Feeding kids from the first days of life. How to feed kids

Feeding kids from the first days of life can be carried out in a variety of ways. However, it is worth remembering that the interval between the moment of birth and the beginning of colostrum feeding should be small. The maximum indicator of this period should be 1 hour. The whole point is this. To the light, newborn babies appear with very weak immunity. As a result, they are susceptible to many diseases. The composition of their blood does not yet contain the necessary antibodies. But thanks to colostrum, weak kids are stronger. Their body receives a dose of antibodies, which will be aimed at strengthening the body's defenses. In addition, colostrum for kids are an unusually tasty substance.

It should be noted that colostrum is not only a source of vital antibodies. It is also considered a kind of inhibitor of the digestive process. Rapid reception of colostrum by the body contributes to the fact that in the stomach of a kid, lactobacilli appear, which protect against the development of various infectious diseases. In this case, harmful bacteria do not gain access to the stomach and intestines. Also useful bacteria improve digestion, accelerate the output of stool.

Feeding kids from the first days of life: a description

Feeding goats under the uterus is used in cases where the goat has a low milk production. Then the presence of goats with uterus is prolonged to 4 months of age. Then they are transferred to another feed (for example, milk replacer). When feeding goats from the first days of life takes place on the sump, it is necessary to carefully check that the udder is clean and healthy, and the milk itself is normally squeezed out. Usually, after the delivery, the goat begins to suck on its own, but it's better to support it by the tummy, since it's still very difficult to stand on its legs. In some cases, the nipples in the goats are jammed, which prevent the kids from getting to the milk. It should be noted that very weak kids and can not reach the milk at all because of the cork. Therefore, before feeding the kids, it is recommended to dig out the first trickle.

The first time newborn babies are allowed to go to the goat an hour after his birth. She feeds them about 6-8 times a day. From the 11th day of life kids are beginning to feed freshly brewed and chilled oatmeal. Every day they put a fresh hay in the trough. For dairy-free feeding is transferred within 10 days.

Growing lambs and kids: feeding standards

In the first week, the ration of young kids should contain about 1.5 liters of milk, and take it 3-4 times a day. It is worth remembering that the milk substitute should be included gradually in the diet. This should be done until the mother's milk is replaced. At the age of 20-30 days it is necessary to include in the diet of goats mineral fertilizing. This is about 5 grams of salt, 7 grams of crushed chalk or bone meal. Portion is designed for one individual. When the kid is 3 months old, you can increase the daily portion of bone meal (chalk) to 10 g. It is at this age that you should gradually wean kids from mother feeding. It is recommended to allocate for this 10-day period. During this period, the animal must be fed with both mother's milk and concentrate, so that it is easier to accustom to the substitute for mother's milk.

Feeding with pasteurized milk

An artificial substitute for milk can find its own alternative. This is pasteurized goat milk of natural origin. Pasteurization is necessary in order to destroy all harmful microorganisms, thus making the milk suitable for use some time after milking.

Methods of pasteurization

Pasteurization can be done in two ways - quickly and slowly. Fast pasteurization is that the milk is heated for half a minute to a temperature of 74 degrees Celsius. When a slow method is used, the temperature will be somewhat lower (64 degrees Celsius), but the holding time is longer (it is necessary to withstand half an hour). For the preparation of pasteurized milk, you can use an ordinary cooker with a thermometer or a household pasteurizer.

After the procedure, you must quickly chill the milk in some sterile dishes. It must be remembered that any item that touches the milk should be sterilized to avoid contamination. A somewhat different technology is used to heat the colostrum. Colostrum should be heated to a temperature of 56 degrees Celsius, and then maintained for an hour. Such a process is capable of destroying all harmful micro-organisms, and, on the contrary, it is important to keep the antibodies important for a goat in an active state.

When feeding goats from the first days of life is carried out without the uterus, in most cases for the drinking of animals use bottles or cups. Dinnerware for milk must be clean. It should always be remembered that as the kids grow, they become active, they can butt while striking a person feeding from a bottle. It should be noted that feeding newborn babies with a bottle of pacifier will take a long time.

Feeding from the pan

Little kids can be taught to consume milk from their very birth. Feeding an animal from a pan is an unusual method, but kids like this way of feeding most. It's because they can drink as much milk as they want. Feeding kids from a bowl or pots can be from the moment of drinking colostrum. The kid will gladly drink milk if it is preheated to a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius (that is a couple of degrees higher than the usual temperature). When a kid first sees a pot or a bowl of milk, it will not immediately come up. Therefore, it is necessary to dip his face into a container of milk. Most often this will be enough for the kid to understand what to do next. At first you can use small calyces for singing a kid, which in a short time can be changed to a pan or bowl. A cup or saucepan is much easier to wash than a plastic bottle. In addition, there will be unexpected costs associated with the purchase of nipples and bottles. But in feeding from a pan there is also a small minus - often kids are put in the capacity of the legs, so they pour it.

Diet of a young goat

Feeding and caring for kids from birth to 30 days is the following.

Before reaching 30 days of age, kids are recommended to feed at least 4 times a day, that is, every 5 hours. Breakfast at the kid should begin at six in the morning, and dinner at 9 pm.

At 10 days of age, a small amount of hay or brooms can be added to the goat's feeder. Also in the diet begin to include salt (4-6 grams per day will be enough).

At 3 weeks of age, kids are already able to cope with various concentrates: bran, flattened oats, crushed pomace. To these concentrates it is best to add about 10 g of ground chalk or bone meal. Every day goats are boiled oat porridge, which must be slightly poured and served warm. Different sorts of root vegetables to feed small kids chopped.

When growing goats, the scheme of feeding kids up to a month is approximately this:

• 1-2 days - they feed 200 grams of whole milk in one feeding (4 times a day).
• 3-5 day - are fed 225-250 grams (4 times a day).
• 6-10 day - in one feeding give 300 gr.
• From 11 to 20 days, 200 grams of oatmeal are fed.
• 21-30 days, except milk (1200 g per day), the kid is given 300 grams of oatmeal and 300 g of concentrates.

It is worth remembering that from the very birth of kids will need water. Therefore, it is necessary to provide them with a sufficient amount of pure, non-cold water.

When goats go to stall maintenance at the age of 8 months, they need to give one and a half kilograms of hay daily, about 300 g of concentrates and about one kilogram of different roots. Such a diet will provide the goat with a sufficient number of useful substances and will promote growth. This scheme of feeding and caring for kids in the first months of life can guarantee a weight gain of up to 4 kg per month.

The Benefits of Goat Milk

Goat owners are aware that goat's milk is more caloric. In addition, it contains a huge proportion of proteins, fats and dry matter. If you compare it with cow's milk, then it contains amino acids necessary for a person. Goat's milk is more fat. However, it has tremendous anti-infective properties. Many people do not consume goat's milk just because of its smell. However, this is not the fault of the animal itself. Milk has a specific smell due to the negligent attitude of its owners. An animal that is kept clean, the udder is always washed, and the dishes for food are clean, will produce milk without a smell. The smell of a goat can soak everything around, including food, wool of queens. It should be noted that the wool of goats must be weeded once a week in order to prevent skin pores from clogging. Otherwise, those substances that must go with sweat get into the blood and milk. Experienced breeders know that to determine the quality of goat's milk, one only needs to smell the goat's head. If the unpleasant odor is absent, then you can be sure that the milk will also be odorless.

Feeding a dairy goat

Goats are most often fed food waste (vegetable tops, potato peels). In the hot season, the animals feed on the forage, so they do not need additional fertilizing. The daily portion of hay for goats is about 3 kg. For the winter, animals are advised to prepare about half a ton of hay. It should be remembered that fresh grass in the summer improves the process of digestion of the animal. Although goats are very unpretentious in choosing food, they still refuse from products spoiled by mold.

Diet of queens

The "menu" of the queens should contain 2 kg of hay, about 2.5 kg of feed and another half a kilogram of concentrates. The room for the animal should be free of drafts and damp. In the winter, the room should be ventilated, that is, it is necessary to provide fresh air.