Page 96 - Agriculture_Form_Three

Agriculture for Secondary Schools

Table 4.2: Minimum floor space requirement in intensive goat and sheep housing

Floor space (square metres per animal)
Animal group
Solid floor Slatted floor Walking area
Doe/Ewe 0.8 - 1.4* 0.7 - 1.1* 2.0 - 3.0*

Kid/Lamb 0.4 - 0.5 0.3 - 0.4 -
Buck/Ram 3.0 2.5 -
* Space is variable depending on age and size of an animal.

Solid floor can be of concrete or rammed earth and it has to be provided with suitable
bedding or litter materials. Solid floor has also to be cared for like other floors with
litter you have already learnt. In slatted floor, slats shall be 7 - 10 cm wide, 2.5 to 3
cm thick and laid with 2.5 cm interspaces. Individual kidding/lambing pens can be
1.5 m depending on the size of the doe/ewe and number of kids/lambs expected. A
2
feed trough(s) should be 0.3 - 0.4 m deep front to back and has a 0.5 - 0.6 m high
front wall facing the feed passageway. In areas of high rainfall it may be desirable
to keep the animals off the ground. Therefore, stilted houses with a slatted floor that
is raised 1 - 1.5 m above the ground to facilitate cleaning and collection of dung
and urine are used. Figure 4.10 shows an example of stilted goats/sheep house with
slatted floor while Figure 4.11 shows a section of solid floor house for goats/sheep
with deep litter.

Figure 4.10: Example of stilted goats/sheep house with slatted floor
Source: https://agritech.tnau.ac.in/animal_husbandry/images/Elevated%20Platform.jpg

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