What temperature can goats withstand in winter. Breeding goats at home for beginners. Preparing the barn for winter

Keeping goats without heating in winter, not a critical problem, if you approach it wisely, today in our article we will tell you in detail how to take care of animals during the cold season, how to feed goats in winter, what a goat shed should be, and also what water they should drink and much another thing that everyone who keeps this animal on their farm should definitely know. And so, let's get started, because there are still many important issues ahead.

In order for a goat to get all the nutrients that it needs in winter, it should feed at least about one kilogram of roughage per day, and ideally: 2-3 kilograms. On hay alone, it will not work to keep an animal, but it must be in her diet. The best food will be meadow hay, or forest collection from young plants. Be sure to feed grain to the goat, it must be mixed with hay, then the animal will receive more useful substances, and will be happy to absorb such a treat, in addition, this type of diet has a positive effect on the work of the gastrointestinal tract.

For the winter period, one animal will need about 500 kilograms of hay, young animals are half as much, half of this amount of hay, sometimes replaced with birch brooms.

Of course, goats also require juicy food in winter, the best of which is considered to be fodder beets, potatoes and cabbage. Potatoes need to be boiled, and root crops are simply chopped and given raw. If you give beet tops for food to goats, then you need to add one gram of chalk dust to it, per kilogram of tops, thus neutralizing the acid contained in the roots.

Goats should definitely be given fodder salt for food, up to 10 grams per day.

Goats need hay in winter

How to feed goats:

Goats are very hot animals, in the truest sense of the word, the normal body temperature of an animal is about +40 degrees, so they need to give hot water, and it is best to build heated drinkers. Access to water must be constant, especially goats need it.

Keeping goats in winter without heating in a barn:

To say that goats necessarily need warm rooms is impossible. They have unique properties of the body, and are able to survive even severe cold due to the regulation of their body temperature. In addition, if you have woolen or downy breeds of goats on your farm, then keeping them without heating is not a problem at all.

The only protection that a goat needs in winter is a shelter that would adequately protect them from wind and rain. Therefore, a reliable shed will be a sufficient shelter for goats during the winter. Also, goats do not like to sleep on damp ground, so take care to make floors in the barn, or lay a bed for them, or make a platform for sleeping.

Heating is necessary for newly born kids, but for this they can be kept in a separate insulated room, as well as keeping goats in winter usually happens without heating.

Outcome:

As you understood from the content of the article, goats in winter can be completely placed in a barn, without heating, the main thing is to provide them with decent shelter, and keep them in good shape, with the help of proper nutrition of goats and, best of all, let them drink warm or hot water, make drinkers with heating. If you follow all the recommendations, your pets will easily survive the winter. On this we say goodbye to you, all the best and see you again on our website!

Previously, in a private farmstead, the owners kept mainly cows. Today, more and more people are switching from cows to goats. And there are reasons for this. Goats require less feed than cows. It's much easier to take care of them. Another of the advantages of these animals is that they tolerate winter well and are unpretentious to conditions. By creating minimum conditions for keeping goats in winter, you can count on a good milk yield.

Speaking about goats, it should be noted that they are rather unpretentious animals. There are usually no special problems with their maintenance. These animals have a calm disposition and easily get along with other pets. You can keep goats not only in the barn, but also in the hallway. Even the attic can be a great place to keep them. These animals are quite dexterous, so they will be able to climb there without any problems. Goats tolerate cold well. In areas with a mild climate, they can be kept under a canopy throughout the year. When breeding goats in the northern territories, you need to think about the premises for them. It should be warm enough. In winter, positive temperatures should prevail inside it. This is also important from the position that indoor drinking water should not freeze.

At least +6 - 7 degrees Celsius should be the recommended temperature in the barn. If, in addition to adult animals, goats are also kept in the room, then the optimum temperature regime is +8 - 10 degrees. In addition to temperature, it is extremely important to ensure that the room is always dry. It should be well ventilated and lit. You should know that sunlight has a beneficial effect on goats. They do not tolerate dampness.

An equipped goat house is the preferred option for keeping goats. A dry place on a hill must be chosen for the construction of a separate barn for goats. The south side is the best place for the location of the entrance and the walking yard. Goats are included in daily walks. Adobe, clay, boards or logs - these materials can be used to build the walls of the goat's house. To eliminate drafts, the cracks should be caulked. A shed built of boards should be insulated. To do this, you can use improvised material: dry foliage, needles or sawdust. At least 2 m should be the height of the goat's rue. Windows are located on the south side of the building. This allows you to achieve good illumination indoors. Windows should be at a certain height so that animals cannot break them.

There are several important points in the construction of the goat's rue. One of them is flooring. The use of concrete in this case is not the best solution. This material has a high moisture content. And besides, he is cold. Wooden flooring must be covered with a cement screed. The wooden floor also has its disadvantage. It is short-lived, so after a few years of operation it begins to rot. Holes appear on its surface, which cause great inconvenience to goats. In addition, they can cause injury to animals. Raised earthen or adobe floors are the best option. Their laying should be done at a slight angle. This is done in order to ensure that the slurry drains into a special container, which will keep the room clean.

It is warmer and drier on wooden shelves, which is why goats prefer to sleep on them. Their installation can be done along one of the walls of the barn. If they are present in the goat room, this will minimize the risk of colds in animals. 4 m2 is the optimal size of one stall for two animals. Too narrow a stall can lead to a decrease in milk yield. If pugnacious individuals come across in the herd, then they are removed from the rest of the animals. And besides that, they keep it on a leash.

Animals with a calm disposition are not tied. This way they feel more energized. The goat is kept separately from the goats. Otherwise, the milk acquires a specific smell. A separate room is equipped for kids. They will be separated for several months. A stall can be used for isolation and treatment of sick individuals at other times.

The goat feeder should be designed in such a way that it is not necessary to enter the lawn during feeding. The nursery is placed on one of the walls. They are used for stacking hay. A feeding box is installed under them. Small stems and leaves will fall into this box. The drinker can be placed on another wall. It is necessary to equip a yard for walking goats with a feed bunker. It must be protected from rain.

Forage harvesting involves keeping goats in winter. A goat can eat up to 3 kg of hay per day. Thus, one adult animal needs 500 kg of hay for the winter. 320 kg of hay must be prepared for a kid. In addition to hay, the animal's diet should include silage, and in addition, under-dried branches with leaves.

In order for a goat to give a good milk yield in winter, it is necessary to give top dressing to the main feed: bran, pea flour, compound feed. These additives can be added to kitchen waste with potato peels. In raw and boiled form, animals can be given root crops. It is also necessary to chop large vegetables. A pinch of salt is added to concentrated feed. And besides this supplement, also 10-15 g of chalk up to two times a week. Ready-made mineral and vitamin supplements should be given to animals in order to obtain good milk yield in winter. Goats need to be fed three times a day. At night, give the most concentrated and nutrient-rich composition.

Keeping goats is a profitable business. Plus, it's accessible to everyone. These animals endure winter cold without problems. By following the minimum requirements for goat care, you will protect animals from various diseases and ensure good milk yield all year round.

Goats at home can even be kept with other domestic animals and poultry. Animals are unpretentious, tolerate cold well. In regions with a mild climate, they can even be kept year-round in the yard under a canopy, but in the northern latitudes it is still necessary to equip a room in which the positive temperature will be maintained. This is also important for reasons that drinking water should not freeze.

The recommended temperature in the barn should be at least plus 6–7 degrees Celsius, and if, in addition to adults, small kids are kept, then + 8–10 degrees. In addition to temperature, it is important to ensure that the room is dry, well ventilated and lit. Sunlight has a beneficial effect on goats, but dampness is simply contraindicated for them.

It is preferable to keep goats in a specially equipped goat house. To build a separate building for keeping goats, you need to choose a dry place on a hill in the backyard. The entrance to the goat house and a small yard for walking are best located on the south side - the maintenance of goats provides for their daily walks. Adobe, clay, boards or logs are suitable as a material for the walls of the goat's rue. To avoid drafts, the gaps must be caulked. A barn built from boards can be insulated by sheathing it with a second layer of boards with a gap of about 20 cm, which is filled with improvised materials: dry foliage, needles, sawdust or peat. The height of the goat's rue must be at least 2m. For good illumination, windows are arranged on the south side at such a height that animals do not break them.

Arrangement of floors is one of the important elements in the construction of a goat's rue. Concrete is not suitable in this case. This material is cold and wet. The cement screed must be covered with a wooden deck. The wooden floor also has its drawback - it is short-lived and quickly begins to rot. Holes that appear not only cause inconvenience to goats, but can also lead to animal injuries. The most optimal are raised earthen or adobe floors. They need to be laid with a small angle for draining the slurry into a special container - this will help maintain cleanliness in the room.

Goats love to sleep on wooden shelves that can be placed along one of the walls of the barn. The presence of such sunbeds will minimize the risk of catching a cold. The recommended size of one square stall for two goats is 4m2. A stall that is too narrow can lead to reduced milk yields. If pugnacious individuals come across in the herd, then they are separated from the rest of the goats and kept on a leash.

Calm animals are not tied, so they feel more cheerful. The goat is kept separate from the goats, otherwise the milk may acquire an unpleasant odor. For kids, a separate room is equipped. Here they will live for several months. The rest of the time, this stall can be used to isolate and treat sick individuals.

The goat feeder should be arranged so that it does not go into the pen during feeding. On one of the walls there is a nursery in which hay will be folded. A feeding box is installed under them, into which small stems and leaves will fall. The drinker can be placed on another wall. The goat yard also needs to be equipped with a feed bin. It must be protected from the weather.

To obtain a good milk yield in winter, goats are fed with bran, pea flour or mixed fodder. They can be added to kitchen waste with potato peels. Root crops are given both raw and boiled. Large vegetables must be chopped. A pinch of salt is added daily to the concentrated feed, as well as 10-15 g of chalk up to two times a week. To get good milk yields, you should pay attention to ready-made mineral and vitamin supplements. The goats are fed three times a day. The most concentrated and nutrient-rich composition is served at night.

Proper housing conditions and a balanced diet are important throughout the year. But the duration of lactation, the quality and volume of milk, the health and proper development of the kids depend on what to feed the goat in winter.

Winter diet

The daily menu of the animal consists of:

succulent feed,
vitamin supplements,
roughage,
concentrates.
Roughage

Dry food

Hay is the basis of the diet. It is better to use legume, legume-grass or meadow hay harvested at the very beginning of flowering herbs. It is this food that will contain the maximum of useful and nutrients and vitamins. If hay is harvested independently, then the following rules must be observed: dry freshly cut grass in windrows in the field, or lay it out to dry in a well-ventilated area.

For a day, one animal eats from a kilogram of hay. If there is a problem with roughage, hay can be replaced with straw. It must be remembered that there are fewer nutrients in the straw, so it needs twice as much. And before distribution, it is recommended to grind and soak for several hours in a solution of table salt.

Another type of nutritious food is branches, which are offered in the form of brooms.

A goat eats 400-700 grams of brooms per day, which are made from:

aspens,
Rowan,
nettles,
maple,
raspberries,
birches,
alder,
Oak,
plums,
hazel,
willow,
Acacias.

Juicy food

This type of food is necessary for maintaining health and strengthening immunity. The goat's diet includes:

Silage,
Tops of beets and carrots,
Ears of cereals and legumes,
Vegetables and fruits,
Roots,
milk corn cobs,
Clover and alfalfa haylage.

For better storage, crushed feed is placed in bags or sealed containers. The optimum feed moisture content is between 65% and 80%. The main type is silage, the daily volume of which reaches 2.5-3.5 kg. Vitamin flour, chopped root crops, haylage or straw can be mixed with it.

Fruits and vegetables are less nutritious than silage. But they are indicated for feeding goats during lactation, as they increase daily milk yield.

Also, the fruit and vegetable mixture contains a lot of vitamins, fiber and minerals, which have a beneficial effect on the process of digestion and metabolism. One of the most affordable root crops for goats is potatoes. For better digestibility, it is recommended to boil it and grind it into a puree-like mass. Puree can be given as an independent food or added to mash and cereals. The required amount per day is from 1.5 to 3 kg.

concentrated feed

In summer, most of the goat's nutrients and protein come from fresh grass in the pasture. In winter, for these purposes, animals are given concentrates. These include:

cereal grains,
grains of legumes,
Rape,
Grain production waste,
Food waste,
goat feed,
Powdered milk,
Bone and fish meal.

Grains are fed processed for better digestibility. There are several ways to achieve the right balance:

crushing and flattening,
yeast,
toasting
malting,
Sprouting.

Grains can also be given whole, but this will adversely affect the digestion process.

The nutrient absorption of whole grains is also several times lower than that of processed grains. If part of the concentrates is replaced by food waste, then they are pre-boiled and mixed with compound feed or crushed grain. A goat needs about 1.5 kg of concentrates per day.

Feeding rules

Goats are omnivores, but still feed for them must be clean and fresh. An adult is fed 2 to 4 times a day in winter. Be sure to follow the regime, and feed the animals at the same time, and there must be constant access to water. In the cold season, goats can be given hot water at a temperature of up to 40 °. This not only improves digestion, but also helps the body warm up.

Feeding baby goats

At home, the diet of pregnant and single females is different. The gestation of kids lasts about 150 days. At this time, the goat's body needs twice as much food containing calcium, protein and vitamins. The total nutritional value of the given feed should also be 35-45% more.

During pregnancy, the feeding regimen also changes: animals are given food 6-7 times a day.

Particular attention is paid to quality: mold, rot, fungal deposits on the stern are not allowed. All vegetables and root vegetables are thoroughly washed and cut into small pieces.

With the beginning of the second trimester of pregnancy, goats are given more protein feed. A good source of protein is bean hay, which is fed in equal proportions with cereals. It is also recommended to add fishmeal, cake and dry fodder yeast to food.

A balanced diet of pregnant goats also includes table salt licks or a mineral mixture: coarse salt with the addition of cobalt, zinc, iodine, copper, iron and manganese, magnesium. The lack of calcium is replenished with a mixture of salt, bone meal and chalk. Additionally, animals should be supplemented with vitamin a, e, d.

Approximate daily menu of a sukozny goat:

2.5 kg of hay,
3 kg of juicy food,
500 gr concentrates,
500 gr straw
500 gr boiled potatoes,
up to 1 kg of branch feed.

Feeding goats during lactation

How much milk a goat gives per day depends on proper nutrition. This is especially important in the first two months, when the foundation of the animal's milk production is laid. Best of all, milk yield is affected by succulent feed, concentrates, food waste. Root crops and silage should account for more than 50% of the total daily ration. The main part is boiled potatoes, carrots and fodder beets, apples and alfalfa haylage. The amount of vitamins and microelements in such feed is sufficient both to maintain health and to produce milk.

The daily diet of a dairy goat looks like this:

Hay - up to 5 kg,
Cereals - 1.5-2 kg,
Vegetables and root vegetables - 2.5 - 3 kg,
Brooms - up to 1 kg,
Haylage - up to 1 kg,
Silo - up to 1.5 kg.

Feeding a goat with kids

For the first few days of life, newborn goats feed only on mother's milk. They begin to try adult food from the fifth to seventh day, and already at the age of two weeks they can eat a little cereal and hay. But still, the digestive system of babies remains tender and receptive to food, so it is very important to monitor the quality of the food given. Vegetables, fruits and root crops should be clean, without traces of rot or mold, hay and straw should be dust-free, silage should not be sour.

In the first two hours after lambing, the goat is given swill with bran, bean hay and some chopped carrots are placed in the manger. Bran plays an important role in feeding kids with goats in winter: they are nutritious, easily digestible, and contain many minerals. Concentrated feed is introduced into the diet only a week after birth. The body of the animal after pregnancy and lambing is weakened, and the consequences of feeding grain in the first days can be sad.

By 10-12 days after lambing, the animals switch to a diet, half of which is root crops and legume hay. Juicy feed per day can be set up to 5 kg, concentrates - up to a kilogram. Water must be available at all times.

What can you feed a goat with kids:

oats,
Barley,
Bran,
Corn (dairy and grain),
Carrot,
Beet,
fodder beet,
watermelons,
feed gourd,
Silage,
haylage,
sunflower hats,
Oatmeal or millet straw
branches,
Herbal, bone, fish, coniferous flour,
Boiled potatoes,
Kale,
Pumpkin,
beet pulp,
compound feed,
legumes,
whole cow's milk,
Chalk and salt
Apples,
Salo,
Bread.

An approximate daily diet is as follows:

Concentrates - up to 1.5 kg per adult, + 0.3 kg per kid,
Hay - up to 3.5 kg per adult, + 1 kg per kid,
Juicy feed - up to 2.5 kg per adult, + 0.5 kg per kid,
Boiled potatoes - up to 2.5 kg per adult, + 0.3 kg per kid,
Haylage or silage - up to 1 kg per adult, + 0.3 kg per kid,
Brooms - up to 1 kg per adult, + 0.5 kg per kid,
Mineral supplements and top dressing - 50 grams,
Bran - up to 0.8 kg per adult + up to 0.3 kg per kid.

Features of winter maintenance

Goats are not heat-loving animals, and can wait out even very severe frosts in an unheated barn. Often goats are kept in the same room with other pets and birds - this is normal. Goats are social animals that do not tolerate being alone.

The optimum temperature in the goat house is +2 +8°C. In the maternity ward and for kids up to three weeks of age, the temperature is maintained at +9 +11°C. Sucose females are transferred to maternity a week before lambing. If goats are kept in individual boxes, then the size of one is at least 1 * 1 m. The most common is group keeping, when from 2 to 5 goats live in one pen. In this case, the minimum area per animal is 1.5 sq.m. Goats are always kept separately. The stall for the male is made no less than 1.5 * 2 m.

Goats love to sleep on high ground - it's warmer, drier, and safer (animals have a victim psychology). Arranging a sleeping place is simple: a wooden platform is made along one of the walls, with a height of 45 cm and a width of not more than 70 cm. A layer of sawdust or straw is poured on top. A similar platform can be organized for street maintenance.

On sunny and calm days, animals need to be let out for a walk. The place where the goats walk is cleared only of ice - on a slippery surface, the risk of injury increases. If the walks are long, you can put some hay or brooms in the aviary. To protect animals from frostbite, sensitive areas of the body (udder and ears in Nubian goats) are smeared with petroleum jelly, a very fat cream or a special ointment.

Owners of downy breeds can keep their pets in aviaries throughout the year. Long and thick wool reliably protects animals from the most severe frosts. The aviary is equipped with several wooden shelters from wind and snow, in which a manger for hay and feeders are placed. With this content, hay, branch feed and straw are given to animals ad libitum, and the proportion of concentrates increases by 25%.

An increasing number of villagers refuse to keep cows in favor of goats, as they are unpretentious, their maintenance does not cause trouble, and they endure the winter perfectly.

What goats are good for is their frost resistance. Of course, they can not be kept in the cold under the open sky. You can simply place them in any room. They get along well with other animals or birds, because they have a non-conflict and good-natured disposition.

As a place for wintering suitable:

canopy;
barn;
barn;
attic.

Yes, attic. Do not be confused by the distance from the ground to the attic, because the goats will easily overcome it. All you need is a reliable and stable ladder.

If you live in a region with a mild climate, then you can organize a place for wintering in the yard under a canopy. For those living in northern latitudes, this type of wintering is not suitable.

The temperature regime in the goat's rue in winter must always be comfortable for both adult animals and young animals, so it should be in the positive value around the clock. This is necessary so that the water in the drinkers does not freeze and the animal does not feel discomfort.

The ideal regimen in the winter in the goat house:

for adult goats, the optimum temperature in winter is +6 ... + 8 ° C;
for little kids, the optimum temperature in winter is +10 ... + 15 ° C.

You also need to ensure that the room is dry, light and there is no musty smell. Take care of good lighting and regularly ventilate the room. Windows in the goat house should be made large, preferably located on the south side.

Dampness is contraindicated for goats. It is easy to deal with it if you maintain a constant temperature and regularly ventilate the room. Floor mat is desirable. Watch for the absence of drafts, close the gaps in time. Goats will love to sleep on shelves made of wood and visually similar to sunbeds.

peat;
straw;
needles;
sawdust;
wood shavings.

When choosing sawdust for bedding, pay attention to their size. Too small sawdust often comes with dust, and it negatively affects the respiratory organs of any living creature. The best sawdust is large or wood shavings.

Advice from "Economy"

Never house goats in a structure with bare concrete floors. It is good if the floors are made of clay or will be raised earthen. Wood flooring is also great.

A stall for keeping two goats should be square and at least 4x2 m in size. A narrow stall can cause a decrease in milk yield, and this is not too good for you. In goats, as in humans, there are pugnacious individuals who, with their eccentric disposition, spoil the lives of those around them. The rebels are resettled from civilians and kept on a leash.

Goat nutrition in winter

In addition to hay, you need to prepare branch fodder. In addition, the goat's menu should contain succulent feed and concentrates (meal, grain waste, crushed grain, etc.) at the rate of at least 250 g per head.

From succulent feed give:

cabbage (heads and individual leaves withered during storage);
beets (can be given together with tops or only tops separately);
Boiled potatoes;
vegetable waste (cleaning, trimming) and so on.

All succulent foods are given raw, but potatoes must be boiled. On average, a goat can eat up to 3 kg of succulent feed per day.

Salt licks are an obligatory attribute of a goat's rue. Goats should always have round-the-clock access to them. Salt licks can be replaced with regular salt, which is added daily to the food in the amount of one pinch.

To increase milk yield in winter, a goat can be fed:

pea flour;
bran;
compound feed.

Keep in mind that chalk strengthens bones and it should be given to goats at least a couple of times a week for 10-15 g. In total, a goat is fed three times a day. The most nutritious and satisfying - dinner.

The animal feeder is installed so that there is no need to enter the corral itself. A manger is hung on the wall, into which hay is loaded. A box for leaves, stems, etc. is installed under the manger. The drinker can be placed next to the feeder or on another wall.

Pay special attention to the water in the drinker. It must be fresh and changed every day. In winter, the water in the drinking bowl should be warm. To make your life easier and please the goats, you can buy a special heated drinker.

winter walks

To lock a goat in a stall even for a couple of days is a crime against a living and intelligent creature! Even in winter, they need active movement. Their playfulness and curiosity conquers with its spontaneity. Walks should include mandatory physical activity, and for this, goats need space.

Watching goats while walking, you will notice that they are fearless. Neither ice nor snow gives goats any inconvenience. Your task as a caring owner is to monitor the condition of the hooves. Snow or pieces of ice can get into the animal's hooves, causing pain or injury.

The duration of the winter walk is approximately two to three hours. However, you should not walk the goats for a long time if the street is below -5 ° C or a strong wind is blowing.

Snowy winter is a joy for goats, but you should not walk them if there is more than 15 cm of snow. What to do? Organize a patio. It must be if you decide to start breeding goats.

A small yard for walking goats is built near the goat house. Such a corral can be built from a grid or logs, in a word, all the building materials you do not need will do.

Novice breeders sometimes think that winter grazing is not important for goats. This is an erroneous misconception. Grazing goats in winter is very desirable and valuable, as the herbs absorbed by goats during grazing are saturated with carotene.

Kids, as well as their parents, can and should be taken for a walk. Young growth during winter grazing hardens and develops better, acquiring immunity from colds and other diseases.