Page 241 - Agriculture_Form_Three

Agriculture for Secondary Schools

(c) Keep the goats in a ratio of 30 - 40 females (does) to one breeding male goat
(buck) during the mating period.

Management of pregnant doe at kidding

After a successful mating, the pregnancy (gestation period) in goats lasts about
147 - 153 days (about 5 months) when it is expected to kid. The pregnant doe can
be maintained on good pastures until 2 months before kidding. Close to kidding,
they should be provided with 500g of concentrates daily. If the doe was lactating,
it should be dried off. This starts by reducing the number of milking periods from
two to one per day. Goats in a shed should be kept in a kidding pen few days before
kidding. The kidding pen should be well prepared in advance. Immediately after the
kid is born, remove the water bag and any mucus on the mouth and nostrils of the
kid to facilitate breathing. The placenta is expected to fall out within 5 - 10 hours. If
not so, consult your veterinarian to assist. Once the placenta is out, remove it from
the pen and dispose it properly. Provide plenty of clean water to the doe and make
sure that the kid obtains sufficient colostrum. Treat the navel cord with a tincture of
iodine or antibiotic spray.
Kid rearing

After kidding, allow the kid to suckle colostrum for 4 days. The kid can then be
separated from the doe after this period. Feeding milk using bottle is one of the
artificial methods used for feeding kids but the common method is natural suckling
where one teat is left for the kid to suckle directly from the udder. If the mother
dies immediately after kidding, you should feed the kid with colostrum from
another mother which kidded on the same day or few days before. Otherwise, as an
alternative, you feed the artificial colostrum.

Other managerial practices include identification using numbers or marks, castration
for unwanted male disbudding and dehorning.
Record keeping

Records that are normally kept are similar to those of dairy farming in the previous
section. These will include feeding, breeding, production and financial records.
Activity 10.5
Perform the following task:
1. Visit a nearby dairy goat farm or school farm and observe managerial practises
for dairy goat with respect to breeding and rearing of different classes kept.

2. Prepare a report and present it in class.
3. Write a summary of what you have learnt from this section in your portfolio.

Student’s Book Form Three
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