Nubian Goats are popular, but a little whimsical animals on the farm. They are bred both on an industrial scale and in summer cottages, having a small barn and a lawn for grazing. Contain goats for meat, fluff and milk. The breed is famous for its productivity and interesting appearance.
Breed history
It is believed that the Nubian goats lived next to ancient people as early as 9.5 thousand years ago. The name of the animals comes from the place of residence - the Nubian desert of Sudan. In the Middle Ages, researchers from France compiled the first data on the breed. But modern representatives were bred somewhat later (late 19th century) in the UK. It is this variety that is today called Nubian or Anglo-Nubian.
Breeders took as a basis the varieties of native Nubians from Africa, Asia (two varieties of lop-eared from India, Middle Eastern breeds) and Europe (Swiss goats). In 1896, the breed was registered, and from the beginning of the 20th century, goats were bred in America, improving the appearance and productivity of the species. The popularity of Nubian goats increased, but only in 1999, Russian breeders drew attention to them.
Domestic farms imported animals from America, since the best representatives of the breed gathered there.
Breed description
The appearance of Nubian goats is different from the usual breeds in our country. The first thing that stands out is the long, hanging below the muzzle - the ears of the animal and bright color. It can be of several types.
The most common suits:
- coffee brown;
- black
- white
- creamy.
The color of goats is often mottled, such specimens look especially solemn. The breed standard recognizes pied, bay, white, white-brown and other colors. The arrangement of spots acquires an unusual configuration in the most unexpected combinations (brown with black and white blotches, up to leopard color). Most two-tone nubits, but in color there are three colors at once. Often there are individuals of chocolate color with a dark stripe on the back. Leather according to the breed standard is also dark - black or gray.
Appearance
Nubian is a breed of meat and dairy (mainly dairy) direction. Goats are large in size: up to 80 cm at the withers of the female, 85-90 - males. The weight of the animals reaches 80-100 kg, although the average is 60-80 kg. At the same time, the nubits have slender, strong, proportional legs, a narrow and long body, and a thin neck. They adopted their exterior from their ancestors - mountain goats.
In addition to long, drooping ears, the animals are distinguished by their interesting arched profile (“Roman”): a hump on the muzzle with heavy brow arches and a massive forehead. Goats wear thin and long horns, and females are most often hornless.
Nubits have beautiful eyes, usually brown, less often gray or green. If there is a beard, then a small one. The coat is smooth, the tail is fluffy, short. The udder of goats consists of two parts. It is large, elongated nipples.
Animal character
Nubian goats are characterized by an unstable temperament: they can be hyperactive or quiet and affectionate, it all depends on the conditions of detention and personality. They cannot stand the neighborhood of other animals and even goats of other breeds. Unwanted company provokes aggression. At the sight of an alien, the Nubians react to him with loud bleating. Often, they rush at the enemy with horns, and only a clear superiority of the enemy in force can stop the fight. Aggressors immediately become submissive.
Nubian goats are curious and stubborn, are in constant search of something. It is better for them not to contact with children, since animal games can be unsafe for kids. But they love spending time with adults and become attached to the owners, like dogs, recognizing them as the leader of the pack. Nubians are ready to follow the man relentlessly. And it is recommended to use this when raising animals from a young age. If you miss the point, Nubian goats can grow up willful.
Productive Indicators
The Nubian breed is considered universal, because gives good indicators both on milk, and on meat. The last direction in our country is less popular, so the emphasis is on dairy products. Goats give milk about 300 days a year. Lactation begins after the appearance of the first lamb and with each subsequent amount of milk increases.
On average, female Nubian goats produce 3-3.5 liters of milk per day. About a ton of useful product comes out per year.
Milk fat is an average of 4.5%, but some individuals produce 8% fat. It has a fairly high percentage of protein - 3.7%, milk does not have a goat smell that many consumers do not like, and it tastes like nut-cream. The product is suitable for making delicious cheeses, yogurts, cottage cheese. According to breeders, the children of Nubian goats enjoy drinking milk.
When animals do not give enough milk, they are fed for meat. Nubians quickly gain weight, and their meat is also devoid of a specific smell, it is juicy and tasty regardless of the method of slaughter, it has great nutritional value. This is an excellent dietary product, also suitable for barbecue and barbecue.
The yield of meat products from goats is quite high: from one individual you can get 50-70 kg of meat (from females and males, respectively). Young animals are mostly slaughtered, as the flesh of adult goats becomes stiff.
Advantages and disadvantages of the breed
Productivity is the main indicator for which Nubian goats are bred. High milk yield (almost all year round), fatty milk and a lot of juicy meat are the undoubted advantages of the breed. It was this goal that the breeders pursued, leading the Nubians.
Other benefits include:
- good feeding qualities;
- increase in milk yield after each lambing;
- offspring twice a year (each time up to three kids);
- viability of young individuals;
- devotion to the owner (subject to proper education).
High productivity can be achieved with proper care of animals, and this is not always easy.
With all the advantages, Nubian goats have disadvantages:
- They are demanding of heat, they can hardly tolerate severe Russian winters. Animals must be kept clean, dry, maintaining a temperature that is comfortable for them.
- Animals differ in a nasty character: stubbornness, willfulness, aggressiveness in relation to other ungulates. It is problematic to keep Nubian goats with other breeds in one herd.
- An insignificant minus is the loud voice of the nubits, which they serve at every opportunity.
- The cost of elite goats can scare away potential breeders. The price of an adult is from 150-250,000 rubles, kids are from 100,000 rubles.
Goat content
Since Africa is the historical homeland of Nubian goats, these animals are thermophilic. Despite the fact that they adapt well to new weather conditions, they can hardly tolerate severe cold. It’s difficult to call them unpretentious.
For comfortable maintenance, you will have to equip the goats with a cozy room and create all the conditions for successful growth and reproduction. This is the only way to achieve high productivity indicators.
The necessary conditions
The optimal conditions for keeping Nubian goats are a warm, dry barn, where the maximum amount of light and fresh air penetrates. It is advisable that the crib be heated. Slots are unacceptable, since these goats do not tolerate drafts.
Optimum temperature for the Nubian breed:
- not lower than +6 degrees in the cold season;
- not higher than + 18-20 degrees in the summer.
Nubians are kept together - individuals of both sexes in the same room. But it is recommended to leave the strongest males on the tribe so as not to spoil productivity indicators in the future. Separate pens are only required for queens with newborn kids. Inside the barn, but a little further from the main place of residence, there should be a place - a low bench - for milking goats.
A feature of the Nubian breed is the impossibility of keeping goats with other livestock. Nubians may experience stress, milk yield will decrease.
Farmers involved in the breeding of Nubian goats note that after several generations spent in one place, the animals acclimatize to the surrounding nature and climate. But for a comfortable temperature in the cold season, you need to look more closely than in the case of other breeds. Also, one should not forget about the proper feeding of animals, care for their health and other nuances.
Arrangement of premises
For first-time goat-breeders, it may take a lot of effort and time to set up a dwelling suitable for nubia. It should correspond to many parameters and always be kept clean, since representatives of this breed really do not like dirt and dampness.
The stable should meet such requirements as:
- illumination;
- good ventilation;
- suitable temperature.
The latter can be achieved not only with the help of insulated walls, but also with strong wooden floors. It is advisable to build them slightly at an angle so that excess fluid leaves. An additional heat source is litter up to 50 cm thick. It can be made from dry straw, hay or sawdust. The holding must have sufficient stocks of this material to lay the flooring for the long winter.
Each goat should have its own place in the stable. Animals are accustomed to sleeping alone or in small groups. It is recommended to build on the floor wooden flooring with a height of 40-50 cm, nailing wide boards around the perimeter. Only lay straw on them. In addition to sleeping places in the barn, other elevations are made of boards, since Nubian goats love to climb.
Corral and walking place
In addition to living quarters, animals on a home farm need a paddock for walking. This is an important component of proper animal welfare. They can take walks in the cold, but it is important to ensure that the thermometer does not fall too low. Nubians can easily catch a cold or get frostbite, especially the ears, nose, udder, and genitals. In winter, it is advisable to equip a paddock for walking near the barn. It should be covered by a canopy.
With the supervision of animals, you can organize free-range walking in the meadow (in the warm season), in a herd or on a rope, if the goats are small (its length should be 5-7 meters). Grazing saves a lot of feed. The place should be rich in herbs and have a shade where goats can hide. Before grazing, you need to drink them so that they do not drink water from dirty puddles.
It is recommended to release goats on pasture in the late morning, when dew has dried on the grass. It causes the common cold of animals.
Feeding Nubian Goats
When breeding goats, it is necessary to make them a special menu for different seasons. In summer, to feed or take as a basis pasture - herbs, other vegetation. Stock up on hay for the winter. Although this breed is artificially bred, the Nubians do not require a special diet and consume the same feed as relatives of other breeds. Among them:
- hay;
- Fresh grass
- branches (willow, linden, hazel, spruce, acacia, etc.);
- cake;
- concentrated feed (barley, oats, corn);
- bran;
- fresh fruits (apples, pears);
- vegetables (beets, carrots, potatoes);
- vegetable waste.
Animals should always have water, and in winter salt is added to it. It is also recommended to enrich the diet of goats with nutrients - chalk, vitamins, etc.
To compensate for the deficiency of chlorine and sodium, goats are given salt crusts, the so-called lick. The natural salt preparation must be available to all animals. For adults, 10-15 g of salt per day is enough, for young animals - up to 8 g.
In order for the goats to give enough milk in the winter, the animal diet should look like this:
- three meals a day;
- about 5 kg of hay per day;
- about 1 kg of fresh vegetables, finely chopped branches and silage;
- 2 kg of cereals;
- each animal needs 300 g of feed and 250-300 g additionally for each kilogram of milk yield.
The menu also changes slightly for goats during the breeding season. They are given cereal herbs, legumes, mineral and vitamin complexes. Females require special nutrition before and after lambing. 5-10 days before the birth, you need to change the diet, abandon cereals, animal feed, crushed feed. The menu should consist of water, hay and root crops. Fresh vegetables should not cause bloating, so beets and cabbage are best left in small quantities, and the emphasis is on carrots, potatoes, zucchini, pumpkin. Three days before birth, vegetables should also be removed, leaving the goat in the water and hay.
Nubian goat breeding
When buying Nubian goats for milk and meat, it is advisable to pay attention to the young. Breeding is a profitable, but troublesome business. Sometimes Nubians cross with other breeds to increase the productivity of the latter. African goats are considered “percentage”. Crossing them increases milk yield and it becomes fatter.
Case
Individuals reach puberty by 7 months, however, the first mating is preferably carried out in a year and a half. It is advisable to choose animals from different lines, since close kinship will affect the health of the offspring in a negative way.
For pairing choose:
- large active males;
- females during the hunt.
The first "hunt" occurs in goats in the autumn period: in November-October and lasts up to several days. The estrus season is manifested by a change in behavior: loss of appetite, a manifestation of anxiety, possibly aggression. The mammary glands swell, and the tail is in constant motion - this phenomenon is difficult not to notice. Females become more susceptible to various diseases, it is necessary to provide them with proper care. But the main task of the owner: during the hunting period of the Nubian goat, to ensure a meeting with the goat.
Pregnancy of goats lasts about 150 days, so it is advisable to arrange a mating in late summer so that the offspring appears at the end of winter.
A case can be of several types: free, manual, harem. In the first case, all goats walk in one herd and the males are active against any flowing female when she wants to be fertilized. With harem cover, one goat accounts for several individuals of the opposite sex - up to 30. The male does not succeed in resting, this is fraught with a decrease in the amount of sperm. With manual pairing, everything goes under human control. The female is installed and fixed on a special machine, a goat for mating is brought to it.
Pregnancy and lambing
If mating is successful, the goat owner will soon notice the first signs of pregnancy. The udder increases in size, becomes smooth, and the external genitalia are poured. It is important for the farmer to make sure that the goat is covered so as not to lose income from the future offspring and to provide the female with proper care.
This can also be done using laboratory methods:
- Ultrasound
- analysis of cervical mucus;
- balloting (palpation of the abdomen).
All studies are carried out by a veterinarian. But in the later stages, the pregnancy of a goat becomes apparent. The abdomen grows in size, the individual becomes less mobile, more often resting. About a month before the alleged lambing, it is necessary to stop milking the goat so that it gathers strength for lactation and can feed the babies. If the female is lean and poorly gaining weight, it is recommended to stop milking her 50-60 days before lambing.
Nubian goats are fertile, give birth to 2-3 babies twice a year, sometimes more (up to five at a time). Already two weeks after lambing, they may be ready to take the goat. But farmers do not always arrange males so often, becausethe goat must gain strength before each new lamb. He walks in a dry, clean room, it is desirable that the female be there alone, without a neighbor of relatives. Before birth, the animal becomes restless. A layer of dry straw must be placed on the floor at the lambing ground. Delivery occurs quickly: from 90 to 40 minutes.
Care and maintenance of young animals
Newborn kids are weaned almost immediately from their mother, but since they do not have their own immunity, they drink it with maternal colostrum from a bottle and then from a special feeder. The first time (in the first month) the kids are fed up to 5 times a day, then transferred to three meals a day. If the kids were born at the end of winter, they are considered the most viable. By the time the first greens appear, the kids will be ready for rough food and can be released into the meadow.
From birth, the cubs must be kept in a separate stall, where the temperature should be maintained at not lower than +17 degrees, it should also be light and dry. The neighborhood of adult relatives can harm kids. When the young grows up, he becomes very active. For young goats, it is necessary to equip a safe and spacious corral where they could frolic.
The kids are not always excommunicated. In this case, the female feeds them with milk, but the milk yield is lost. But at a young age (1-1.5 months), the kids are ready to go to pasture.
The benefits of breeding Nubian goats
Nubian goats are a profitable business, albeit a troublesome one. For an elite individual, breeders ask for a lot of money, but goats respond with excellent productivity. The owner is required to provide the animals with regular care and proper nutrition. High costs are not provided, only for the purchase of thoroughbred goats. You can buy both young animals and adults.
For breeding, 4 individuals from different litters are required (so that there is no undesirable mixing). Purebred Nubians are an expensive pleasure, and such a purchase will cost an average of 1 million rubles (from 100,000 rubles for young goats and above, depending on the place of purchase). But investments can pay off in 2-3 years.
Due to the high cost and difficulties in finding thoroughbred individuals, breeding of nubia is not as popular in Russia as in Europe and America. Goats are bred in the Moscow and Tver regions and in the south of the country - in the Samara region. But the popularity of this breed does not fall, despite the high price. Due to their productivity, animals quickly recoup the costs of their acquisition.
Nubian goats are amazing animals that have collected the best qualities inherent in pets. They are appreciated for their unpretentious diet, high milk yield and excellent milk and meat. Animals are hardy (although they do not tolerate cold) and are viable. Productivity and fast weight gain are higher in nubia than in other breeds.
Posted by
0
Russia. City: Emelyanovo
Publications: 19 Comments: 0