Raising Goats to achieve high productivity requires not only special attention, but also effective knowledge and care techniques. In the context of the raising goat meat market, adopting modern farming methods can be the key to your success in this industry. In this article, BB Agri will guide farmers on goat raising techniques for meat to achieve high productivity

How to choose a standard breed of raised goats

When starting a goat breeding business, the choice of breed is the first and most important decision that farmers need to make. This affects not only productivity, but also minimizes risks during breeding. Here is some useful information about 3 popular goat breeds that you can choose from.

Boer goats

The Boer goat breed thrives in South Africa and has been raised in Vietnam since 2002. They have a white back, with a black neck, back and tail. This characteristic coat color makes them recognizable.
Boer goats are meat-oriented breeds with adult male weight that can reach from 100-160kg, adult females reach from 90-100kg. They grow quickly and have a rather short laying cycle.

Botanical goat

Botanical goats are hybrids between local grass goats and some imported breeds. They adapt well to harsh climatic conditions, especially heat and high temperatures.
Adults can reach 75-80kg (males) and 40-45kg (females). The proportion of sawn meat and refined meat is both high, between 40-45% and 30-35%, respectively.

Grass goats

Grass goats are local breeds that are mainly raised by extensive farming methods, fragmented grazing. Although heterogeneous in coat color, they adapt well to harsh climatic conditions and have good disease resistance.
Local goats have an adult weight of 40-44kg, the percentage of sawn meat reaches from 40-44%, and the percentage of refined meat is from 28-30%.

Before deciding on a breed, carefully observe the cubs in the herd and adhere to the following requirements:

• Choose adopted breeds with clear origin, can track the parent pair.
• Avoid animals with unusual characteristics such as a short neck, small belly, naked ear hair.
• For male goats, choose those with a well-proportioned body and developed genital organs. For female goats of meat direction, pay attention to the rectangular body and genitals.

How to make a barn for goats

Whether you are raising goats in a free-range feed or in a closed barn, designing an efficient barn is important to ensure health and enhance care performance. Here’s what you need to know about how to make a goat barn suitable and convenient:

Direction and location of the coop

The first thing you need to take care of when building a barn for keeping goats is the direction and location. Choose a Southeast or South direction to ensure the barn is airy and cool. As for the natural grazing method, there are no specific requirements for direction.

Choose a location for the coop so that it has a coat, does not get damp and avoids direct sunshine. Choose an area that is clean, quiet, and far from residential areas, but still convenient for the management, care, and cleaning of the barn.

Barn area

• The area of the barn depends on the number of livestock herds. As for the technique of keeping stalled goats, adhere to the following indicators:
• Breeding female goats: 0.8 – 1.0 heads/m2 (individual captivity), 1.0 – 1.2 heads/m2 (general confinement)
• Male goats: 1.0 – 1.2 heads/m2 (individual captivity), 1.4 – 1.6 heads/m2 (general confinement)

Floors and walls of the barn

• The distance from the culture floor to the ground must be 50-80cm high.
• The floor for goats should be 1 – 1.5cm open so that the goat’s feet do not fall down, but still be easy to clean.
• The walls of the barn should be at least 1.5 – 1.8m high, made of wood or bamboo, with spokes 6 – 10cm apart.

Barn floor

The floor of the barn below the floor must have an inclination of 2-3%, gradually sloping towards the drainage trench. This helps reduce dampness and ensure the hygiene of your goat barn.

Standard goat care techniques when raising goats

Grazing farming model

When applying the grazing model, it is important to choose the Botanical male goat breed with large and healthy stature. This method takes advantage of the spacious hilly soil, ideal for people in mountainous areas.

Mating technique:

No homogenic, inbreeding breeding.
Breed female goats from 7 months old, Bach Thao male goats from 9 months old.
Observe estrus manifestations of female goats and mating on day 2 if present.
Pay attention to the case of female goats that do not conceive after 18-21 days.

Care for pregnant goats:

During pregnancy, limit grazing too far and avoid negative effects, especially in the last days of pregnancy.

Barn captivity model

Keeping barn goats is suitable for medium and large-sized farms, but requires high care techniques. Failure to properly apply can lead to illness and reduced productivity.

Care for baby goats: 

Baby goats under the age of 12 need special care, including feeding and postpartum care.
Baby goats aged 12-45 years: Milk regularly and start a diet of soft young grass and bran.
Young goats aged 45 years and older: Gradually reduce the amount of milk, increase concentrates and young grass.

Care of posthumous goats and sires: 

Posthumous goats: The rearing period is 4-5 months.
Male goats: Keep about 8-10 animals together in the head, regularly exercise for 3-4 hours.

Care for pregnant goats and sires: 

Pregnant female goat: Massage lightly to stimulate mammary gland development.
Male goats: Plucked separately after the time of sexual development.

De-horning and castration of male goats: 

Dekeratosis to avoid injury, performed when the goat is suckling milk for less than 3 months.
Castration of male goats about 3 weeks old with guaranteed hygiene and antiseptic techniques.

What types of goat feed are there?

Food plays an important role in feeding goat herds, especially in the barn keeping model. Here are some effective feeds you should consider to ensure the growth rate of your goat herd:

• Forage: Up to 70% of energy, including natural grass, cultivated grass, corn stalks, sugarcane leaves, sweet potato strings, and many tubers such as sweet potatoes and turnips. This is a natural food source that helps provide the fiber and nutrients needed.
• Concentrates: Consists of grains and crushed flour, which help replenish the energy and nutrients needed for goat growth.
• Supplements: Use bone meal, fish meal, and probiotics to ensure an adequate supply of minerals and nutrients. Note the addition of urea and molasses to optimize feed quality.

In addition, water intake management is also important:

• Goats under the age of 2 months need about 0.5 liters of clean water per day.
• Goats over 2 months old need about 5 liters of clean water per day.

Instructions for the prevention of diseases for goats

To ensure the health of your goats, apply the following important preventive measures:

• Before we keep goats in barns, it is important to isolate them for 30-40 days. This helps prevent the spread of the disease in the herd.
• Keep the barn clean and airy, especially periodically disinfect with 10% lime water or 2% phenic acid.
• Ensure good hygiene for the barn by draining water, spreading bushes around.
• Goats kept in cages need regular health checks to promptly detect and isolate sick animals, avoid spreading diseases in the herd.
• Strictly follow the vaccination drama of goat herds according to the instructions of veterinary authorities. Get vaccinated 2 times a year, 6 months apart.

Conclude

Standard goat farming techniques are an important key to the success of the goat farming model. By combining grazing and confinement models, farmers can achieve high and sustainable performance in the goat industry.