Lesson 1: goat business raw basics. (cont'd.)

4. secure a space for your goat.

the popular belief is the that goats can be economically maintained ONLY under semi-intensive and extensive systems with a provision of grazing. however contrary to this , goats can be and has been raised successfully under intensive system of management both here in Nigeria and elsewhere. in fact most commercial goat farms in India are under extensive system. later I will show you in pictures my own experience of goat in a cage.

so non access to grazing resources and large expanse of Land should not discourage intending commercial goat farmers.
the question therefore is this: how do you handle the issue of feeding without access to free large expanse of grasses ? that is a story for another day. just note that you can raise goats for profit without large expanse of land . in fact it is more profitable

question comes: are you saying that my large backyard is still OK for 10 goats? yes if you can secure them properly with good ventilation and protection from rain and adverse weather conditions. in fact there are several reasons why you need to start from your backyard or nearby space. don't go buy big farmland yet until you grow big after starting from your back yard or nearby space.

so you have no reason not to go into goat farming. so your next assignment is to go prepare your backyard or lease your neighbours backyard. construct open sheds backing the wall of your fence. that is where to keep the goats.

5. next topic: should you raise goat with cattle on the same farm? which is profitable: cattle or goat farming ?
as a business owner look at the " numbers ". I.e your balance sheet. i told you to have record books one of which should be for accounting. I will show you what some USA cattle are doing to play smart and join the goat train .

I will see you later. but for now go and carry out your assignment.: secure your backyard . hope your business already have a name? it is a business and must be taken as such. you are not a civil servant now you are business person. behave as such.

cheers

to be cont'd.

5. which is profitable: cattle or
goat farming ?

as start ups, it is important that you stay focus and profitable.

my advice is that you start small and start with goat farming business.

returns for rearing goats are generally higher than for cattle. it is easier to own a goat than a cow.

with existing market from different ethnic and religious groups and the potential market from mainstream consumers, the demand for goat will continue to increase. it is always higher than that of cattle.

in Nigeria, the demand for goat is higher than
the suppliers as such the market potential
of goat is inexhaustible, locally and
internationally. we are talking of over 100 billion naira per year market( Conservative estimates) with low entry for start ups. this is not something to overlook and go for something requiring high start up cost like cattle rearing.

The profit margin in modern
goat rearing is not less than 50% per goat
excluding the set up costs. that is good news for business minded guys. you can even achieve this with low start up cost and minimal labor requirements.

to be cont'd.

I started rearing goats for my MSC project.... I lost a lot of them but now they are fully owkk..but the problem I have is that their growth rate is too small...please op can you tell me what better feed I can get for them so as to increase their growth rate.....

am done with the project I just want to continue with goat farming as a part time business.

sanmibukunmi:
I started rearing goats for my MSC project.... I lost a lot of them but now they are fully owkk..but the problem I have is that their growth rate is too small...please op can you tell me what better feed I can get for them so as to increase their growth rate.....

am done with the project I just want to continue with goat farming as a part time business.

nice that you are going into goat business. operators of more than half of the biggest commercial goat farms in India are well educated guys.

yea there are better and cost effective feed. in a short while I will discuss about the issue of goat feeding. I will sure talk about goat feeding.

but for now I still want to discuss further huge economic potentials available in goat business.
please keep following.

cheers

Sorry about your ordeal. Sure those bends made you the expert that you re today. Please share with me what breed of goat you reared and cause of death

sanmibukunmi:
I started rearing goats for my MSC project.... I lost a lot of them but now they are fully owkk..but the problem I have is that their growth rate is too small...please op can you tell me what better feed I can get for them so as to increase their growth rate.....

am done with the project I just want to continue with goat farming as a part time business.

shamecurls:
Sorry about your ordeal. Sure those bends made you the expert that you re today. Please share with me what breed of goat you reared and cause of death

thanks..... I rear the west African dwarf breeds. these are the breeds that are common in our environment... they are very hardy and very prolific but have slow growth rate......
what made me loose them basically was the experimental feeds I was giving to them cos I made sure I gave DM all necessary drugs before commencing. I discovered that when you give ruminants too much of concentrates or too much of fresh green grasses it can cause some sort of imbalance in their digestive system which then leads to diarrhea. if the diarrhea persists, they loose energy fast and they die. after discovering this, once I noticed they had diarrhea, the first thing I do is to remove them from the feed. u tried getting electrolytes for those animals seriously weak but I couldn't. so all I did to curb it was to take them off the feed and give them anti diarrhea drugs such as ravax. some people will say infections also cause diarrhea but for me I noticed after taking them off feed and given then the ravax, they returned to normal wellbeing. so I will recommend when you notice some thing like this, the first line of action is to cure the diarrhea then you can go ahead with some anti biotics if you are sure of an infection. electrolytes could be hard to get so am recommending paying full attention to animals so as to notice the diarrhea very early.... it's one of those things I failed to do when I first started.

PS - am not an expert. just still learning. am sure other pple on the thread can contribute more.

sanmibukunmi:


PS - am not an expert. just still learning. am sure other pple on the thread can contribute more.

Goat Diarrhoea
1. When goats have stomach diseases their droppings usually become soft, watery and smelly. This is referred to as diarrhoea.

2 There are many conditions that cause diarrhoea. Most of them linked directly or indirectly to bacteria, virus, worms, change in diet , poisonous plant, and stress. Others are idiopathic I.e cause not linked to anything.

3. Hereunder, I will tell you what to do. but your best option is either to get a vet doc or get a manual/ book on treatment for common goat diseases. very practical and easy to follow. I can recommend for you one or two of such books.

4.
Try to separate the sick goats from the healthy ones and give fresh food ,water activated charcoal and electrolyte solutions
.
Prevent flies from disturbing/infecting them by cleaning the back legs.

Find out exactly what is making your goats sick so that you can give the correct treatment. You can do this by contacting your veterinarian for advice or get the recommended manual

Electrolyte solutions are given to prevent dehydration and to give the sick animals energy.
You can get them from vet shop or make your own electrolyte solutions at home.

zayons:



but for now I still want to discuss further huge economic potentials available in goat business.
please keep following.

cheers

5 . (continuation)

the rising demand for goats coupled with other factors such as low start- up cost, minimal labor requirements and the prolific nature of goats has made goat Business a viable alternative and profitable Enterprise at least for start ups.

for instance in a period of 2yrs it is possible for a goat to give birth to 6 kids because of its high twinning rate, whereas a cow is likely to produce 2 calves for the same period.

this quick turn over rate is an advantage to the farmer in terms of cash flow and the Building up of herd size.

6. next we shall discuss how to select goats for your goat business.

some goats are best as pet. but for your goat business especially meat production you need some guidelines in selecting goat irrespective of breed you are choosing.

it is a skill you need to master and any error at this stage can mess up the whole enterprise . and you can't depend on others for this not even your vet.

it is you the owner who must decide on the particular goat you want at least at the initial stage

so get set and master it properly.

i shall talk about it soon

post script

I forgot to tell you.

one of the products you can get from goat is SOAP for bathing and for other uses.

an excellent Soap for skin care; for its moisturising effect.

I will tell you later how you can make Soap from goat even if for personal use.

cheers.

6. how to select goats for your goat business.

1. check the eyes.
it should be clear and bright. tearing or cloudy eyes probably mean infection.

you should try not to start with infected goat except you are buying it very cheap and you can get it treated at a low cost.

2. check the skin/ coat.
it should be smooth and shiny. a dull coat could indicate parasites .

fluffed up coat means the Goat is not feeling well except during very cold weather when goats fluff up to keep warm.

to be contd.

6. how to select goats for your goat business. cont'd.

1. check the attitude alertness.
you may need to spend some minutes to observe this.

goat with hunched back and droopy tail mean something is wrong with the Goat .


2. check the appetite.

healthy goats are good eaters. they eat almost anything and every time. spend some minutes to observe the eating pattern. you can discover the facts within minutes.

however it is normal for a Doe(female goat) in labor to refuse to eat.

check the attitude alertness.
you may need to spend some minutes to observe this.
goat with hunched back and droopy tail mean something is wrong with the Goat .
2. check the appetite.
healthy goats are good eaters. they eat almost anything and every time. spend some minutes to observe the eating pattern. you can discover the facts within minutes.
however it is normal for a Doe(female goat) in labor to refuse to eat.

patiently following...

@zayons I tried the phone number you put up last night (sorry it was late in the day) and the receiver who picked the call was most oblivious of my interests. Do you still use the number?

How do you expect us to follow this thread when you yourself ask questions that we want answers and expect us to follow.
When the whites get an idea they share it without limitations (that is mentoring).
you start a thread stop mid way after steering up our emotions.
If you have something to give, give it or hold your peace.

keep it up guys, learning a lot from you all

seekingsch:
@zayons I tried the phone number you put up last night (sorry it was late in the day) and the receiver who picked the call was most oblivious of my interests. Do you still use the number?

sorry for that. the phone was not with me for a brief period of time. I handed it over to a non technical staff of mine. she was to answer calls and provide non technical information only. the phone is now with me.

dmz1:
keep it up guys, learning a lot from you all

yea thank you. an back online. went off to attend to some other issues.
now I have rearranged my schedules . so I will have more time to post updates regularly after the festivities.

yes next week we shall continue.

and thanks to those who personally called on phone to enquire about my absence.

kboycrew:
How do you expect us to follow this thread when you yourself ask questions that we want answers and expect us to follow.
When the whites get an idea they share it without limitations (that is mentoring).
you start a thread stop mid way after steering up our emotions.
If you have something to give, give it or hold your peace.

bros am not asking question. maybe some one else did.
yes I want to mentor with all willingness. I have something to give and I will do it joyfully.
am back online I said it earlier

That's nice one, l am following with keen interest.

STOCKING IN GOAT BUSINESS

Dont start your goat business with one goat. Plan on getting at least two goats. Normally if you have enough fund get ten goats.
Goats are social animals, and are
more likely to be uncooperative or try to
escape if kept alone. Always keep at least
two goats in each enclosure.

Dont keep uncastrated males (bucks)
with females (does) in same enclosure all the time except for planned breeding purpose.

cont'd.

STOCKING cont'd

Decide how many male and female
goats to purchase.
There are three
main types of goats divided by sex:

females, called does;

uncastrated males,called bucks;

castrated males, called wethers.

Does need to be impregnated by
a buck before they produce milk and kids
, but raising a buck can require a lot of extra
work.

Bucks require a separate enclosure,
may develop a strong odor, and are often
aggressive.

For the easiest way to start your
goat farm, buy two does, and pay another
goat farm for the opportunity to breed your
does with its buck.

wethers are not able to breed or produce milk. Many goat farms end up with
wethers when their goats give birth
to extra males.

so you should consider castrating the extra males and keep just one male for between 25 and 50 females.

If you do purchase a buck, consider one with the ideal traits in goats without any defect so as not to introduce defects into your herd .

cont'd

@ GGfadar:zayons

Do we have any standard goat farm in Nigeria that I can visit?.

Why do you recommend one male to so many females. I'm thinking of exhaustion and inability to be so prolific. I'm just asking questions as to why I don't know anything about the why really.

kolokolobi:
Why do you recommend one male to so many females. I'm thinking of exhaustion and inability to be so prolific. I'm just asking questions as to why I don't know anything about the why really.

It is a wise management decision to choose a buck to breed selected does and run only that buck with the females.

A healthy sexually-mature buck can easily breed 40-50 does in two breeding cycles.

Does cycle into heat approximately every 21 days. Some breeds are aseasonal (breed year-round), while others are seasonal.

what about exhaustion on the part of the buck ?

yes a possibility but not a special issue.
Does experience ascending, cresting, and descending levels of heat. The cresting level is when she is most receptive to conception. so mating is not every time.

infact the mating ritual described above may continue for as long as a day or two. The doe must be in a standing heat before successful mating / insemination can occur. Until that time arrives, the doe will continue to run from the buck all the while flagging her tail and there may be no mating.
again mating is not everytime. and so the exhaustion from mating is limited.

However, When successful copulation occurs, the buck will throw his head back as he ejaculates his semen. this is where most exhaustion takes place.

in fact breeding generally takes a great deal of energy from both the doe and buck but more from buck. life expectancy of buck is usually lesser than that of doe.

but not necessarily because the female is 10 or 50. with 50 does the efect is not diff from 10 does. except unhealthy buck .

I cant but emphasise very good nutrition for the buck. very important.

lastly a good breeding schedule involves placing a single mature buck with up to 50 does and leaving them together through two heat cycles.

Forty-five (45) days in the breeding pen will cover two heat cycles of approximately 21 days each, generally assuring that any doe who missed the first cycle will get bred on the second round. Then take the buck back to the buck pen. just 45days at a time.

cheers

Thanks for the knowledge shared. On a funny note, that buck has got its work cut out... No wonder a lower life expectancy

zayons:
I sure like some of the comments especially the spirit to be of service and not necessarily for profit making

@GGfadar you have made some valid points and I must commend your selfless spirit.

Do one need big money to start goat Business?
yes and no as you will discover later on. Can one even start with zero budget ? yes.
can one start small ? yes as you will discover later on. what about feeding issue any ways around this without big budget? yes .
shelter and security ? yes serious issues but there are ways around them.
need for training ? yes formal or informal , on the job or otherwise
Risk ? yes. moderate to high but can be mitigated .
profitable ? sure , profitable with ready market year round without religious, cultural or medical limitation s

please let us focus on issues of goat business. let us leave marketing out for now, you will always get market for your product. later you can discuss market.

now let us set the ball rolling .

if there are no further questions and issues we shall move to Lesson 1.
cheers

How can one start with zero budget?
#curious and ready to learn sir.

BELEXYFARMS:



How can one start with zero budget?
#curious and ready to learn sir.

with zero budget we mean that you will be spending very little or no money on your Goat business such as stocking, feeding etc

if you are working with zero budget, then the way out is to apply the principles of Goat banking, an improved and modernised form of the traditional way of giving live stocks to neighbors for upkeep .

now it has been refined and repackaged taking care of stocking, feeding, kids management, healthcare, insurance , security,etc.

however you may need to take time to learn those principles and practice them.
with zero budget you can actually raise a Goat farm using those principles.

cheers

STOCKING contd

Select the age of the goats.

Young goats are called kids, or bucklings or
doelings depending on sex. When around 8
weeks old, they are typically cheaper than
older goats especially if you go to the rural areas and non festive periods.

A kid between 6 months and 1 year old will
take less time to mature than that of 8 weeks. so you should note that.

However, an adult or senior goat
may be the cheapest option of all, if all other variables are taken into consideration, particularly if time is an issue.

So whether you are considering a kid or adult goat, you will still make profit at the end of the day if all other factors are favourable.

cont'd.

STOCKING contd

Choose a goat breed.

Some breeds are suited for milk production, such as Nigerian Dwarf, La Mancha, and Alpine goats.

Others are usually raised for meat,
such as the south African Boer, Spanish or Tennessee breeds.


Finally, some farms raise Angora or
Cashmere goats to sell their hair for
fabric .

decide your goal and choose breed in line with your goal.

however, irrespective of the breed, look out for desirable traits i.e the physical and personality traits of each breed.

Some breeds tend to be more docile, produce bucks with a stronger
smell, or be prone to certain health
problems.

Nigerian dwarfs generally tend to be healthier and able to withstand harsh conditions.

I will like to see how best to set up the shelter for a Goat farm in the best way to keep the shelter clean of their waste and where one can buy the different goat breeds.