Optimized design and application of meat goat sheds in arid-hot valley of Yuanmou

Sheds design is an important technology to large-scale and intensive farming in goat breeding. More and more attentions were paid to establishment and optimization of shed craft modes to meet the dual demands of regional development and ecological construction. The present study analyzed the climate characteristics in past decade and discussed and evaluated the optimal design of goat sheds in these aridhot valley climate conditions in Yuanmou County, Yunnan. The climate characteristics in Yuanmou aridhot valley were long hours of sunshine, distinct wet and dry season, perennial hot and dry, more southeast wind, hydrothermal contradiction and great differ temperature in days with an annual average temperature of 21.9 ℃, annual precipitation 680.7 mm and annual average evaporation 3 640.5 mm. Based on these climate characteristics, the optimal sheds design was proposed with prevention of heatstroke and drought hazard and balance temperature and humidity locating in geological stable and easily managed sites sitting south to north direction in the valley. Meanwhile, optimization design based on climate characteristics with half-opened and high bed sheds for dry and hot valley mutton goat shed effectively decreased pens temperature and balanced temperature and humidity which meet the standard requirements for mutton goat breeding and production.