Key Points for Dairy Goat Farming
The dairy goat farming techniques are provided by the 5830 Agriculture URL Navigation:
1. Selecting Superior Breeds
To increase the milk production of female goats, when selecting breeds and mating, one should choose to crossbreed foreign superior male goats with local high-quality female goats to obtain high-yield dairy goat hybrid breeds for feeding. Here are two introduced dairy goat excellent hybrid breeds:
1) Laoshan Dairy Goat - One of the national excellent dairy goat breeds. It is bred by crossing Swiss Saanen dairy goats with local white goats. The goats are pure white all over, generally hornless, with a meat fold on each side of the neck. They have a sturdy constitution, uniform structure, long heads, necks, bodies, and legs, with well-developed udders. Adult male goats weigh 70-80 kilograms and stand 70-80 centimeters tall. Female goats are generally smaller than male goats. They have strong milk production capabilities, with a lactation period generally lasting 240-250 days, and high-yielding female goats can reach up to 300 days, with an average milk yield of 450 kilograms.
2) Saanen Dairy Goat - Originating from Switzerland, its main characteristics include: beards, long heads, necks, and trunks, full chests, round abdomens, thin skin, fine short hair, and developed udders. Adult male goats weigh 80-90 kilograms, while adult female goats weigh 50-64 kilograms. Annual milk production is generally between 600-700 kilograms.
2. Key Points in Feeding and Management of Dairy Goats
Dairy goats are adaptable, do not require high production conditions, are easy to raise, and easy to manage. Wild grasses, leaves, vines, vegetable leaves, melons, beans, bran cakes, and mixed grains can all be used as feed, but they must be reasonably combined according to different growth stages for scientific feeding.
1) Kids (Birth Period). Within 10 days after birth, the main food for kids is colostrum. Colostrum contains higher levels of nutrients and also has globulins that enhance the resistance of the kids. The amount of colostrum fed should at least ensure 1/5 of the kid's body weight. If artificial feeding is not proficient, the kids can be allowed to nurse with their mothers for the first six days, and then switched to artificial feeding after six days.
2) Milk-Feeding Period. After 10 days of birth, the kids can switch to whole milk until around 40 days old. The amount of whole milk should be enough to satisfy the kid's hunger; meanwhile, the kids can be encouraged to eat small amounts of easily digestible high-quality concentrates and hay on their own, which helps improve the kid's digestive ability.
3) Milk-Food Period. From 40 to 80 days after birth, milk, grass, and food should be combined. High-quality legume hay should be fed, and mixed feeds such as barley, oats, corn, bran, and bean cake can be given.
4) Weaning Period. From 80 to 120 days after birth, mainly grass and feed should be provided. If there is good quality dry hay and supplementary cake residue concentrate feed, weaning can be advanced to 90 days without affecting development.
2) Lactating Mother Goats. Lactating mother goats are generally housed indoors for stall feeding. Their feed requirements are: For goats producing 1 kilogram of milk daily, during summer and autumn, feed them 5 kilograms of fresh tender grass or sweet potato vines daily, additionally adding 0.25 kilograms of cornmeal, 5 grams of bone meal, 10 grams of salt, and provide sufficient drinking water for the goats; During winter and spring, feed them 2 kilograms of high-quality dry grass or dry sweet potato vines, peanut vines, or soybean shells, additionally adding 300 grams of cornmeal, 5 grams of bone meal, 10 grams of salt, and provide warm water for the goats to drink. As milk production increases, the concentrate feed should be correspondingly increased. For goats producing 1.5-2.5 kilograms of milk daily, the cornmeal should be increased to 0.5-0.7 kilograms, and for goats producing 3-3.5 kilograms of milk daily, the cornmeal should be increased to 0.8-1 kilograms. Male and female goats should be housed separately, and they should be allowed to graze for 2-3 hours daily to allow the mother goats appropriate exercise and sunlight exposure, while also paying attention to the cleanliness and hygiene of the goat shed.
3) Pregnant Mother Goats. Within 30 days of pregnancy, the feeding conditions for the mother goats cannot be too poor, and frequent changes in diet should be avoided. Mountain goats that are believed to be pregnant after natural mating can be allowed to interact with male goats or see them through a fence 18-25 days after mating to determine if they are truly pregnant. During the pregnancy period, feed with appropriate nutritional content should be supplied to maintain good condition in the mother goats, while also allowing for appropriate exercise to keep them active. In the last month of pregnancy, the nutritional level should be gradually increased again to accumulate more nutrition in preparation for the peak lactation period. However, care should be taken to prevent excessive fattening of the dairy goats in the later stages of pregnancy, as this can reduce milk production. Therefore, during this period, high-energy feed should not be fed, and instead, high-quality complete feed should be provided.
3. Methods for Milking Dairy Goats
1) Milking - Depending on the size of the teats, either the fist grip method or the sliding agent method can be used. The fist grip method involves gripping the lower part of the udder, tightening while gently pulling down; for larger udders, the sliding agent method can be used, where the upper-middle part of the udder is gripped, tightened while gently sliding and pulling down, causing the milk to flow out from the teat. Both hands should grip the two udders respectively, with even, quick, and consistent movements. The first few drops of milk squeezed out can be discarded. Each time, the milk from both udders should be completely squeezed out, otherwise it may easily cause mastitis and malformation of the udder. Generally, dairy goats are milked twice daily in the morning and evening, and for those producing more than 3 kilograms of milk daily, an additional milking session should be added at noon. Increasing the frequency of milking and supplementing with soybean meal and other concentrates 20 minutes before milking, along with feeding warm water, can promote milk production.
2) Training First-Time Mother Goats - A neck yoke or rope can be used for fixation, and patient inducement can be applied. For group-raised goats, the first-time mother goats being trained can be led next to the milking mother goats, allowing the conditioned reflex of the milking actions to help them slowly adapt. After 1-3 sessions of milking operation training, they can start being milked.
3) Washing and Massaging the Udders - Before milking, soak a towel in 40-50℃ warm water to apply heat to the udders, then dry them off. Hold the front half of the udder with your hand and rhythmically massage 2-3 times, with each massage lasting half a minute to 1 minute.
4) Fresh Milk Processing - After the fresh milk is squeezed out, filter it with three layers of gauze first. If it cannot be delivered to the dairy farm or sold promptly, low-temperature sterilization can be used for processing, followed by cooling for temporary storage.
5830 Agriculture URL Navigation: www.5830.com China's most comprehensive agriculture URL navigation
(Responsible Editor: 5830 Agriculture URL Navigation)