Oftentimes, the perfect mix of hard work, intuition and a healthy dose of good luck are what bring about a recipe for success in life. It’s a delicate balance that is buttressed on the very real need for experience and passion, and many a farmer will tell you that this formula is indeed equally applicable to the world of livestock farming. A genuine, fervent passion for what you are doing and a desire to see true returns are an absolute imperative.
Fortunately, farming in Botswana is not simply a matter of livelihood but of incredible desire – with agriculture (livestock and crop farming) accounting for over 3% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This figure does not, of course, account for the number of “weekend farmers” and families who do not farm for commercial purpose, and rather enjoying time at the “moraka” as their own. There is a lot that we can learn from farming goats successfully in Botswana, with a number of veterans and legends in country to aspire to as well. Here, we delve into the local small stock farming community’s view on key tips and lessons to have to of mind.
Breeding and Doe (female) Maternity Care
Knowing when to ensure your goats are breeding is important; the timing is essential. To ensure that your doe becomes pregnant, let the buck mate her two or three times per session. If she does not come back into heat, you can presume the mating was successful. The heat cycle lasts from a few hours to a few days, and the doe normally goes onto heat every 18-21 days. One way to tell if a doe is in heat is vigorous tail-wagging, and the fact that she may make more noise than usual — from short bleats to longer calls. If a doe in heat can see the bucks, she will parade back and forth in his view and rub on the fence more than usual. These are just some of the signs that a doe is in heat. Make sure to capitalise on this time.
If does get enough food, they can breed as early as six months of age. However, you should not let them mate this young, as it can slow their growth and they might have trouble breeding again. Mate them only when they have reached two-thirds of the average body weight of the adult doe (ewe) in the herd. This is normally around 45-50kg. It is advisable to put the buck to the does (ewes) for 42+ days. The doe (ewe) comes into heat every 18-21 days, so 42+ days will give each doe (ewe) two chances to conceive. Ensure that you do not leave the buck with the does for much longer than this as he will become exhausted and unproductive. Also, try to plan for your kids not to be born in the middle of winter. The biting cold, if not catered for, comes with serious challenges and may drastically increase mortality rates.
Take extremely good care of your pregnant does. Good care of the kids actually starts before they are born! In other words, you need to look after their mother (the doe is the ‘factory’ that produces for you – and you need to look after her very well). So, let’s start with her. Take note that correct feeding and nutritional regimens for your females during late pregnancy are vitally important as your doe must gain 7 – 9kg during the last six weeks of pregnancy. If they don’t eat properly at this stage, the kids will be born small and weak, and the does will not have enough milk for them. This in turns negatively impacts on mortality.
During “rut” – when the buck is ready to mate – he will think of nothing else but this. A buck in rut urinates into his mouth, as well as onto his chest, face, and beard. The resultant smell attracts does and brings them into heat. In addition, bucks blubber, grunt, and snort, and have the ability to mate up to 20 times per day. Though they can mate all year round, it is best to work with specific breeding seasons, with a clear management cycle to plan for weaning, vaccinating, de-worming, feed management and availability of goats to market and sell in larger lots.
Plan your production breeding season well and take advantage of the market demands and increases in the price of slaughter animals due to seasonal fluctuations such as religious festivals, holiday periods and seasons of the year. For example, Christmas, ‘’Boipuso’’ and the Islamic “Qurbani.” Demand for goat meat is higher at such times, so ensure that you plan to have stock to sell for these periods and market your animals.
Deworming during pregnancy in does/ewes benefits even the yet to be born kids/lambs. This reduces environmental contamination with worm eggs, which in turn benefits the young ones from being over burdened with worm infestation in the early stages of life. It has been proven that pregnant females shed a lot of worm eggs from 2-3 weeks prior to giving birth and this extends to a few weeks after delivery. Deworming just before this period does help to reduce worm eggs shedding during this period.
Top tips from others:
- “The success of any reproduction and production system starts six weeks prior to lambing (kidding), during which 72% of foetus growth, udder tissue development and primary wool follicle (for sheep) takes place until birth.” – Giepie Calldo, Technical Manager of CMW in South Africa
Grazing and Vegetation
Goats are ruminant animals, meaning they have a multi-chambered stomach. They are born “browsers” and actually prefer feeding on leaves, weeds, briars, shrubs and other plants to grazing only on grasses. Typically, goats that browse have less problems with internal parasites. However, most goats will need nutritional supplements in addition to forage, including lucern, pasture, lab lab, hay and / or concentrates. This is important for young kids, who do not get enough sustenance on their own. Ensuring your goats are well fed is paramount, as poor nutrition can affect everything from growth to how shiny their coat is. Goats may also be fed grain (to be introduced slowly), and many breeders often use DCP licks and / or lick blocks (phosphate blocks & mineral blocks) to supplement goats as well. This practice is encouraged. Creep feeding your kids is also very advantageous.
Nutritional requirements of goats can vary depending on life stage, activity level, pregnancy, lactation and breed. Increased production demands will also cause an increase in nutritional demands. Generally, goats will eat 3-4% of their body weight in feed. Of this, at least 1% should be good quality roughage.
Meat production goats have different nutritional needs than milk production goats, so bear this in mind. Beyond this, care should be taken to avoid feeding goats too much. Obese animals have lower reproduction rates and are more subject to arthritis.
Breeders in the country need to understand that Botswana is a semi-desert, with large parts of the country having very sandy soils. The soils are very low in minerals and, as a result, the grass has reduced levels of phosphate. In the desert (primarily the Kweneng, Kalahari and Ghanzi districts), the grass also has a very short growing season. Green grass is only available for a limited period as rain in the country is very unpredictable. Green grass and shrubs offer energy, proteins, vitamin A and phosphate to the animal. Taking these factors into consideration, supplementing your goats with additional phosphate, along with additional vitamins and minerals is a good idea.Phosphate is important for healthy and strong bones in the animal. It is ensures greater energy, general health and a strong nervous system. Phosphate supplements are, in fact, especially important for your pregnant does towards the latter part of their pregnancy. A shortage of phosphate can have a disastrous effect on the fertility and growth of an animal.
Top tips from others:
- “Feeding is half of your breeding.” – SethulaSethula, Bushra Stud
