Livestock Goat: Black Bengal

General Information

This breed is found in Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal. It is mainly black coat colour. It is found in brown, white and gray coat colors but the black coat color is most common. The skin of this breed is famous for meat production. This breed has a meagre ability to produce milk. The male goat has 25-30kg of weight and the female barbari has 20-25kg of weight. They reach the maturity level earlier and deliver a minimum of 2-3 kids at each birth.

Fodder

Because of this animal’s curious nature, they can eat various feed sources which are bitter, sweet, salty and sour. They can eat leguminous feed like Lobia, Berseem, garlic etc. with taste and enjoyment. Mainly they like to eat fodder which gives them energy and is rich with protein. They usually have a habit of spoiling their food because they urine in the feeding place. Therefore special type of feeding place is made to protect food from spoilage.

Planted fodder: Podded: Berseem, Garlic, Beans, Peas, Guar.
Non leguminous: Corn, Oats. 
Tree leaves: Peepal, mango, Ashoka, neem, berry and banyan. 

Plants and bushes, herbal and climber plants: Gokharu, khejri, karonda, berry etc. Root plants (Leftover material of vegetables): Turnip, potato, radish, carrot, beetroot, cauliflower and cabbage.
Grass: Napier grass, guinea grass, doob grass, anjan grass, stylo grass. 

Dry fodder

Straw: Chickpea, pigeon pea and groundnut, conserved fodder.
Hay: Grass, leguminous (chickpea) and non-leguminous (oats).
Silage: Grass, leguminous and non-leguminous plants. 

Distribution

Grain: Bajra, sorghum, oats, maize, chickpea, wheat.
Farm and industrial sub-products: Coconut seeds skin, mustard skin, groundnut skin, also, shisha, wheat sawdust, rice sawdust, etc. 
Livestock and marine products: Full and partial dry milk products, fish meal, and blood meal. 
Industrial sub-products: Sub-products of barley, vegetables and fruits.
Pods: Acacia, banyan, peas etc.

Kid food management:
Give kids colostrum within 1 hour of birth. Colostrum has antibody properties that help to protect it from diseases and it also provides Vitamin A, and D, minerals such as copper, iron, manganese and magnesium. Give about 400ml of milk per day to kids which will increase in 1st month.

Milk-producing goat’s feed:
Mainly the normal goat can eat 4.5kg of green manure in one day. In the feed minimum of 1 kg of dry manure i.e. pigeon peas/peas or leguminous hay must be included.   

Care of the breed

Care of pregnant goats: For the healthy development of pregnant goats, dry them off at least 6-8 weeks before expected delivery. Before 15 days of expected kidding, take the goat into an open and clean room which is filled with straw on the floor. 

Care of newborn kids: After birth clean the nostrils, face and ear with the help of a dry cotton cloth and remove the placental membrane. Gentle rubbing must be done to clean the newborn kids. If a newborn kid is not taking a breath then hold the kid up with their hind legs having head downwards which will help to clear its respiratory tract. Clean the udder of the goat with tincture iodine and then the kid gets its first colostrum drink within 30 minutes of its birth.

Care of goats after delivery: After delivery properly clean the room and also clean the back portion of the goat with iodine or Neem water. After delivery give sugary water to the goat and after that hot feed is given to the goat which includes a mixture of ginger, salt, metal sawdust and sugar.

Organizing identification symbols on baby goats: For the proper record, good husbandry, recognition purpose and as proof of ownership it is necessary to apply a number mark on their body. It is mainly done with the help of tattooing, tagging, wax marking crayons, spray chalk, coloured spray and paint branding.

Recommended vaccines to goats: CDT or CD&T vaccine is given as the core vaccination to protect goats from Clostridial diseases. Tetanus vaccination should be given at the time of birth. When the kid reaches 5-6 weeks, a booster vaccination is given and after that, it is given once a year. 

Diseases and Treatment

•    Coccidiosis: It is found mainly in young kids. It is caused by the coccidia parasite. The signs are diarrhoea, dehydration, rapid weight loss and fever.

Treatment: Biosol medicine is given once a day for about 5-7 days to get a cure for coccidiosis. It can also be treated with Corid Sulmet or Decox.
•    Enterotoxaemia: It is also known as overeating disease. The symptoms are depression, loss of appetite, high temperature, convulsions or death.
Treatment: Yearly booster vaccination is given to prevent enterotoxemia. Antitoxins of type C and D are given to treat this disease.

•    Acidosis: It is mainly caused due to overeating of concentrated food. The symptoms are depression. Teeth grinding, muscle twitching, and swelling.
Treatment: Stop overfeeding and give soda bicarbonate (2-3oz) to treat the acidosis disease.

•    Pregnancy toxaemia: It is a metabolic disease. The symptoms are loss of appetite, sweet-smelling breath, lethargy, etc.
Treatment:  Propylene glycol is given twice a day along with water and sodium bicarbonate will help to treat toxaemia.

•    Ketosis: It is caused by ketones which cause a lack of energy in the body. The symptoms are decreased milk production, food and sweet-smelling breath.
Treatment: Drenching of glucose will help to cure ketosis.

•    Johne’s disease: This disease affects the goat by loss the body weight, frequent diarrhoea, emaciation and weakness. The disease mainly occurs when the goat is 1-2 years old.
Treatment: No appropriate test is made to detect Johne’s disease in the early stage. Consult the vet for a health checkup of the goat.

•    Tetanus: It is caused by Clostridium tetani. The symptoms are stiff muscles, and breathing issues which ultimately result in the death of the animal.
Treatment: Penicillin antibiotic is given to cure the disease and the wound is washed with hydrogen peroxide. 

• Footrot: The symptom is lameness. 
Treatment: it is cured by giving them a bath of copper sulphate solution. 

•    Laminitis: It is caused due to overeating of highly concentrated food. The symptoms are lameness diarrhoea, warm feet, toxemia etc.
Treatment: Phenylbutazone is given to get relief from pain and the feed having less protein or energy content is given to treat laminitis.

•    Pneumonia: It causes infection of the lungs and the symptoms are respiratory problems, runny nose and high temperature. 
Treatment: Certain antibiotics are given to cure the disease.

•    CAE (Caprine arthritis-encephalitis): It is a virus and the symptoms are lameness, pneumonia, chronic cough and weight loss. 
Treatment: Keep the infected goat away from the herd so that the disease can’t spread to other animals.

•    Ringworms: It is mainly caused by fungus. The symptoms are thick skin, thin hairs, grey or white colour crusty appearance on skin etc.
Treatment: The application of any one of these fungicidal solutions will help to cure the disease. 

1. 1:10 bleach

2. O.5% Sulphur

3. 1:300 Captain

4. 1% Betadine

Application is done daily for 5 days and then weekly.

•    Pinkeye: It is mainly spread through flies and is highly contagious.
Treatment: Wash the eyes with penicillin or oxytetracycline to get a cure for pinkeye disease.

•    WMD (White muscle disease): It is mainly caused in kids of age group 1 week to 3 months. The symptoms are respiratory problems, weakness, stiffness etc. It is mainly caused due to Vitamin E and Selenium deficiency.
Treatment: Vitamin E and Selenium are given to cure WMD.

•    Listeriosis: It is caused by Listeria monocytogenes during changed weather and advanced stages of pregnancy. The symptoms are depression, fever, paralysis, abortions etc.
Treatment: in starting 3-5 days procaine penicillin is given after every 6 hours and then once a day for 7 days.

•    Mastitis: The symptoms are hot and hard udder, loss of appetite etc.
Treatment: Several antibiotics such as CD antitoxin, Penicillin, Nuflor, Banamine etc. are given to treat this disease.

• Bottle jaw: It is caused by blood-sucking worms. The symptoms are swollen jaw and abnormal colour of the jaw.