The goat is an animal, unpretentious for keeping in homestead economy, from whom receive milk, down, a skin, meat, wool and manure. But before getting a goat, it is necessary to study rules of the choice of an animal and conditions of his contents attentively.
When to buy a goat and how to choose?
The most suitable time for purchase of a goat – March-May. During this period the animals already got kids, the lactation began at full capacity, the warm and travny season comes. When choosing an animal you will be able to taste milk, to estimate its actual volumes. Do not buy the coeval, compare age of a goat and also quantity of okot by the sale period. The biggest yields of milk happen at the age of 5-7 years. And with each okot the goat yields of milk only increase, there will not come the old age yet.Take an interest at the animal owner about the reasons of sale and listen to the an intuition. It is desirable to learn about time of evening milking and to arrive to this time, having told owners. So you will be able to make sure of lack of frauds with amount of milk. Ask on character of an animal, look at behavior of a goat. The frank zatravlennost or aggression have to become a reason for rejection. If you are satisfied in general by appearance of an animal, his habit, a yield of milk and taste of milk, safely turn to financial questions.
Keeping of a goatAir indoors for keeping of a goat has to be clean, have favorable temperature: it is not higher than 18 wasps in the summer, it is not lower than 6 wasps in the winter. Goats are sensitive to dampness therefore the room has to be dry, meet all requirements of hygiene and purity. Regularly clean the shed from manure. You watch that did not blow in a goat a draft. Windows in the shed have to be located from South side. A floor has to be indoors raised and have a bias for a liquid drain. Basic care for a goat consists in keeping of an animal in dryness and purity. Untidy contents influences a bad smell and taste of milk. You do not stint a laying, otherwise the goat independently will begin to transfer hay from a feeding trough under legs. Daily you brush an animal if a goat long-haired, then she needs to be combed a crest. Once a week you purge wool warm water with addition of baking soda. Goats are restless animals who need the constant movement. Therefore it is always not necessary to keep them in the shed or on a leash, release to take a walk. As a forage use branches, bark and sprouts of forest trees. Such forage on the nutritiousness is much higher, than hay. Even at enough hay it is necessary to feed on one broom a day, add needles. Goats demand abundance of clear water and salt. Include a silo in an animal diet in the winter. Goats well eat bran, barley, oats and corn. Beet well influences a molochnost, potatoes do milk to fatter. Carrots are not less useful (in the washed and cut look).