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The
practice of flushing has an impact on both male and female goats. I’m
not advocating over-feeding your animals, but modestly increasing the
amount of feed your goat receives on a temporary basis prior to breeding
season. No more than a maximum of half their normal feed for about a week
or two. Dividing it up into two feedings per day instead of one is a good
practice. This technique should be applied to does prior to coming into
heat, and to bucks prior to and during times they are used for breeding.
Let me
clarify what is meant by feed. Quality feed is essential, not just a few
extra handfuls of corn, soybeans, or hay, but well-balanced quality feed.
The diet of a goat consists of protein, fiber, minerals, vitamins, fats
and water (yes, I said water; it is an important part of the diet of any
animal or human). Instead of using your preferred hay, you might try
feeding alfalfa hay on a short-term basis when flushing.
Nutritional
intake and quality affects the ability for a goat to reproduce. A
malnourished doe is more likely to birth singles and less likely to
produce twins or triplets. The reason being without adequate nutrition,
the ovaries (inside the reproductive system of a doe) do not produce as
many eggs or healthy eggs if the doe is undernourished. When the semen
from a buck enters the reproductive tract of a doe there are fewer eggs to
be fertilized, and the eggs that do exist may not be healthy enough to be
fertilized.
The amount
of nutrition a buck receives affects the ability for the reproductive
system of a buck to produce healthy, viable semen. A malnourished buck is
unable to effectively service as many does during a breeding season; and
the semen he produces is lower in quality and has less potency, therefore
unable to fertilize eggs waiting in the doe during breeding time. Proper
nutrition allows for the production of strong virile semen that is able to
survive in the reproductive tract of a doe and swim all the way to meet
those eggs waiting in the fallopian tubes.
Increasing
the nutrient availability for any doe or buck for short amounts of time
substantially increases the reproductive capability of your brood stock.
There is a direct correlation between nutritional intake and quality, the
reproductive ability of any animal, and the offspring it produces.
As a
manager of your operation, you are responsible for the results of your
management practices. If your animals are prolific, the number and quality
of offspring is to your satisfaction, and you do not feel flushing is
necessary, then do not implement this practice. Flushing is a sure way to
increase the likelihood of more productive animals.
Robert Spencer is
Agribition Center Facilities Manager at Alabama A&M University.
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