Miniature Cameroon goats
Cameroon goats are gaining more and more popularity in private farming and are bred as livestock on farms and even in apartments. Keeping Cameroon goats in a confined space allows their small size.
Cameroon goats
About Cameroon breed
Dwarf Cameroon goats originally became livestock in the Middle East and, thanks to whalers, began their distribution through movement on whalers. The Cameroon goat breed was known about 10,000 years ago. Little food was required for miniature animals, they took up little space, and tolerated long-term swimming easily. At the same time, for wandering sailors, they acted as a source of fresh products - milk and meat.
The geography of distribution of Cameroonians includes the territory from Sudan towards Liberia, limited to Zaire in the south.
Cameroonians became widespread among farmers living in humid forest tropics and forest-steppes, where goats are driven out to graze near peasant houses. On American, German and Swedish private farms, it is profitable to keep dwarf goats for the reason that these animals are much more profitable in terms of feed costs and milk and meat productivity than keeping cows.
Cameroon goats came to the territory of Russia in the 90s and began to be raised by the farms of the Kaliningrad, Yaroslavl, Kursk and Novosibirsk regions.
These animals are rightfully considered long-livers - the Cameroon goat lives in favorable and comfortable conditions for up to 20 years.
Exterior signs
The characteristics of the description of the Cameroon goat breed includes a set of exterior features that distinguish these animals from the rest:
- in the likeness of their large relatives, mini-goats have a beard and erect ears,
- a small tail is located upward,
- the physique is barrel-shaped, the animal is squat,
- the horns of goats are short in length, curved back.
In length, the compact Cameroon dwarf goat grows to 0.65-0.7 meters. The weight of the goat is gaining up to 13-15 kilograms, the goat weighs much more - up to 22-23 kilograms.
The Cameroonians recorded the maximum possible weight of 35 kilograms.
The color of the coat of Cameroonians in most cases is red or black. In some representatives of the breed, spots or specks of white shades are found on the coat. Thick wool saves animals from cold climates.
Breeding benefits and productivity
Among the advantages, the owners of the goat breed note their equal adaptability to hot and cold climates, sufficiency in a meager forage diet and adaptation to extraordinary living conditions. In addition, Cameroon goats are quite resistant to many diseases, with good health and immunity. Among the disadvantages of the breed, reviews of farmers note:
- poor adaptability of goats to cool and humid conditions,
- the desire to keep in small herds, because they do not tolerate loneliness and are not ready to be alone for a long time,
- fearfulness of animals.
When frightened situations arise, Cameroon pygmy goats become stubborn and can fend for themselves.
In addition, as a minus in the animal breed, some reviews of the owners note a tendency to allergic reactions.
Some Cameroonian mini breed goat owners claim to have trained their pets to use litter boxes, explaining this with easy training in the training process.
The breed is not classified as highly yielding, since milk yield from them does not differ in high rates. The average milk production of Cameroonians does not exceed 1.5 liters per day. Only in rare representatives this figure reaches 2.0 liters per day. The lactation period of goats lasts 5 months.
The fat content of milk from representatives reaches 5.2-5.3 percent. Cameroon milk contains calcium, iron, phosphorus and potassium necessary for humans.
Cameroonian meat can compete with dietary foods produced by chicken and rabbit. There is little fat in it, which is appreciated by nutritionists.
Cameroon goat milk has a persistent, specific smell characteristic of a goat product, which is an advantage for the raw materials used for the production of cheeses.
Cameroon is one of the most prolific women. Despite its small size, it is capable of producing offspring in the amount of two, and sometimes four kids. The number of annual lambing may be two. A newborn kid weighs approximately 0.35 kilograms, is distinguished by the development of muscles, able to stand up just a few minutes after birth, and after 4-5 hours they can actively move around.
The dwarf Cameroon goat gains sexual maturity by the age of seven months, but farmers take them out for the first mating much later. Pregnancy lasts 5 months like a normal goat.
Content specifics
In zoos, Cameroon goats are not uncommon residents. There they are kept as a decorative animal, about which you can watch a video with Cameroon goats. In conditions of natural walking, miniature animals are able to climb low trees or rocks to a height of 10 meters. They do this in search of natural food. Therefore, swampy areas and flooded meadows are not suitable for grazing during the breeding and maintenance of the breed, but dry forests and steppes will be more preferable.
In central Russia, Cameroonians are often bred through open-air cages.
The room where the mini-breed will live must be dry and clean. Straw is used as bedding for animals.
Newborn kids move from their mother immediately after birth and are fed with milk, which lasts up to 2 weeks. When they reach one week of age, the feed ration is replenished with dry hay. Young animals are fed 4 times a day. For the prevention of white muscle disease in kids, salt is added to the diet at 4-6 grams per day. When they reach the age of 2 months, the young are fed with normal food.
The food volume of food consumed by Cameroonians is 5-6 times less than that of ordinary breeds.
The most important aspect to consider when feeding mini-goats is not to overfeed them, as the breed lacks a sense of satiety and proportion. The adult food menu consists of green grass and shrub branches, hay and vegetables. Winter food consists of potatoes and beets, mixed fodders with the addition of hay, carrots and Jerusalem artichoke.
You can buy Cameroon goats at a price of 1.5 to 2.5 thousand rubles.