Descriptive analysis of goat production units in the southwest of the Laguna region, Coahuila, Mexico

Abstract

A study was conducted to characterize the productive and socioeconomic profile throughout the main potentialities and limiting factors of the milk goat production system in the Laguna region, Coahuila state, North of México. A participative workshop was held in the area; producers were interviewed and visited at their production units, and a suvey was applied to 36 randomly chosen of them. Results show that the main production system is extensive and 94.4% of the producers feed their goats in the grassland. The producers have an average age of 55 years. The average size of the folk is around 92 heads. In 41.7% no supplementation is offered to the animals and depend only from foraging, while in 58.3% commercial concentrate (alfalfa, silage, corn or oats) is used. No animal management activities are practiced in 19.4% of the cases. For 70% of the folks, the birth period is between November and December. The main limiting factors found were: reproductive seasonality, seasonal milk and kid production, feed restriction, genetic improvement and health. Despite technologies being available, producers have not adopted them. Older producers, with more experience and time in the goat activity, and lower education, achieve higher number of kidding rate and goat milk production.