Goat’s milk is superior in calories and fat content to cow’s milk. It is rich in minerals and is often used as a complete substitute for baby food due to its similarity to human breast milk. The most famous goat representative in Russia is the Russian white goat breed.
Russian white goat breed
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Signs characteristic of the Russian goat
To breed high-quality individuals, the white breed of goats was crossed with Toggenburg goats and representatives of the Saanen breed, which have good indicators of milk production. As a result, the Russian white goat, which is well tolerated by any climatic conditions, has appeared in the European part of our country, which has its own distinctive features.
- Representatives of the Russian breed have a barrel-shaped, slightly elongated torso with a strong build and a wide chest.
- The white goat is quite short in height: males rarely reach 65 centimeters in height at the withers.
- They have a long neck and a slightly elongated head with small ears.
- A distinctive feature of the Russian white goat is a beard. If you look at the photo, you can see that in goats it is small and neat, and in goats it is quite rich and lush.
- Goat horns are similar to two sickles that look back and are slightly turned to the sides. In some regions, only polled animals can be found.
- The breed reaches a body weight of 50 to 70 kilograms, males can weigh up to 75 kilograms.
Russia has more than a million representatives of the Russian white breed of goats. They were especially fond of in the north-west and in central Russia.
Productivity of white goats
The main advantage of the Russian breed is lactation with very high rates. White goats are loved and appreciated for the fact that during the seven to nine months of milk production, farmers milk up to 600 – 700 liters of milk product. Consumers are pleased with the good results of fat content – the fat content in goat milk reaches 5,5 percent.
Whether this is a myth or true, farmers assure that the breed, with a competent approach and careful feeding, can produce up to one ton of milk.
White domestic animals are beneficial for keeping because of their fertility. They bear offspring twice, sometimes thrice a year, and give birth to 2-3 kids per lamb. The young goats gain weight well and quickly, and by the age of seven months the goats reach up to 20-25 kilograms, and the goats gain weight up to 30 kilograms.
The coat of the Russian goat is of medium length, but short-haired representatives can also be found. However, all of them do not differ in high rates of wool yield – the breed gives little fluff. On average, a maximum of 200 grams, or even less, is cut from one animal per year.
Keeping a Russian goat
Being an unpretentious animal, the white goat does not require special conditions for its maintenance in the form of large rooms or specialized pens. Among the main conditions for her living is a warm and dry room, constantly kept clean. Drafts are unacceptable for them, since when they get under the through currents of the wind, the animals begin to catch a cold, and they endure illnesses with complications.
The Russian goat is very voracious. In the summer, she receives a full set of vitamins and microelements, grazing on pastures and actively eating fresh grass. Animals are taken out for grazing after the grass dries up, so as not to harm goat hooves that are afraid of dampness. They love to spoil the trunks of fruit trees, as they like to peel off the bark. Among the delicacies, watermelon peels and apples can be noted. In winter, animals are fed with hay and straw, they eat corn cobs, grain and mixed fodder. Vegetables must be included in the diet.
In the place where the goats are kept near the feeder, you need to put a lick with salt.
goat care rules
Special care in general for the Russian goat is not required. Providing proper and nutritious nutrition to obtain the highest milk yield is the main task of those who keep a horned animal on their farm.
However, farmers advise paying close attention to the goat’s udder. To do this, before and after the milking procedure, both it and the nearest areas should be washed. Do this with disinfectant solutions. To prevent microcracks, the goat udder can be lubricated with healing ointments.
Milking should be done to the last drop to avoid stagnation of milk, which leads to various kinds of tumors and blockages of the milk ducts. Due to the risk of bacteria being present in the first milk stream, it is expressed. Milked milk is stored in closed refrigerators.
You can milk a Russian goat up to five times a day, and the amount of milk received depends not only on nutrition, but also on the age of the animal. Milking usually takes place in a designated area.
The breed gives the greatest amount of milk after lambing. The offspring is placed within sight of the mother in a separate stall. Together with breastfeeding, young animals are given antibiotics so that the young organism is not damaged by bacteria.
Breeders are still working on indicators of the productivity of the Russian goat and its resistance to disease. The average price of a kid is about 10 rubles.
