HERFS/AUTUMN BONUS TYDSKRIF 2026

Body condition score The production of goats will strongly correlate with the amount of energy, protein, bypass protein, vitamins, and minerals they ingest. The characteristics of minerals are important, and I believe that the structure of these mineral molecules will influence the bioavailability. Goat farmers should strive to supplement their animals with what the veld cannot provide. These supplements should complement the grazing/browsing system and balance the final diet of the goats. Goats can provide themselves with resources like energy from fat deposits. Knowing this, the producer must be aware of the body condition score (BCS) of the animal during each production phase. When the BCS is measured, the producer can make an informed decision on supplementary feed and the amount that is needed to reach the desired BCS in every production phase. Keeping a hand on BCS will increase the productivity of the animals and maximise the profit of the system. BCS is a long-term management tool, whereas weighing animals is seen as a short-term management tool. The rule of thumb (for ewes heavier than 60 kg) is: 1 BCS point is equivalent to 10 kg bodyweight. For smaller ewes (that weigh less than 60 kg), 1 BCS point is equivalent to 5 kg bodyweight. The body condition of your goats will have a significant influence on the economic effectiveness of your business throughout the year and different seasons. Producers should shy away from systems where the animals lose weight/BCS during certain phases and only gain condition before mating. Higher profits are made with animals that maintain good BCS throughout the year and the different production phases than having to regain conditions during crucial phases. Your animals, especially the ewes, should be kept at a BCS of 3 throughout the year, with a BCS of 3,5 being the most profitable. Incorporating the SFOS concept of De Heus into your system will ensure optimal fermentation and digestion of available roughage sources. The SFOS concept increases the cost-effectiveness of your animals through optimal rumen health and increasing microbial protein availability. Weaning phase up to first mating The rearing of ewe lambs is often neglected by breeders because the producer does not necessarily receive the immediate economic benefit of this phase. There is a misperception that this phase is uneconomical, and it is not necessary to spend money on rearing lambs. Lambs that do not receive any form of creep feed during the suckling or pre-weaning phase will suffer more from wean shock. Not only will these animals have lower weaning weights, more fragile digestive tracts, and add additional pressure on the already high- producing ewes, but they will also take longer to overcome wean shock. The larger effect of wean shock will influence their immune system and make these lambs more susceptible to infections. Ewe lambs that go through significant weight loss from birth up to weaning will suffer from decreased ovulation tempo and ultimately rear fewer lambs during their lifetime. Most goat farmers will wean at 100 days of age, with a lot of variance in weaning weights between different breeders. I motivate my clients to wean lambs as close to 30 kg body weight under 110 days of age. This is possible with good-quality veld, high- quality creep feed, and good management practices. For producers to increase the production and reproduction rate of their flock, improvement of the rearing system and better pre-weaning growth are essential. The weaned ewe lambs should continue with the creep feed up to 14 days post-weaning or until they reach a body weight of at least 32 kg. These young ewe lambs are not supposed to suffer weight loss up to their first lambing season. This would ensure high lambing rates. My advice to clients is to mate their ewe lambs at a minimum of 80% of mature weight, but preferably closer to 90% of mature weight. For every kilogram we gain before the mating season, within a good body condition, the result is a 1,5% increase in lambing rate. Flush feeding is a method to improve multiple ovulations in the ewes. Flush feeding should be implemented 21 days before mating and continue for another three weeks during the mating period. Flush feeding can be in the form of a well-rested pasture or increased intakes of supplementary feed. The rearing of your replacement ewes is probably the most important investment you can make in your flock. These replacement ewes will be your oldest ewes in about six years, Figure 1: Visual example of body condition scores 1 to 5 www.agribonus.co.za Herfs/Autumn 2026 BONUS 49