By Rosemary Tukundane
Keeping goats in Uganda is one of the most income generating farming practices for the both the government and farmers.
There is high demand for goats needed to be exported to foreign countries for slaughter but the number is still lacking because most goat farmers don’t know how to look after and manage baby goats for successful farms.
Grace Bwogi a prominent and successful goat farmer and a managing director of Bwogi farms is here to advise on how farmers are should take keen managements to baby goats.
‘’Baby goats make the expansion of one’s farm but if a mother goat delivers triplets and you lose two, this is not farming and mismanagement’’, Bwogi said
Feeding baby goats on milk replacer
Milk replacers are substitutes for milk that provide a convenient way to feed. Pre-ruminant stock. They are generally made up of ingredients such as skim milk powder, vegetable.
Types of kid goats that need milk replacers
- Kids born underweight, weak and small with 3kgs and below need milk replacers that contain most food proteins, vitamins that help a baby gain great weight.
- Kids born triplets [ 3 babies], a farmer should take away the weakest and start feeding it on milk.
- Mother goats that have no tip [ breast milk], feed the baby on milk replacer or fostering, taking a kid to the mother goat with breast milk for feeding but fostering needs commitment from a farmer and his workers.
When are the baby goats ready for grazing and castration?
- 4- 6 weeks is the right time kid goats are ready for grazing, before this period, it’s too early for a baby to be left alone to start eating foreign feed.
- 5-6 months a male baby goat is ready for castration, taking out a goat for grazing and castration at the same period creates stress for the goat.
don’t confine many kids I one area, this leads to injuries and death.
Healthy care for kids
- Look out for diarrhea, change and clean the basin where the babies drink from [ milk replacers] to control diarrhea and deaths on your goat farm.
- Clean the milk basin whenever you serve the goats milk replacer to keep the basins and kids clean.
- Avoid over feeding kids with milk as this results in scours
- Ensure that the kids are housed to protect them from being eaten by dangerous animals and harsh climate conditions.
Weaning
When should a kid be weaned?
Separation of kids from their mothers at 4-6 months. This is when a kid is exposed to the outside life of grazing and stopped from breast feeding its mother.
Vaccination of kids
Key vaccines for goats
Bwogi urged goat farmers to vaccinate their goats and stop being mean at buying vaccines to control diseases and deaths for big money.
- Clostridial, give to a pregnant mother and kid at three weeks.
- PPR vaccines, PPR is an air born disease that can easily be transmitted from one farm or district to another. This is attacks and kills most herd when it attacks your farm.
A goat affected by PPR has a lot of mucus and constant diarrhea
- orf, this affects the mouth and slot of a baby goat and it can’t swallow food due too much pain and ends up dying.
- Brucellosis, this attack both animals and humans but an animal is vaccinated once in its life time.
This package of vaccine gives immunity to the goats for a full a year.
Deworm and vaccinate al animals on your farm without leaving even a dog aside because animals or even poultry birds can easily transmit worms to your goats.
How to control and manage diarrhea o your farm
- Anti-biotics are needed when diarrhea attacks your farm.
- Keep the goat house clean
- Give the goat clean and enough water for drinking
- Put the goat animal under observation for treatment and recovery.
