Mingrelian goat: description and characteristics of the breed, conditions of detention

Mingrelian dairy goat firmly occupies an honorable place in zoo farms on the territory of Western Georgia and Azerbaijan. From the milk of the horned beauty, excellent cheese, tender cottage cheese and high-quality butter are made. The Megrelian goat does not require increased attention, very rarely gets sick and is not picky about food. The pet is distinguished by rare fertility.

Description and productivity of Megrelian goats

The birthplace of charming animals is a cozy sunny Samegrelia. The historical corner is located in the western part of Georgia. It was here that the ancestors of horned beauties lived. The breed combines the best qualities of local dairy goats:

1. The representative of the horned tribe is large in size - her height reaches 64-70 cm.
2. Strong skeletal system is successfully combined with an elongated body shape.
3. By adulthood, the animal gains 36-46 kg. The tallest individuals are able to walk up to 60 kg. The mass of males is 57-60 kg. Large specimens gain weight up to 90 kg.
4. The straight back smoothly turns into a wide, slightly lowered sacrum.
5. The graceful head of the pet is crowned with a pair of intricately curved horns. Their shape resembles the letter S.
6. Upright ears and a neat beard make the animal look cute.
7. Slender, strong goat legs are equipped with strong hooves.
8. Elastic, large udder of the animal is shaped like a cone.
9. The rough, short coat of the pet is dyed white or light shades of red, gray and roan.

Mingrelian goats are of two types: upland and lowland. Animals belonging to the upland type are somewhat larger than their fellow tribesmen. The Megrelian goat is extremely prolific and often pleases the owners with the appearance of twins. The pet gives a lot of milk - its annual milk yield is 350-400 kg. With good care and a well-designed diet, milk yield doubles. In some cases, the figures reach the mark of 900 kg.

Megrelian goat milk is very tasty and nutritious. The fat content of the product is 4-4.5%. From goat's milk they make excellent cheese, cottage cheese, butter and cheese. The breed is common in South Ossetia, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Positive and negative aspects of the breed

For all their merits, Megrelian goats have some disadvantages. Considering the nuances of the animals, the farmer can achieve good results.

Positive qualities of the breed:

1. Goats are extremely picky and prefer to eat pasture. Animals perfectly gain weight in highlands and flat pastures.
2. Unpretentious pets do not require special attention and special care.
3. Mingrelians rarely get sick.

Unfortunately, pets do not adapt well to cold climates, so animals are not suitable for breeding in areas with harsh climatic conditions. This quality can be attributed to the significant shortcomings of the breed.

Features of maintenance and care

Keep animals in a dry, draft-free goat house. The room must be spacious. To keep one pet, an area of at least 1.5 m is required. For a goat with offspring, an apartment of 2.5 m is required. It is enough for a male to allocate 2 m, and a growing kid needs a living space of at least 3 m.

In winter, the air temperature in the goat house is maintained in the range from +6 to -6 degrees. Maintaining the temperature regime is important when there are small kids in the herd. Goats are separated from females and kept in a separate room.

Separate keeping of animals helps to avoid unplanned contacts. Megrelian goats can be kept in free grazing conditions. In this case, a special canopy is arranged for the animals. Under shelter, pets hide from the sweltering heat and rain. Before being sent to pasture, animals are given plenty of water. This technique helps to distract pets from drinking from puddles.

On hot days, animals are fed at least 2 times a day. In winter, goats get plenty of fluids by eating wet food. During this period, water consumption is reduced, so the animals are given warm water only once a day.

In no case should you give cold water to animals that are in a heated state. The procedure threatens animals with a cold. Feeders and drinkers are installed at chest level of adult pets. Dishes for babies are placed just above the floor level. Do not use galvanized feeders.

Feeding rules

The usual diet of pets includes barley, oats, corn grains. It is useful for goats to give a feed mixture of chopped beets, carrots, cabbage and steamed oats. Add boiled potato peelings to pet food. Combined feed is added to the feeders with cooked food. Feed s alt is poured into special containers. This product is extremely important for the normal development of animals. The additive is placed at the rate of: 8 kg of s alt per adult. For young kids, the dosage of s alt is reduced.

In winter, hay, brooms from branches of deciduous trees and needles are added to the diet of pets. Nutritious bouquets are hung just above the level of the tops of the animals. Thus, pets can reach them. Animal Feeding Mode:

1. In the morning, goats are given chopped roots and grain.
2. Pets are treated to well-dried hay during the day.
3. In the evening, animal feeders are filled with crushed grain and hay.

In summer, goats mostly feed on fresh grass. The animals spend the warm months in the highlands, and with the onset of autumn, the pets are sent to graze on the plain.

All about lambing

A goat's pregnancy lasts 21-22 weeks. Shortly before giving birth, the pet is separated from the herd. The goat's rue is disinfected and ventilated. The floor is covered with a thick layer of clean hay. Separate nurseries are being built for future babies. Each goat must have at least 2 m of area.The nursery is equipped with a convenient feeder and drinker.

Changes in the behavior and appearance of the goat indicate the approach of childbirth. The animal is agitated and may lose its appetite. The udder enlarges and the genitals swell.

After lambing, the pet is transferred to a light diet. As a rule, a baby dairy goat is artificially fed. To do this, stock up on a bottle and a pacifier. On the first day of life, the baby is treated with colostrum. In the following days, every 4 hours, the kid is fed from a bottle with warm fresh milk. After 3 days, the baby begins to give complementary foods in the form of oatmeal. On the 10th day, the kid is allowed to taste the hay.

For 2-3 months, fresh milk remains the main food for the baby. Then portions of milk are gradually reduced. If the baby goat was born in the summer, at the age of 1 month the baby is sent to a common pasture.

Frequent diseases

Mingrelian goats have strong immunity, but sometimes they can suffer from the following diseases:

1. Inflammation of the hoof. The pet falls on a he althy leg and prefers to be in a supine position. Treatment consists in washing the hoof with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and treating the sore spot with iodine and Vishnevsky ointment.
2. Poisoning. Trouble awaits the pet when eating poisonous herbs. The goat suffers from diarrhea and vomiting. The animal behaves restlessly, sighs heavily, groans and grinds its teeth. First aid is to wash the stomach. Before the arrival of the veterinarian, you can give the pet activated charcoal. The rest of the treatment is prescribed by the veterinarian.
3. Udder inflammation. The disease affects recently lambing goats. The cause of the trouble is hypothermia. A cold compress from a decoction of mother liquor and gourd will help to cope with the disease.

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