy goats should be carried out on the basis of breeding purebred animals of imported breeds or absorptive crossing of local dairy goats with goats-producers of the world's best dairy breeds of productivity. In this regard, the choice of a foreign breed for its distribution in Russia is of great interest.
Of all the goat breeds bred in the world, the European breeds have the highest milk production. There are more than 50 European breeds of dairy goats, of which the Saanen and Toggenburg are the most prominent.
Zaanen breed
bred by the method of folk selection in the Saanenthal valley, located in the Swiss Alps (Fig. 2). In addition to the centuries-old selection for milk productivity, the extremely favorable natural and climatic conditions of the Zaanen Valley with a large number of alpine pastures and a mild climate played a positive role in the breeding of the breed.
Rice. 2. Goat of the Zaanen breed (pedigree reproducer SNIIZHK).
The constitution of animals is tender and dense. The exterior is a classic example of the pronounced milky type. The skeleton is strong, but not coarse. Muscles are moderately developed, the skin is thin and mobile. The coat is short and consists of coarse opaque hair. If animals are kept in harsh climates, they may develop a short undercoat. The head is dry, of medium size, the ears are straight, standing with a "horn". Animals can be hornless and horned. On the neck, there are sometimes skin outgrowths called earrings. The body is long and deep. The limbs are correctly set and strong. The color is often white, sometimes with a light yellow tint. The scalp, ears and udder have black pigmentation spots. The udder is spherical or pear-shaped with well-defined nipples.
Saanen goats are among the largest in the world. Height at withers
in adult goats it is 74–78 cm, in brood goats it is 84–88 cm. The live weight of queens is 50–60 kg, in some cases up to 90 kg, in goats –– 75–85 kg and can reach 100–110 kg.
The milk production of Saanen goats is also the highest in the world. The lactation period lasts 270–360 days. Draft goats are sometimes milked without interruption for two years or more. The milk yield per lactation is 600-800 kg of milk with a fat content of 3.8-4.5%. If intensive industrial technology is used for keeping and feeding goats, the average productivity of a herd can be 1000–1200 kg of milk. The Zaanen breed holds the world record for milk yield - 3507 kg.
Like most dairy breeds, Saanen goats are highly fertile. On average, 160-180 kids are obtained per 100 queens. Early maturity of kids is high, fruitful insemination in them can occur at 4-6 months of age. This largely depends on the growth rate and the degree of development of the goats. The meat productivity is satisfactory. Goats from Saanen goats are of high quality and belong to the "bread" category.
Saanen goats are bred in many countries around the world. Animals of this breed participated in the creation of numerous breeds of the dairy direction: Banat White (Romania), British Dairy, Bulgarian White Dairy, Campine (Belgium), Czechoslovak White Kumola, German White, French Saanen, Gorky, Russian White, Israeli Saanen, Kola Improved White , white German improved, Zurich, Tsangzang (China), Laoshan (China).
Goats of the Saanen breed began to be imported to Russia from Switzerland and other European countries at the beginning of the 20th century. IN AND. Boykov reports that 20 Saanen goats were brought in in 1905. In 1911, 200 Saanen goats were brought to the village of Strelna near St. Petersburg, but they were met with goats of the Samar breed and sold out. The third batch of Saanen goats in the amount of 500 heads was imported to Russia from Germany in 1912. Due to the long and difficult transportation, some of the animals were depleted, and the surviving goats were sent to all the provincial centers of Russia. Then there was a long break in the import of Zaanen goats from abroad, and the resulting crossbred animals spread throughout the country and formed populations of local dairy goats in the type of Zaanen breed.
Only in the late 1980s was the purchase of Saanen goats from Australia carried out. These animals were distributed to the Nikonovskoe gas processing plant in the Moscow region and the collective farm named after Kirov, Poltava region. Unfortunately, at present, Saanen goats have not survived on these farms. In the 90s of the last century, individual farms began to actively develop. At this time, private investors purchased about 200 heads of Saanen, Alpine and Nubian goats. Thus, 100 goats were brought from Switzerland to the Flax holding company in the Astrakhan region, from the USA - 36 goats to the Pallada CJSC in the Samara region, as well as 60 goats to the Milk rivers LLC in the Dmitrievsky district of the Moscow region.
The authors of these recommendations believe that it is the Saanen goats that can be used in Russia to create medium and large industrial farms. There are a number of objective reasons for this. First, the outstanding milk production of these animals has made them the most used for the improvement of native goat breeds in many countries around the world. Secondly, the Zaanen breed is the only dairy goat breed in Russia included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements approved for use in the Russian Federation, which simplifies for the breeders of this breed the procedure for creating breeding farms and, in general, conducting selection and breeding work. The minimum requirements for Saanen goats are included in the currently valid “Instruction for the grading of downy, wool and dairy goats with the basics of breeding”. Thirdly, in Russia, breeding reproducers for breeding Zaanen goats have already been created, which makes it possible to replenish the breeding material directly in the country, bypassing the complicated and expensive procedures for importing animals from abroad. Breeding reproducers are located at the experimental station SNIIZHK Stavropol Territory, farm "Pozharenko" Krasnodar Territory, private enterprise "Narvin" Leningrad region. The goats for the SNIIZhK reproducer were purchased from the Nikonovskoye Gas Processing Plant, where they were brought from Australia in 1989.
Another factor in favor of breeding Saanen goats is the versatility of using the raw milk obtained from them. Due to their high milk content, these animals are optimal for farms focused on obtaining natural pasteurized milk or processing it into milk powder. At the same time, possessing sufficient fat and protein-milk content, this raw material is suitable for making cheese, butter, cottage cheese and other dairy products from it, which is important for enterprises engaged not only in the production of goat milk, but also in its processing. They can easily reorient production depending on market conditions.
In addition to the Saanen goats, the Alpine, Toggenburg and recently distributed Nubian breeds have become widespread and influenced the formation of herds of local dairy goats in Russia.
Alpine breed
is native, bred in the Swiss Alps.
It got its name because the animals of this breed are kept on mountain alpine pastures all summer long. This is a mountain breed group of Saanen goats, whose animals are characterized by a large angular constitution and a long, elongated neck. The goats are multi-colored, with different color variations; usually the front of one color and the back of the other. Milk productivity is 500-750 kg of milk for 270-350 days of lactation, with a fat content of 3.5-4.0%.
rice. 3. Alpine goats
There are several varieties of Alpine goats: white hornless, Appenzell, dark brown Brienz, Gruyer, Waliss, etc. In Russia, local dairy goats of the Alpine breed are common in the southern regions, especially in the North Caucasus.
Toggenburg breed
was created over many centuries by the method of folk selection and is named after the Toggenburg Valley in the Swiss Alps (Fig. 4). The constitution of animals is dense, the exterior is of a pronounced milky type. These goats are somewhat smaller than the Zaanen goats: the height at the withers is 70–75 cm, the live weight is 45–55 kg for the queens, the height at the withers of the goats is 80–85 cm, and the live weight is 65–75 kg. Toggenburg goats are distinguished by a dark brown body color. There is a dark brown stripe along the back, and two parallel white stripes stretch along the muzzle. There is a white border on the ears and tail, white stockings or boots on the limbs. The coat is braided; on the back and thighs, the length of the coat reaches 20 cm.
Rice. 4. Goat of the Toggenburg breed.
Milk productivity ranges from 400 to 800 kg of milk per lactation. The average duration of the lactation period is 270–305 days. The best herds of these goats in the United States produce up to 1000 kg of milk. Record productivity of 2610 kg. The average fat content in milk is slightly less than that of Saanen goats and amounts to 3.0–4.0%.
The fertility of Toggenburg goats is high. For a goat of the uterus, 2-3 goats are brought. The meat productivity is satisfactory.
Toggenburg goats have been exported to many European countries, as well as the United States and South Africa. On the basis of these goats, new breeds have been bred: in Germany - the noble Toggenburg goat, in the UK - the British Toggenburg goat, in the Czech Republic - the brown Czech. Toggenburg goats were brought to Russia in small numbers near St. Petersburg before the First World War. Later, brown Czech goats were imported to Altai and some other regions of the Russian Federation. The influence of the Toggenburg breed affected the external data of goats in the central and western regions of Russia. In general, the distribution of animals of the Toggenburg breed in Russia is much less than that of the Zaanen breed.
Nubian breed -
new for Russia, but thanks to the import of these animals from the United States, it has recently become widespread in our country.
Rice. 5. Nubian goats
This breed is bred in the historical regions of Numibia: Upper Egypt and Ethiopia. The Nubian breed gained wide distribution and popularity in the USA. In these regions, Nubian goats are distributed under the names Sahel, Arabian, Maure, Tuareg, Fulani.
According to the classification of goat breeds proposed by I.L. Mason, this breed is a Nubian fold-eared goat. The ears are large, drooping, and set horizontally. The coat is short and thin. The color is black, dark brown or reddish brown with or without white markings. Animals are distinguished by long legs, the height of goats is 80–85 cm, of goats - 70–75 cm. The live weight of queens is 40–45 kg, of goats, 60–70 kg.
Milk production depends on where the goats are reared. In Ethiopia, the average duration of lactation is 60–70 days, milk yield is 120–140 kg of milk. In Great Britain, the USA and some other countries the lactation period lasts 270–365 days, milk yield per lactation is 750–1000 kg of milk. Record milk production in the USA in 2007 kg.
Milk from Nubian goats is high in fat. The average fat content of milk in the United States is 4.5–5.0%. Exceptionally high levels of milk in Nubian goats from the African continent - the milk fat content of 8.5%, dry matter 19.7%, which surpasses the milk of sheep in these indicators. This feature of the chemical composition of the milk of Nubian goats determined the main direction of using dairy raw materials for the production of cheese.
The Nubian breed of goats served as the basis for the creation of the Anglo-Nubian meat and dairy breed. Animals of the new breed are characterized by high live weight (queens up to 90 kg, goats over 120 kg) and high fertility (up to 6 kids per goat). Average milk yield 750-1000 kg per lactation with a fat content of 4.75%.
Small numbers of Nubian animals were brought to Russia in the late 1990s - early 2000s at ZAO Pallada in the Samara Region, and from there to OOO Molochnye Rivers in the Moscow Region. Animals of this breed are bred in the "Nadezhda" company in the Tver region.
* * *
Thus, the choice of breed when creating a dairy goat farm in Russia is relatively small. Of course, the fastest, but also the most expensive way of obtaining a high-yielding dairy herd is to bring in purebred goats from abroad in a sufficiently large number - 200–300 heads. But it must be remembered that favorable conditions must be prepared for such animals. First of all, it is necessary to apply the technologies of feeding, keeping, milking goats, reproduction of the herd, veterinary service and many other technological moments, worked out in practice. It is necessary to have a reliable feed base, trained personnel, and a product sales market. Without compliance with all these conditions, imported goats may not show genetically inherent productivity in them. Therefore, the purchase of goats abroad should be approached with extreme caution and balance.
For novice farmers, the initial purchase of dairy goats within the country is recommended. The basis of the herd can be local dairy goats of the Russian White, Gorky breeds or improved local dairy goats of the Zaanen breed. In the future, it is possible to create a herd of purebred Saanen goats using the methods of transformative crossing in a relatively short period of time. The next step in the selection and breeding process is the creation of a breeding farm.
Despite the importance of choosing the breed and conducting selection and breeding work with animals for maximum milk productivity, obtaining marketable milk throughout the year, the choice of optimal feeding and keeping technologies for goats is fundamental. The following sections are devoted to breeding work in dairy goat breeding, keeping and feeding goats, mating and raising young animals, milking goats, the experience of creating a SNIIZhK reproducer, as well as industrial technology for keeping dairy goats abroad.
CREAMING GOATS AND GROWING YOUNG CHILDREN
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The timing of mating goats is set based on the biological characteristics of animals, climatic and economic conditions. According to Zilkensted (cited by N. Pingel), who conducted research in the natural and climatic zone of central Europe, the following dates of goatling were identified:
Table 4. Terms of goats of dairy goat queens
The above data indicate that goats can hunt at any time of the year, but goats come into hunt most intensively in autumn. Thus, 91.2% of the goats that had perished were inseminated in the fall.
So what is the best time for goats? In order to be with milk in winter, they should be done in spring or summer. However, in order to obtain offspring for the tribe, it is better to breed goats in the fall. So, according to V. Smirnov, T.I. Ilyicheva and our data, at the end of February and in March, the kids are born stronger and stronger and, as a rule, grow and develop better. For this reason, it is recommended to leave the goats for the tribe precisely at the early dates of the goats.
Dana Večeřova, having conducted research on white Czech goats, notes that the period of goating affects the quantitative and qualitative composition of milk. In winter and early spring seasons (February – March), in females with goats, milk productivity was 90–170 kg higher, but the fat content was 0.10–0.32% less than in animals that died in April – June.
For the first time, a goat is able to fertilize at 4 months of age. However, it is not recommended to breed animals until they reach 32–35 kg live weight, or 65–70% of the weight of an adult goat. Goats reach such a live weight by the age of 7-8 months. However, it is believed that the first mating is desirable at the age of 18 months.
Our studies show that with early insemination of animals that have not reached the desired live weight, the fertility of goats is low. Little kids are born, as a rule, among singles, less than 2.0 kg of live weight. These animals subsequently develop worse than their peers received from adult mothers. The growth and development of the goats themselves are subsequently inhibited, and they reach maximum productivity later than their peers, inseminated with a sufficient live weight.
The most progressive method is artificial insemination of goats, as it provides more opportunities to use the best breeding goats. Artificial insemination is successfully used in the breeding reproducer SNIIZHK, while the fertility of queens reaches 168%.
When for some reason it is not possible to carry out artificial insemination, manual mating of goats can be recommended. At the same time, a certain goat, outlined by the selection plan, is admitted to the queens identified in the hunt with the registration of data in the mating and goat log. Artificial insemination and manual mating of goats can be used both in breeding and commercial farms.
Free mating, in which during the sexual hunt goats are kept together with goats, is permissible in commercial farms. Keeping queens with goats throughout the year is undesirable, since the kids will be born at different times, which will complicate their rearing, and the goat's milk will have an unpleasant odor.
The period of pregnancy in queens lasts 145-155 days. During this period, the goats need to be well fed, especially in the last month, when the fetus is growing very quickly. Two months before the goat, the goat should be put in to ensure good conditions for the development of the fetus. A dry period of more than 8 weeks is not necessary; this only results in a shorter lactation period. Dry periods of less than 6 weeks reduce milk production over the next period, which is also undesirable.
Under good conditions of feeding and maintenance, pregnancy of goats proceeds without complications, and after 145-155 days the birth takes place. Fertility of Saanen goats is quite high - 180–250%. Newborn kids weigh 2.5–3.0 kg, they are quite strong, viable, with proper rearing they rarely get sick, grow quickly and develop well.
The rearing of young goats depends on the technology adopted on the farm. The kids can be raised by the sucking method, leaving all the time under the mother and allowing them to suck her as much as they want, you can leave with the mother only during the colostrum period (5-7 days), and then beat them off the queens and let them in only at a certain time.
The disadvantage of the natural rearing of kids is that the kids, being under the uterus constantly, often disturb her, while the udder is not completely sucked out and the goats must be milked, leaving part of the milk to the kids. It is difficult for an inexperienced goat breeder to do this, since he does not know how much milk to milk, and how much to leave for feeding the kids. And, as a rule, either the kids may remain hungry and develop poorly, or if milk is insufficiently milked, the goats' milk will burn out and the milk production of goats will be low. Suckling goats often experience nipple damage, inflammation and hardening of the udder. Moreover, if there is only one kid on the suction, then he usually prefers one nipple, therefore, an uneven development of the udder lobes occurs.
Artificial rearing of kids, in spite of the higher costs of labor and funds, has a number of advantages. The queen is calm and protected from udder damage, each kid receives the amount of milk in accordance with its development and at the same time.
Children are transferred to artificial rearing immediately after birth, wiped dry and placed in a warm, dry room. Not later than 3-4 hours after giving birth, the goat is milked for the first time, and the goat is fed the colostrum. In the first days of life, the kids are watered with colostrum 4 times at regular intervals. After 5-7 days, you can switch to 3 meals a day, and the kids drink about 700 g of milk per day. By the 4th week of life, the amount of milk increases to 1500 g, by the 8th week - up to 2000. Drinking periods are reduced to 2 times a day. Then the amount of milk is gradually reduced to 1000 g until the 11th week and to 500 g until the 12th week. Then you can stop drinking milk, because by this age the kids are already well enough accustomed to eat all the feed. If there is no sale of milk or the kids are raised for the tribe, then you can continue drinking milk to the kids up to 3-4 months of age.
In artificial rearing of kids, it is important to adhere to the exact feeding periods. It is better to feed milk warmed up to 35 ° C, so that the clotting ability of the enzyme in the stomach immediately manifests itself. Unheated milk is poorly digested, which causes dangerous diarrhea in the kids, which leads to weight loss, weakening of the kids and even their death.
In 2002, we conducted research to study the growth and development of kids raised by sucking and hand-feeding methods, as well as the productivity of their mothers. As a result, it was revealed that goats and goats, which were raised by hand-feeding, grew and developed better than their peers, who were kept on suckling. With the same live weight at birth - in goats 2.7–2.9 kg, in goats 2.9–3.3 kg - by the age of 4 months, the live weight of goats and goats raised by hand was 19, 7 and 22.8 kg, respectively, which is 19.8-24.3% more than their peers raised by the sucking method. This superiority is explained by the fact that the kids raised by the hand-feeding method first received colostrum and then milk at a strictly defined time and in accordance with their growth and development. So, in 4 months they drank 200 kg of milk per head. In addition, their mothers were distinguished by higher milk productivity, and for 150 days of lactation, 373.5 kg of milk was received from them, which is 75.3% more than the milk productivity of suckling queens. Despite the higher costs, the greatest economic effect was obtained with artificial cultivation.
In addition to milk, kids should be given good hay, mixed feed or oats, as well as water from one week of age, and high quality pelleted feed mixtures from one month of age. The composition of the compound feed should include oat, barley and corn poultry, wheat bran, sunflower or soybean meal, grass meal of legumes, fodder yeast, chalk and salt. The nutritional value of such compound feed is 0.95–1.05 KU. and 155-160 g of digestible protein.
The more food is eaten, the more intensive the growth of the kids. Feeding during rearing kids should be organized in such a way that at the age of 4-5 months goats weigh 32 kg, goats 28 kg. With good development, goats reach 35 kg of live weight by the age of 7–8 months and can be inseminated.
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Optimal living conditions and good care of goats allow rational use of animals. When breeding dairy goats, their maintenance and feeding should be organized in such a way that young animals grow and develop intensively, and adult animals retain health and productivity longer.
The technology of keeping dairy goats in Russia is extensive. The most rational in many regions is stall-pasture or pasture-stall maintenance, in which the stall period lasts 180 days, pasture - 185 or vice versa, depending on the natural and climatic conditions of the zone.
In winter, goats are kept indoors on a deep straw bed and in outdoor yards, in summer - in a pasture and under a canopy. When keeping goats indoors, you can use a tethered or loose system. The most preferable for goats is a loose housing system on straw bedding. With this method, animals can be kept in large batches of 50–100 heads and in small groups of 10–50 heads, depending on the total farm population. Much less often in dairy goat breeding, individual box keeping of animals is used.
When breeding dairy goats, animals should be kept separately by sex and age groups:
- goats-producers and repair goats,
- goats,
- repair goats,
- barnyard culled adult livestock for fattening and sale for meat; this group includes uterus-marriage and goat-castrates.
The dairy herd of queens should be kept separate from other groups of animals in all seasons of the year. This is necessary so that during the lactation period the barnyard livestock does not interfere with the milking process, and during the dry period it is possible to control the process of pregnancy for the timely detection of abortions, miscarriages, etc.
For each sex and age group of goats, there must be a service personnel who is responsible for all technological processes related to this group of animals. This includes feeding, grazing, watering, cleaning the premises, milking goats, keeping the premises and equipment for milking clean, observance of veterinary and sanitary measures, including the obligatory trimming of hooves before pasture in the pasture in spring and subsequently - two to three times a year. tracking sick animals as needed.
In winter, goats are mostly kept indoors. The storing period in most regions of Russia is 180 days. It is this period that should be guided by when calculating the annual feed requirement. However, in good weather, if the snow depth is no more than 12–15 cm, the temperature is not lower than –15 ° C and there is no strong wind, goats should be driven out to graze for 1–3 hours daily. The value of winter grazing is that goats, eating scarce winter vegetation, stock up on vitamins, harden the body and save feed for their winter keeping. But only healthy animals are suitable for winter grazing. Before pasture, sick and weak animals should be separated, leaving them indoors, providing the necessary amount of food and water. Also, you cannot graze deeply succumbing queens over frost, feed them frozen food (for example, silage) and give them ice water. This can cause them to have colds, abortions and miscarriages. Succulent queens should stop grazing 2-3 weeks before the goat.
Still, during the stall period, with the onset of persistent cold weather, most of the time goats are indoors. And feeding goats with hay and silage (especially in frosty, windy, rainy weather) must be provided in the goat's rue. The room where goats are kept in winter should be dry and clean.
The optimum temperature in the goat's house is + 13 ... 21 ° С, relative humidity 60–70%, however, goats feel good enough at a temperature of + 4 ... 6 ° С and relative humidity 80%. There is evidence of satisfactory health of goats at a temperature of -18 ° C. However, temperatures + 27 ° C and above and relative humidity above 80% are undesirable for goats. Both in very cold and very hot, but damp, poorly ventilated, dark or cramped room, there are big health problems for animals, and their milk production is greatly reduced.
Based on the normative data, one goat should have 1.2 square meters, for a sucking goat with kids in winter goats - 2.0–2.5 square meters, in spring - 1.2 square meters, for goats from 4 months up to 1 year - 0.6–0.7 sq. m, from 1 year to 1.5 years - 0.9–1.0 sq. m, for goats of producers - 2 sq. m. The height of fences for adult animals should be 1.4 m. At a height of 30–40 cm from the floor, benches are attached to the walls upholstered with wood for the entire length of the wall 60–70 cm wide for animals to rest. For walking goats close to the goat's house, bases with a canopy are attached at the rate of 2–4 m² / head. with a hedge height of about 2 m. In summer, goats are kept under a canopy on the street, and the room where they were kept in winter is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
Along with keeping the animals well throughout the year, adequate feeding is an important factor in the safe breeding of goats. Despite the fact that goats are quite unpretentious animals, insufficient or unbalanced feeding often leads to illness and loss of productivity.
What can form the basis of the diet of milking goats? B. Khodanovich notes that the basis of the diet of dairy goats can be corn and grass silage, hay and pasture grass, as well as concentrated feed. The amount of feed varies depending on the quality and on the physiological state, age and milk production of animals.
Two months before giving birth, goats are launched. During the first week of launch, the feed supply is reduced, leaving hay (up to 1 kg), straw, water and mineral feed. The approximate nutritional value of such a diet is 0.8 k. and 35-50 g of digestible protein. It is especially important to observe this technique when feeding highly productive animals that are difficult to start.
After starting, in the dry period, goats receive a diet with a nutritional value of 1.7 units. and 180 g of digestible protein, which corresponds to the level of feeding of lactating queens with a productivity of 2 kg of milk. Unbalanced, poor-quality or insufficient feeding of goats at the last stage of pregnancy leads to miscarriages, the appearance of stillborn and underdeveloped kids.
When feeding lactating goats with a yield of 650–700 kg for 305 days of lactation during the stall period, the following recommendations must be adhered to: roughage - at least 3.0 kg per day, concentrates - up to 1 kg (no more than 300–500 g per feeding).
The nutritional value of the winter diet is 1.8–2.5 k. Units. and 190-230 g of digestible protein. The diet of a goat with the same productivity in the pasture period consists of 5–7 kg of grass, 0.5 kg of dried grass or hay, and 0.6 kg of concentrates. The nutritional value of the summer diet is 1.7–2.1 c. Units. and 150-190 g of digestible protein.
When feeding goats, you should adhere to the following basic rules:
- avoid sudden changes in the composition of the diet;
- do not use spoiled, frozen, moldy,
soil contaminated feed;
- take into account the required fiber content;
- maintain a daily ratio of energy and protein;
- apply mineral and vitamin supplements;
- provide goats with access to clean water, giving at least 1.43 liters (according to French research) for every liter of milk. Lack of water limits the biosynthesis of milk, which shortens the lactation period and causes inflammation of the udder;
- to maintain the water temperature for lactating goats, females and kids not lower than 10 ° С.
LIST OF USED LITERATURE
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1. FAOSTAT www.apps.fao.org/default.jsp
2. Yearbook on pedigree work in sheep and goat breeding on the farms of the Russian Federation: 2003. - M., VNIIplem, 2004 .-- 349 p.
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6. State register of selection achievements admitted for use. Animal Breeds: Official Edition. - M., 2004 .-- 44 p.
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12. Report on research work (R&D). - Stavropol, GNU SNIIZhK, 2003. - pp. 16–17.
13. Levy, M.F. Feeding and breeding of milk goats / M.F. Levy. - M .: Selkhozgiz, 1947 .-- 61 p.
14. Steiner, T., Leimbacher, K. Aufstallungssysteme für Ziegen / T. Steiner, K. Leimbacher // Der Ziegenzüchter. - 3. –1990. S. 2-7.
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16. Khodanovich, B. Goat breeding farms / B. Khodanovich // Livestock in Russia. - 2003. - November. - S. 28-30.
17. Smirnov, V. Sheep. Goats. Rabbits / V. Smirnov. - M .: Ripol Classic, 2002 .-- 414 p.
18. Butter, cheese and milk / Comp. T.I. Ilyichev. - SPb .: OOO "RESPEX", 1999. - 416 p.
19. Večeřova, D. Faktory ovlivnujici mlečnou užitkovost koz / Dana Večeřova // Vyzkumny ustav živočišne vyroby. - Praha, 1993. - S. 28-29.
20. Report on research work (SRW). - Stavropol, GNU SNIIZhK, 2002. - pp. 101–121.