FEED AND FEEDING SYSTEMS OF GOATS
FEED AND FEEDING SYSTEMS OF GOATS
Goats are browsers and this ability enables them to feed on a variety of herbage. Some local browser plants are:
- Acacia spp (Msangu)
- Albizia harvey (Mpalankhanga)
- Mangifera Indica (Mango)
- Gmelina (Malayina)
- Neem
- Leaucaena
- Gliricidia
- Napier grass
- Rhodes grass
- Buricheria grass
Keep additional feed like hay, maize bran and groundnuts starvers for supplementary feeding
Importance of feed supplements
- Accelerates growth and production
- Enhances reproduction
When to preserve feed
Soon after harvest if using crop residues, if using grass, when the grass starts flowering
How to preserve feed supplements
- Dry the crop residues
- Bale them for storage under shade
- If is maize/rice bran, ensure they is well dried and keep them in sacks.
Other supplements can be made by the following mixture:
- Bran = 6.9kg
- Leauceana = 3.0kg, and
- Salt = 0.1kg.
Daily feed rations:
