Meat quality: Good, consistent meat quality — including its appearance, texture, juiciness, flavor and functionality — can build trust with consumers, leading to more return customers.
Feed efficiency: Maximizing feed efficiency helps producers grow and develop meat goats as quickly and cost-effectively as possible without negatively influencing their health and lifetime productivity.
Maintaining good health: Maintaining optimal animal health throughout the growing and finishing phases will help producers maximize the genetic potential of their herds.
Common challenges:
Mortality: Mortality refers to the death rate of a herd. Goats can die for a multitude of reasons depending on their age, environment, stress levels, management and more.
Coccidiosis: A common disease in small ruminants caused by an invasion of protozoa (Eimeria or Iospora) in the intestine, coccidiosis is usually identified by inflammation of the intestine, lesions, diarrhea, weight loss and/or sometimes even death.
Stress: Goats are vulnerable to multiple types of stress, which is usually triggered by changes in the diet, climate, management or transportation, among other factors. Signs of stress in meat goats typically include weight loss, decreased water intake, lethargy and more.
Tips for maximizing health and performance:
Test feed ingredients for mycotoxins. The presence of mycotoxins can reduce a goat’s feed intake and have a negative impact on their rumen efficiency. Knowing the mycotoxin concentration in each individual feed ingredient will help with diet formulation and allow you to minimize your mycotoxin challenges.
Provide proper nutrition. Rations should be balanced to meet the herd’s nutritional requirements based on any changes in the available feed ingredients.
Check your stocking rate. Proper stocking rates are essential, as they ensure that all animals have access to feed. Keeping tabs on your stocking rate also helps you avoid increased pathogen loads, which can occur with overstocked pens.
Conduct a slow transition from starter to finishing rations. This transition provides time for the rumen to adapt to higher-starch rations.
Provide appropriate supplementation. Feed research-proven products that support rumen efficiency.
What’s important for meat goats?