Goat Production

Practical Guidelines about the Management Systems Available

The Three Goat Management Systems

Intensive System

       Characteristics:

• Cut and carry (zero grazing)
• Animals housed
• Capital  intensive  –  infrastructure (buildings)
• Equipment (e.g. chaff cutter, forage harvester)
• Labour intensive
• High productivity

Feeding

Under Intensive Management System meat goats are fed at 3 - 5% of their body weight in dry matter. They have no access to grazing and are fed cut forages viz grass and legumes, leaves and stems of nutritive plants (e.g. mulberry, erythrina, glyricidia and Leucaena etc.) They may also be fed conserved forages such as hay and silages. Sixty percent (60%) of the dry matter (DM) should come from the forage and 40% from the concentrate component of the diet. Concentrates include commercial grain (proprietary ration) as well as high energy and high protein agro- industrial by-products.

Housing

The goats are housed full-time with the buildings partitioned into compartments based on life cycle stage e.g. weaners, dry does, lactating doe and kid and buck pen. The houses are constructed with feeding area and loafing area for exercise.

Breeding Program

Does under intensive Management System can be bred using

1. The Hand mating system – Does on heat are identified by a teaser buck and taken to a designated buck for mating.
2. The pen mating system – The buck is allowed to run with selected does in a group pen.
3. Artificial Insemination (A.I) – Here there this no need for the maintenance of a buck or buck pens. Breeding is done with the use of frozen or fresh semen straws from selected bucks. Does may be synchronised in batches to facilitate the A.I. procedure.

Semi-Intensive System

Characteristics

• Night time housing
• Rotational pastures
• Supplementary feeding
• Improved pastures

Feeding

Animals are allowed to graze during the day following a pasture rotation system. The minimum cycle should be 42 days with 35 days rest for each pasture to allow for grass recovery and interruption of the worm cycle.

At nights the animals are housed for security and supplementary feeding.  They can be fed 2% of the body weight in dry matter (d.m.) as grain supplement.

Housing

Housing can be similar to intensive utilizing less floor space per animal.

Breeding Program

1. Pen or pasture mating system. The buck is allowed to run with the does in a particular breed group. Bucks are fitted with marking harnesses to identify matings.
2. Artificial Insemination can also be employed with this system.

Extensive Management System

Characteristics:

• Range grazing
• Large land space
• Unimproved pasture grasses
• Minimal housing
• Low productivity

Feeding

Range grazing on poor quality, unimproved native pastures. Low stocking rate (3-4 goat animal units per acre) is obtained in this system. No supplementary feeding provided.

Housing

Cheaply constructed rainproof sheds can be built in the pastures to shelter goats from the elements.

Breeding Program

Bucks are allowed to run with the does throughout the breeding season. Matings are not identified so all kids born are assigned to the buck present at time of exposure (5 months prior).