Cameroon goats are known in all countries of the world, they are as popular as dwarf ponies, pigs and other smaller copies of animals. Goats are bred for milk and meat, caring for the Cameroon breed is not complicated, but it takes a lot of time.
Cameroon goat
Cameroonian goats do not need a lot of food
Cameroon goats have strong immunity
History of the origin of Cameroonian goats
The Cameroon goat is considered one of the first domesticated breeds. Even 10 thousand years ago, the inhabitants of the Middle East were able to tame these animals. Great interest in miniature goats arose during the mass killing of whales.
Cameroonians perfectly tolerate a long stay on the ship, and they also do not need a lot of food. Whalers often used them as a source of milk from goats, and later on for meat.
Goats came to Europe in the 19th century, and to the regions of North America in the middle of the 20th century. The animals are bred in the tropics. The miniature goat is considered one of the most popular pets of rainforest farmers.
To date, the prevalence of such goats is from Sudan to Zaire. On the southern continent, farmers create small goat ranches, as the profitability of small animals is much higher than other large animals.
In the Middle East, they are also popular with tigers. It is very surprising, but predators do not eat goats, they drink their milk and let go.
As for the territory of the Russian Federation, miniature goats appeared only at the end of the 20th century, spread in the Novosibirsk, Moscow and Kaliningrad regions.
Description of the breed
The main feature of Cameroon goats is their miniature appearance, which is why they are called dwarf goats, pygmies or mini goats. In height, the animal reaches 0.5 m, in length - 0.7 m. The weight of the male varies from 16 to 24 kg, and the female - from 9 to 16 kg.
Appearance and color
The main characteristic features of Cameroon goats:
- the body is barrel-shaped, earthy and small;
- miniature head, compact;
- not long but strong legs;
- small beard;
- small curved horns back;
- upturned tail.
The colors of Cameroon goats are varied, they cover a wide palette of shades: from black to light. Marks, stripes are allowed on the color. The coat has a dense undercoat. Such a structure allows Cameroonian goats to withstand the cold climate of our country.
Character
As for behavior, dwarf goats are not particularly different from their counterparts. They are very active and stubborn. If the Cameroonian individual has decided that she needs to “go there”, then she will go “there” by any available and inaccessible means. She will wait for the moment when it will be possible to seep into the desired place.
Some reviews of Cameroonians note their evil nature. But in fact this is not so, anger is not inherent in these animals. The fight with the owner does not come from anger of disposition, it is due to the fact that the animal seeks to occupy its own niche in the hierarchy of the herd.
Excellent appearance, small size do not allow the owner to notice in time the moment when the male begins to go beyond the permissible limits. As a result, the goat thinks that he is the main one and is trying to put the owner "in place".
To remove an animal from the post of leader, the owner of Cameroon goats will have to struggle with him for a long time and painfully, and therefore it seems that their temper is evil. It is better to notice this zeal for "power" in animals at the beginning, then it will be possible to do with fewer conflicts with Cameroonians.
Females are very attached to the owner, they love kindness and affection. Too quickly and easily get used to the owner, do not like to be alone. The main thing is that the owner does not offend them.
In case of bad behavior, you can calm the goats by spraying with a spray bottle.
Productive characteristics
Despite the diminutive size of the Cameroon goats, they are very productive. Even 1-2 individuals can provide the whole family with dairy products. As for costs, the Cameroonian individual is much more profitable than its usual counterparts.
The average milk productivity is 2-2.5 liters per day. The product is fatty and tasty, sometimes the fat content reaches 6%. With quality care for animals, it does not have a specific smell.
In the composition of milk, the amount of iron, potassium and phosphorus is several times higher than that of ordinary goats. Everyone who has decided to start a Cameroon because of meat will also be happy, because this product is considered dietary, and tastes like rabbit meat.
The life expectancy of Cameroonian goats is about 20 years.
Advantages and disadvantages
Despite their amazing appearance and excellent productive qualities, cameroons have both pros and cons, and they should be considered when breeding these animals.
Advantages of the Cameroonian breed:
- small size;
- undemanding nutrition and care;
- resistance to climatic changes and different temperatures;
- low costs for keeping goats;
- good fertility;
- strong immunity;
- amenable to training and learning;
- good disposition, with the right upbringing;
- thanks to bent horns and friendliness, goats do no harm to children.
Disadvantages of the breed:
- get sick in wet and humid climates;
- too stubborn and butt during stress or fear;
- they don’t like loneliness, if they leave it alone for a long time, then the animal begins to be angry at the owner, and its behavior changes.
Features of the content
Miniature goats of this breed perfectly adapt to various conditions of keeping, they can easily tolerate heat and sub-zero temperatures. They can be outdoors for a long time, the only thing that negatively affects them is drafts and dampness.
Room requirements
The goat shed should be light, clean and spacious. It is better to sheathe the walls with mineral wool to keep it warm in winter. Heating devices are not installed in such sheds; often individuals cope with heating themselves.
Make separate stalls with beds for each goat indoors, the area of one is not less than 0.8-1.3 square meters. m. Despite their miniature size, individuals still need a large walking area - for 1 goat about 6 square meters. m.
Care for young animals: keeping and feeding
After the birth of a new offspring, it is immediately taken from the mother, and fed with colostrum. At 1 month after birth, the kids are fed this way:
- Diet - 4-5 times a day, from 6.00 to 21.00.
- At the age of 10 days, babies are given hay in small quantities, it must be of high quality.
- Add 5 g of table salt to your food daily to prevent babies from developing white muscle disease.
- At 3 weeks of age, add cereal mixes to food. The best options are cake, bran and oats. Mix them with 10 g of chalk.
- Offer fresh boiled oatmeal and chopped root vegetables at 3 weeks of age.
Kids and adults of this breed do not feel the measure of food, so the farmer must constantly monitor the amount of food. With obesity, goats will not want to mate, and females will begin to give birth to weak offspring.
Feeding
All reviews of farmers claim that individuals of this breed are not whimsical in food. Simple goats can snort with displeasure at the sight of food, and these small animals even get by with pasture. Goats climb trees and other hills very well, so they find food on the tops of small trees.
To provide Cameroon goats, feed is needed 5-7 times less than for its ordinary counterparts. Animals eat: cabbage, hay, greens.
Feeding rates
Milk from Cameroonian goats is characterized by high fat content, therefore, it is necessary to monitor the feed so that the product is nutritious. One of the main components of the diet of animals is protein.
To improve the work of housing and communal services, you should adhere to a certain scheme: roughage - 20-40%, concentrated - 40-50%, the rest is greens. It is better to give protein in granular mixtures.
Consider the nutritional norm for a 25 kg male: fresh grass (3 kg), withered grass (0.5 kg), concentrates (0.25 kg). Cameroonians can make do with the grass growing under their feet.
Goat running
Running a goat is the preparatory phase of the female for childbirth, she is fed with special products so that she can bear and give birth to healthy offspring. They begin to carry out this process about 1.5 months before the goat.
First, add protein to your diet. The food scheme is as follows: footsteps food in any quantity, sainfoin herb (0.5 kg), a mixture of oatmeal (0.5 kg), concentrates (0.2 kg).
The second variant of the feeding scheme: the forage at the bottom in any quantity, alfalfa hay (0.5 kg), oats + peas (0.5 kg), concentrates (0.1 kg).
It is important to combine feeding with watering: give juicy foods before drinking, concentrated ones after. Cameroonians are characterized by an active metabolism, so they need supplementary feed much more than simple goats.
Walked in the pasture
On pastures, animals eat a huge amount of grass: goats 2.3-2.6 kg, goats - 2.6-3 kg, goats - 0.6-1 kg. In case of malnutrition, animals begin to become active and harmful, they eat inappropriate "products", such as bags or films. Cameroon individuals perfectly absorb fiber.
What and how often do goats get sick?
Among all breeds of goats, Cameroon have a strong immune system. Individuals quickly get used to different climatic conditions, but they cannot stand one thing - high humidity and freezing temperatures. Drafts are not the goats' best friend, so close all the cracks in the room and avoid even the slightest breeze. Better install ventilation.
Cameroon goats are not afraid of infectious diseases. They do not suffer from brucellosis, hoof infections, pseudotuberculosis, nor are they afraid of various blood-sucking insects. In addition, Cameroonian goats got along well with Tsetse flies in their homeland.
The only drawback regarding health is the regular allergy to some plants, so when changing grass-based feeds, watch for the reaction of the animals.
Breeding Cameroonian breed
Puberty in goats occurs at the age of 7 months, so at this age it can already happen to produce offspring. The offspring of the goat are hatched for about 5 months, for 1 lamb it brings 1-2 kids. But surprisingly, in 1 season, offspring can be brought 2 times.
Features and types of insemination of Cameroonians
Experienced farmers advise against the occurrence of individuals too early; it is better to wait until the animals are 1 year old. Childbirth at an early age negatively affects the development of the female, so refuse unforeseen situations.
Mating options:
- Artificial insemination. All questions and processes for the fertilization of the female are provided to the veterinarian. He will correctly conduct the insemination procedure, and will retain all pedigree characteristics. Moreover, this action can be performed several times.
- Hand mate. The owner of the Cameroon family independently selects the individuals that will have to mate. To do this, prepare a small paddock, where the goat does not have to “take care” and “catch up” of the goat for a long time.
- Free insemination. Animals themselves sort out to whom and with whom to mate. In this case, the main thing is that all individuals be of the same breed, otherwise an unnecessary mixing of different bloods will occur.
The best option for Cameroon goats is manual mating. In this case, the owner himself will regulate the time of birth of the babies, their number, etc.
It is better that the kids are born in the spring. It is necessary to carefully select "parents", monitor their fatness and health.
Pregnancy and lambing features
Officially, the period of pregnancy in Cameroon is 5 months, but in fact this is not so. Often, individuals give birth on days 140-150. It is necessary to prepare for this process in advance: heat water, take scissors, rags. But more often goats cope without the help of the owner. Dwarf animals give birth without much difficulty: first the first kid appears with its legs forward, the rest in the reverse order.
The offspring gets on its feet as soon as it dries completely, after 4 hours they confidently run around the corral. 2 hours after birth, the kids should be drunk with maternal colostrum to protect them from infections.
Feeding: every 4 hours. The presence of salt in food will help prevent white muscle disease. From the 3rd week, add root vegetables and fruits to the food, just do not forget to chop all the food.
Breed value
Today, cheese making is one of the leading areas in cooking. Despite the high fat content of milk, it does not have a specific smell, so the product can be used for making cheeses. In the refrigerator, milk remains in good condition for a couple of weeks.
In addition to good fat content, the product contains a huge amount of beneficial trace elements such as calcium, potassium and phosphorus.
The meat of animals has excellent taste and quality, has no aftertaste, contains a small amount of fat, and therefore is considered dietary. But only for the sake of meat, Cameroon girls are very rarely bred.
The cost of cameroon is high, for example, an individual at the age of 4 months costs about 9,500 rubles, a pregnant goat - 12,000 rubles. And these are the lowest prices. Given the high profitability of breeding and the minimum costs of keeping goats, it can be concluded that individuals are beneficial for breeding not only for themselves, but also for commercial purposes.
Reviews
Oksana, 53 years old, obstetrician. Pskov. Once by chance I came to an agricultural exhibition, I really liked these miniature goats. I have never regretted that I bought them, now they serve as real guards of the territory. Animals very quickly got used to me, and all family members, but they don't like strangers, can rush to their feet and start butting. The cheese made from their fatty but tasty milk is excellent.
Ivan, 38 years old, journalist, Krasnodar. Dwarf goats started to breed 5 years ago. It all started with 2 females and 1 male. Now I have a herd of 25 heads. They don't bring much milk, but it is very fatty and tasty. I make goat cheese out of it, they are willingly bought in restaurants in the city.
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Cameroon goats are popular with farmers due to their charming appearance, friendly disposition, strong immunity and excellent productivity. Breeding and keeping these goats is not only very beneficial, but every day it charges the owner and the whole family with positive energy.