The climate in our country is constantly changing, which undoubtedly affects the characteristics of feeding goats. In winter, it is impossible to graze animals, which is why farmers store large amounts of feed for this time. To organize the proper feeding of goats in the winter, it is worth considering many of the nuances in the preparation of feed and follow certain rules.
What kind of food do goats give in winter?
A variety of products are used to feed goats, the purpose of combining which is a balanced diet. The basis of the diet of goats in winter is hay, but it alone is not enough to satisfy all the animal's food needs, so other components are added to it. Feed is divided into dry, juicy, concentrated and vitamin supplements, each of these types deserves separate consideration.
Dry feed
Since the main component of the diet of goats in the winter is hay, it is important to stock a sufficient amount for this time. Goats prefer hay from various herbs, cereals and legumes.
In addition to hay, dry foods include:
- straw - an ear and stem of legumes and cereals after threshing;
- grass meal - chopped hay;
- sex, chaff - waste from the upper part of the stem;
- some parts of trees and shrubs.
The most nutritious grass for drying in legumes is harvested during the formation of buds, in cereals - when a panicle is thrown.
When drying hay, its moisture content is especially important - about 15%; a change of more than a few percent will adversely affect the quality of the product. With high humidity, hay affects mold, and with low moisture most of its nutrients are lost.
The minimum amount of hay per day per goat is 0.5 kg, but the state of the animal should be taken into account when distributing feed. So, dairy or pregnant goats need about 2-3 kg, and in the last month of succulence, the diet of the animal is limited due to physiological changes in the body. Given these figures, it is customary for farmers to stockpile at least 400 kg of hay for the winter for one goat.
Also, goats, which distinguishes them from sheep and cows, are well grown and give milk when fed with straw. The daily norm of straw for goats is no more than 2 kg. This type of feed is not as nutritious as hay, so before giving it to cattle, it requires preparation, which includes chopping straw up to 2-3 centimeters long, folding it in a container where it is poured with saline and aged.
In winter, goats also need branch feed. They like birch, aspen, maple, oak, mountain ash and linden. Brooms from branches and young shoots are harvested in advance.
Succulent feed
The most common succulent goat food is silage. It is used to achieve the best milk yield. Silage smells like pickled vegetables and fruits, goats gladly eat such food. The daily silage for a goat is 2-3 kg.
When harvesting silage, various cultures are used in certain phases of their development:
- corn;
- fodder beans and soybeans;
- clover, clover, alfalfa;
- wheat and winter rye;
- cereal-bean mixtures;
- leaves of cabbage, beet tops and carrots.
For silage, green mass, tops, chopped vegetables are laid in specialized containers. When laying a silo, the plant mass is carefully rammed to displace air. The desired air humidity is 70%, reduce it if necessary, by drying the food or adding straw cutting.
Goats perfectly eat carrot and beet tops, cabbage leaves in winter. This food contains about 80% water, which makes it less nutritious, but essential for dairy goats.
Concentrated feed
This type of feed contains more nutrients than the first two. In concentrated feeds there is a lot of protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. The use of concentrates in feeding domestic animals is extremely important, especially in the winter period - without this, livestock will not receive adequate nutrition. Concentrated feed for goats includes:
- cereals;
- legumes;
- oilseeds;
- food and grain processing wastes;
- animal feed;
- compound feed.
Before issuing livestock, grain undergoes special processing in connection with the severity of digesting whole grains by the digestive system of goats. There are several types of such processing: crushing, grinding, yeast, roasting, germination and so on.
In winter, goat households are often fed with food waste that is pre-boiled or steamed.
Vitamins and Supplements
Mineral and vitamin supplements are used in livestock feed at any time of the year, but this need intensifies in winter. Among these additives are:
- table salt - 6-10 g per goat per day;
- a mixture of bone meal and chalk - 10-12 g per goat per day;
- vitamin preparations and premixes - the dosage is indicated on the package.
The most common vitamin supplements for goats are Trivit and Tetravit, they are easy to find in any livestock store.
Vitamins are added to goat feed in small quantities, they should not be mixed together if there is no recommendation in the instructions for use. If they are not abused, no problems with animal health will arise.
Rules and regimen of winter feeding
In winter, goats are fed 3-4 times a day. It is important to monitor the cleanliness of the feeder throughout the day - the remnants of food from the previous feeding before the new portion of the feed are removed. Also, animals should be able to get into the pen for defecation.
An important aspect of feeding goats in winter is drinking water in constant availability. Change it with each feeding. About 3 liters of water per goat per day. Loose snow poured into a drinking bowl is also suitable for goats to drink in the winter. In addition to ordinary goat fluids, herbal infusions and serum are well absorbed, they require a separate container.
The winter diet of goats is built according to the following scheme:
- juicy and roughage in the morning, half the daily ration of compound feed;
- roughage in the afternoon;
- in the evening the main part of hay, juicy and concentrated feed.
Brooms (from branches stocked in the warm season) are well eaten by goats. Brooms from nettle, quinoa and needles give no more than 2 times a week. Brooms from other plants can be given 1-2 pieces per goat every day.
As a result, the daily amount of feed for goats in winter consists of:
- 2 kg of dry food;
- 2 kg of succulent feed;
- 0.5 kg of concentrate.
These values are presented in an average form, depending on the condition of the animal and some other factors, they can vary.
Feeding goose goats
Pregnancy in goats lasts about 150 days. Succa goats need special care, this is reflected to a greater extent on the diet of the feed. During pregnancy, the goat accelerates the growth of hair and fluff, which requires an additional expenditure of nutrients in the body of the animal.
During the second part of the term, goats especially need vitamins and minerals. A lot of protein is present in legumes, which in combination with cereals will give the optimal amount of essential nutrients to the animal. Also, a lot of protein is found in cake, dry yeast, meal, meat and fish meal.
At the end of pregnancy, you can’t give the goat a lot of root crops and fluids, otherwise there may be problems with the fetus.
Feeding goat
After giving birth, the digestive system of goats is significantly weakened, it takes time to recover. In the first week of feeding, the diet of goats is composed only of products easily assimilated by their body, which include finely chopped root crops, chopped swill, hay from legumes and others.
Root crops and fresh hay make up the majority of goat food during winter lactation. From the second week of feeding, the condition of the goat is stabilized, which allows it to be transferred to a standard diet.
Food for dairy goats in the winter should be saturated with vitamins, juicy and concentrated feeds. The presence of succulent feed is important - they make the production of milk as efficient as possible.
Feeding kids
Newborn kids get all the necessary nutrients from breast milk. In the absence of such nutrition, the goats are given pasteurized goat milk or artificial milk mixtures. With a roughage, the weak digestive system of the kids can’t cope, so hay and some cereals are introduced into the diet only from the 11th day of their life.
To a standard diet, goats of cubs begin to cook only after three weeks from birth. Here, grated root vegetables and apples will be an excellent complement to food, while the milk fraction of the diet is gradually decreasing. Mineral and vitamin supplements should also be included in the feed. In the third month of life, the kids are transferred to the normal diet of an adult.
What can not feed a goat in the winter?
There are no specific differences in the ban on certain products in the winter for goats. Vegetables and greens are also cleaned and processed if necessary, and rotten, spoiled, moldy and pest-infected feeds are removed.
The main mistake in feeding goats at this time of the year is the restriction of the types of feed in the animal’s diet and its sharp change. In the first case, you need to monitor the balanced diet of the goat so that it gets all the necessary vitamins and minerals, which is more difficult to achieve in winter than in summer. In the second case, the goat should be accustomed to the stall and the corresponding diet gradually, which implies the beginning of feeding the animals before winter in the morning with hay - so they will eat less greenery and will easier switch to a new diet when the grazing is over.
Harvesting brooms for the winter
Brooms from branches of various trees and shrubs are excellent for improving the winter diet of goats. Optimum for harvesting brooms are considered fruit and berry plants. For brooms young shoots are used, they are tied in small sheaves and dried in a well-ventilated area. Goats eat only the upper part of the broom; the rest is ejected.
Brooms are not only made from branches - the coarse grass of nettles or corn is also suitable for them. The best option for building a diet of goats for the winter is the alternation of different brooms every day.
A properly built winter feeding system for goats significantly affects the animal’s health and its effectiveness. Well-fed, peppy and healthy goats live longer, give good milk yield and offspring, and every real farmer strives for exactly such indicators of his cattle.