Goats are domesticated ruminant animals, with backward-curving horns, reared in several parts of the world with little or no special skills required.
A profitable and rewarding business, goats are kept for several purposes, including meat, milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, butter or leather. Anything cow milk can do, goat milk also can.
Not only does the meat taste unique and great, it contains lower amount of fat compared to chicken and higher protein than beef. This is one amongst many reasons, why it is very lucrative and in high demand.
BREEDS
There are several varieties of goats. Amongst the popular in Nigeria include Sokoto Red, Bornu Red, West African long-legged goat, West African Dwarf (WAD) goat, Kano Brown, Bauchi time, Kalahari Red (originally imported from South Africa by the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB).
WHAT BREED SHOULD YOU OPT IN FOR?
“Rearing goats is largely dependent on your capital”, said Dr Suleiman M Yashim, an expert in Feed Resources and Ruminant Nutrition, at the Department of Animal Science (Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria).
He went further to say,
“If you are in the north, from Abuja upwards there are good breeds that do well like the Red Sokoto breed and the Sahelian/ Desert breed that can do well in Borno, Sokoto and Katsina states.
“While for the southern part of the country, especially the rain forest areas, there’s the West African dwarf goat that does very well there and weighs between 20kg and 25kg,” he said.
On the number of goats needed to start goat farming, the expert said, “for a household that wants to start small, you require two females and one male goat (buck), but if you’re in an environment where people have bucks, and you don’t intend to confine your own, then you don’t need to buy a male goat.”
For raise-and-sell farmers, you could raise only male goats because breeding is not in focus.
FEEDING:
Goats feed on virtually everything, hence making their feeding relatively cheap. They majorly feed on green grass, but for better growth and fattening, you may consider formulated feeds. Tuber and root peels could also be used due to the herbivorous nature of the animals.
So, you may consider adding grasses, cassava peels, banana peels, sweet potato peels, grains, groundnut haulms, soya beans haulms and more.
You could crush the haulms and mix with offal and others to feed the animals as supplements. Adding salt to the mixture will make available sodium and chlorine as nutrients, while bone meal will supply calcium and phosphorus.
GESTATION PERIOD IN GOATS
Gestation in goats lasts from 145 to 150 days. Goats attain market size (full maturity), between eight months and twelve months. However, this could take upto 18 months if they are not properly fed. Veterinary treatment is needed to control infertility and stunting. This could occur due to drinking water contaminated with salmonella.
DISEASES
Goats also have a lot of diseases which can spread easily and can kill the animals. Diseases like pneumonia, diarrhea, ketosis, anemia, anorexia, arthritis, anthrax, bronchitis and coccidiosis do affect goats. The feed should be checked regularly. If the feed is contaminated, the animals could come down with diarrhea. Some of the symptoms of pneumonia include mucus discharge from their noses and eyes, fever, anorexia, inflammation of the nasal and buccal cavities and respiratory difficulty.
Proper health care and sanitation, in addition to good management, must not be overlooked if any goat farmer wants to excel in the business. Like Suleiman pointed out, it is better to start small and expand as one gets more experience in the business to avoid unnecessary losses.
RETURN ON INVESTMENT (ROI) – GOAT FARMING
A goat’s worth is usually according to its weight. In the abattoir, a goat is weighed and the price is based on the weight of the goat or the size depending on the buyer.
Goat farming is a good agricultural business because apart from housing, cost of stocking is less capital intensive than cattle, and can bring good returns on investments with full understanding of the market. A full market size goat can be sold from N20,000 and above.
A profitable and rewarding business, goats are kept for several purposes, including meat, milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, butter or leather. Anything cow milk can do, goat milk also can.
Not only does the meat taste unique and great, it contains lower amount of fat compared to chicken and higher protein than beef. This is one amongst many reasons, why it is very lucrative and in high demand.
BREEDS
There are several varieties of goats. Amongst the popular in Nigeria include Sokoto Red, Bornu Red, West African long-legged goat, West African Dwarf (WAD) goat, Kano Brown, Bauchi time, Kalahari Red (originally imported from South Africa by the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB).
WHAT BREED SHOULD YOU OPT IN FOR?
“Rearing goats is largely dependent on your capital”, said Dr Suleiman M Yashim, an expert in Feed Resources and Ruminant Nutrition, at the Department of Animal Science (Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria).
He went further to say,
“If you are in the north, from Abuja upwards there are good breeds that do well like the Red Sokoto breed and the Sahelian/ Desert breed that can do well in Borno, Sokoto and Katsina states.
“While for the southern part of the country, especially the rain forest areas, there’s the West African dwarf goat that does very well there and weighs between 20kg and 25kg,” he said.
On the number of goats needed to start goat farming, the expert said, “for a household that wants to start small, you require two females and one male goat (buck), but if you’re in an environment where people have bucks, and you don’t intend to confine your own, then you don’t need to buy a male goat.”
For raise-and-sell farmers, you could raise only male goats because breeding is not in focus.
FEEDING:
Goats feed on virtually everything, hence making their feeding relatively cheap. They majorly feed on green grass, but for better growth and fattening, you may consider formulated feeds. Tuber and root peels could also be used due to the herbivorous nature of the animals.
So, you may consider adding grasses, cassava peels, banana peels, sweet potato peels, grains, groundnut haulms, soya beans haulms and more.
You could crush the haulms and mix with offal and others to feed the animals as supplements. Adding salt to the mixture will make available sodium and chlorine as nutrients, while bone meal will supply calcium and phosphorus.
GESTATION PERIOD IN GOATS
Gestation in goats lasts from 145 to 150 days. Goats attain market size (full maturity), between eight months and twelve months. However, this could take upto 18 months if they are not properly fed. Veterinary treatment is needed to control infertility and stunting. This could occur due to drinking water contaminated with salmonella.
DISEASES
Goats also have a lot of diseases which can spread easily and can kill the animals. Diseases like pneumonia, diarrhea, ketosis, anemia, anorexia, arthritis, anthrax, bronchitis and coccidiosis do affect goats. The feed should be checked regularly. If the feed is contaminated, the animals could come down with diarrhea. Some of the symptoms of pneumonia include mucus discharge from their noses and eyes, fever, anorexia, inflammation of the nasal and buccal cavities and respiratory difficulty.
Proper health care and sanitation, in addition to good management, must not be overlooked if any goat farmer wants to excel in the business. Like Suleiman pointed out, it is better to start small and expand as one gets more experience in the business to avoid unnecessary losses.
RETURN ON INVESTMENT (ROI) – GOAT FARMING
A goat’s worth is usually according to its weight. In the abattoir, a goat is weighed and the price is based on the weight of the goat or the size depending on the buyer.
Goat farming is a good agricultural business because apart from housing, cost of stocking is less capital intensive than cattle, and can bring good returns on investments with full understanding of the market. A full market size goat can be sold from N20,000 and above.
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