Feeders for goats: options, methods of application and how to make your own hands
Goats are quite cute animals, but in their character there are distinctive features - capriciousness and the desire to steal food. They try to try everything, what they see on the pasture, only a couple of plants are bypassed, like to visit other people's gardens. With the onset of cold weather, goats are left in barns. They often throw hay and what is found on the floor from ordinary feeders, not eating. They can climb into the feeder with their feet and trample all the contents. Goat is a nasty animal and contaminated food will no longer be. Therefore, it is important to make feeders for goats with your own hands, so as to outwit the rebellious animal.
Feeders come in different designs: for hard and soft feeds, or combined. Creating them with your own hands requires a minimum of effort and a small amount of time. First, determine the place in the room, where to place it. Here you need to take into account the freedom of movement of animals, so that they do not crowd in front of the entrance. Therefore we establish a design in the far corner of a shed.
Preparatory stage of work
Choosing the location of the future feeder, you need to start preparing the necessary working tools and materials for construction. It is important to consider the size of the building, calculating it from the number of animals. So, necessary:
- plane;
- nails or screws;
- saw;
- hammer.
Construction is made of wooden boards and thin bars. There are several design options for feeders.
The main stage of creating a feeder with your own hands
Two identical in width boards are nailed from below on 10-15 cm from the floor in the corner of the room, one thin fasten on top of them at a distance taking into account that, so that the goat does not touch the horns. Then we fasten thin bars vertically on self-tapping screws or nails between the top and bottom boards on 25-30 see from each other. Outwardly, it resembles a fence from a fence.
After checking the design in action: run goats and observe their behavior. Often goats are very quickly assimilated and immediately begin to pull hay from the new feeder. This is a very simple version of the feeder with your own hands, available to absolutely every fan.
Other options for feeders
Another type of feeder is convenient for location in the center of the unit. The same tools will be needed to build it, boards, material for a framework, plus thick bars for the base of the structure. As a framework to use a big grid for fences or thin bars. We fasten thick bars among themselves by boards so, to get a rectangular design. We fix boards or a grid between boards.
Feed in this version is laid out on top and filled as it is eaten by goats. The size is determined by the space of the detachment and the number of goats in the room. in addition, in this case, you need a wooden floor under your feet, in case, when the goats are in an open pen. It is necessary for that, so that the food does not chew in wet weather.
Young kids are given special feeders, which correspond to their growth. The height should not exceed 10 cm, and width 20 cm. Feeders for kids are placed separately from adults, because they drive away the young, thus the kids do not overeat.
For the summer season, you can make your own portable crib, which may be near goats while walking. The advantage of such nurseries is the presence of a floor and a canopy, which will keep the food dry during rainy weather, and it can be moved. The frame of this feeder resembles a cot.
There are a number of features, which should be taken into account when creating feeders for goats. First of all, the choice depends on the type of feed:
- for solids, roughage should be broad and massive;
- for combined - easier;
- for grass hay - long, that all goats were placed at once.
The height is determined as follows, so that the goats could not jump over or climb into the structure. Usually the optimal height is from one meter or slightly higher.
Option feeder for French farmers
The main difference between the content of goats from Russian farms is, that in France goats are raised mainly on open pastures. This is due to warmer weather conditions. But the French are also concerned about the creation of feeders for goats, when it is necessary to place them in detachments.
The French version is a wooden box with rectangular windows on two sides. By the way, such a design, just will not allow the animal to throw food on the floor. Only lively kids can jump up, but to avoid this desire, a lattice is placed on top or an ordinary wooden door is attached. A thin iron sheet is used at the bottom. It can also be transferred to open pens or cages.
The main thing, decide on the choice of the feeder, which is suitable for the needs of students and boldly begin to create it. Goats will be satisfied.