Goat production guide Part 3: Keep your goats and your budget healthy B
uying good quality feed is a lot cheaper than buying good medicine. The first line of defence against disease is the quality and quantity of feed that the animals are given. Good feed ensures that the animal remains in a good condition and strong enough to combat infections and illness. But what makes a good quality feed? Obviously, the farmer needs to ensure that the feed contains enough proteins and other nutrients, but the feed also needs to be consistent. This is often neglected. Sudden changes in the composition of the goat’s diet can lead to diarrhoea, which can lead to other diseases in the flock. Goats can be kept healthy by: • Ensuring that they have access to enough feed of the correct quality. • Ensuring they have access to clean water. • Following a vaccination programme against common diseases. • Keeping internal and external parasites under control.
Providing the goats with sufficient feed is vital to keep them healthy. Goats do not always get all the required nutrients from foraging in the field and should receive an additional high protein feed to supplement their diet. 4
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