Content
In Russia, goats have been bred for a long time. And not only in villages, but also in small towns. These unpretentious animals were provided with milk, meat, down, skins. Goats were especially prized for their delicious nutritious hypoallergenic milk. This product is similar in properties to human milk. How many kids grew up strong and healthy on it! Goat milk is also useful for elderly people. Remember Robinson Crusoe: it was the goats of an unknown breed that helped him survive in a difficult situation.
Unfortunately, ordinary Russian families did not dream of pedigree goats. And the local animals were not highly productive. Today, in many farmsteads, the Gorky breed of goats is increasingly finding a permanent place of residence. It meets the requirements of goat breeders who want to get as much goat milk as possible. It disperses quickly, because it is better in quality than cow.
History of the breed
At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, a new breed was developed. We crossed local goats (Russian goats) with Swiss (Saanen breed). The Swiss were brought to the Nizhny Novgorod (later Gorky Region) province. The blood of foreigners had a beneficial effect on new generations, a new breed of goats appeared, which was named Gorkovskaya.
By the middle of the 20th century, the quality and productivity of goats were improved by selection. Gorky goats are dairy breeds.
Description
Animals are mobile. They react to the slightest changes in the environment. There are some common interesting features as well.
Gorky goats are sociable, there are practically no fights between them. There is a special attitude towards the person who cares for them - they are mistaken for a leader and follow him without hesitation.
When buying a goat of Gorky selection, you need to take into account the description of the breed (see photo):
- The coat of animals is smooth, not too long, pure white, although small gray tan marks are allowed. Pure gray goats are rare.
- Gorky goat with a thin and light head, thin and transparent ears, with a high neck. Most often goats are hornless, goats are horned.
- The Gorky breeders managed to achieve a special constitution: in a thoroughbred goat it is strong, at the withers up to 62 cm, in the rump up to 67.
- The chest should be wide and deep in girth up to 77 cm, and the back should be straight.
- The hooves are small and neat. Legs are thin but strong
- The large belly should not sag.
- The Gorky breed is distinguished by its voluminous well-developed udder. The hair is small and soft. The milk veins must pass to the belly, forming the so-called milk wells.
Productivity
Goats of this breed are very fertile. The birth of one goat in the breed is a rare occurrence. Most often, 2 or 3 kids are born. There are also champions who, after lambing, gave the owners four or even five adorable kids. According to statistics, hundreds of Gorky goats have more than 210 babies, as cheerful and mobile as in the photo.
Lactation usually lasts 10 months.From one individual, you can get up to half a ton of tasty and healthy milk with a fat content of 4.5 to 5.2%. Cheese, feta cheese, butter and other dairy delights are made from it.
Some goats with increased productivity give up to 1 ton. The only drawback of the Gorky breed is that six months after the birth of the kids, the amount of tasty products decreases.
Goat meat is no less tasty. The live weight of a goat with good care is from 43 to 50 kg, the goat weighs more - up to 65 kg. Among the Gorky goats there are also champions - up to 75 kilograms.
But the Gorky goats cannot boast of rest. The coat is of medium length, and the underflux is insignificant, it is less than 10%. But goat skins are in the price: fur coats are sewn from them. Crafted goats are used to make high-quality leather shoes, exquisite bindings for expensive books and other masterpieces.
Features of home care
The Gorky goat is an unpretentious animal. It perfectly adapts to the harsh Russian climate: it tolerates frost, heat, snow and rain. Today it has firmly occupied the farmsteads of many districts of the Nizhny Novgorod (formerly Gorky) region. Ivanovskaya, Vladimirskaya oblasts, the Middle Volga region, Chuvashia, Tatarstan are also not lagging behind, goats are also held in high esteem here.
Feeding
In the summer, goats of the Gorky breed are transferred to pasture. Even a small herbage is available for food. Any weeds, nettles are used. When breeding these domestic animals, it must be remembered that staying in one place of pasture is unacceptable for them by nature.
In winter, it is necessary to give hay, brooms of deciduous and coniferous trees. Juicy food is well eaten by goats, so you need to grow potatoes, carrots, beets, pumpkins and other vegetables. Goats do not disdain flour mash, to which you can add food waste from the table. Animals should have clean water at any time of the year. In winter, you cannot drink cold water; it needs to be slightly warmed up.
Room arrangement
In winter, animals are herded into a room called a goat's rue. Shelves with bridges are sure to be arranged in it. Since the wild ancestors of all goats are mountain climbers, it is necessary to arrange elevations in the courtyard so that the Gorky goats can train.
No ovens are required in the goat's house, the animals will warm the room with their breath. But drafts are unacceptable: the descendants of the Annensky breed get sick. You need to monitor the humidity of the air and its purity. The goat's rue needs to be ventilated daily in winter.
Video about the features of winter care:
Hygiene
The pen and goat's house must be clean and dry. Look at the photo: straw bedding is an excellent option for a goat from the Gorky selection. Otherwise, dirt and dampness will adversely affect the coat. Lice and bugs can settle in dirty fur. Even if there are no pests, the processing of animals of the Gorky selection is carried out for preventive purposes with special preparations.
Goat pests are found not only on the skin, but also inside the body - these are helminths. The animals are soldered with drugs recommended by the veterinarian.
Conclusion
Today more and more villagers prefer to breed goats of the Gorky breed. With proper care, pet owners provide themselves and their families with tender meat and nutritious milk.They can replenish the herd in time, getting strong and healthy kids at minimal cost. And how much pleasure the little Gorky kids give children: they arrange real circus performances!
