Handling of goats for new goat farmers

Handling of goats plays an important role in stall feed and semi-stall feed goat farming methods.It is one of the main factor responsible for a successful and non successful goat farm.

New goat farmers must have some previous experience of goat breeding or should have workers on his farm that have some knowledge regarding goat farming.Also you can’t depend on workers at all as most of them are not trusty now days.So its always better to handle the goats personally or should spend maximum of your day time in your farm.

If you won’t handle your goats properly you will surely face severe losses.

Here handling of goats means-

1. Providing balanced nutrition.
2. Proper vaccinations, for example if not vaccinated  against F.M.D they develops ulcers surrounding their mouths and it gets easily spread to all goats of your pen.
3. Identifying of a specific symptom of a disease , if a disease is identified to late it will surely spread to all goats of your farm.
4. Properly milking of goats, especially of miscarriage/aborted goats you have to take all milk from their glands manually.If they have not milk and are placed as they are,there will be blocking of udder(mammary glands) which may even lead to death.
5. Proper cleaning of floor where goats are sitting, if not cleaned properly germs(bacteria) gets accumulated in their internal openings like udder,vagina,eyes,nose etc which further leads to cancer(developing of tumors).In such case goat shows poor performance,yields less milk and gives birth to single kid even if it is of excellent quality of breed,takes longer time to get pregnant,miscarrages several times,gestation period increase beyond the normal limit.

At such time,most of the goat farmers curses the sellers assuming that they have provided them low quality breed or diseased breed.But thats not true,its the goat farmers(buyers) responsibilty to handle it properly.Such things mostly happens when the owner doesnt looks his farm personaly or don’t have any knowledge regarding breeding of goats,he depends on their workers assuming that they will/are doing well and the problem is with the goat(breed) only which the seller has provided to him.

These are only a few examples to explain handling of goats,there are lots of other things too which the goat farmer have to consider while breeding them.

Blue tongue (BT)

• It is caused by Arthropod-borne orbi virus in the family of Reoviridae.

Peste-des-Petits Ruminants (PPR)

• Peste des petits Ruminants (PPR) also known as ‘Goat Plague’ is a viral disease that affects goats and sheep which causes huge financial loss to the animal rearers / farmers and economic loss to the country.
• The disease is caused by Moribillivirus of Paramyxoviridae family.

Sheep pox

• It is an acute to chronic viral disease of sheep and goats characterized by generalized pox lesions throughout the skin and mucous membranes.

Tetanus

• It is a non-contagious, infectious disease of mammals caused by bacterial toxin characterized by spasmodic contraction of skeletal muscles.

• The disease is caused by bacteria known as Clostridium tetani which is remain in the intestine of the herbivorous animals as normal habitat.

• Proper vaccination at day old should be used. Giving two doses of vaccine at least four weeks apart. An annual booster dose is recommended.
• Tetanus toxoid vaccines at the times of exposure of body tissues to environment prevent the disease occurrence.
• Providing passive immunity to the lambs by giving ewes a booster vaccination, a few weeks before lambing commences.
• Care of any local wound and make sure the wound is not contaminated by dirt.
• Cleanliness and proper hygienic measures are to be adopted at the time of parturition and following parturition.
• The animal should not be allowed to graze near barbed wire fencing.
• Yards should be watered to decrease dust.
• Open method of castration should be discouraged in the village level.
• Proper care should be taken to handle the retention of placenta and prolapsed cases.
• Sterile surgical instruments are to be used at the time of operation.
• Wound should be drained with deep incision. The animal should be kept away from metallic and sharp objects.
• Hygiene is essential while undertaking any husbandry or surgical procedure.
• All out precautions should be taken during castration.

• Feed should be placed in troughs that cannot be contaminated by faeces.
• Waterers and feed troughs should be kept clean and free of contaminants.
• Good grazing management to control pasture or grassland borne helminthic infections.
• Use of clean or safe pastures (not grazed for 6 to 12 months) will help to control helminths problems.
• Rotational grazing of livestock species should be followed to minimize or limit the infection from pasture.
• All new arrivals to the farm should be isolated for at least 30 days and dewormed.
• Young animals should be housed separately from adult animals to prevent disease spread.
• Infected/Infested animals should be removed from the flock or herd and housed separately.
• Treatment should be followed by chemoprophylaxis to prevent reinfection.
• Vaccines may be used to prevent infection, if suitable vaccines are available.

• Segregate sick animals.
• Stop all animals, animal products, vehicles and persons coming into and out of the farm.
• Call a veterinarian for advice, adopt containment vaccination.
• Avoid grazing in a common place.
• Ban all visitors to the farm.
• Provide foot dips containing disinfectants at the entry of the farm and gear up sanitation and hygiene.