They are light sleepers and sleep in short naps. It is a joy watching them huddled together for warmth and security. I like baby goats; kids are playful and curious. The beauty lies in their innocence and tender looks; it is photogenic.
Manu has shifted his livestock and paraphernalia to our farmhouse at Kirti Estate, Dalhousie.
I am happy, all our goats respond to their names; Jui with her kids- Nirki, Urli, Parli and Julka.Baby goats have unique calls that their mothers use to identify them, along with scent. Goats are social animals. Maybe they can distinguish other goats’ emotions by listening to their calls.
The gestation period for goats is about five months. Kali is sad; both her newborns passed away one after another in the past few days. She kept on bleating pathetically, the caretaker tells me.
- We take care to provide them with clean and fresh water. To raise them successfully, the focus is on providing a good diet, suitable shelter, and proper health management. We look after them, ensuring their productivity.
We have established a daily routine for feeding them and checking their hygiene. Goats, it seems, like cleanliness and avoid foul-smelling food.
They are known for their diverse diet. While they can survive on a single type of food, they thrive on a variety, including hay, grasses, weeds, grains, and even some tree bark. We have often observed them choosing between kaffal and Ban. They nibble at shoots and leaves of growing plants, rejecting stems.
Our goats are in multi colors and patterns stripes, spotted, and a blend of shades. Their bodies are patched with hair of varied colours.
Males and females both have beards, tufts of hair under their chins. Goats of all ages have communicative faces with odd eyes.
- We have a simple shed to lodge them where they can rest, especially during hot afternoons or rainy days. The slate floor can be washed and drained easily. The shelter opens out into a fenced yard. Adequate space is essential to contain them.
Goats need an exercise yard for roaming and grazing. Strong, escape-proof fencing with a sufficient height is a must; they can jump up to say 5 feet.
To and fro between the shed and the yard, they seem to be comfortable.
- Besides observing their habits, I browse the internet to learn more about it.
Male goats may display dominance by lowering their heads and pointing their horns. A pecking order may affect access to food and resting spots.
Goats are among the first animals domesticated by humans. Historically, goat skins were used for water bottles, and parchment to write on.
Ability to survive and even flourish in extremely hostile environments; dietary versatility and adaptability have made goats a primary livestock animal for most of the world. Goat milk is perhaps the most consumed milk.
They need a dry, well-ventilated shelter; they do not like rain, water puddles and mud. They are agile and able to climb and balance in precarious places. They can even climb trees to reach parts of the tree they prefer. They can stand on their hind legs and stretch up for a long period to browse tree leaves from the top downwards.
They have mobile upper lips and tongues; can distinguish between sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Goats find nutritious food sources from trees and shrubs, even thorny plants. However, they can survive on the thinnest patches of grass.
Goats are often born with milk teeth. They have horizontal-rectangular,slit-shaped pupils providing a wide field of vision. Perhaps, the rectangular pupils give goats a panoramic view of their surroundings.
A buckling is a male kid goat. A young, unbred female goat, typically under one year of age, is a doeling. A baby goat that is less than a year old is a kid, and giving birth is called kidding.
Goat size varies greatly, depending on the breed. Domesticated goats range from mini, dwarf, and pygmy to full-size. They are effective at clearing overgrown areas, controlling invasive species, and promoting the growth of desired vegetation.
Prof. (Er.) Chander P Mahajan is an art critic & a free lance journalist. The Environmentalist stays in Shimla and Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India.
