One of the main advantages of growing goats is their unpretentiousness in food and the lack of strict requirements for the barn. To have time to prepare the room for frost, begin preparatory work in the summer. The rest of the article will discuss how to create comfortable conditions for goats in the winter.
Microclimate in the barn for goats
In the summer, caring for them is very simple - regular walking on the lawn, fresh drinking water in the public domain and food additives according to their age, weight, breed and other individual characteristics.
With the onset of cold weather, farmers have another concern - the preservation of heat in the barn.
Important! The floor in the crib should be with a slight bias. Enough 2 cm per 1 m². This is done for convenience when cleaning liquid waste from animals.
Optimum conditions for raising goats of any breeds can be achieved by fulfilling the following requirements:
- The temperature in the room should not fall below +7 ° С - this is for adults and +10 ° С - for babies.
- There must be at least one window for natural light in the barn. It must be located on the south side, at a height of at least 120-150 cm. Such a height will prevent energetic youngsters from breaking the glass with their hooves.
- The room should be well ventilated. Damp and mildew no place in the crib.
- Along the walls, place the wooden shelves, deck chairs at a height of half a meter. Their width depends on the size of the animals - 80–90 cm is enough for a goat of medium size. Such designs serve as an excellent prevention of colds and frostbite of your pets - instead of a cold floor they will lie comfortably on shelves. For long-haired breeds this is an additional protection against frequent pollution.
- The floor should rise 25–35 cm above the ground. Its foundation can be made of gravel and gravel, and on top lay wooden pallets. They can be made removable - this will greatly facilitate your regular cleaning.
- Walls play an important role in reliable thermal insulation of a room. Choosing pine boards, and insulating them with a layer of ruberoid and expanded clay, you can protect your pets from cold and drafts.
- Arrange small canopies before exiting. Winter cold has time to warm up before it reaches the animals.
For normal air circulation, calculate the area of the shed based on these standards:
- adult male and uncovered female - 2 m²;
- female with kids - 1.5 m²;
- young animals up to one year old - 1.2 m².
Important! Add dry moss to the winter litter. It has good thermal insulation and, in addition, is able to destroy unpleasant odors.
How to feed a goat in winter
Preparing supplies for the winter, each goat grower must carefully calculate the daily portion of food for each animal. For the prevention of vitamin deficiency and diseases of the digestive system - it is important to enrich their diet with vitamins and minerals. Serving sizes are calculated individually for each individual - special attention is paid to weight, gestational age and the amount of daily milk yield.
The main dish in winter nutrition is tasty hay prepared from the summer.
It can be given in crushed form, previously soaked in boiling water, experienced farmers in this "soup" add a couple of tablespoons of salt and sugar. Another option for summer harvesting is brooms from deciduous tree branches.
Cabbage, beets, potatoes and pumpkin are the main sources of vitamins and fiber, so in the winter no meal can do without them. They can be given in crushed or whole form, the only rule is that they should be washed, fresh and without signs of spoilage and rot. Such vegetable platter goes well with a few tablespoons of ground chalk or bone meal.
Some goat breeders treat their pets with breadcrumbs. Goats gnaw them with pleasure. To make them as useful as possible for the animal, bake them on the basis of whole grain flour.
Did you know? Goats have a particular passion for tobacco flavor. From farmers you can often hear stories about how animals eat a pack of cigarettes found in a shepherd’s pocket. However, purposely treating them with this dubious delicacy is still not recommended.
How to drink
In winter, goats need to be given heated clean water. For your convenience, you can equip drinkers that will automatically maintain the required temperature.
Winter walks
A decrease in air temperature should not serve as a reason to lock animals in a stall. Low motor activity provokes many diseases, among which hoof deformation and loss of appetite are most common. Grazing goats in a pasture with a 10-cm layer of fresh snow will not only improve their body, but also help them get to the delicious “winter grass”, which is rich in carotene .
Talking about the benefits of walking in the cold season, you should pay special attention to the prevention of frostbite. Most often, the udder of females suffers, but there are cases of frostbite and the inner part of the ears. So that delicate skin in these areas does not suffer, before each walk, treat it with petroleum jelly or a special protective cream. It can be purchased at any veterinary pharmacy.
Did you know? Goats do not have tuberculosis. That is why their milk is considered an excellent tool for the prevention of this disease.
That's all the secrets of goat care in the winter. As you can see, they definitely do not need increased attention.
