Goat breeding for beginners - increasing milk yield

Goat breeding as a business is based on the sale of milk, cheese and whey. To obtain maximum milk yield, it is necessary to balance the feed base. A healthy udder is also a guarantee of high milk yield. If the kids graze with adult animals, then udder covers should be put on the milking goats so that the kids cannot suck milk. Let's consider the ways to increase milk yield in more detail.

Proper nutrition and grazing

Milking goats need to be fed properly. The goat is a ruminant, so it must constantly fill its stomach. Food is digested only at night. Green food containing a lot of moisture has a positive effect on the milk yield of the goat. In order for the goat to get enough green food, it needs to be grazed. Grazing is carried out within 3-4 hours from the moment of arrival at the pasture. Summer grazing can be done in the forest. Winter pastures are arranged near lakes and reservoirs, where goats can eat dried two-year-old grass. Winter grazing is reduced to 2 hours. If a graze goats in cold weather, they can be given cold water.

It is not always possible to graze a goat. If you are keeping the animal in a barn or on a leash, move the peg to a new location or feed the goat succulent food. Alfalfa, fresh lawn grass and pumpkin seeds have a good effect on milkiness of goats. These feeds are mixed together with milled barley or bran.

To increase milk yield, the goat must have constant access to feed. All milk must be removed. Even if you leave 20 g of milk in the udder, the milk yield will decrease over time.

Access to moisture

To increase milk yield, the goat must be taught to drink plenty of water. Not all goats drink clean water willingly. Therefore, farmers prepare a special mixture called "swill". To prepare this mixture, you need to steam oatmeal, bran and ground corn in boiling water. Then the mixture is diluted to the state of liquid sour cream with cold water and salted. No goat will refuse such a drink. Plus "swill" is that all the nutrients dissolved in water, the goat's body will send to the formation of milk. Therefore, dairy goats are thin. If the goat receives a lot of dry food, then the nutrients will form muscle and fat fibers.

Udder health

For maximum milk yield, the udder should be free of wounds and cuts. Therefore, when grazing, you need to carefully monitor the goats. To reach the branches of young trees, goats tilt their trunk to the ground. In this case, there is a risk of damaging the udder with sharp branches. Before each milking, the udder is washed with a sponge.

The first streams of milk must be milked into a separate container; such milk can only be given to pets.