Fundamentals of modern goat farming: productivity and value of livestock products

The goat breeding industry is an alternative sector that provides meat, milk, down, wool, and hides for the population. The global goat population increases by 5 million head annually.

In Russia, 3 goat breeding zones have been identified: 1 – down-producing, 2 – wool-producing, 3 – dairy. The industry target program "Development of sheep and goat breeding in the RF for 2012–2020" has been developed.

Objective: to get acquainted with the characteristics of the main types of goat products and the technological processes in goat breeding.

Task 1. Study the chemical composition and properties of goat milk.

The energy value of 1 liter of goat milk is 730 kcal. Compared to cow milk, goat milk contains: twice as much albumin, globulin, and methionine.

Amino acid content, %:

• 4.43 – tyrosine
• 1.92 – tryptophan
• 0.82 – cystine
• 2 – methionine
• 4.94 – arginine
• 7.63 – lysine
• 2.75 – histidine

The fat globules in goat milk are significantly smaller. Its triglycerides are fats that are absorbed in the intestine directly into the venous network without the participation of bile, bypassing the lymphatic capillaries. The fats are well assimilated. It is recommended for infants as a complementary food, and sometimes it replaces human milk. It contains vitamins A and group B, and iron salts.

When digested in the stomach, the goat milk curd is less dense, similar to the curd from human milk, which facilitates its processing by digestive enzymes. The milk acquires medicinal properties because goats consume medicinal herbs – nettle, wormwood, quack grass, yarrow, etc. Goat milk is consumed in its natural form (the majority of long-livers drink it). Mixed with sheep's milk, it is processed into brine cheese and feta-type cheeses.

Based on goat milk, recipes have been developed in the RF for the production of human milk substitutes. Used for the treatment of acute dyspepsia in children (within 4–6 days), as it contains less sugar than breast milk.

Task 2. Get acquainted with the quality of wool and down products

• "Orenburg downy shawl", an intricate web that passes freely through a wedding ring, warms just like a fur coat,
• Downy goats should be kept in regions with severe frosts, winds, and snowfalls. Only then do they form a soft and thick undercoat – down – under their goat "furs".

Semi-fine wool, mohair or tiftek, is homogeneous, durable, with a luster, white, long, and elastic. It is used for:

• Production of knitwear, blankets, light suit fabrics,
• In mixtures with cotton and synthetic fiber for the manufacture of wrinkle-resistant materials.

Goat wool and down raw materials have low thermal conductivity and low radiation permeability, which is why they are used in the composition of cosmonaut clothing and interior materials for spacecraft.

Task 3. Study the quality of goat hides. Goatskin (goat hides) is a raw material for the leather industry. They are used to produce:

• Expensive types of leather: kidskin, suede, chevreau, and morocco;
• From the hides of Pridonskaya goat breeds obtained in the autumn-winter period, fur raw materials are obtained, which are used for making coats, short fur coats, fur, and mouton. Fur goatskins are also obtained from the hides of Pridonskaya goats. Good fur goatskins are obtained from Soviet wool-breed goats and their hybrids.
• The quality of goat meat depends on age, sex, season, size, method of slaughter, and the skinning and processing of the hide. The best goatskin is from goats slaughtered in August – October.

Table 1 – Category of leather goatskin by size

Goatskin category Age and sex of goats Goatskin size, dm2 Extra small Kids 2–3 months 10–25 Small (light) 3–6 months 25–45 Medium 6–10 months 45–65

Young animals older than 10 months Large More than 60 and adult goats Very large Adult goats More than 90

Compared to sheepskin, goatskin has:

• A denser dermis due to a better structure and denser arrangement of connective tissue fibers;

• The reticular layer consists of thick and tightly interwoven collagen fibers with a looped closed mesh;

• The epidermis is thick, with a well-developed stratum corneum;

• Subcutaneous tissue is weaker, with fewer sebaceous and fat deposits;

• Hair roots are straight and located superficially;

• Leathers produced from goatskin surpass those from sheepskin and other goats in: strength, density, stretchability, beauty, and hygienic composition.

• Bread (khlebnaya) – from specialized dairy goat breeds;

• Steppe (stepnaya) – from downy, woolly, and coarse-wooled goat breeds.

Task 4. Get acquainted with the features of goat appraisal (bonitirovka).

Appraisal is the most important stage of the work on selecting goats when distributing them into different constitutional-productive groups. All offspring from tested bucks assigned to the elite and 1st class, as well as 2-year-old animals in herds where goats are kept for further rearing, are subject to individual appraisal. Other goats are subject to class appraisal. If no appraisal was conducted in the herd, then in the first year, the entire livestock suitable for reproduction is appraised.

Goat appraisal is carried out in accordance with current instructions, which define the desired type (standard) for each breed, including those being developed.

A standard animal is a purebred livestock animal that meets the minimum requirements of Class I for its respective breed (type) in terms of constitutional and productivity qualities.

Minimum requirements for the main selection traits for down-bearing breeds (Orenburg, Don, Gorno-Altai, Dagestan), wool-bearing (Soviet Wool and its crossbreeds), and dairy (Saanen and its crossbreeds) goats have been developed for Class I and Elite animals. In breeding and commercial herds, down-bearing, wool-bearing, and dairy goats are divided into 3 classes depending on breed type, constitutional features, physical development, productivity level, and quality indicators: Elite – animals that significantly exceed Class I goats in constitutional and productive qualities and properties, fully meeting the breed standard; Class I – goats that meet the requirements of the breed standard in their constitutional and productive qualities and properties; Class II – animals that do not meet the breed standard requirements for one trait but are suitable for reproduction and obtaining commercial products; culls – all goats that do not meet the requirements of the second class but are suitable for reproduction and obtaining commercial products in commercial herds.

For goats of different production directions, main selection traits have been developed, which must be noted in the appraisal key during goat appraisal. During selection, attention is paid to constitution, the expression of the desired type in appearance, and the zonal type of a specific breed. Special importance is given to the development of the udder and the condition of the teeth.

During the selection of a down-bearing goat before combing and a wool-bearing one before shearing, a quick and thorough examination is performed to establish the compliance of their quality indicators with the requirements for the desired type:

• Down yield is determined mainly by its content in the wool (by mass), density, length, fineness (diameter) of the fibers, down coverage on all parts of the body, and the size of the goats, which is interrelated with their live weight.
• Wool (mohair) clip depends significantly on the length of the wool fibers in the staple, their diameter, the presence of kemp and down, wool density, and the live weight of the animals.

For down-bearing goats, it is necessary to consider the luster of the fibers, which gives beauty and elegance to the finished products. Wool-type animals should have a lustrous sheen of the staples, which is a sign of good raw material. Based on all these traits, the breed affiliation and typicality of the goat for a main or new breed are judged.

Attention should be paid to the presence of defects when selecting down-bearing and wool-bearing goats. The following are unacceptable:

• colored markings, stars, or patches on the animal's head, body, and legs;
• significant convergence or crossing of horns, underdeveloped small horns;
• defects in exterior (crooked legs, cow-hocked stance, sloping rump, swayback, etc.);
• insufficiently greasy, lightweight, or felted fleece in wool-bearing goats.

When selecting wool-bearing goats, it is necessary to keep in mind that a dam with a small muzzle usually has good maternal qualities and is capable of producing highly productive offspring. Wool coverage should be uniform, and on the neck – full and dense.

To determine wool density, the fleece is parted – the wider the skin gap, the lower the density. Fleece density is also determined by grasping the staple in the hand – the fuller and denser it is, the higher the wool density. With excessive grease content in the wool (more than 12–15%), it seems denser. Short-haired fleece is denser; matted and tangled stiff fleece is denser than soft, fine-wooled fleece.

Taking into account the data obtained during the comprehensive evaluation of the animal at the time of appraisal, its compliance with the requirements of the desired type is established and its class is determined.

Task 5. Using the appraisal instructions, name the symbols and codes of the main selected traits of fine-wooled goats and enter them into Table 2.

Table 2 – Symbols of the main selected traits

Task 6. Describe the main production processes of a modern goat farm:

Preparation and carrying out of kidding for does:

Reception, rearing, and growth dynamics of kids under their mothers:

Conditions for keeping goats on the farm:

Ensuring an optimal microclimate in the facility:

Equipment of pens:

Drinkers

Feeders

Dimensions

Herd structure in breeding and commercial farms

Formation and size of goat flocks

Feeding of goats under different management systems:

• pasture
• stall-pasture

Sample rations for: stud bucks

Sample ration for dry, pregnant, and nursing does

Organizing the shearing of goats requires following a strict sequence of actions to ensure the quality of the fleece. The process includes preparing the livestock, fixation, the actual removal of the fleece, and subsequent treatment of the cut areas to prevent skin infection.

Obtaining high-quality goat down is a labor-intensive process that directly affects the value of the raw material. The main task during combing is to collect the down without damaging the animal's hair follicles. Any errors at this stage reduce fiber quality and can injure the goat's skin.

1. Inspection of the coat to determine the animal's readiness for molting.
2. Preparation of special combs with rounded teeth.
3. Step-by-step treatment of the goat's back, sides, and chest.
4. Collection and sorting of the obtained down raw material by length and fineness.

Milking technology and udder protection

Depending on the size of the farm, milk from goats is obtained either manually or by machine. Each method has its own technological features, but the main priority always remains gentle treatment of the animal. The correct choice of milking technique allows for minimizing the risks of micro-injuries and maintaining high productivity of the herd.

• Hand milking. Requires strict adherence to the "fist" or "pinch" milking technique to minimize the risk of udder injury.
• Machine milking. Involves the use of milking machines, the pulsation parameters of which are precisely adapted to the physiological characteristics of goats.