Sangamneri Goats
Sangamner Tehsil in the Ahmednagar District is where the breed was originally from. Those creatures average around a metre in length. The coat is mostly white, with a few black and brown spots here and there. The ears are long and hang down. Both sexes have backward and upward-pointing horns. The Sangamneri goat is a valuable Maharashtra breed that can be used for both meat and milk. The town of Sangamner in the Ahmednagar District of Maharashtra is the inspiration for the breed’s name. Sangamneri goats are medium-sized animals.
The coat is pure white; there have been reports of animals having hints of black and brown. Farmers in the region’s rural areas maintain small flocks of Sangamneri goats for milk and eventual sale as live livestock for consumption. This species’ adaptation to the semi-arid climate of Maharashtra has been shown. And it works well even when the range isn’t very good. This study was conducted to characterise the Sangamneri goat at the molecular level using microsatellite markers because of the high value of this breed in India.
While only around a third of goats have more than one kid, between 15 and 20 percent of them have twins. Average lactation lasts about 160 days, and milk production ranges from 0.5 kg to 1.0 kg daily. Although this breed is kept mostly for meat, some animals show significant milch potential. At 6 months, 41% of infants are dressed; at 9 months, 45%; and at 12 months, 46%. There are 211,135 Sangamneri goats in the nation as per the 18th Livestock Census in 2007.
Characteristics
Sangamneri goats range in size from tiny to medium. The fur has an all-white hue. Black and brown-spotted animals were also seen. There is an appropriate amount of head for the body. Triangle with a concave face. The ears are long and hang down. There is a tuft of hair on the foreheads of certain animals. Pure white animals have pink eyelids and muzzles, whereas other animals have black.
Beards are seen on around 10% of animals (male and female combined), whereas 2% have wattles. About 40% of the goats have lengthy hair in the thigh area. Very little and thin horns that point upward and backward. The hooves are a neutral grey. The majority of the creatures had whitish fur, brown skin, white muzzles and eyelids, a convex forehead, whitish hooves and horns that curled backward, and long, hanging ears.
Management
Field animals are maintained using a semi-intensive management system. Two to twenty-five birds make up a flock. The average flock size was between one and two males. Both open and closed housings are used to shelter the animals. The nearby homes have thatched roofs and kutcha floors, but they lack running water and electricity. In most cases, farmers release their animals into pastures. Brown peas, also known as matki, and local grass are what they eat while confined to stalls. Babies are permitted to breastfeed. Concentrate and mineral combinations are offered to pregnant animals.
Feeding
Kids’ feeding, dos’ comfort, and bucks’ feeding are the three main components of feeding management. Meat production is the primary reason Sangamneri goats are kept; hence, their diet should be high in protein. This may be accomplished by providing them with a diet of concentrates, such as grains and oilcakes, in addition to high-quality green fodder, such as lucerne or berseem. Additionally, supplying mineral supplements will assist in satisfying their mineral needs.
Populations
In light of the small current population of Sangamneri goats, efforts should be made to expand the herd while protecting the genetic integrity of the breed using an open-nucleus breeding plan. Since the breed has strong milk potential, improvement programmes may be carried out to raise the milk potential further. Providing farmers in the breeding tract and the surrounding region with high-quality bucks has the potential to boost production and reproduction rates for this breed. In order to prevent the loss of genetic diversity within the breed, inbreeding must be limited through the regulation of mating practices.
Advantages
India is home to a meat-oriented goat breed called the Sangamneri. It established itself in the Maharashtra province’s Nasik, Ahmednagar, and Pune districts’ rural economies. Sangamner, in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, is where the breed got its name.
Keeping Sangamneri goats requires little care and attention. They are also effective converters of feed, meaning they can maximise nutrition from limited resources.
These animals are quite useful in many different ways on farms and are especially well-known among Indian farmers.
Care tips
Sheltering people in suitable conditions is crucial. Goats do best in sterile, well-ventilated environments that shield them from the elements.
Checking in on your health on a regular basis might help in the early detection of any infections or parasites. Following the veterinarian’s recommendations for the vaccination schedule against common diseases like PPR is important.
The health and well-being of sangamneri goats rely heavily on regular grooming. Maintaining a healthy, lustrous coat requires regular brushing to eliminate debris and loose hair.
Keep the shed or other dwelling spotless as a place to live. This decreases the goats’ anxiety and aids in preventing the spread of sickness.
