Pridonskaya goat breed: description and characteristics, pros and cons and care

Downy goat breeds are bred and bred to produce mainly down, not meat and milk. In popularity, they are inferior to meat and dairy varieties, but their products are in a certain demand. Consider the description and characteristics of the Don goat breed, how to keep animals and feed them, how to breed at home, how to treat diseases.

Description and characteristics of Don goats

The origin of the breed has not been precisely established. It is believed that coarse-haired local Don and Turkish goats took part in the breeding. At the end of the 19th century, the blood of the Angora breed was added to the breed.Now the Don goats are bred in the regions of the Don and Volga rivers, mainly on breeding farms in the Volgograd region.

Representatives of the breed of medium size, strong build, with a rounded body. Males are decorated with large horns, thick beard. The suit is black, gray and white. The weight of the goats is 70 kg, the goats weigh 2 times less. Weight of kids at birth - 2 kg, at weaning - 14 kg. By 1.5 years, the weight of young animals reaches 27 kg, by 2.5 years - 30 kg. Females give birth, on average, to 1.5 kids in each lambing. Down productivity of the Don goats depends on the individual characteristics of the animals. The spread of the "harvest" is large - more than 1 kg (330-1430 g).

From an adult goat you can cut 1200-1600 g of high-quality dark or light down, from a goat - 600-1500 g. Animals 4-6 years old show the highest productivity.

The structure of the down in the Don breed differs by season. In autumn and winter, in animals, it is thick, gray-brown or gray, guard hairs are short.After the spring molt, the goats are covered with coarse wool. Milk productivity of females of the Don breed is 130-140 liters in 5 months. After weaning the kids, you can milk the uterus for another 6-7 weeks. Fat content of goat milk - 4.6% (maximum - 8.2%). The slaughter yield of meat is 60%, but the meat productivity is low.

Pros and cons of the breed

Pros and conssoft thick fluff;precocity;fast weight gain;goats perfectly tolerate the arid climate of the steppes;the ability to show maximum productivity when kept at home.unstable "harvest" of fluff;small size of animals;low productivity of milk and meat.

If you do not take into account that it is impossible to get a lot of milk and meat from the Don goats, this breed can be considered a good option for breeding in private households to obtain high-quality fluff.

Conditions and care

Pridonsk goats are known for their unpretentiousness, in the summer they can live on a pasture, in good weather. For spending the night they need to be returned to the goat house. The room where the goats live should be warm, protected from wind and drafts. In winter, you need to turn on the light in it in the mornings and evenings, bringing the daily lighting to 10-12 hours. Every day, the goat’s rue needs to be ventilated or the ventilation system turned on.

One animal should have at least 2 per 1.5 m of area. As with other ruminants, the floor of each stall should be lined with a thick layer of straw so that animals do not freeze when lying on it in winter.

It is advisable to change the bedding every day, but at least once a month. To prevent diseases and death of livestock, it is necessary to disinfect the premises, inventory and feeders for each individual. Processing frequency - 1 time per week.

Goat down is harvested from late spring. The time for a haircut is determined by the appearance of the animals. In the largest of them, the hair begins to fall off, this is a sign of an incipient molt. Goats are combed several times a season - with an interval of 2-3 weeks.

A special comb is suitable for combing, which does not tangle fluff and wool. The animals are combed starting from the neck, then moving to the chest, shoulder blades, sides and ending with the hind legs.

At a time, 0.5-2 kg of fluff and wool can be cut from one animal. 80-90% of the raw material consists of fluff, wool is chosen from it. Qualitative fluff in a large volume is given by the Don individuals of white color, which are influenced by Angora ancestors. However, white animals have lower meat and milk production.

What to feed the animals?

Kids are fed with milk for up to 6 months. From two, they begin to gradually give food, which they will eat in adulthood. These are grass, leaves and tree branches, hay, vegetables, root crops. Pedigree animals like to graze in open spaces, so it is necessary to keep them on grazing as much as possible.

Features of breeding

To obtain individuals with thoroughbred characteristics, you need to cross purebred goats and goats. If necessary, representatives of downy varieties are allowed, but not dairy or meat. When crossing with meat and dairy breeds, the quality of down decreases, it coarsens, the volume decreases.

Diseases and their treatments

Don goats are seriously ill with smallpox. Rashes are localized on the head, legs, udder, tail. With a complex course of the disease, lesions of the joints, eyes, exhaustion are observed, in the uterus - abortions. In goats, the rash is located on the mucous membrane of the mouth, respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract. Smallpox in animals lasts 3-4 weeks. Diagnosis is based on blood tests and clinical signs. Treatment has not been developed. The main control measures are preventive.

In addition to smallpox, goats of this breed can suffer from infectious, colds and gastrointestinal diseases.These are the consequences of poor living conditions, insufficiently balanced feeding. It is necessary to treat and prevent such diseases by observing the rules of nutrition and keeping farm animals.

Pridonskaya breed is old and promising at the same time. Despite the small number of pedigreed livestock, pedigreed individuals can be purchased for breeding and keeping in a private household. The main products are excellent white and gray down, soft and light. In addition, nutritious milk and meat can be obtained from these goats.

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