Goat Production System: Choosing Your Production Sytem
The manner of raising goats in the country is varied.
Traditionally, goats are either let loose in open pastures or tethered in vacant lots or fallowed areas.
This article discusses alternative methods of managing goats that you can follow. Advantages and limitations of each system are explained to help you see which suit your resources and conditions. Eventually, we hope that with these information, you can decide which production system to adopt.
This first part aims to help you identify the requirements for adopting the different production systems for goats; and compare the advantages and limitations of each system.
Choosing Your Production System
1. Ways of Raising Goats
For goat raising to be a good investment, the traditional method of raising goats by free grazing and tethering to the same area everyday has to be improved.
You are thus offered the following options together with an overview of the major resources needed.
This lesson will introduce you to the following sub-lessons:
1.1 Free Grazing (FG)
Description
In this system, goats are let loose in open pastures, vacant lots or crop fields after harvest to enable them to freely browse any available vegetation for an unlimited period during the day.
At night, they are confined in a shed.
To keep parasite infections minimal, goats are regularly dewormed.
This method is ideal if you have a vast area for grazing and no excess labor to tend your herd.
Advantages
As the goats have unlimited access to the grazing area, they can choose from a variety of plant species and plant parts.
In a fenced grazing area, the need for labor is minimized. For unfenced areas, however, labor is required.
Only a simple shed is needed because the animals are grazed during the day; thus capital for pen construction is minimal.
The system is not labor-intensive, as animals are just let loose in the morning then confined at night.
Disdvantages
This system may cause inconvenience, as you have to herd them from the field and into the shed every time it rains. When the rain stops, you have to let them out again.
Risk of parasitism is high, especially if the animals are made to graze in the same pasture everyday.
It requires regular deworming, which could be costly.
For mixed herding, where bucks are grazed together with the herd, breeding cannot be controlled.
When kidding occurs during grazing, immediate attention cannot be provided.
Security from thieves, predators and extreme weather conditions cannot be assured.
Fencing, which is costly, may be necessary. When the area is not fenced, however, you may need to hire a herdsman, which will entail labor costs.
Below are the list of requirements If you decide to adopt this system:
Access to a vast land area for grazing with adequate feed resources.
A herdsman to look after the herd grazing in an unfenced area.
Capital for pen construction, fencing (optional) and dewormer.
Source of clean drinking water in the grazing area.
1.2 Rapid Rotational Grazing (RRG)
Description
This is a modified version of free grazing. This system involves dividing the pasture into 10 or more paddocks and letting goats rotationally graze for 3.5 days.
In dividing the pasture, it is more important to consider the density of vegetation present in each partition than dividing the area into 10 paddocks.
The objective is not just to strategically graze the pasture but also to minimize worm infection.
Strongyle worm eggs turn into infective larvae in four days. If ingested by goats, they develop to full maturity in their digestive tract.
To break this life cycle, goats, which serve as their host, must be transferred to the next paddock before the fourth day and the original paddock, rested for a month. It is thus very critical to plan the division of the farm into paddocks.
Rapid Rotational Grazing (RRG) and Paddock Use
Remember not only to limit the stay of the goats in the paddock for 3.5 days but also ensure that no vegetation is available along the way to and from each paddock.
This will prevent goats from eating plants that may be infected with worms along the way.
An ideal way to ensure this is to have the pen constructed in the middle of the farm.
If this is impossible, sprinkle the plants found along the path with slurry.
In this diagram, the pen is situated in the middle of the farm. Each paddock has a gate leading to the pen. This ensures that the goats go straight to the paddock.
Rapid Rotational Grazing (RRG) and Transffering Animal
In RRG, move only the females and growers; leave the buck in the shed unless it is breeding season.
At night and during inclement weather conditions, confine all animals in their pen.
This practice will only be beneficial if the rested paddock will not be grazed by other animals in the neighborhood .
Otherwise, there would be cross infection among the animals.
This system is ideal if you either have a vast area that can be subdivided into 10 or more paddocks with adequate amount of vegetation or if you have access to 10 or more parcels of land.
Rapid Rotational Tethering (RRT)
You can also apply RRG to tethered goats. Tie a rope about 5m long around the neck of each mature goat in a way that allows it to move easily.
As their access to forages is limited to the radius of their ropes, transfer them with their pegs at least twice a day to other areas within the assigned paddock.
Every 3.5 days, move them with their pegs to the next paddock.
To avoid strangulation, tether goats in open spaces free of trees and protruding objects.
Do not tether close to roads to avoid vehicular accidents.
Also avoid waterlogged areas or pastures frequently grazed by other animals to avoid cross infection of parasites and other diseases.
Strategic Deworming in RRG and RRT
In both RRG and RRT, the deworming program will depend upon the animals' parasitic load. Generally, strategic deworming is done. First dose is given at the onset of the rainy months and the second dose, at the peak of the rainy season. Succeeding deworming is given only when necessary.
In most parts of Luzon, whose wet season is characterized by this rainfall pattern, strategic deworming is done; first in May and the second, between August and September.
Advantages
Parasite infection is minimized, as the life cycle of parasites is broken. This reduces frequency of drug use and ultimately parasite control cost.
There is lesser chance of developing anthelmintic resistance with lesser use of dewormers.
Pasture utilization is optimized and its quality, maintained; overgrazing is prevented.
There is better nutrition, as goats have free access to a variety of vegetation.
As the animals are grazed during the day, only a simple shed is needed; hence capital investment for housing is minimal.
Disadvantages
A big area is required. For a 25-doe level operation, you will need at least 3 ha with native vegetation or 1 ha. planted to improved forages subdivided and fenced off into 10 paddocks.
This system is labor intensive, as labor is needed to rotationally transfer the goats from paddock to paddock and within paddock during the day for RRT.
Additional investment in putting up divisional fences is needed.
A herdsman must be trained on the technology. Knowledge about the life cycle of parasites must be internalized by the herdsman, as delay in transfer of the animals even for a day can ruin the effectiveness of the system.
Security from thieves, predators and extreme weather conditions cannot be assured.
Requirements for adoption
If you decide to adopt this system, you must have:
Access to 10 or more different areas that are ungrazed by other animals, with enough vegetation to be grazed continuously for 3.5 days in a month or:
A farm big enough to be fenced off into at least 10 paddocks by bamboo, hog wire, interlinked wire and other fencing materials
Labor to transfer your goats every 3.5 days to the next paddock
Capital for pen construction, fencing, deworming and rope purchase (in case RRT will be employed)
Source of water in grazing area
1.3 Partial Confinement (PC)
This is another variant of free grazing (FG). In this system, goats are partially confined during the rainy season but free to graze for 2-4hrs when it is not raining and the ground is dry.
To minimize worm infection, they are grazed late in the morning when the sun has dried the dew on the leaf blades and the larvae have crawled back to the soil .
At night and when it is raining, they are confined, stallfed with grasses, tree leaves and shrubs, and provided with water.
Cut grasses for stall feeding from ungrazed areas to avoid parasite infection.
When cutting fresh grasses early in the morning, cut them half a foot from the ground and wilt them under the sun before feeding.
In this system as in RRG, strategically deworm the goats. Succeeding deworming is done as necessary.
This system is ideal if you have limited access to different pasture or grazing areas
Advantage
As the goats are allowed free access to the grazing area, they can choose the plant species and plant parts they want .
Disadvantages
PC may cause inconvenience, as you have to herd the goats from the field and into the shed every time it rains; herd them back when the ground dries up.
Risk of parasitism is high, especially if the animals are made to graze in the same pasture everyday
It requires regular deworming, which could be costly.
For mixed herding, where bucks are grazed together with the herd, breeding cannot be controlled
When kidding occurs during grazing, immediate attention cannot be provided.
Security from thieves, predators and extreme weather conditions cannot be assured.
As the goats are partially confined, you need to invest in a good pen complete with partitions / goat rooms and feeding facilities.
Fencing, which is costly, may be necessary. For unfenced areas, a herdsman may be needed, which will entail labor costs.
Requirements for adoption
If you decide to adopt this system, you must have:
Access to different areas with enough vegetation to be grazed.
A herdsman to look after the herd that is grazed in an unfenced area.
Capital for pen construction, fencing (optional) and dewormer.
Source of clean drinking water in the grazing area.
1.4 Complete Confinement (CC)
Description
This is also known as zero grazing system. In this system, goats are totally confined in a good pen, either year-round (CC-YR) or only during the entire wet season (CC-Wet).
Stall feeding through the cut and carry system is done to provide the goats' feed requirements. If you do CC-Wet, you can allow your goats to graze freely in summer in wide pasture areas or fallowed crop lands.
When crops have been harvested, you can give the farm residues to the animals. Rice bran, concentrates, vitamins and minerals, tree leaves and shrubs are given in the stall. At times of feed scarcity, you can give processed feeds such as silage and urea-treated rice straw.
Other non-conventional feedstuffs such as vegetable trimmings, fruit peelings molasses, copra, spent grain, pineapple and mango pulp may also be given. For CC goats, giving a single dose of dewormer at the start of confinement is usually sufficient. CC is ideal if you have limited area for grazing due to extensive cropping or when you do not have pasture land of your own.
Advantages
Heavy worm infection, digestive and respiratory diseases coincide with the rainy season; hence CC greatly reduces risks from these diseases.
As frequency of deworming is lessened, parasite control cost is thereby reduced.
Lessened use of dewormers prevents the development of anthelmintic resistance.
Goats are secured from thieves, predators and protected from extreme weather conditions.
Goats are prevented from destroying other vegetations.
There is better animal performance, as husbandry practices can be properly done:
◊ Feeding is assured
◊ Breeding control and selection can be instituted
◊ Reproduction and kid rearing can be monitored
◊ Hygiene can be ensured
◊ Monitoring and evaluation of sick animals are facilitated
There is better time management and ease in raising the goats, as you are spared the inconvenience of herding them to and from the field to graze.
Capital investment for fencing is not needed.
Disadvantages
The system is labor intensive, as manpower is needed to cut and carry feeds, put clean drinking water and clean the pen everyday
Initial investment on labor and construction of a good housing unit complete with partitions or goat rooms and feeding facilities is relatively high
As goats are stallfed, they are forced to eat whatever plants are given to them. It is thus critical that you stallfeed a variety of forages to meet their daily nutritional requirements
Example of a good housing unit
Stall fed Goats
Requirements for adoption
If you decide to adopt this system, you must have:
Capital for constructing a pen that is big enough to accommodate all your stocks and their offspring
Source of year-round supply of clean forages either regularly cut from outside the farm or from your own forage garden established within your farm
Ready capital to purchase feed supplements when forages become scarce
Labor to help you cut-and-carry the forages from the feed source to the pen
Knowledge about the best forages to mix and match to provide the needed nutrients to the goats everyday
1.5 Integrated Systems (IS)
Description
In this system, goats are integrated in an orchard, plantation, or fish pond where vegetation abounds
They may be raised in crop fields after harvest to feed on stubbles and plant rejects
The objective is to use available vegetation as feeds and return manure and urine as fertilizer to the land or water.
In this system, you can employ either FG, RRG, CC or PC.
Whatever system is used, a goat pen is constructed either within or outside the orchard, plantation or fishpond.
Advantages
Greater economic returns from the crop-livestock integration can be realized
There is maximum utilization of resources
Cost for weed control is reduced
Soil fertility is enhanced by the goat manure and urine
Labor is maximized
Disadvantages
Capital investment is doubled
Goats can help proliferate unwanted weeds
Requirements for adoption
If you decide to adopt this system, you must have an existing orchard, plantation or fishpond plus the other production inputs required by your preferred production system (i.e., FG, RRG or PC)
2. Comparison of Systems
The following table compares the performance of upgraded goats raised under the different production systems. Hopefully, this will help you decide which system to adopt.
The table shows that in terms of production parameters like weight, CC goats were better
Kidding interval is also shortened in CC hence more kiddings can be realized
As the CC animals are also secured from predators, extreme weather changes and the risk of parasitism, mortality is also lesser
To have a better appreciation of the different production systems, we encourage you to do the following:
Visit goat farms in your area. You may coordinate your visits to these farms with the LGUs in your area and the regional DA offices. You may also contact our partner agencies/LGUs implementing the Farmer Livestock School on Integrated Goat Management in the following regions at right.
Assess your resources and choose appropriate system. Using the table prepared below, check which inputs are available to you and what production system/s match/es these inputs.
Keep this table in mind, as your choice of feed resource to use, pen to build and number of stocks to raise are hinged on this. You may print this table so that you can keep it handy.
Related Articles:
Preparations for Planting Forages for Goat Feed Establishing Feed Resources for Your Goats Goat Stall Feeding: An Alternative to Traditional Grazing Systems Technological Alternatives to Traditional Feeding Management Management of Forages for Goat Production Selecting the Right Forages for Your Goats Goat Labor, Birth and Kid Position Options to Improve Traditional Goat Breeding: Stock Upgrading
Options to Improve Traditional Goat Breeding: Buck Rotation Options to Improve Traditional Goat Breeding: Controlled Breeding
Basic Concepts In Goat Breeding Goat Production System: Purchasing Your Stocks Goat Production System: Building Your Goat Pen Goat Production System: Choosing Your Production System