Creep-feeding goats

Ada my faithful visitor yang bertanyakan mengenai creep-feeding of goats. You can actually get a few articles of this on the internet. If you browse the internet, you will discover; that some farmers suggest that creep feeding does accelerate growth in their kids, so that the kids get weaned off earlier. Other suggest that goat farmers don't practice creep-feeding at all, because of the nunmerous diseases associated with it.

But I know, you are interested to know, what I have to say about creep feeding. I for one will advocate it. Saya masih ingat, semasa saya berkerja sebagai "livestock executive" years ago in Guthrie, we creep feed our lambs, and about the only problem we get is enterotoksemia. The problems were so sporadic, that it was worthwile then to creep feed our lambs.

Apa dia creep-feeding? Ini ialah amalan memberi makanan tambahan (biasa nya pellet bermutu tinggi) kepada anak kambing yang sedang besar; pada masa yang sama ibu terhalang daripada mendapat makanan tersebut (creep-feed).

Saya percaya kita perlu amalkan creep-feeding dalam sistem ternakan kita, sekiranya kita mengharapkan berat cerai susu pada anak yang lebih tinggi; because to us that weight advantage from creep-feeding is more $$ to our goat keeping business.

Biasanya creep-feed terdiri dari forag berkualiti tinggi. Pellet yang diberi kepada kambing dewasa boleh juga di anggap sebagai makanan tambahan yang boleh di akses anak kambing yang sedang membesar.

Berapa banyak untuk di beri? Anak kambing perlukan sehingga 5% berat badan makanan dalam bentuk berat kering sehari; bermakna seekor anak yang beratnya 10 kg memerlukan sehingga 500 gram makanan dalam bentuk berat kering. Anak kambing yang sedang membesar mendapat keperluan ini dari susu ibu. Kebergantungan kepada susu ibu walaubagaimanapun ada hadnya, terutama bila kualiti dan kuantiti susu yang dihasilkan ibu juga bergantung kepada pemakanannya dan akses kepada air bersih tanpa had. Knowing this, then you want to creep feed.

So you can actually make your high quality forage available to your growing kids throughout the day. They come and eat as they wish. You can add pellets too, tetapi not exceeding 500 grams dry matter per day as this can cause complications. I suggest pellets about 300g/hd/day given twice a day (150 gram pagi dan 150 gram petang).

I don't have pictures now, but I will take some shots on my farm tomorrow, (and update this post) and show you how some of my kids that are smart enough to scavange other goats feed, or those that raid the forage bin (meaning our feed management is not so good) do in comparison to the ones that do not have excess to other food source.

I believe, if you plan and you know what you are doing the risk to goat health from creep feeding is minimised.

Saya harap yang bertanya puas hati dengan jawapan saya.