tailieunhanh - Goat keeping in the tropics - Part 4

4 Nutrition and feeding Goats are essentially browsers. They can feed themselves off trees and bushes in places where there is not enough vegetation for sheep and cattle. Their tongues and flexible top lips make it easy for them to pick leaves from between the thorns. They will even eat bark and exposed roots. Goats can keep themselves in reasonable condition in difficult circumstances | 4 Nutrition and feeding Goats are essentially browsers. They can feed themselves off trees and bushes in places where there is not enough vegetation for sheep and cattle. Their tongues and flexible top lips make it easy for them to pick leaves from between the thorns. They will even eat bark and exposed roots. Goats can keep themselves in reasonable condition in difficult circumstances because the first part of their stomach system. Their rumen see figure 6 on page 30 is full of micro-organisms who help them convert poor quality fibre into usable nutrients. Their digestive system is actually an adaptation to drought. Their liking for tree leaves also means that they have an extra supply of protein with the result that they are usually in better condition at the end of the dry season than sheep or cows who can t make such good use of tree leaves. Despite this if we want our goats to produce good meat quickly or lots of kids and milk we will have to feed them well. They will need protein in particular which is not often available in sufficient quantity in their natural diet. It is particularly the pregnant and milking nannies that need extra feeding. In the last month of pregnancy they will need twice as much energy and protein as normal. Don t let them start using up their body reserves as their kids and future milk production will suffer. Once nannies start producing milk they will continue to need quality feed. Without it they will lose weight using up their body reserves. This means that their milk production will drop. If this happens you will probably not be able to get their milk levels up again. Supplying the essential requirements Water Although goats obtain some water from the natural moisture in their food this will rarely be enough. This is especially so during the dry 28 Goat keeping in the tropics season when the feed is very dry. Dry grass or straw only contains 10 -15 water. As temperatures rise goats lose more and more body water and their need .