A shed and a feeder for goats. Goats at home for beginners

Goats, perfectly adapted to any conditions, have good health and do not require special care. Therefore, today an increasing number of domestic farmers begin to breed these animals. Their content is considered a very profitable occupation also because they are unpretentious in food and can use almost any food. After reading this article, you will learn how to organize the content of goats at home for beginners.

A Brief Historical Reference

Goats are considered one of the most ancient pets. They were tamed a little later than dogs, but much earlier than horses, donkeys and cats. According to rough estimates of scientists, this happened about nine millennia ago. It is generally believed that the ancestors of the domestic goat were mountain goats. Great influence on the appearance of modern animals was rendered by bearded individuals living in the mountains of the Caucasus.

The first domesticated species appeared in Asia Minor, a little later they spread throughout the territory of Ancient Greece and the Mediterranean islands. Goats differ from other cattle species in comparatively small sizes. The height of an adult does not exceed one meter, and the mass varies within the limits of 25-100 kilograms.

Basic requirements for accommodation

For a comfortable existence these animals need a spacious corral. As a simplified version, you can build a canopy or a shed for goats. To maintain a herd consisting of several individuals, it is desirable to build separate stalls. This advice is especially relevant for those who have pugnacious animals. A close room can cause a significant reduction in milk yield, so do not save on the area.

To prevent the milk from having a sharp odor, the males should be kept separate from the females. A shed for goats (for their year-round maintenance) can be built with your own hands. To do this, you need to pick up a dry high place, far from toilets, cesspools and other objects that can pollute the air. Do not forget that these animals are very sensitive to damp, so the enclosure for their maintenance should meet the basic hygiene requirements as much as possible. The humidity level inside the building should not exceed 75%.

What to feed these animals?

Those who are interested in how to properly organize the content of goats at home for beginners, it will be useful to learn about the features of their nutrition. Despite the fact that these animals are unpretentious in everything related to food, it is desirable that their diet is carefully balanced. After all, the quality of feed affects the dairy productivity of the livestock. They can eat almost any home food. The basis of the menu of these animals is a low-growing herbaceous vegetation, bark, foliage and branches of trees.

In summer, the diet should necessarily be fresh grass for goats. The average daily norm of meadow or forest hay consumed by one adult animal is about two and a half kilograms. Half of this amount can be replaced by a veterinary food, which is recommended to be harvested in the middle of summer. For food, goats are ideal: acacia, linden, birch and poplar. Collected branches should be weighed in a well-ventilated room and dried for 10-15 days. Keep these blanks in a dry place. Pets kept in stalls, you need to feed at least three of these brooms a day.

What are the criteria for a goat feeder?

Before you begin to manufacture this structure, you need to familiarize yourself with the requirements for these products. Immediately make a reservation that today there are no clear criteria for assessing the trough. Therefore, when creating them, you must be guided by the size of the herd and your material capabilities.

Many start-up farmers want their hay feeder to be distinguished by its original non-standard design. Unfortunately, in most cases, these products are unsuitable for use, so in such cases, experts recommend paying special attention to the brevity and convenience of the model. It is also important that goats do not crowd in anticipation of food.

Required materials and tools

Thinking about how the goat feeder will look like, you should consider the main features of the behavior of these animals, above all, that they can jump where they want. It is therefore recommended that the hay tank be partially closed. It is important that the crate does not prevent the animal from sticking its head to the food. Also do not forget that the goats are pretty clean and will never eat from the dirty trough.

Since the goat feeder will be wooden, it will require a simple carpentry and carpentry tool, including:

• Nails;
• Self-tapping screws for wood;
• Smooth thin boards;
• Bars;
• plane;
• Screwdriver;
• a hammer;
• Circular saw or ordinary hacksaw.

Using all of the listed materials and tools, it is possible to easily create different product configurations.

Feeding trough for goats own hands

To arrange a place for feeding animals it is desirable to choose one of the inner corners of the barn or pen. Particular attention should be paid to the height of the structure. Ideally, it should be about one and a half meters. If the feeding area is in the shed, it is recommended to pre-strengthen the floor. Otherwise, the regular accumulation of the herd at the same angle may cause the destruction of the wooden cover.

To denote the lower boundary at a height of ten centimeters from the floor, it is necessary to nail the wide boards so that together with the walls they form a triangle. And only after that you can start mounting the top. For this, at a preselected height, a bar of a smaller thickness is attached, which is subsequently connected to the lower boards by means of wooden rails. As a result, you should get a design that looks like a fence.

Another option

This method is suitable for those who want a goat feeder Was not located in the corner of the barn, but in the middle of the yard. In this case, the finished structure will resemble a wooden box on low stable legs. At the initial stage it is necessary to make the bottom of the feeder. It can be built from boards or cut from plywood. Then, the legs are attached to the bottom plane of the bottom and the resulting structure is installed in a preselected location. After this, they begin to create the walls. They are made as in the case of the corner feeder.