Zaanen goats are known as highly dairy breed. These animals, giving up to 8 liters of milk daily, can become the basis of a profitable dairy business. These hornless creatures are valued for their high productivity, unpretentiousness, and good nature.
History and origin of the breed
The breed got its name in honor of the town of Zaanen (Switzerland). This breed is considered one of the best in terms of milk productivity. The breed does not have an exact pedigree - goats were bred by folk selection in the 19th century. The "breeders" were ordinary shepherds grazing cattle in the Swiss Alps. The breed, attracting breeders with its milk yield, quickly spread throughout the world.
Today, there are several lines of the Zaanensky breed:
- American
- Dutch
- British
- white;
- Russian.
In Russia, the first Saanen goats appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. The batch of goats brought to the USSR totaled only 20 individuals, but it is with them that the history of the Zaanensky breed in Russia begins.
Recommended area and breeding areas
Zaanensky goats come from the "milk land" - the Swiss Alps. This breed has good acclimatization abilities - animals easily adapt to life in different regions of Russia and in neighboring countries. They are especially bred in the south and west of the Russian Federation, but you can grow them in the north - the main thing is to provide good care and maintenance. This breed is also popular in Moldova and Belarus.
Description of Zaanen goats
According to one appearance of the Saanen goats, the specialist will immediately determine the highly milked breed. These goats in their measurements are close to ideal. White animals with a strong bones look elegant - as befits a highly productive dairy goats.
Exterior
The males and females of the Saanen goats are hornless. Saanenets look like a real standard goat. They have a well-developed strong body and well-formed skeleton. Moreover, in their appearance there is no rudeness or massiveness, the females look cute and neat.
Exterior features of the Saanen goats:
- The body is wide, elongated.
- The head of a beautiful, sophisticated molding, the muzzle is narrow.
- Ears are oblong, erect, slightly inclined to one side.
- The muscles on the hips are poorly developed.
- The udder is large, pear-shaped. Nipples are well developed.
- The hooves are light yellow.
Every goat has a beard. Sometimes it is found in females. According to the standard, ears are not allowed to be saggy. But the "earrings" - skin growths on the neck, are not considered a defect, they can be in purebred and outbred goats. Experienced goat breeders prefer to remove growths in order to avoid injury.
In the last century, it was believed that the main distinguishing features of the Saanen breed are snow-white color and rocklessness. But then the standards changed. Today, only 3/4 are hornless. Previously, it was believed that horns are evil for the herd breed, as females, when they figure out relationships, can injure each other. But breeders have found that if only hornless individuals are bred, later generations have infertility and hermaphroditism. Therefore, many farmers today leave horned individuals. And to facilitate the care of animals, they burn young animals' horns.
Size and weight
The maximum weight of Saanen goats is 55 kg. Goats are much larger - they can weigh up to 80 kg. These goats are the largest among dairy breeds.
Weight of kids:
- newborn goats / kids - 3.5 / 4.5 kg;
- 2-month-old goats / kids - 9-10 / 11-12 kg.
Weight gain from birth to 2 months allows you to determine this breed as precocious. The growth per day is 160 g. The parameters of the Saanen goats are in table 1.
Table 1
Parameters | goats | goats |
Torso length | 81 cm | 84 cm |
Height at the withers | 78 cm | 95 cm |
Chest circumference | 88 cm | 94 cm |
Sacral height | 77 cm | 88 cm |
Chest width | 18 cm | 18.5 cm |
Rear width | 17 cm | 17.5 cm |
Live weight | 45-55 kg | 70-80 kg |
Advantages and disadvantages of the breed
Advantages of the Saanen breed:
- High milk production. After the first lambing, females give 700 l / year.
- High fecundity. A herd of 100 goals gives 180-250 kids.
- Long lactation. The goat gives milk 11 months of the year.
- Fast weight gain.
- High fat content of milk.
- High adaptive abilities.
- They are an excellent breeding material. Used to improve other breeds, to increase milk productivity.
- They can graze on difficult terrain - in mountains, ravines, etc.
- The meat of three-month-old goats is good for food.
Given the excellent milk characteristics, all the cons can be easily forgiven by the Saanen goats:
- clubfoot;
- the rear;
- developed saber (defect of the exterior associated with the setting of the legs);
- underdevelopment of the muscles in the hips.
Also, the breed is "accused" of a "Roman nose" and too large goats. All these flaws are not an obstacle to the successful breeding of highly productive goats. It is this breed that farmers choose to get good yields.
Productivity Characteristics
Zaanensky goats are bred for milk, so the main thing that breeders are interested in is milk productivity. Moments such as milk quality and conditions are also important.
The milk of Saanen goats is a kind of standard of dairy products. It is tasty, practically smells nothing - it has no extraneous odors. Its fat content is 4-4.5%. Daily milk yield - 3.5-8 liters. Goat milk is an ideal raw material for the manufacture of cottage cheese, cheese and butter.
Milking depends on the quality of feeding and keeping animals. Annual milk yield:
- The average figures for Russia are 600-700 l / year.
- Under ideal conditions and a fortified diet - 1200 l / year.
- The record set by the Saanen breed is 2400 l / year. This result was achieved in the homeland of the breed - in Switzerland.
Calculate milk yield based on annual lambing. Before lambing milk becomes less. The more lambing, the higher the milk production of the goat. Maximum milk yields are observed after the fourth lambing. During this period, females can infuse up to 2000-2500 liters of milk. The weight of annual milk yield is 20 times more than the goat's own weight.
Comparison with other breeds
In Russia, several breeds of dairy goats are bred. They all differ from each other in various parameters - milk yield, lactation duration, milk fat content. Comparison of the parameters of popular dairy breeds - in table 2.
table 2
Breed | Milk yield per day, l | Fat% | Duration of lactation, days | Average milk productivity, l / year | Climate adaptation in Russia |
Zaanenskaya | 5 | 3,7-4,5 | 300 | 900-1200 | + |
Czech brown | 4-6 | 3,5-4,5 | 300-330 | 900-1200 | + |
Nubian | 4-5 | 4,5 | 300 | 1000 | + |
Alpine | 4 | 3,5 | 300-350 | 750-900 | + |
La mancha | 3-5 | 4 | 300 | 900-1000 | + |
Gorkovskaya | 3 | 4-5,5 | 250-300 | 500 | + |
Russian | 2,5 | 4,5-5 | 240 | 400-600 | + |
Toggenburg | 2,5 | 3,5 | 200-240 | 500-800 | — |
Cameroon | 1,5-2 | 5,3 | 150 | 200 | + |
Megrelian | 1-2 | 4,5 | 180 | 100-250 | + |
Goat maintenance and care
They contain Saanen goats according to the stall-pasture method. The breed adapts well to cold weather, but does not tolerate heat and dampness - these climate features can cause the death of the entire population. The Saanenets are demanding of the conditions of detention - in order to get good milkings, it is necessary to create appropriate conditions for animals. In warm time, the herd is grazed on pastures, in cold time - it is indoors. Estimated duration of periods:
- pasture - 185 days;
- stall - 180 days.
Stall
With stall keeping, goats spend a lot of time in the stable. The room should be without dampness and drafts. Goats, as a rule, are kept in stalls without a leash.
Content Requirements:
- humidity not more than 75%;
- temperature - not lower than 0 ° С;
- a lot of natural light;
- high-quality ventilation system;
- the presence of walking in the fresh air - make a fenced area;
- the presence of straw litter in the stalls - from a thickness of 50 cm;
- the presence of feeders and drinking bowls mounted on the walls;
- full cleaning and disinfection of the crib 2 times a year.
Every six months goats are trimmed with goats.
To look after goats, one person is enough. The litter is changed as it becomes soiled. Biothermal processes that occur in the straw litter lead to heat production - this reduces the cost of heating the room.
Goats should not be in stalls hopelessly. They should get regular walking:
- in frosts - 1-2 hours;
- with small cold - 4-5 hours.
The benefits of walking on the street:
- metabolism improves;
- increased immunity;
- the quality of the coat improves.
A walk is canceled if:
- snowing;
- frosts are too strong;
- snow cover more than 10 cm.
The crib can also be used in the summer - for spending the night. In winter it is ventilated, and in the summer it is ventilated. The temperature in it should not rise above 20 ° C - the Saanenzians do not like heat. When spring comes, animals are transferred to grazing.
Grazing
Animals cannot be dragged sharply to pasture; they must gradually become accustomed to natural conditions. The herd should not be too large, as the animals will be restless, and, besides, when there are many goats, it is difficult to pay attention to each - the incidence often increases. The recommended norm for goats per goat-producer is 25-50 individuals. Forming a herd, it should be taken into account - the quantity can not always go into quality.
Requirements for grazing:
- It is necessary to open the walking period taking into account the temperature, climate and grass quality in the pasture.
- You can not fall goats in wet areas - they will trample many useful plants.
- When the season has just begun, the herd must be released into well-lit areas, preferably on a hill.
- By releasing goats for walking, they remove in advance the hoofed horn that appears during the wintering in the stalls.
- The herd is driven to grazing until sunrise. Only in the early spring and late autumn they drive out later, when the cold dew leaves the grass.
- It is contraindicated for animals to be under the scorching sun. From 10 to 16 hours take a break, driving them under the awnings.
- Goats are herbal gourmets. They will not eat grass that they don’t like - they choose only the most delicious and juicy. Therefore, you should not send a herd to a pasture with grass that goats do not like.
- Zaanenets poorly tolerate atmospheric pressure differences. They better not graze in the rain.
- Pasture can not be given to goats at their full disposal - they quickly deplete the site. It is necessary to use the dosed areas in order to restore grass cover.
- The optimal walking area for a dozen goats is 2.5-3 ha. On such a site goats can eat about 6 days, no more.
- To visualize the boundaries of the sites, it is recommended to put pegs.
- It is advisable to adjust the location of the herd relative to the sun - it should be located behind or from the side. If the sun is in front, it is difficult for animals to find the plants they need.
- During the stay of animals under a canopy - they arrange it near the pasture, they can be fed with dried grass.
- Goats saturation time on a quality pasture - 6 hours. The same amount of time is spent on chewing gum, and at this time they settle on the ground and rest.
- Water for the Saanenets grazing in the pasture is given 2 times a day. If the grass is juicy and not hot, you can limit yourself to a single drink. The best time for a watering hole in the pasture is in the early morning and afternoon respite. In especially hot weeks, when the grass becomes rough, goats are additionally watered - 2 hours after the start of walking and 2 hours after a day's rest.
An important feature of the Saanen breed is the rejection of ordinary grass. It is recommended to feed these goats with grain and leguminous crops - artificial pastures are often sown for them.
During a walk, a goat eats an average of 6 kg, a goat - 8 kg. To provide goats with day breaks and night rest, it is necessary to organize sites for rest. Parking is usually not enclosed, but it is recommended to install portable barriers, with the help of which they organize temporary cages for counting goats.
Feeding and diet
In order for the goats to give a lot of high quality milk, they need to be provided with a balanced diet. Goat diet:
- In the morning they give fresh hay.
- A few hours later - branches of birch, alder, willow.
- Pasture in the pasture - grass nutrition. If there are trees and bushes nearby, then the goats can enjoy their branches and foliage.
- In the evening they give a mash of potatoes, bran and pasture.
Animals should be accustomed to both types of food - dry and fresh. In order to fully assimilate food, special bacteria must be developed in the stomachs of animals to digest a particular feed. New nutritional components are introduced in the diet gradually - in order to avoid diarrhea and other malfunctions in the digestive tract. Accustoming to one type of food lasts about a week. It is also necessary to smoothly switch from a winter diet to a summer one - animals are given time to rebuild the body.
Daily Nutrition
In the period of stall keeping, in order to get milk yield at the level of 5 l, you need to provide each goat with a full and balanced diet. Exemplary goat diets for stall keeping are shown in table 3.
Table 3
Diet | The amount of feed, g |
Option number 1 | |
oats | 300 |
hay | 1500 |
brooms | 1000 |
sunflower meal | 400 |
roots | 3000 |
bran | 500 |
salt | 15 |
Option number 2 | |
hay | 2100 |
juicy feed | 2500 |
concentrates | 800 |
salt | 15 |
15 g of salt is a daily requirement. It is recommended to give feed in the following proportion:
- concentrated mixtures - 40%;
- roughage - 20%;
- green feed - 40%.
The daily rate of hay for Saanents, taking into account age and gender:
- goat - 3 kg;
- goat - 2.2 kg;
- kid up to a year - 1 kg.
When feeding females, the reproductive phase and state of health are taken into account:
- When dry, to get 1 liter of milk, the goat needs 0.8 feed units and 30 g of protein.
- During lactation, to obtain 1 liter of milk, 0.36 feed units and 55 g of protein are needed.
Goats before starting (stopping lactation) are transferred to a special nutrition system - so that the kids are born healthy and strong. The emphasis is on protein nutrition. Here is a sample diet:
- hay - 1-1.5 kg;
- oatmeal mixture - 4 kg;
- concentrated feed - 200 g.
Another option for goat ration before launch:
- hay - 1.2 kg;
- oat-pea mixture - 3 kg;
- concentrated feed - 100 g;
- pasture - not limited.
Broom Feeding
Zaanen goats are very fond of eating brooms made from branches. During stall keeping, brooms and leaves are an important component of the diet. The daily norm of eating is one broom for each individual. For winter, an average of 100 brooms per goat should be prepared.
Rules for harvesting brooms:
- Suitable trees are oak, birch, linden, alder, maple, aspen. The best option is willow. You can not give a lot of birch - they provoke kidney disease.
- Collect branches should be in early June. The recommended thickness of the branches is 1 cm. The ideal time for cutting is dawn, you can also cut branches when the sun sets. During these periods, the branches are as nutritious as possible.
- Sliced branches are laid out on the street - so that they are saturated with vitamin D, which is formed under the influence of UV rays. After 3-4 hours, the dried branches are tied into a broom. Twine is used for ligaments. The broom should be up to 100 cm long and up to 20 cm wide.
- Final drying is carried out in the attic or in the barn - brooms are hung on the walls. They are dried in this position for a month.
- Autumn brooms can replace fallen leaves. The collected leaves are dried for 5 days, stirring occasionally. Then they are sent for storage in the attic. There, the foliage is poured on a fabric or straw litter.
Thanks to the feeding of branches, it is possible to improve cicatricial digestion in goats - this is extremely important during the stall period.
Feeding tips
Domestic farms that have been growing the Saanen breed for many years have managed to accumulate considerable experience in breeding them. In particular, they also have several important feeding notes that they willingly share with newcomers:
- To increase the energy value of milk, goats need to feed shredded hay. The resulting milk will be more nutritious, it can be more expensive to sell.
- It is imperative to give compound feeds, preferably concentrated mixtures and dietary supplements.
- Be sure to hang a salt lick near the feeder.
- It is advisable to dry the hay before feeding. The optimum humidity is 16-17%.
- The best food for Saanen goats is bean and pea straw.
- Access to water should be around the clock.
- Feed for kids and goats should be bran flavored.
- Never give goats leftovers from the kitchen.
Breeding Zaanensky goats
The breed is prolific, it is often used to select and improve the milk characteristics of other breeds. Reproduction Rules:
- Between the last lambing and insemination, at least 200 days must pass.
- If there is no goat producer, use artificial insemination.
- Females run 2 months before the goat.
- Inseminate females begin at the age of 12 months, not earlier. Recommended age - 14-16 months.
- Special lodging facilities are not required.
With proper care, no problems with raising Saanen goats arise.
Principles of breeding:
- The case is carried out in the presence of hunting in the female.
- After the female is covered, the goat can be removed from her.
During three months of pregnancy, the goat is fully milked. Then the frequency and volume of milk yield is gradually reduced - until the lactation stops completely. The goat must gather strength before lambing. If you do not stop milking - do not run a goat, then the kids will be born weak, and the goat will suffer.
For successful breeding, it is important to have a good goat producer. He, like milk goats, must be taken from reliable breeders. Before buying expensive purebred Saenents, it is worth trying to breed ordinary goats. A Saanen goat costs as much as a cow. And if a mistake is made in the cultivation technology, big losses can be incurred.
The born kids are raised in two ways - they are immediately taken away, transferred to artificial feeding, or kept next to the goat up to 4 months of age. After 4 months, the kids have a stronger digestive system, and they are smoothly transferred to roughage. This method reduces the milk productivity of the livestock, therefore it is rarely used.
When a kid is kept next to a goat, the number of milk days per year is 210 days. With early weaning, the lactation period is 300 days a year.
Goat maintenance, care and nutrition
As soon as a kid is born, the mother immediately licks it. The dangling umbilical cord should be bandaged with harsh threads, departing 1 cm from the bandaged place. Then the edges of the umbilical cord are greased with brilliant green or iodine.
If the kids are supposed to be separated from the goats - for artificial feeding, then immediately after lambing you need to express colostrum, which should be watered to the newborn 40 minutes after birth. Colostrum is necessary for newborns to activate the immune system. But the kids quickly transferred to artificial feed - to save milk.
Colostrum and milk are diluted with water - you need chilled, boiled, in a ratio of 1: 1. They feed the babies through the nipple. The goats are given more food - the more they eat, the milder they will be. The kids have much less milk. When the youngsters turn 2 months old, and begin to feed from a bowl.
It is important to remember that overeating can cause eating disorders in babies. So that they are not addicted to milk, it is necessary to limit its consumption. The kids should not drink more than 2 liters of milk per day. Weaning from milk is carried out gradually. Table 4 is a graph of the feeding of a newborn kid, artificially fed.
Table 4
Age days | Number of feedings per day | Milk ml | Liquid oatmeal, g | Concentrates, g | Root crops, g | |
for one feeding | per day | |||||
1-2 | 4 | 200 | 800 | — | — | — |
3 | 4 | 225 | 900 | — | — | — |
4-5 | 4 | 250 | 1000 | — | — | — |
6-10 | 4 | 300 | 1200 | — | — | — |
11-20 | 4 | 300 | 1200 | 200 | — | — |
21-30 | 4 | 300 | 1200 | 300 | 30 | — |
31-40 | 3 | 350 | 1050 | 500 | 50 | 40 |
41-50 | 3 | 250 | 750 | 700 | 100 | 60 |
51-60 | 3 | 150 | 450 | 800 | 150 | 100 |
61-70 | 3 | 150 | 450 | 800 | 200 | 200 |
71-80 | 3 | 150 | 450 | — | 200 | 250 |
81-90 | 3 | 150 | 450 | — | 300 | 250 |
It is forbidden to give goats milk from goats sick with mastitis. With this disease, colostrum is teeming with pathogenic bacteria. Antibiotic treatment of mastitis lasts 5 days - during this time colostrum is unsuitable for food. For such an extreme case, you need to have frozen colostrum - it can be stored for a long time in the freezer.
Before milking a goat, wash the udder with clean water and soap - for example, with Detskiy. The first stream is poured into a separate bowl - to throw it away. Colostrum is first filtered through 3-4 layers of gauze, and only then a kid is given. The utensils used for feeding - a cushion, a bowl, jars, are thoroughly washed with hot water and soap. Store dishes, turning upside down.
If you feed a kid from a bottle, then it is very difficult to wean it from it. In order not to mess with bottle feeding, you need to immediately accustom him to eat from a bowl. The cooled colostrum can be warmed up, but it cannot be overheated - at temperatures above 40 ° C, immunoglobulin and other valuable proteins are destroyed.
Norms of natural feeding of a kid, depending on age - in table 5.
Table 5
Day | Number of feedings | Single serving, ml |
1-2 | 6 | 50 |
3 | 5 | 70 |
4 | 5 | 100 |
5-30 | 4 | from 100 to 1500 (gradually increase the rate so that by the end of the month the kid ate 1500 ml per day) |
More kid care tips:
- When feeding a kid, it is necessary to rinse its face with water, and then wipe it with a dry clean cloth. Otherwise, pathogenic bacteria will multiply in milk dried on the face.
- On the 10th day, the kids are offered boiled water. It should be slightly warm. Give water between feedings. A bunch of hay is hung near the feeding place.
- On the 20th day, the kid can be offered small-grated vegetables - cabbage, carrots, pumpkin.
- Oatmeal is used for feeding - semolina can not be replaced. From porridge cook porridge in milk.
- At 4 months, instead of porridge, the goats are given a crushed grain mixture consisting of oats, wheat and barley, taken in equal parts.
Nutrient is administered not earlier than the 20th day - so as not to burden the digestive organs of the kid. If you give complementary foods earlier, animals gain weight worse, as unusual food worsens the digestibility of milk.
Milking goats
You can milk highly productive Saanen goats by any of two methods:
- Manually. This option is suitable for small farms. Manual milking technique - holding the nipple with the index and thumb, pull it down. For milk to run, movements must be repeated in a certain rhythm.
- Machine way. It is used mainly in large farms. Usually used apparatus "Burenka" or "Squirrel-1."
Goats quickly stop being scared by machine milking. Already from the third time they stop being nervous when the device is turned on.
The number of milking is directly related to the growing of kids:
- If the kids are transferred to artificial feeding, then the first week after lambing, the goat is milked 5 times a day, gradually the number of milks is reduced to 3 per day.
- If suction-podpodnoy technology is used, the female begins to be milked only from the 8th week. The number of milking - 1 time per day. When the kids are fully transferred to an adult diet, the number of milking increases to 2 per day.
Tips for proper milking:
- The goat must be accustomed to stand at attention during milking. For this, she is always milked in one place.
- Be sure to wash your hands before milking. Nails should be cut short - so as not to damage the udder.
- Before the animal you need to put food and water - enough to last for the entire milking. While she is milked, the goat will eat.
- During milking, the goat should be praised - these smart animals perfectly understand intonation and kind words.
- It is advisable to teach a goat to stand still in advance - about 3 months before lambing.
- In order for the nipples to be elastic, they must be regularly massaged.
- In summer, you need to milk a goat at least three times a day - lactation increases on fresh and juicy feeds.
- Milking should be regular - then the milk yield will be stable.
- In cold weather, when feed intake is reduced, the number of milk yield can be reduced to 2 per day.
Disease, treatment and prevention
If you provide quality care to the Saanen goats, then the risk of disease will be minimized. However, it rises during lambing and the transition from stall to pasture. To prevent diseases during this period, it is recommended:
- After lambing, place the goat in a separate stall, monitoring its condition. At the first sign of lethargy, lack of appetite, you need to invite a veterinarian. Perhaps the amniotic fluid has not completely receded, and the weakened body needs treatment.
- When the transition to pasture begins, there is a risk of poisoning by inedible herbs. Goats are well versed in herbs, but often capture poisonous herbs - in small quantities they are not dangerous.
Symptoms of poisoning:
- vomiting
- frequent urination
- palpitations
- hard breath.
If similar symptoms appeared at once at several goats grazing on a pasture, probably they were poisoned by chemicals used in agronomy. It is important to carefully study the area where the goats will graze before releasing them there.
The most common diseases of Saanen goats, their symptoms, treatment and prevention are in table 6.
Table 6
Name | Signs of the disease | How to treat? | Prevention methods |
Acute tympanic scar |
|
|
|
Poisoning |
|
|
|
Hoof Necrobacteriosis |
|
|
|
Mastitis |
|
|
|
Foot and mouth disease |
|
|
|
A common problem with dairy goats is cracks in the nipples. The reason is weathering. This problem usually occurs in goats that have recently bred. Separation of the goat from the herd will help prevent the problem - this is recommended for all goats after lambing, and careful monitoring.
Cracks can also be caused by improper milking, rough litter, injury to the udder. Cracks are treated with a solution of boric acid - they take a teaspoon of powder and dilute in boiled warm water. Or lubricate the cracks with antiseptic ointments that the veterinarian will prescribe. Crack Prevention:
- lubrication of the nipples with petroleum jelly;
- as soon as the slightest abrasions appear, immediately lubricate them with antiseptics.
If there is damage on the animal’s body, the wound is washed with potassium permanganate (a weak solution is needed), smeared with iodine, sprinkled with naphthalene, and bandaged if necessary.
It is important to ensure the prevention of helminthiasis. To rid the animals of parasites, they are given carbon tetrachloride. For prevention, they organize deworming of all goats in the herd and dogs used by shepherds to graze the herd. Another week, after a course of treatment, it is necessary to neutralize feces.
What to look for when choosing a thoroughbred goat?
To breed Saanen goats, you need to buy producers in reliable places - at breeding plants. But for many people who want to have Swiss goats, a trip to a breeding farm is too complicated a task, they will have to travel very far. Therefore, most interested parties buy livestock from farmers.
When buying goats from private farmers, we are not talking about 100% purebred breed - no one gives guarantees here. But knowing a few signs, you can increase your chances of acquiring a purebred individual. Choosing Saanen goats, pay attention to such moments:
- Wool. It should be snow-white - without any shade. The presence of shades indicates an admixture of foreign blood. Or let the seller discount the price - no one will pay for half-breeds, as for thoroughbred goats. You should also pay attention to the villi - they should be short and shiny. If the coat is shiny, dull, the animal must be sick with something.
- Back. It should be flat. If the animal has signs of "humpiness" or "concavity" - this is not the Saanen breed.
- Height at the withers. In Zaanentsi it is not less than 75 cm at the age of one year. Growth may be less if conditions of detention are violated. Such animals, even thoroughbreds, will produce less milk.
- Age. Do not take a goat after the 4th lactation. From this age, the decline in milk yield begins.
- Milk. It should not have any specific smell. If the milk smells, the animal is poorly looked after. Usually the smell of milk appears when the goats and goats are kept together.
To choose a goat, and even a thoroughbred, you need to have at least some experience in breeding these animals. An inexperienced buyer can be sold under the guise of a Saanen individual the most ordinary white goat.
Information on the note
Useful information for beginner breeders:
- Goats will not pick up the feed that is on the litter. Unless very hungry. But it is impossible for animals to reach such a state. So that the feed does not fall on the floor, you need to properly make the feeders - they should be convenient for goats and nothing should fall out of them.
- A slight decrease in temperature in the stall is not critical, but the presence of drafts is unacceptable. Drafts are a common cause of Saanen goat diseases.
- The stall should be clean and dry, you need to change the litter every day.
- Artificial lighting should be included in the winter season. Daylight hours should be at least 10 hours.
- The diet needs to be adjusted - you can not be limited to one recipe or diet. Everything is very individual, feed and norms vary depending on age, type of maintenance, lactation, gender and other factors. It is necessary to increase the amount of succulent feed, then vice versa, reduce it by adding dry hay to the diet.
- Overeating, as well as malnutrition, is harmful to Saanen goats. It is necessary to control their nutrition on a walk. So that the goats do not trample the pasture, you can keep them in the paddock, and feed them by mowing from the site. If there is a lot of pasture land, goats are simply more often driven from place to place.
To take full advantage of the highly productive Swiss goats, you will have to take care of creating the appropriate conditions. If you do not provide purebred Saenents with a balanced diet, walking and a warm clean stable, they will not give milk more than an ordinary goat.
Posted by
12
Russia. City Novosibirsk
Publications: 276 Comments: 1