Feed management
- Goat feeding plays a vital role towards growth. Feeding the goat with quality feeds (high value nutrient) and providing them timely, appropriate ratio along with supplementation of and vitamins and minerals etc. are most essential for maintaining goat health. Different age of goat requires different type of feeds for their growth and special care required for pregnant does, kids, bucks and growing stages. The type of feed depends on availability of feed and season also.
- Additionally, appropriate amounts of forage and leaves including short grasses, bushes, shrubs, and trees leaves etc. Goats feed on leguminous fodders, straw or maize silage, and different grains like pulses, wheat and maize and combined mixture grains of oats, crash corns and the black seed of sunflower mixture or soaked grain of barley and field pea etc. for maintaining steady growth and health.
Goat feed composed at least 14 to 15% protein, high mineral composition like iodized salt, bone meal, zinc oxide, ferrous carbonate, high-grade limestone, copper, and vitamins etc. are suitable for commercial goat farming. The growers are given 100 gm per day of concentrate mixture though adult does and bucks are given concentrate ration of 200 to 250 grams per day. On average, each goat consumes 5 to 7 Kg of green fodder and a liter of water per day. Statistically speaking an acre of fodder is enough to feed 35 goats.