Goat Husbandry Flashcards
Uses of goats
milking, meat, fleece, pets
Goat behaviour
flock together in extended family groups, strong hierarchal structure, orally investigate, agile climbers
Housing requirements
shelter is necessary, draft-free, good ventilation, straw for comfort and drainage, hay racks, water trough, enrichment !
plenty of space to avoid bullying
Goat Nutrition
Can be quite picky, will not eat contaminated food or water, can climb trees to reach food they want, hardy (toxic plants may not affect them)
Management Procedures
Vaccination -> few with licensing, Clostridial is the only common one
Hoof Trimming -> same as sheep, generally should have less problems due to drier hoof wall and drier habitat
Worming -> limited immunity so regular FECs are recommended, parasite control is problematic, consider grazing rotation
Disbudding -> must be done by a vet between 2 and 7 days, delicate process due to thin skull
Dairy goat fact file
smaller fat globules = more digestible
not pasteurised so raw milk sales higher
less lactose content
average yield is 500-1200 litres per lactation
apocrine milk secretion (slough off skin cells and cell fragments into the secreted milk) = SCC > 2,000,000 cells/ml
Breeding Goats
females can be mated from ~6 months old, but should wait for 18m
males are mature from 6 weeks
seasonally polyoestrous, ideal to breed in Sept-Feb
18-24 day oestrous cycle
150 day gestation length
Hydrometra
false pregnancy
caused by prolonged luteal function and an absence of oestrous
see abdominal enlargement and udder development
diagnose through ultrasound and treat via prostaglandin
should be an expulsion of uterine fluids with no foetus
Common UK Diseases
Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (spread by infected milk, no CS, test and cull)
Caseous Lymphadenitis (skin disease, abscess of lymph nodes on the head and neck)
Johne’s Disease (poor milk yield, wasting, anaemia, no reliable tests)
