seyfi, selda uzal selcuk university - faculty of agriculture - department of farm structures and irrigation, Konya, Turkey , karaçay, merve selcuk university - faculty of agriculture - department of farm structures and irrigation, Konya, Turkey

Diagonal dairy goat barn design offering alternative area usage for different seasons in dairy goat breeding

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Goat’s milk has highly significant benefits in infant feeding due to the fact that it contains somecomponents that are closer to breast milk. Increasing the quantity and quality of goat’s milk is possiblethrough the implementation of husbandry in barns designed in accordance with the principles of animalwelfare. Taking into account animal welfare and barn area preferences, this study was conducted todesign a new diagonal open-front barn in order to be used in dairy goat breeding. In this design, smallresting areas having a width of 10 m were placed diagonally on both sides of the feeding area in orderto eliminate negative effects of the Northern winds. In the shelter design in question, mini resting areaswith group partitions and open courtyard areas were provided to prevent animals from unfavorableeffects of winds in the winter and enable animals to benefit from sun and open air. For the summerconditions, on the other hand, barn areas suitable for natural goat raising conditions having opensurroundings and covering trees and natural rocks were planned. The resting area, winter courtyard,summer courtyard and feeding lengths had 1.5 m2animal-1, 3.0 m2animal-1, 6.0 m2animal-1 and 0.64manimal-1, respectively. The newly developed diagonal dairy goat barn design met the recent increasingdemand for a shelter appropriate for animal welfare in goat raising and enabled those working in thisfield to perform goat breeding in more modern, economic and alternative barns.

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Barn design. Dairy goat barn. Goat breding. Goat housing

Anadolu Journal Of Agricultural Sciences

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