When is it better to remove the kids from the goat than to feed the young and how to raise
Many farmers are interested in the actual question: when is it better to remove the kids from the goats? The exact timing depends on the goals of breeding animals. If the breeder raises pets for meat, it is better to feed the kids with mother's milk. It has a high fat content and promotes rapid weight gain. If it is planned to sell milk, the babies are separated from the mother. This must be done in compliance with certain rules.
At what age is it better to start and how to feed them
Raising kids from birth to 1 month old under a goat is considered the best method. Thanks to this, the newborn can independently control his nutrition and receive a maximum of nutrients. However, this method also has some disadvantages. When weaning animals at an older age, they encounter severe stress. In addition, pups over 2 weeks old are very annoying and can injure the goat.
This method is mainly used for raising animals in order to obtain fluff and wool. In this case, weaning is carried out at 3-4 months. The second method involves partial dropping of pets. After lambing and until one week of age, the young are near the mother and feed on her milk, taking into account their needs.
However, on the 8th day, babies begin to be released into the aviary for half an hour. After 2 weeks, they stay overnight separately. In this case, during the final settling of the kids, they do not show negative reactions and do not face stress.
There is another method, which involves the complete weaning of the baby from the mother literally from the first day of life. This method is used by many breeders. It enables the farmer to adjust the feeding schedule and milk volume. At the same time, the cubs receive equal portions and do not enter into competition. From 2.5 months, it is recommended to give the kids a wet feed. It is also permissible to use vegetables for feeding.
How to wean kids from the udder
When settling the kids, you need to wean them from the udder. There are several ways to carry out this procedure.
Don't give udder taste
If the cubs are immediately taken away from the mother, they should not be allowed to the udder. At the same time, immediately after birth, they need to be given milk on their own. Thanks to this, babies will not perceive the udder as a source of nutrition. If the kid sucks the udder at least once, the goat will not allow the owner to approach it or will pinch itself. It will not be possible to milk such a female. It is recommended to use a teat or bowl for self-feeding.
How to wean from 3-4 months of age
This method takes a certain amount of time. In this case, the cubs are beaten off from the mother in 2 weeks. In this case, they can suck the udder for up to 3-4 months and be near the goat. It is recommended to additionally feed such kids with vegetables. They also need to be given hay and grass. When the pets reach the desired age, they are placed in a separate pen. To avoid stress, goats should be periodically allowed to visit their mother.
For 2 weeks of weaning pets, it is recommended to do the following:
- reduce the volume of milk - by the end of the 14th day, it must be completely abandoned;
- give the cubs more juicy food.
It is important to consider that the volume of solid feed should be limited. Excess hay and twigs in the diet can cause scar inflammation.
The use of a muzzle for kids
To plant the kids, you can use a special prickly muzzle. If the cubs are constantly sucked, a device is put on them and released to the mother. Attempts to suck on the udder will cause discomfort in the female. She herself will begin to run away from the cubs. It is recommended to use the muzzle for several weeks. During this period, it is worth supplementing the babies with milk. This can be done from a teat or bowl.
Using a goat bra
This is a rather unusual method of weaning babies. Making a goat bra can be done pretty quickly. For this it is worth using the improvised devices.
To separate the kids, you can take a regular bag. It must be made of a clean material that is breathable. It is recommended to sew a strong rope around the circumference and put the device on the udder, tying it tightly at the base. This must be done very carefully so as not to injure the animal.
With the help of an unpleasant smell
This is a rather controversial way. Experienced farmers use it if other methods fail. The principle of this method is based on the fact that goats are considered very clean animals. They do not tolerate bad odors and dirt.
To separate the kid, you can lightly treat the udder with manure before it comes to the mother.
As a result, the cub will not touch it. If you constantly carry out this manipulation, the baby will have unpleasant associations with the udder. To speed up the weaning process, it is recommended to give him milk from a bottle or bowl to drink.
When you can't wean the kids from the udder
It is forbidden to wean the weak and sickly kids from the udder. Usually, the causes of such problems are associated with the influence of the following factors:
- birth from a weak goat that lacked nutrients;
- the birth of a premature kid;
- difficult childbirth.
Weaning weakened pets from the udder is strictly prohibited. Such babies can only survive near their mother. All kids are born with dehydration and blood glucose deficiency. Strong animals easily deal with these problems while waiting for milk to arrive. Weakened pets only have 30 minutes. If such animals do not drink colostrum, they will die.
After giving birth, the goat will begin to lick the immature cub. This activates important processes in his body and helps to find the nipple. First, the kid will start drinking milk while lying down. After a while, he will be able to get to his feet.
Do I need to milk a goat with kids
Dairy goats are allowed to be milked immediately after lambing. In other cases, females begin to distribute only 3 months after giving birth. Milking the goat after lambing is necessary in order to supply the baby with milk.If the animals are raised for a profit, the young should not be allowed near the milking goat. Young animals are recommended to be kept in a separate enclosure. However, the kids should see their mother all the time.
If the cubs suck on the udder themselves, they can injure him with horns. In addition, young animals may eat too much milk. Therefore, experienced farmers advise milking the goat on their own and feeding the cubs from a bowl. In the first week after giving birth, goats have increased lactation. Therefore, they should be milked up to 5 times a day. At the same time, it is enough to feed young animals 4 times a day. After 1 month warm water can be added to milk.
By 3 months, animals are usually transferred to adult food. At this stage, it is enough to milk the goats 3 times. Compliance with this scheme makes it possible to milk a goat without problems. Separation of kids from their mother can be done in different ways. The choice of a particular method depends on the goals of breeding animals and the individual characteristics of the young. It is important to consider that weakened babies cannot be taken away from their mother.
