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Monday, December 31, 2012

Food security for Goats & Sheep with CO4, Agathi


Here is wishing all our blog followers a very happy and prosperous 2013 filled with good health, wealth and peace. May the new year bring joy and success to everyone. 


Here at Savera Farms, 2012 was spent in expanding our cultivation and development and 2013 would be spent in consolidating what he have developed so far. Having said that, we also plan on diversifying into animal husbandry in the new year. Some of you have already seen the developments around the goat project at the farm.

As you probably know, before getting into any animal husbandry project, it is imperative to ensure that there is enough fodder available internally in order to reduce operational costs. General guidance that I have been able to collect so far :
  • Daily intake of 3-4 Kg of Green fodder & 1/2 kg of dry fodder is recommended
  • 1 acre of fodder is sufficient for 30 animals
  • 50% acreage should be CO4, COFS29 and 50% acreage should be leguminous like Agathi, Velli Masal (Hedge Lucerne). 
  • Leguminous take 70-90 days for harvest while CO4 take 45-50 days.
A variety of fodder ensures the animals get a balanced and nutritious diet. One has to cultivate any of Monocotyledons which comprises of Maize, Jawar, Hybrid Napier, Gunea Grass , Oats and Para grass. These fodders are rich in energy and are used for supplying energy to animals and this should contain 66% of the diet.Additionally, you have to also grow any of the 1 Dicotyledons like Stylo , Lucerne, Berseem and Subabul. These fodders are rich in protein and helps in Body building of animals and Milk Production.

We started our fodder cultivation in August in a phased manner since we were hoping to start the operations in November. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, we shall be procuring a mix of goats and sheep in a few days from now. CO4 Slips can be procured from your local KVK center at a very reasonable rate of Rs 0.20 per slip. 


Slips were procured as whole pieces (approx 5-6 ft long). Smaller pieces of 10-15 inches were cut before planting. 









Existing drip infrastructure of watermelon (from last year) was used to irrigate the fodder. Although rain gun is the preferred source of irrigation for fodder crops. For now, we have intercropped it with mango.





At approx 1 month. Timely rain led to rapid development.









Ready to be cut and fed..














Agathi seedlings : In addition to CO4, we have planted Agathi as well. Seeds were procured and saplings were developed in portrays.

Approx 1 month old on the field 





Young seedlings have tender leaves and is well munched by rabbits. A net in place to obstruct rabbits from eating away the seedlings. The experiment was fairly successful as there was a good survival rate.



Growth in Agathi was not as uniform as CO4 and invited a whole lot of weeds during monsoon. (Maybe due to its nitrogen fixing qualities)














Apart from CO4 and Agathi, Subabul has been planted along the goat shed and in other open areas.  Hopefully, this was a good insight on the fodder cultivation. Stay tuned for more info on the goat and sheep that we procure in a few days. As mentioned in the previous post, feel free to mail me at saverafarms@gmail.com regarding more info on the goat marketing consortium.

43 comments:

  1. Great post as usual. May I suggest you to raise Agathi as intercrop between pair of rows of CO4, so that the space is not wasted and the nitrogen fixing can more utilised for the CO4.

    For that you may need to lay new laterals between every pair of existing laterals. Thanks for the wonderful updates and my wishes for the animal husbandry project.
    - Sudharsan.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the suggestion. Currently, we have a couple of mango plots at 10m away. We have 5 lateral between the mango, where we are cultivating agathi or co4. For now, we cannot change, but we will keep this in mind in the next phase of fodder cultivation.

      Delete
  2. Thanks again for the detailed Fodder requirements for Goats & Sheeps.
    One question is should we actually be looking at Sheep rearing and Fodder Production as 2 different areas of expertise and have different people produce different things so as to be economically more profitable. Or should we build a whole infrastructure from raw materials to final product.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You should definitely treat fodder production and sheep rearing as 2 different revenue centers.
      I do not understand your statement - "Or should we build a whole infrastructure from raw materials to final product. "

      Delete
  3. PLEASE DO NOT OVER FEED GOATS WITH AGATHI

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, I have been told not to overfeed on subabul as well. What would be a desirable dose of agathi ?

      Delete
  4. The question was, can be buy fodder and rear sheep instead of growing them?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The cost of feed should be Rs 4-5 Per Goat per day for feed, otherwise it is not commercially viable project, means only loss.
      Profit is only when you reduce feed cost to as low as possible.

      Delete
    2. I second the comments above. Buying fodder will definitely be not viable in the long run..

      Delete
  5. I appreciate your efforts in sharing the information which is mostly useful and helpful, I am interested in Goat Farming can you please share any project plan you have with some unit size you are following. All the posts are really great, I can't stop myself reading your blog even while working at office.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I do not have a project report as such since I did not go for consultancy by somebody. However, I did visit various farms in the state. I will be putting up a post on shed construction and my experience buying the animals soon..

      Delete
    2. I see you are prepared with Fodder, however not sure if you are going intensive or semi intensive, in either case you might want to have silage prepared in farm for rainy season, please throw some light on it if you have done with silo pits. I see this done by Viswa agro tech or Vasudha Silage in AP, lot of videos available on Youtube I am sure you would have watched them, but just want to check if you have different approach.

      Delete
  6. please try azola it gives a wonderful result on live stock ,ther is subsidy for azolla cultivation please contact your vet doctor in your area ilayankudi or sivagangai

    also try azolla in NARDEP method it give better result

    ReplyDelete
  7. please do not exceed agathi 1/2 kg per day per animal for kids do not feed agathi until the age of 6 months

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear Techie,

    Thanks again, for the wonderful information. Kindly throw some light on the irrigation system you have adopted for growing fodder. Looks like drip irrigation. you were looking for Raingun irrigation. what are you using currently and how it works?

    Besides this, which goat breed have you selected and whether it will be breeding or lamb fattening?

    eagerly awaiting for your reply.

    Good luck with your new venture.

    regards,
    Muneeb

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mohammed,
      Currently, we are using Inline laterals (of watermelon from last year). We are planning to install rain gun during summer months. We have selected Ramnad cross sheep recently. Tellicherry and local breeds like kanni will be purchased soon..It will be both for breeding and meat purpose.

      Delete
  9. Thank you very much for the information.

    Eagerly waiting for your post on the Goat/Sheep Shed and all the other information related to goatery.

    Good Luck,

    Mohammed Muneeb

    ReplyDelete
  10. You should have contacted your Vet before planting Co4. we got Go4 Slips & fertilizer for 2 acres for free + Subsidy cash in sivagangai.

    Give agathi only once in 2/3 days.. try to give neem leafs once in 3 days.

    Which Goat Breed your are planning to grow in your farm?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What scheme does this come under and what are the crtierias ? We are planning Tellicherry and Boer cross..Kanni Aadu (local breed) is also being considered.

      Delete
    2. I don't know the scheme name , But Tamilnadu govt is giving it to increase fodder cultivation.
      Also check with AD office in sivagangai for Chaff cutter and harvesting equipment. we got 50% subsidy for both .you may get based on the availablity.

      What's your starting count for the goat's ?

      Delete
    3. We have applied for the chaff cutter. Looks likr it will take a couple of months to be delivered.
      We are thinking of 50 nos and then ramp it up from there..
      Are you already into it ? If so, where is your farm ?

      Delete
  11. There are two schemes from Nabard on Goat Farming, please check them before you buy goats. 40+2 and 500+25. please google you will find all the details..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This blog gives details on the schemes you are talking about -
      http://livestock-poultry-financing.blogspot.in/2010/08/goat-farming-in-india-ii-centrally.html

      Delete
  12. Beetal goat originated form India and a very important goat breed of some Asian countries especially of India and Pakistan. They has similarity with Jamunapari goat. They are very highly milk productive goat breed.
    Goat Farming

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi techie,
    Thanks for your valuable feedback on goat feed
    currently we have around 35 goats ; someone suggested to feed tamrind see powdered, cooked and can be fed to live stock to increase weight. We have checked with our local vet,he said its ok to feed tamrind seed powder

    please advise

    ReplyDelete
  14. Pls excuse my ignorance, but why goats and sheep. Is this for integrated farming?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, to procure manure in house as well as diversify into animal husbandry..

      Delete
    2. I assume that you chose goats and sheep as you thought these are better compared to cows. just wondering why that would be?.

      Delete
    3. Dairy is labor intensive as well as feed intake is more. However, marketing of milk is generally not a big issue these days.

      Delete
  15. Hi,
    How to grow fodder(CO4, Velimasal, Agathi) in phased manner to get year round fodder in 1 acre land. Pls. help with ur planning and experience. Thanks. My emailid: ashiqnm at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  16. I was looking for blogs related of animal feed prices . then I found this blog, this is really nice and interested to read. Thanks to author for sharing this type of information.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi gone thru blog will check up regularly, recently I have planted 2 acres of Co3 anCo5 grass

    ReplyDelete
  18. Amazing photos, kindly tell me how you get seeds of grass??

    ReplyDelete
  19. Grass is a good food of goats, my goats like this healthy grass , i follow your tips and grow grass for them.
    http://www.bakraonline.pk/bakra-goat-vip-qurbani.html

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thanks for the great information in ur siteI'm planning to start up a goat farm. But I have only 7200 sq ft (residential area but rural area) plot area in Kerala . I'm seeking ur valuable advice on following questions.

    1. Is 7200 sq ft is sufficient for grazing 50 to 100 goats

    2.how much area should I lay out for shed and open area for grazing/cultivation??

    3. Maximum capacity of goats in 7200 sq ft area??

    4. Which breed is most popular and good demand in Kerala??

    5. Is there any permissions or license should be needed for a goat farm ??

    Eagerly waiting for your valuable advice. Thank s and regards
    - Raihan . my mail I'd raihanibnsameer at g mail dot com. My whatsapp or can call me on +917276367890

    ReplyDelete
  21. Dear sirs. I am retired.i am from Dindigul dist. By july 2018 i plan put up a sheep cum goat farm. I have started planting agathi and eventually co4. I also plan to have a platform based holding area for both the sheep and goats. Initially planning 20+1 sheep (tellicherry) and 10+1 sheep. Breed still undecided. Please suggest ideas to sadayanebrams@gmail.com. or whatsup me @ +6587210535. Best Rgds.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hi!

    Great blog.
    I have planted CO type of grass in one acre. But don't know how to identify. How to identify the grass type?

    It is "sigappu thattu" in local name. I am fed up with dairy work and cow maintanence.

    Can you help me in this regard?
    Need to use the cultivated grass.
    Which type of goat or sheep can be bought to reduce the burden?

    Expecting your valuable suggestions
    With regards,
    Jack Reacher
    9786051103
    jksapmgr@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  23. How much water is required for growing CO4 fodder through drip system?

    ReplyDelete
  24. thanks for sharing amazing one keep posting
    services

    ReplyDelete