The winter period of goats life is called stall period. This is due to the fact that the goats during this period settle down and live in their own stable, which the owner should equip in the best way throughout the entire calendar year. In addition to the conditions of existence and the winter habitat of the goat, food plays an important role, which in winter differs significantly from the summer feeding period.
Modern agriculture is hard to imagine without ruminants, which are goats. It is the great demand for goat milk and wool, as well as goat meat, that caused widespread goat breeding.
- 1. Room for goats in winter
- 2. Food in the winter.
1. Room for goats in winter
In winter, the temperature in the stable should be not less than +7 degreesand if there are still kids in the room, then at least +10, in order to avoid a variety of colds and illnesses.In the event that the temperature in the “goatling” falls and becomes below normal, goats are sewn with a variety of flooring that will cover the rib cage right up to the udder. You can use old jackets and coats: wear them on a goat through the front legs and fasten them on the back.
But, if the owner wants to take care of the goats properly, he should to arrange a stable in advance so that no winter would be terrible to him.
Thus it is very important to create the right and suitable for the winter period of life "goatling".
The material from which to build a building can be very diverse: from wood to brick and concrete. The desirable material for the construction of such a dwelling is a tree, since it is this which can perfectly hold heat. Concrete and brick are less pleasant for goats surrounding elements, due to the accumulation of large amounts of moisture and moisture. 
Inside the room should be divided into compartments, in which, strictly speaking, future residents will live.
Compulsory elements of the construction of homes for goats are windows and ventilation. Naturally, the more windows, the more light will get into the room and the better, but still for winter stalls, there will be quite a few windows, but which will be able to illuminate the entire shed entirely.
The position of the window should be such that the goat or goat could not reach it. The window size should not be large, but so that in winter it can illuminate its compartment up to 6-7 hours. Therefore, it is necessary to arrange the windows in such a way that all light entering is distributed into the compartments with a minimum time limit of 6 hours.
Ventilation plays a separate role in goat health, as it is the main supplier of fresh and clean air to the cattle shed, which is necessary for the goat’s good and healthy living conditions. It is advisable to do two ventilation systems: one must be done as a four-sided pipe with an exit under the roof of the building (to remove spoiled and stale air), and the other - from below, just above the floor at the beginning of the wall - you can also have a pipe, and you can have several holes in the compartments clean and fresh air).
Even in the winter, ventilation is very important, since manure is harvested less often than in summer (to keep warm). Thus they are covered a little, sometimes, put filters that heat the incoming air.
It is important to say about the field in the stall, which must be done in the right condition. The floor must be made of wood, concrete or brick, at a slight angle (so that the slush leaks). You can also make grooves from the barn, which will divert all emptying from the "goatling" to the cesspools. The next step is to cover the floor. It can be peaty (if the floor is made of concrete) or the floor will simply be covered with a huge amount of hay, dry leaves. You can also use different types of sawdust that will absorb moisture well. Nevertheless, the amount of hay should be quite a lot, since the goat will have to sleep on the same floor. You can also use a variety of bedding made from hay, straw, or wooden shields.
All walls and windows should be properly insulated: the windows should be sealed, and the gaps and doors should be reinforced. Warming can be done in a modern way (the imposition of one artificial wall on another), and the "old" method (wall insulation using sawdust and wood).It is important that there are no gaps and drafts in the room, as this will adversely affect the health of the animals.
A small courtyard with a fence can be set up in front of the goatling, so that in the winter hour, under favorable weather conditions, goats can be brought there. It is advisable to feed them outside in the same good weather (up to 10 degrees of frost, without wind), as this increases the productivity and improves the health of animals.
Goats are rather freedom-loving animals. That is why you need to make a stall of medium or large sizes. You should not bind a goat to a manger too much, as they have to move freely enough around their home and go to rest where they wish (within their compartment).
In general, if the desire to care for these animals is natural and natural, you should strengthen and equip their home as your own. In this case, they will respond with great reciprocity.
2. Food in the winter.
Feeding goats depends on the time of year. In cold seasons, it is completely different from feeding, say, in summer or spring. Since the goat is a ruminant, and the basis of such an animal is hay and grass - to feed the goat is, at first glance, not at all difficult. But in order to achieve maximum benefit from it, it is necessary to maintain a proper diet, which, together with the proper care and location of the goat, will bring excellent results in the near future.
The basis of the diet in winter is different from the basis of the diet in summer. Thus, if in the summer the grass forms the basis of the goat's diet, then in the winter the grass will not play the main role in feeding this animal. Changes due to the time of year will affect not only the feed itself, as it is, but also its quantity. So, It is necessary to feed the goats in the winter at least three times a day. It is advisable to leave them in the feeders at night for hay and straw, so that they can refresh themselves if necessary.
Grass is replaced by hay, as it becomes the main element of goat consumption. It is important to mention that almost all light foods go into the background and are used as additives, while coarse and cereals come to the forefront.
More than half of the ration should be taken up with roughage: hay, straw and twigs. Although they form the basis of the goat's winter food ration, they should be supported by lighter, but no less nutritious, juicy foods. Vegetables - the basis of juicy food. There are no restrictions here, as any vegetables can be given to the goat. They can be given both boiled and raw. Can also be dried.In addition to vegetables, goats should be given fruits - apples and pears.
It is also necessary to give the goats feed, which can be mixed with vegetables. The average amount of feed for a milch goat per day is up to 1 kg. It is possible to partially replace the feed by bran or cake. You can, instead of purchased, use a mixture of cereals and legumes, ground grain. It is not advisable to feed the goats with whole grain, as it can cause stomach pains.
Potatoes, cabbage, fodder beets are being pushed into the background of succulent fodder. Root vegetables need to be crushed and given 2-5 kg per day raw, potatoes need to be boiled and given up to 2 kg per day. Beet and carrot tops, cabbage leaves can be given up to 5 kg per day per adult goat. But, it is important to note that when giving beet tops, for each of its kilograms it is necessary to add at least one gram of chalk, previously ground, for total neutralization of various acids present in it.
Herbs desirable to give up to 1 kg, so as not to fill the stomach of the animal. All other roughage, light, concentrates, must be mixed with hay, as it is ideal and helps the absorption of essential vitamins of other products. It is important to provide goats with access to salt licks.
A valuable element of the goat feed supplement in winter is brooms, which contain essential and such essential minerals and vitamins. For the entire cold period, 80 brooms from the branches of aspen, birch, maple, mountain ash, willow, etc. will be sufficient for one goat. It is important that birch brooms need to alternate with others and feed them in limited quantities. If, for any reason, the brooms and dry leaves were not harvested for the winter period, then the goats should be fed leafless gray sprigs of deciduous trees. In the buds of the branches and wood, there is a huge amount of chlorophyll and minerals. That is why the goats are happy to eat winter twigs.
With such a good and proper diet, which is dismantled above, in the body of a goat all the necessary substances and vitamins will be found and absorbed in sufficient quantities. But still, for the purpose of prophylaxis and reinsurance, it is recommended to add vitamins to the goat in the food itself. This need is necessary for high-yielding and syagny goats, whose immunity is weaker. There are different ways to add vitamins to food. So they can be given on a piece of bread, mixed into the feed, or even dripped, since the quantity and variety of vitamin preparations is simply enormous.
If the observance of all the above standards is at a sufficient level, then gratitude to the goat, which will result in an excellent yield and fruitfulness, will be a generous reward for excellent care and supervision. After all, this animal, like no other, feels all the warmth and kindness that its owner and friend gives it.
