The diet of goats depends entirely and completely on what time of the year in the yard. Thus, the winter feeding of goats is much different from feeding in warm times in summer and spring.
Generally speaking, feeding a goat is not at all a complicated matter. It comes from the fact that this animal is ruminant and the basis of its feed is grass and hay. However, in order for a goat to have high productivity and a healthy heritage, the diet must contain all the useful and necessary nutrients. Since dairy goats spend a huge amount of their energy on giving milk (the average milk yield of a goat is 8 liters per day), they need proper and rational nutrition.
In winter, goats need to be fed at least 3 times a day: sutra, lunch and evening. At night, it is advisable to put some hay or straw.
Since the daytime winter ration is totally different from the summer one, you need to take it apart in more detail. Speaking in percentage terms, the roughage, such as straw, hay, twigs, should take 50-60% of the total diet, cake and bran 10-15%, the rest is grass and leaves.
For the entire stable (winter) period, an adult goat will have enough: 220 kg of concentrates, the same number of root crops, 550 kg of hay, straw, etc., 3-4 kg of table salt, and up to 5 kg of mineral substances (meat and bone meal, table salt , chalk), which increase immunity and productivity, goat health in general.
Rough feed includes: hay, straw, 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.
Natural hygienic procedure, which consists in washing raw vegetables, is mandatory in order to avoid adverse effects on health.In order for the goat to be comfortable and she could eat vegetables without any effort, they should be cut into small pieces. In addition to vegetables, goats should be given fruit - apples and pears, which goats will only be glad of.
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.
In general, speaking directly about the main food, you need to note the daily amount of consumption of different elements.For good nutrition and good results in the future, in the winter an adult goat is required to receive at least 2.5 kg of roughage (ideally 3.5). The main "product" of such a diet will be hay. Grass as a whole can be given in unlimited quantities, as it is considered a light product. Nevertheless, it is advisable to give herbs up to 1 kg in order 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, 100 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.
Speaking of the feed additive, it is hard not to mention coniferous crops (pines, spruces), which also contain a large amount of vitamins and minerals. Goats in the feeders always have to have a large amount of minerals. In cold weather, goats badly need phosphorus and calcium. The daily dose of calcium for an adult goat should be 12 grams, and phosphorus - 7 grams. It is also necessary to add to these elements and minerals vitamins A, D, E.
In general, with such a detailed, good and proper nutrition in the body of a goat all the necessary substances and vitamins will be in sufficient quantity. 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. "Trivit" or "tatravit" - wonderful impurities that have a lot of vitamin components in themselves.Regarding lambing, a goat can be soldered by a canyod up to a month before the start (1 tablet 1 time per day) But it is important to consider that it is impossible to mix everything at once. It is better to give a premix and salt, or separately certain vitamins.
From the natural nature of the goat follows this conclusion: the key to success in keeping a ruminant animal lies in a healthy and proper diet.
