How much milk does a goat give: averages per day, day and year, how to increase
Under the same conditions of keeping and equal feeding, one goat gives no more than 2 liters of milk, and the second - 4-5 liters. Milk yield is a variable indicator, how much milk a goat gives per day depends on the breed, age of the animal, number of births, anatomical features of the udder, quality of care and nutrition. A large amount of a valuable product can only be obtained from a mature individual of the dairy breed.
At what age does a goat start producing milk?
Don't think that a goat will always be a milk supplier because it has an udder. To gain the status of a dairy pet, you must become pregnant.Milk production in a goat's udder begins during the first pregnancy. The produced product is enough to feed the kids, but mature dairy goats give an excess amount of product. The excess is taken by a person for his needs.
In order for a pet who becomes pregnant for the first time after giving birth to start giving more milk, she is regularly massaged by the udder. A young goat will get used to the milking process, it will not cause her stress, and massage movements will help to avoid congestion in the udder tissues and, as a result, mastitis.
The goat matures for mating by 5 months of age, but this is too early for pregnancy. With a male, a female occurs, which has reached 1.5 years. A kid in the womb develops for 150 days. It turns out that the owner receives the first milk from a 2-year-old pet.
How many liters does a goat produce per day on average?
The first week after birth, colostrum is formed in the udder - a fatty substance that strengthens the immunity of newborn cubs.All colostrum goes to feed the goats. Further, for 2-3 months, the owner gives most of the milk delivered to the growing cubs. If the owner has not separated the kids from the mother, then milking for personal needs can be started only when the offspring reaches the age of 3 months, they begin to eat according to the standard adult diet.
After the first lambing, the productivity of a goat is small, the daily volume of the product is, on average, 1.5 liters. But high-yielding thoroughbred pets, having given birth for the first time, are able to give 3-4 liters per day. The maximum productive goat becomes after the 3rd-4th pregnancy.
You can't milk a pregnant goat before giving birth. An exception is the swelling of the udder from the milk produced in excess, because of which the animal experiences severe discomfort. In this case, milking becomes an act of helping a suffering pet.
Average goat milking statistics:
- per day - 2-4 l;
- per week - 14 l;
- in the spring month - 55 l;
- in the summer month - 80 l;
- per year - 400 l;
- for a lifetime - 4-5 t.
Number of milk yields depending on the breed
The most productive are Swiss dairy goats (Saanen, Alpine), the average daily amount of product from one individual is 6-8 liters. However, representatives of Swiss breeds cost a lot, the minimum price for one animal is 20 thousand rubles.
Meat and wool breeds are not milked, as they give little milk, all of which goes to feed the cubs.
The record holder for milk production is the Saanen breed. In a year, one individual is capable of producing up to 3 thousand liters. The milk yield of domestic pedigreed goats is more modest: first milk cow gives about 3 liters per day, which is less than that of an elite Swiss pet, but more than that of a mature ordinary goat.
Comparative daily and annual productivity of animals of different breeds is shown in the table.
| Breed | Milk per day, lAverage annual productivity, l | Product fat content, % | |
| 6 | 1200 | 3,8-4,5 | alpine |
| 900 | 3.5 | Toggenburg | |
| 800 | 3,5 | Czech | |
| 1200 | 3.5-4.5 | La Manche | |
| 1000 | 4 | Nubian | |
| 1000 | 4.5 | Cameroonian | |
| 200 | 5,2 | Russian | |
| 500 | 4.5 | Gorkovskaya | |
| 500 | 4, 5-5.5 | margelskaya | |
| 250 | 4.5 |
Volumes by age
After the first birth, high performance from a goat should not be expected. The increase in milk yield is gradual, from the first lambing to the next.
The calculation of the amount of milk should be started after the 3-4th birth, these figures will reflect the real performance of a mature individual. If the average daily milk yield of a goat that gave birth for the first time, depending on the breed, ranges from 2 to 4 liters, then after the 3rd pregnancy - from 4 to 8 liters. That is, the difference between milk yields at the beginning and middle of milking age is 50%.
A goat gives the maximum amount of milk up to 5 years of age. Further 2-3 years the animal is milked moderately. And after 7-8 years, the volume of milk decreases monthly. At this age, meat goats are slaughtered, but dairy pets live up to 12, and some up to 15 years. With proper care and quality nutrition, lactation can last up to 12 years. Long-livers are considered Saanen pets, surviving up to 18-20 years.
Reducing the amount of milk in an elderly pet is associated not only with the aging of the body, but also with the deterioration of the teeth. The goat cannot properly absorb and chew food, which negatively affects the performance of the mammary glands.
Lactation terms
The duration of the lactation period is determined by the breed. Record holders should be called Saanen and Gorky goats, which give the product without loss of quality within 8-9 months. But, on average, pets supply the owner with milk for 6-7 months. These are the summer, autumn months and a few days of winter. A goat produces the greatest amount of milk in the summer when it consumes juicy grass food.
How to increase milk yield?
The main reason for the decline in milk productivity is malnutrition. During the summer months, when grazing goats, the pasture is carefully chosen. It should be a meadow with high soil moisture, but no signs of waterlogging, where the grass cover is succulent.
There are herbs that can help increase milk production. This is:
- clover;
- chamomile;
- parsley;
- nettle;
- horse sorrel;
- yasnotka.
Goats fed grass feed with parsley and other herbs may produce odorous milk. Pregnant and giving birth females are recommended to periodically feast on a few walnut kernels, which not only increase the amount of milk, but also make it more fat. Clover is given to animals slightly wilted so that digestion does not deteriorate. Lamb and nettle are placed in a dried form in the feeder.
And in winter, it is useful to treat pets with harvested apple, plum, birch, shrub branches to enhance lactation.
Giving goats should not be thirsty, the amount of milk produced depends on drinking water. If there is no natural drinking source on the pasture, then the animals are watered before being released from the barn. And the animals in the barn are given water after they have eaten hay.
The quality of milk deteriorates when there is a deficiency of mineral elements in the goat's body. Therefore, pregnant and giving birth females are given nutritional supplements containing a set of minerals necessary for lactation. Which drug to choose, the veterinarian will tell you. A good and cheap source of minerals is s alt rock, which animals lick whenever they want.
Walking in sunny weather is good for pregnant goats. It not only improves the immunity of unborn kids, but also contributes to good milk yields.
On the recommendation of a veterinarian, a primordial goat may receive prebiotics. These drugs strengthen the immune system, help food to be absorbed, due to which milk production increases by 20%.
Reason for the decrease in milk yield
When the amount of milk decreases, you can suspect:
- animal aging;
- hypovitaminosis and mineral deficiency;
- poor diet;
- deterioration of appetite due to the change of the usual food to a new one;
- insufficient water intake;
- fright, being stressed;
- development of internal disease;
- stress from change of owner or home;
- helminthiasis;
- entering the state of sexual hunting;
- illiterate content, animal cruelty.
Pregnant and calving goats should be kept in a separate room in a comfortable environment. In the winter months, the air temperature in the goat's dwelling should not fall below +8 °C, and in the summer it should not rise above +20 °C. In the barn, where the dairy pet is kept, there should be no drafts and dirt.
How much milk a goat gives depends on the behavior and attitude of the owner. The animal painfully perceives the lack of care and attention. Milk production decreases significantly when goats are stressed. Therefore, the owner must treat the animals kindly, do not shout at them, do not beat them, do not frighten them with loud sounds.
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