Goats, perfectly adapted to any conditions, have good health and do not require special care. Therefore, today an increasing number of domestic farmers are beginning to breed these animals. Their maintenance is considered quite a profitable occupation also because they are unpretentious in food and can eat almost any food. After reading this article, you will learn how to organize the content of goats at home for beginners.
Brief historical background
Goats are considered one of the most ancient domestic animals. They were tamed a little later than dogs, but much earlier than horses, donkeys and cats. According to rough estimates of scientists, this happened about nine millennia ago. It is believed that the ancestors of the domestic goat were mountain goats. Great influence on the formation of the appearance of modern animals had bearded individuals living in the mountains of the Caucasus.
The first domesticated individuals appeared in Asia Minor, a little later they spread throughout the territory of ancient Greece and the Mediterranean islands. Goats differ from other varieties of cattle in relatively small sizes. The height of an adult does not exceed one meter, and the mass varies between 25-100 kilograms.
Basic room requirements
For a comfortable existence, these animals need a spacious corral. As a simplified option, you can build a canopy or a barn for goats. To maintain a herd of several individuals, it is advisable to build separate stalls. This advice is especially relevant for those who have pugnacious animals. Cramped space can cause a significant decrease in milk yield, so you should not save on space.
So that milk does not have a pungent odor, males should be kept separate from females. A barn for goats (for year-round maintenance) can be built with your own hands. To do this, you need to choose a dry, high place, remote from toilets, cesspools and other objects that can pollute the air. Do not forget that these animals are very sensitive to dampness, so the pen for their maintenance should maximize the basic hygiene requirements. The humidity level indoors should not exceed 75%.
How to feed these animals?
Those who are interested in how to properly organize the content of goats at home for beginners will find it useful to learn about the features of their nutrition. Despite the fact that these animals are unpretentious in everything related to food, it is desirable that their diet be carefully balanced. After all, it is the quality of the feed that affects the milk productivity of the livestock. They can eat almost any homemade food. The basis of the menu of these animals is undersized grassy vegetation, bark, foliage and tree branches.
In the summer, fresh goat grass must be present in the diet. The average daily rate of meadow or forest hay consumed by one adult animal is about two and a half kilograms. Half of this amount can be replaced with branch feed, which is recommended to be harvested in mid-summer. Goats are ideal for food: acacia, linden, birch and poplar. Harvested branches should be hung in a well-ventilated area and dried for 10-15 days. Keep these blanks in a dry place. Pets kept in stalls need to be fed at least three of these brooms per day.
What criteria should a goat feeder meet?
Before you start manufacturing this structure, you need to familiarize yourself with the requirements for these products. Immediately make a reservation that today there are no clear criteria by which feeders are evaluated. Therefore, when creating them, it is necessary to be guided by the number of herds and their material capabilities.
Many beginner farmers want their hay feeder to have an original, custom design. Unfortunately, in most cases, such products are unsuitable for use, so in such cases, experts recommend paying special attention to the conciseness and convenience of the model. It is also important that the goats do not crowd around waiting for food.
Necessary materials and tools
When thinking about what a goat feeder will look like, you should take into account the main features of the behavior of these animals, first of all, that they can jump wherever they want. Therefore, it is recommended that the hay container be partially closed. It is important that the crate does not interfere with the animal sticking its head to the food. Also, do not forget that goats are quite clean and will never eat from a dirty trough.
Since the goat feeder will be wooden, for its manufacture you will need the simplest carpentry and carpentry tools, including:
- nails
- wood screws;
- smooth thin boards;
- bars;
- plane;
- screwdriver;
- a hammer;
- circular saw or ordinary hacksaw.
Using all of the materials and tools listed, various product configurations can be easily built.
DIY goat feeder
To equip a place for feeding animals, it is advisable to choose one of the inner corners of the shed or corral. Particular attention should be paid to the height of the structure. Ideally, it should be about one and a half meters. If the feeding place is in the barn, it is recommended that you first strengthen the floor. Otherwise, the regular accumulation of the herd in the same corner can cause the destruction of the wooden coating.
To indicate the lower border at a height of ten centimeters from the floor, you need to nail wide boards so that together with the walls they form a triangle. And only after that you can begin mounting the top. To do this, at a preselected height, a bar of smaller thickness is attached, which is subsequently connected to the lower boards by means of wooden battens. As a result, you should get a design that looks like a picket fence.
Another option
This method is suitable for those who want a goat feeder. It was located not in the corner of the barn, but in the middle of the yard. In this case, the finished design will resemble a wooden box on low stable legs. At the initial stage, it is necessary to make the bottom of the feeder. It can be put together from boards or cut out of plywood. Then, legs are attached to the lower plane of the bottom and the resulting structure is installed in a preselected location. After that, they begin to create walls. They are made as in the case of the corner feeding trough.