Resumen

SUAREZ, V.H; MARTINEZ, G.M; NIEVAS, J.D  y  QUIROGA ROGER, J. Prácticas de manejo y producción en sistemas familiares de cría caprina en las quebradas áridas de Jujuy y Salta. RIA. Rev. investig. agropecu. [online]. 2017, vol.43, n.2, pp.186-194. ISSN 1669-2314.

A cross-sectional survey was performed in 40 family farming units (FFU) from the Quebradas of Humahuaca and Toro of Jujuy and Salta provinces, with the aim of describing production practices in their goat flocks. Farmers were subjected to an ad hoc survey to gather data on general management and specific feeding, reproduction and health practices. Analysis of variance and the test of Tukey were used for statistical analyses. FFUs had on average 124.2 ± 102goats (not including kids), with 79,7% being does. Predominant biotypes were Criollo, Criollo- Anglo Nubian crosses and Criollo-Saanen crosses. FFU facilities were very poor and water availability was limited; facilities were mostly composed of corrals enclosed by logs or rocks and to a lesser extent by rhomboidal wire. Animals are extensively bred, with nocturnal enclosure, and flock feeding is based on grazing the hills or grazing the crops or their residues. The 96.2% of the FFU produce milk by handmilking method and an average yield of 0.59 ± 0.31 liters per goat. FFU milk production is devoted to the sale of cheese (92%) or internal consumption (8%). Meat production is dedicated to sale a minimum number of kids, wethers and adult goats (68%) or entirely to self-consumption. Breeding is continuous (64%) or stationed (36%) and average kidding is concentrated in three periods: April-June (46%), July-August (31.5%) and September-October (13.7%) when almost all the flock kids, and a second kidding that was in November-January (15.2%). The kidding goats per mating goats was 79.4 ±18% and the kid weaned rates per mating goat was 66.7 ±26 %. Mean annual perinatal mortality rate per flock was 16.5 ± 11.5%. The management of goats with little or no permanence on the mountains favored (p <0.03) milk production and weaning kids (p<0.09) per matting goats. The fixed mating time also improved (p <0.004) the weaning kid rate and decreased the (p<0.05) perinatal mortality. The 61.5% of FFUs provide all the flock with mineral-vitamin mixtures one (79%) or twice (19%) a year and only the 15.4% vaccinated against clostridium diseases. Farmers (923%) routinely treat all the flock against parasites in autumn and spring and of those, the 54.2% treat twice a year. The 71.8% of owners treated against lice. These results show the importance of carrying out and validate more specific studies on nutritional, reproductive and health management of flocks, as production constraints registered are important and with simple and appropriate practices for small-holders flocks would be possible to increase production and raise general welfare of farming families.

Palabras clave : Goats; Production practices; Family farming; Northwest arid canyons.