HOUSING MANAGEMENT – AN IMPORTANT KEY TO SUCCESS IN GOAT REARING

HOUSING MANAGEMENT – AN IMPORTANT KEY TO SUCCESS IN GOAT REARING

Monanki Podder¹, Dharma Sahu² and Hirani Jamatia³

¹PG Scholar, Department of Livestock Production Management, West Bengal University Of Animal And Fishery Sciences, Kolkata, Email- dr.monanki@gmail.com

²Ph.D. Scholar, Department of Livestock Production Management, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, Email- dr.dharmasahu45@gmail.com

³PG Scholar, Department of Animal Nutrition, West Bengal University Of Animal And Fishery Sciences, Kolkata, Email- hiranij1994@gmail.com

Corresponding author email- dr.monanki@gmail.com

Introduction

Goats are multipurpose animal by means of producing capability of meat, milk, hide, fibre and manure and also very versatile in nature as they can easily survive in different environmental conditions. Moreover, they do not require huge area for housing because of their small size and risk of goat farming is also less as they are resistant to most of the infectious diseases. So, proper housing of goat as a component of one of the major management practices is equally important as goat rearing to thrive out their production performance to the full potential.

Importance of goat housing

Housing is necessary for staying at night, security from being theft, protection from deadly diseases and preventing them from adverse climatic conditions like direct exposure to sunlight at noon during summer season, cold stress and heavy rain. Environmental factors such as heat, humidity, rain, and wind can stress goats, depress their immune system, and lead to either parasitic or respiratory problems, which can be fatal. Goats can tolerate cold weather and heat as long as they live in a house facilitated with dry, well – ventilated, and draft -free environment. Cold and wet conditions promote respiratory problems, and heat combined with humidity or damp conditions promotes parasites, especially in young and growing kids. In some areas, people used to keep their goats under trees but there should be a suitable house for goats to take care of their proper welfare which will ultimately enhance the economic value of goats.

Some general measures to be considered while making the goat house

We have to select a dry and higher place for making the goat house and area should be high enough to keep the goats safe from floods. The place should have required water arrangements, nearby market and good road transport to market, abundance of cheap labourers and a calm and cool environment. Along with the house there should be a grazing land for goats, and the land should not be damp which is responsible for parasitic infestation.

Many factors must be considered for proper housing design and choice of materials like in many regions of the world, low cost housing can be framed by wooden poles, and siding and roofing could be constructed simply from available tree branches. In all cases, internal surfaces of all buildings and equipment to which goats have access should not have sharp edges or projections. The floors in animal housing must be made of durable materials that are not slippery. The type of flooring material can be wood, concrete, metal and plastic. The floor should have a slope of about 5% for proper drainage and easy to clean with a low maintenance requirement. Slatted floors should be raised about 1-1.5 meters above ground level to facilitate easy cleaning and collecting of dung and urine. The gap between the slats should be 1.4 to 1.6 cm to allow easy passage of fecal material. Newborn and young should not be put on slatted floors. A raised, slatted floor in tropical and subtropical areas has the following advantages-

-No need of bedding

-Allows manure, urine and debris to drop through the slatted floors, thus helps to remove a

major source of disease  and parasite infestation.

-Requires less labour to clean and maintain the goat house.

-Remains relatively dry and clean, reduced space requirements.

-Manure can be collected easily for fertilizer use or for sale.

-Allows air to pass through the slats increasing ventilation and comfort in hot weather.

For proper lighting in a goat barn, the window area should be at least 8 – 10% or preferably more of the floor area. Plastic roofing can enhance lighting and reduce the need for windows.

There are two types of goat rearing system-

1. Extensive system
2. Semi-intensive system
3. Intensive system

1. Extensive system- This system is mainly practiced in large tracts of Deccan Plateau where there are hills and large areas of land unable to be cultivated. Goats are taken out of grazing by women and children in the morning and brought back in the afternoon. This is the cheapest system and practiced over all parts of India where grazing land is available. This is also practiced by nomadic tribes. Advantages of this system are that it is cheap and provides the production and disposal process simultaneously. The disadvantages are mainly that the animals raised on the system are poor producers besides having poor genetic capabilities, and are exposed to continuous stress.
2. Semi-intensive system- This system is widely practiced by small and marginal farmers and village poor. Goats are left to graze/browse on the crop residue when the same has been harvested. The advantages of this system are increased fertility of the land by droppings and urine of these animals, control of wasteful habits, good growth rate, easier management and possible increased crop yields. Goat keepers keep herds of goats which they take to other farmers’ fields when a crop has been cut. The farmers pay them in cash or kind for the manure and urine they drop in the field while grazing. A modified form of this system is tethering where the animal is held by a rope about 2-3 meters long, and other end being tied to a tree or post. The animal grazes and browses in the area accessible through the length of the rope. This system is popular with farmers who keep only a few goats. It permits utilization of grass, fodder and bushes in a limited area and keeps a control on the animal and saves labour.
3. Intensive system- Goats are confined in specialized houses. This system require labour and accurate knowledge of production. Feed and water is brought to the animal. This system offers the greatest protection for the animals from both predators and environmental conditions. This housing system is expensive to construct and may only recommended in commercial settings with high output.

Space requirements in different systems of goat rearing

Proper space allowance is required for goats for freedom of their natural movements, stretching, bipedal stance, socializing, resting, and feeding. Goats start showing abnormal behaviours (indication of poor welfare) due to lack of enough space when they kept in confinement. So that, the adequate space is an important factor in goat house for good health and social management.

Table 1- Space allowance for housing of goats

Commonly designed goat houses

We can make goat houses by using various designs and specific goat housing designs are suitable for specific production purpose. Following types of house are most common for raising goats-

Goat housing over ground-

Houses are made over the ground and it is most commonly used house for goats. We can make the floor of goat house with brick and cement or simply with soil. It will be better, if we can spread some dry straw over the floor in this housing system but it is also recommended to keep the house dry and clean always. This type of houses are mainly suitable in those areas where rainfall is less.

Goat housing over pole-

This type of houses are made over pole. The floor of the house heights about 1 to 1.5 meter (3.5 to 5 ft) from the ground. This type of house keeps the goat free from damping condition, flood water etc. The poles and floor in this housing system are usually made with bamboo or wood. This types of house is very suitable for goat farming, because it is very easy to clean. Diseases are also less in this housing system.

Concrete house-

These types of goat houses are slightly expensive but concrete houses have many advantages. It is very easy to clean the house and easy to always keep  goats safe from all types of predators. We can construct the house over ground or over concrete poles. Both types are easily maintained. Diseases are less in this housing system.

Conclusions

Design for any houses should be according to the climatic conditions and production system. Housing system mainly depend on the available resources and the environmental condition. Now-a-days building materials and designs for goat housing are aimed at lower cost. For the best outcome in animal housing, the producers, building suppliers, livestock specialists, and regulatory agencies must adopt a rational and integrated approach for goat housing design that provides for health, management and husbandry, material and construction technology, energy and pollution, and economic considerations.

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