Mada za sehemu hiiDevelop an understanding of some advanced principles and practices of agricultureMada 2
- Describe basic principles and some advanced practices for production of selected crops (cotton, oil palm, sisal, coconut and grape)
- Describe basic principles and some advanced practices for production of goat and sheep
Goat and Sheep Production: Principles and Practices
Goat and sheep production are important branches of livestock farming in Tanzania, providing meat (chevon and mutton), milk, fibre, skins, and manure. Successful production requires understanding the basic principles of breed selection, housing, feeding, health management, and breeding, as well as advanced practices that improve productivity and profitability. This note describes these principles and practices for both goats and sheep, focusing on meat, dairy, and mohair production.
The system chosen depends on available land, labour, feed resources, and production objectives.
Extensive System
Animals graze freely on natural rangelands and walk long distances searching for forage. This system has low costs because no housing or purchased feed is required, but it offers limited control over breeding, health, and feeding. It is common in pastoral areas and suitable for meat production.
Semi-Intensive System
Animals graze outside for part of the day and receive supplementary feed (cut-and-carry fodder or concentrates) when returned to shelters. This system provides better nutrition and milk production than extensive farming while requiring moderate investment. It suits dairy goats and meat sheep near peri-urban areas.
Intensive System (Zero-Grazing)
Animals are kept indoors full-time, and all feed is brought to them. This system offers excellent control over feeding, breeding, and health, with higher productivity per animal. However, it requires high investment in housing and feed. It is common for dairy goats in urban and peri-urban farms.
Tethering
A simple practice where an animal is tied with a rope and allowed to graze within a small radius. It is cheap and common in rural households but not recommended for commercial farming due to limited feed access and poor record-keeping.
Meat Goat Breeds
- Small East African goat: The most common local breed in Tanzania; small, adaptable, disease-tolerant, and popular in rural markets.
- Boer goat: Originally from South Africa; large, fast-growing, produces high-quality carcasses but requires good feeding.
- Galla goat: Large white breed from Kenya; good carcass yield, adapts well to drylands.
- Kalahari Red: Red-brown, hardy, tolerant to heat and drought, suitable for semi-arid areas.
Dairy Goat Breeds
- Saanen: High-yielding, calm, does well with shade and good feed.
- Toggenburg: Good yield, suits cooler highlands.
- Anglo-Nubian: Rich milk with higher butterfat, heat tolerant.
- Alpine: Good yields with adaptability in mixed systems.
Sheep Breeds for Mutton
- Red Maasai: Hardy, drought-tolerant, resists internal worms, suited for arid zones.
- Dorper: Fast-growing, high carcass yield and quality, adapts to many areas.
- Blackhead Persian: Fat-tailed, grows well in dry lands, has niche market demand.
Selection criteria: Choose breeds based on climate, feed availability, disease risk, market demand, and production objectives. Crossbreeding exotic breeds with local breeds combines fast growth with adaptability.
Good housing protects animals from weather, predators, and disease, while improving hygiene and productivity.
Key Housing Principles
- Raised slatted floors improve drainage and airflow, reducing pneumonia and foot rot.
- Open sides allow adequate ventilation, essential in humid climates.
- Strong roof protects from rain and intense heat.
- Site selection: Higher ground with drainage channels; east-west roof orientation minimizes midday heat.
- Space requirements (meat goats): Kids (0.5 m²), growers (0.75-1.0 m²), does (1.0-1.2 m²), bucks (1.5-2.0 m²).
- Trough length: 30-35 cm per adult goat or sheep.
Dairy Goat Housing
Requires a dedicated milking area with cleanable surfaces, a milking stand with neck yoke and feed tray, non-slip floors, hand-washing facilities, and a drain channel sloping to a soak pit.
Feeding must meet requirements for growth, maintenance, reproduction, and production (milk, meat).
Feed Types
- Browse, pasture, and crop residues: Form the base of the diet.
- Concentrates: Maize bran, sunflower cake, rice polishings, provide energy and protein.
- Conserved fodder: Hay or silage for dry seasons.
- Minerals and clean water: Essential at all times.
Feeding by Stage (Goats)
- Kids: Colostrum within 6 hours of birth; creep feed from 2-3 weeks; weaning at 12-16 weeks.
- Does (late pregnancy): Increased energy and minerals; 0.3-0.6 kg concentrate daily.
- Does (early lactation): Best forage + 1.0-1.5 kg concentrate (about 0.3 kg per litre of milk).
- Bucks: Maintenance rations outside breeding season; extra energy and protein during mating.
Feeding Sheep
- Lambs: Colostrum within 6 hours; creep feed from 2 weeks; weaning at 3-4 months.
- Ewes: Increased feed 6 weeks before lambing and 8 weeks after lambing for milk production.
- Rams: Flushing (extra energy and protein) 4 weeks before mating.
Dry Season Strategies
Plant fodder banks (e.g., Leucaena, Calliandra), conserve hay during rainy season, and use crop residues (maize stover, bean haulms) with mineral supplements.
Breeding Objectives
- Fast growth and early maturity
- High prolificacy (twins or triplets)
- Short kidding/lambing intervals (three kiddings in two years for goats)
- Good mothering ability
Mating Systems
- Flock mating: One buck/ram with a group of does/ewes; simple but less precise. A healthy buck serves 20-25 does; a ram serves about 25 ewes.
- Hand mating: Doe/ewe is presented to the male only during heat; allows exact record-keeping.
Heat Detection
Does and ewes in heat show restlessness, seek the buck/ram, and have a reddened vulva with clear discharge. The oestrus cycle averages 21 days; gestation is about 150 days for goats and 147 days for sheep.
Kidding/Lambing Management
- Prepare clean, dry pens before birth.
- Assist only when necessary using hygienic practices.
- Ensure colostrum is consumed within 6-24 hours for immunity.
- Dip navels in iodine to prevent infection.
Signs of Good Health
Bright eyes, smooth coat, steady appetite, firm droppings, good mobility, and alert behaviour.
Signs of Poor Health
Dullness, rough coat, diarrhoea, coughing, nasal discharge, limping, rapid breathing, poor appetite, weight loss, pale eyelids, and bottle jaw (indicating heavy worm burden).
Common Diseases and Parasites
- Internal parasites: Haemonchus contortus causes blood loss, pale eyelids, bottle jaw.
- Coccidiosis: Affects kids in dirty pens, causes severe diarrhoea.
- External parasites: Ticks and mites cause skin irritation and transmit diseases.
- PPR (Peste des Petits Ruminants): Causes fever, mouth sores, diarrhoea, high mortality.
- Foot rot: Wet, dirty yards cause lameness.
Prevention and Control
- Housing and hygiene: Keep pens dry, clean bedding, disinfect regularly.
- Biosecurity: Quarantine new animals, isolate sick ones.
- Parasite control: Strategic deworming (every 6-8 weeks in wet season, 10-12 weeks in dry season); tick control through spraying every 2-4 weeks.
- Vaccination: PPR, CCPP, and clostridial diseases according to local schedules.
- Nutrition: Balanced diets with minerals strengthen immunity.
Goat Products
- Chevon (goat meat): Primary product for meat goats.
- Milk: Main product for dairy goats; can be processed into yogurt and cheese.
- Mohair: Fibre from Angora goats used in textiles.
- Skins: Processed into leather goods.
- Manure: Improves crop soil fertility.
Sheep Products
- Mutton: Primary product.
- Skins: Tanned into leather for shoes, belts, bags.
- Wool: From wool breeds (less common in Tanzania).
- Manure: Organic fertilizer.
Value Addition Practices
- Finishing: Short period of quality feeding before sale to improve carcass condition.
- Proper slaughtering: Calm handling, fasting 8-12 hours, humane methods, hygienic dressing.
- Skin curing: Wash, dry-salt immediately after slaughter, dry in shade.
- Processing: Minced meat, sausages, dairy products from goat milk.
A farmer in Dodoma wants to start a meat goat project with 10 does and 1 buck.
Step 1: Set objectives
- Produce chevon for local markets
- Sell breeding stock
- Target: 20 kids per year (2 kiddings per doe annually)
Step 2: Choose breed
- Cross Small East African (local adaptability) with Boer (fast growth)
Step 3: Housing
- Semi-intensive system with raised slatted floor house
- Space: 10 does × 1.2 m² = 12 m²; 1 buck × 2.0 m² = 2 m²; plus kids' area
Step 4: Feeding plan
- Grazing during day + cut-and-carry Brachiaria
- Concentrate: 0.3 kg per doe per day in late pregnancy
- Dry season: Use conserved hay and crop residues
Step 5: Health calendar
- Vaccination: PPR and clostridial diseases
- Deworming: Every 8 weeks
- Tick control: Spray every 3 weeks in rainy season
Step 6: Budget (simplified)
- Housing construction: TZS 500,000
- 10 does + 1 buck: TZS 1,500,000
- Feed (yearly): TZS 300,000
- Health inputs: TZS 200,000
- Total start-up: TZS 2,500,000
Expected revenue: 20 kids × TZS 150,000 = TZS 3,000,000 (after 12 months)
A Form 6 student in Tanzania can apply these principles by helping their family or a youth group plan a small goat or sheep project. For example, if a student assists a village cooperative in Mbeya to start a dairy goat enterprise, they would use breed selection (choosing Saanen crossbreds for higher milk yield), semi-intensive housing with a milking area, and stage-based feeding to increase milk production. With 5 dairy does producing 2 litres daily at TZS 2,000 per litre, the group could earn TZS 60,000 monthly during peak lactation, helping cover school fees and improving household income while applying practical agriculture skills.
Swali
Which goat production system involves goats grazing outside for part of the day and receiving extra feed when they return to the shed?
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