Goat Management Practices

Goat Management Practices Directions: Fill in the blanks: 1. Goats also have the ability to efficiently convert ________ forages into meat and milk. 2. Goats are finding a home in areas of the United States where rangeland is too rough or ____________ is too thin to sustain cattle or sheep. 3. _____________ ____________ goats are used for meat, milk and mohair production. 4. Texas leads the meat and __________ totals with approximately one million head. 5. The importation of the _________ goat allowed the American goat industry to produce a muscular, large framed animal that excelled in gain efficiency. 6. Growth in the United States ethnic population continues to create a demand for this protein source in festive and ______________ dishes. 7. ___________ production began after the Civil War when ranchers introduced angora goats to the state. 8. Mohair tends to be _____________ than wool and has a built in shrink resistance maintaining size and form. 9. Another goat fiber, _____________, has seen expanded interest throughout the years. 10. Cashmere is retained after removing the coarse outer coat or __________ hair from a combed sample. 11. The demand for natural and wholesome products has sparked growth in __________ goat production. 12. The boer goat is capable of producing three sets of kids every ________ years. 13. Spanish goats came to America with the early Spanish explorers and roamed wild through __________ and Oklahoma before domestication. 14. This breed originated in ________ ___________, where it is selected for commercial traits. Goat Management Practices 15. The condition known as _______________ myotonia, occurs from an abnormality in the chloride channels of muscle cells. 16. Angoras are _____________ breeders and are not as prolific as other breeds. 17. La Mancha is a hardy breed that is capable of producing large amounts of milk with a _________ ___________ ________ content. 18. Nubians make a suitable component in many market __________________ programs. 19. The oldest dairy breed originated from _______________ Valley of Switzerland. 20. Goats prefer to be in or near a shelter during the night, therefore a shelter should provide protection from ____________ _____________, as well plenty of room to house the entire herd. 21. ____________ wire is an extra string of barbed wire, located a few feet from the ground. 22. To avoid ________________ in a herd producers can utilize fencing, penning animals at night and the use of guard animals. 23. Tattooing is much like cattle branding and identifies the operation that owns the animal in the __________ ear. The _________ ear identifies the actual animal id. 24. _______________ usually takes place on young animals when their horns are small or are still buds. 25. Many producers prefer ______________ means of dehorning, such as disbudding. 26. A ____________, or castrated male, is capable of increased performance and gain, both in muscling and fat, versus that of an intact male. 27. The most widely used form of goat castration utilizes an _______________. 28. Rough __________________ ______________ will keep hooves properly formed. 29. Goats shorn during the fall or winter months should be left with a Goat Management Practices ______________ or strip of mohair down their neck and back. 30. Goats are classified as ______________, like sheep and cattle; goats have a four compartment stomach. 31. Rumination or “chewing the ________” happens routinely until the forages are small enough to pass through the remaining compartments of the stomach. 32. The least intensive avenue of production is simply _____________ _____________, where goats depend solely on pasture forages for nutrition. 33. Goats will typically consume around three to five percent of their body weight in ____________ each day. 34. Diseases can occur from poor nutrition, infections, and serving as ______________ hosts. 35. Enterotoxemia or _______________ disease is the most prevalent in goat operations. 36. Ketosis is caused by the body rapidly _________________ fat. 37. Soremouth can be transmitted very rapidly to other animals, even ___________. 38. Treatments for ________________ are antibiotics given intramuscularly and electrolytes given as a drench. 39. Does and bucks typically reach ____________ from five to eight months. 40. The estrous cycle is linked to ________________. 41. Aggressive behavior, bleating and tail wagging are very common signs that the doe is ready for _____________. 42. Primarily, AI increases ____________ improvement through the selection of quality bucks. 43. The process of ___________ _____________ takes a fertilized egg or embryo of a high-quality donor female and places it into the uterus of a recipient female. 44. The gestation for goats is ________ _________. 45. A doe usually _____________ herself from the herd when it comes time for kidding. Goat Management Practices 46. Filled with antibodies, ______________ is the mother’s first milk and is essential for the future health and immune system of the kid. 47. __________ feeding is a management technique utilized by producers to reduce the stress of weaning. 48. When selecting animals a producer needs to keep in mind four key components: _________________, reproduction, growth rate and carcass characteristics. 49. ___________ rate is also very important for both breeding and market goat selection. 50. The ribeye or rack, loin, leg, and shoulder are primary areas of focus for _____________. 51. Excessively fat goats, are considered wasteful due to the amount of inedible weight lost at ________________. 52. The grade is determined by _____________ and length. Other factors include purity, crimp, and strength.