Pavore9: @felixzo1, which local breed of goat produces high quantity of milk?

the only local nigerian goat breed that has the genetic potential to produce high quality goat milk is the nigerian dwarf goat found commonly in the southern and easthern part of nigeria.funny enough they are not milk by nigerians.they goat is a highly price dairy goat in usa.it can produce 2.5liters of milk a day with high butter fat content. it has natural sweetness. better than even a white fulani cow. which produce just 2 liters a day for a goat than weigh not more than 40 kg, it is a miracle.

felixzo1: the only local nigerian goat breed that has the genetic potential to produce high quality goat milk is the nigerian dwarf goat found commonly in the southern and easthern part of nigeria.funny enough they are not milk by nigerians.they goat is a highly price dairy goat in usa.it can produce 2.5liters of milk a day with high butter fat content. it has natural sweetness. better than even a white fulani cow. which produce just 2 liters a day for a goat than weigh not more than 40 kg, it is a miracle.

Jesus Christ!

l did visit a goat diary farm run by some Reverend Sisters, they are stocked with German Alpine & Toggenburg breeds, about 47 in all. Each goat produces an average of 5.25litre of milk daily! They use it in their hospital for their patients.

Pavore9: l did visit a goat diary farm run by some Reverend Sisters, they are stocked with German Alpine & Toggenburg breeds, about 47 in all. Each goat produces an average of 5.25litre of milk daily! They use it in their hospital for their patients.

that quite nice oooh. i wonder if we hv a market for goat milk here in nigeria

felixzo1: that quite nice oooh. i wonder if we hv a market for goat milk here in nigeria

Of course the market is there especially women who will love to bathe with it! Goat milk is expensive, l get it here for N390 per litre!

Is it possible to rear cattles (except ndama), kalahari goat, boer goat etc in the south. Wont tsetse fly be a problem?

FarmTech: Is it possible to rear cattles (except ndama), kalahari goat, boer goat etc in the south. Wont tsetse fly be a problem?

for free range system, the tsetse fly still pose a problem, but tsetse fly incidence has reduced due to loss of habitat by the fly. but cattle can be reared by zero grazing/stall fed methods effectively, another issue of high humidity/ high rain fall is a problem for goats. so stall feeding and upgrading from local goats is highly recommended for profitability .

Goats rearing and crossing breeding (up grading) from our local goats

The matured weight of most Nigerian breeds of goat is less than 36kg, and they reach this body size in more than 24 months. (Nigeria dwarf goat, sokoto red, adamawa red, etc)the standard weight of a foreign breed of goat is more than 70kg,(boar goats 120kg, Kalahari goats 90kg, saanen goats 70kg alpine goats 65kg)they reach this body weight in less than 30 months under good management.
Goats reach sexual maturity at 6 months; they usually give birth to twins or more from second kidding. In two years a good doe will kid 3 times.., it is highly recommended we upgrade the genetic of our local breeds to a pure breed for better meat quality and quantity, faster growth rate and good dress weight ratio. The big question is this will a 120kg boar goat buck(male goat) cross breed successfully with our local 25kg Nigerian dwarf goat doe(female goat). the answer is a big NO, why is this so. The smaller Nigeria goat will experience kidding problems and die at childbirth. This is because of the huge kids it will produce as a result of the crossing with superior bigger genes than her bloodline. The normal birth weight of a Nigeria goat is 1.5kg maximum, and that of a boar goat is from 4kg to 6kg, the small size Nigerian goat that gives bith to 1.5 kg kids can not suddenly give birth to a 4kg kid, her body frame can not support that size)
The recommended crossing method is to mate the local breed buck (smaller Nigeria male goat) to a female boar goat (larger foreign breed goat) the result offspring will be a 50% local breed and 50% boar goat genetics. The male offspring of that cross will now is cross breed with local female breeds up grading their offspring genetic by 25%. The second line of crossing will be to cross a 75%boar goat (25% Nigerian bloodline 75% boar bloodline) the resultant offspring will be a 50% Nigeria goat boar 50% bloodline.
The 50% Nigeria/boar female goat can now be cross breed with a pure breed boar buck, without kidding problems., it will take a period of not less than 6 years to completely upgrade to a pure breed.,
questions and comments are welcome.

Can't the vet doctors conduct a cesarean section for the goats like they do for humans?

You are right with the upgrading as l was told something similar at the goat diary farm.

aguiyi: Can't the vet doctors conduct a cesarean section for the goats like they do for humans?

yes an expirence vet doc do it. but it is very risky.

felixzo1: yes an expirence vet doc do it. but it is very risky.

If it possible then we may need to use some goats as sacrificial lamb to achieve our aim of having good stocks for future breeding except their are other risks I am yet to factor in due to ignorance

Guess ram is part of this too

aguiyi: Guess ram is part of this too

yes, they are similar to goats.

felixzo1: yes, they are similar to goats.

Starting a cattle farm will require breeding stocks of how old and like how many male and female would do for a start.

I was told something about colony in grass utter rearing so I want to know if their is any of such thing in cattle rearing and comparing that to cattle, which is more lucrative and will give a higher ROI. Starting with 200k in 2 months.



Are you an agriculturist or a vet doctor.


Thanks for the free idea, am one of your free learners

aguiyi:

Starting a cattle farm will require breeding stocks of how old and like how many male and female would do for a start.

I was told something about colony in grass utter rearing so I want to know if their is any of such thing in cattle rearing and comparing that to cattle, which is more lucrative and will give a higher ROI. Starting with 200k in 2 months.



Are you an agriculturist or a vet doctor.


Thanks for the free idea, am one of your free learners

One of the things I was tell people going into agric biz is, do what you have passion for, there are a lot of challenges. If you have a plan and is patient, you will certainly get there, What ever you decide to do, you will succeed; it is a matter of time. Cattle farming is not easy, there certain infrastructure you need in place before starting (water, fence, and plans for their feeding) cattle breeding is capital intensive; it also has a long gestation period. For a person with no other sources of income, cattle breeding may not be for you. if you buy a year old heifer at N35, 000 plus (depending on location), you will have to wait for 16 months to breed it and wait for 9 months for the cow to give birth, then wait for the calf to mature Before selling. although once your cattle start calving you will get a calf every year, and a cow lives for more than 10 years. For a person starting with less than 10 heifers, artificial insemination is recommended; keeping a bull will be more costly, especially when you are upgrading the genetic (cross breeding) to a better breed.for people who have the means and live in the middlebelt state or northern nigeria, cattle breeding will make you rich if you are patient and focus.

@ op
Nice thread you 've got here, hope you can start soon and while at that, have you thought of having a biogas plant within your farm so that all the manures of the animals can be fully utilized in generation of gas for the running of your farms and also fertilizer (effluent).
In case you do consider setting-up a biogas plant feel free to contact me and every other interested person(s) via my e-mail: messdarlton1980@gmail.com

Pavore9: l did visit a goat diary farm run by some Reverend Sisters, they are stocked with German Alpine & Toggenburg breeds, about 47 in all. Each goat produces an average of 5.25litre of milk daily! They use it in their hospital for their patients.

Wow! Bro is this happening in Nigeria? To think that we waste this opportunity in the east is quite disheartening, time to re plan ones strategy. Keep it flowing am in on this Goat and Cow thing no going back

Pavore9: Of course the market is there especially women who will love to bathe with it! Goat milk is expensive, l get it here for N390 per litre!

Bathe with it? Is there any medicinal values? Lord! Man no know anything yet o! The masters are here really!

[quoteauthor=rareman]
Wow! Bro is this happening in Nigeria? To think that we waste this opportunity in the east is quite disheartening,time to re plan ones strategy.Keep it flowing am in on this Goat and Cow thing no going back[/quote] Am in Kenya.

rareman:

Bathe with it? Is there any medicinal values? Lord! Man no know anything yet o! The masters are here really!

Use it and you see your skin glowing like a new born baby's!

Pavore9: Use it and you see your skin glowing like a new born baby's!

Thanks man, I appreciate!

rareman:

Thanks man, I appreciate!

you are welcome.

felixzo1: for free range system, the tsetse fly still pose a problem, but tsetse fly incidence has reduced due to loss of habitat by the fly. but cattle can be reared by zero grazing/stall fed methods effectively, another issue of high humidity/ high rain fall is a problem for goats. so stall feeding and upgrading from local goats is highly recommended for profitability .

..
Thanks for the reply. Do u think the fly would be a problem if their pen is in a bushy area?

A Super Dairy Cow For Nigeria

Up in Kwara State in the West of Nigeria, Irvine Reid showed us around his dairy farm at Shonga in February 2014.

He has imported a herd of pure bred Jersey cattle to milk and breed from. Pedigree Jersey


cows are internationally known for their high quality delicious rich milk. Jersey milk also makes great cheese and ice cream.

The cattle are thriving but there are always issues with importing an alien breed of any animal.



The local Fulani cattle carry disease to which they are immune but the non-indigenous Jersey stock in Nigeria will succumb to very rapidly. For this reason, Irvine has to keep his herd very tightly controlled so the Fulani and Jersey cattle don’t come into contact. They are also affected by parasites and infections that the Fulani cows aren’t bothered by. Shonga farm is in the Tsetse Fly belt. Tsetse flies carry a disease called trypanosomiasis or nagana. They are also responsible for sleeping sickness in humans. No animals are immune to this. However, some cattle become trypanotolerant and can survive and grow whilst infected with the disease. They will produce less milk if they are infected with trypanosomiasis as unhealthy animals always suffer from reduced productivity. One way of reducing the Tsetse fly is to remove their habitat. Tsetse flies live in trees and by removing trees, the fly habitat is diminished which gets rid of the breeding ground and discourages their presence. Another method of reducing contact with flies is to keep the herd indoors or under cover.

A natural progression of a project like this would be to create a super breed of cattle for Nigeria. In this case, a Fulani/Jersey cross that brings the best qualities of each breed to one animal that is perfect for the conditions in Nigeria and produces a good yield of quality milk.

Before cattle breeding went hi-tech, the bull used to be bought to service the cow. Nowadays, artificial insemination (AI) is more likely to be used. This is because AI gives more control to the farmer about the timing of the conception and the quality of the bull semen used.

No interbreeding between the Jersey cattle and the Fulani cattle has happened yet but when it starts, it will bring great benefit to the Nigeria dairy and beef industry.

Written by: Fiona Johnson
http://www.vellag.com/index.php/articles/a-super-dairy-cow-for-nigeria/
February 2014

you have stylishly avoided my question on whether you are a vet doctor or an agriculturist.

your knowledge on cattle rearing doesn't seem like one gotten out of passion

Alhaji Suleiman Tafida is one of the directors of Maidoki Interagric Farm Nigeria Limited located in Dinki village of Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State. In this interview with, Tafida said goats rearing has the capacity of changing the fortunes of Nigerian farmers, among other issues. Excerpts:

Can we start by knowing the different types of red goats that we have?

We have three types of these red goats. We have the local ones that are known in this part of the country, that is, northwest. We also have the ones that crossed-bred with the types that are found in Niger Republic. These types are more prominent in areas like Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi and they are taller than the local ones we have but their height is not as high as those from Niger Republic. We also have other breeds from Niger Republic.

Apart from that some goats are purely white; others are black while others have mixed-colour; red and white, black and white, among others.
Do these types of goats differ in character?

All these goats have the same status and character. The only difference is that those that have the higher height produce bigger kids. Another difference is that those from Niger Republic are more vulnerable to rains because of the nature of their area that is more of Sahara. Although even our local goats have problem with rains but those from Niger Republic are more devastated by rains.
Therefore, the best thing to do for a farmer that wants to engage in goats rearing is to provide shelter for them; like a house where they can always run to when it rains. A special place for their feeding and taking water should also be provided.
A farmer should also ensure that his goats did not move out when it rains or if there is sign of rain. Therefore, goats should only be allowed to go out if the weather is dry. A farmer should ensure that he does not release his goats early in the morning. Releasing goats early in the morning usually results to disease infection. Therefore, it is better for a farmer to only release his goats from their shelter at about 11am during rainy season or at about 9am during the dry season. Goats are more prone to diseases during the rainy season, but one interesting thing about them is that immediately they notice the signs of rains; they would usually run back to their shelter.

What benefits are there in rearing red goats?

To be honest, rearing of red goats is more profitable than rearing of cows; in my own opinion. My reason is that red goats usually give birth twice in a year unlike cows, and their kids are very simple to raise unlike calves. If a farmer allows his goats to move around freely in spacious place, he would not have problem with them. The other preference of red goats is connected with their nature of giving birth. A female red goat may give birth to a single kid at a start but afterwards the production would keep on increasing from one kid to two, three, four or even more in every six or seven months. Apart from that, the first kid, if it happens to be female, would also join its mother in giving birth after six or seven months. That is how they would keep on multiplying. Therefore, if a farmer starts rearing red goats with let's say 50 females; in two to three years they can multiply to 200 or 300. You can see the profit margin.
Honestly, rearing of red goats is highly profitable. Some of these goats give birth to as much as six kids at a time. So, if a farmer is lucky to have such type; his herd can multiply to about 12 times in a year because they usually give birth twice in a year. This is why I said rearing of red goats is more profitable than even cows or other animals.

Despite all these virtues of the local red goats that you have mentioned, is there any effort in place aimed at improving their production ability?

During the regime of Obasanjo, the government imported another variety of red goats called Kalahari Red Goats from South Africa. The male goat can weigh up to 110 kilograms, that is, it is as heavy as some cows. I know that there was an attempt to cross-breed those Kalahari Red Goats with our own local goats so that we can develop unique types of red goats. We wanted to start cross-breeding of red goats just like we did with cows; especially here in Northern Nigeria. You can imagine the gains our farmers would be getting if every year their goats would be producing hundreds of male goats that would weigh up to about 110 kilograms.

As farmers in Northern Nigeria, what can you say are the challenges you face?

Honestly, our major challenge is our inability to form unions or associations especially at the grassroots. For example, in the whole North we don't have any association that is specially formed for the cross-breeding of the Kalahari Red Goats with our local types. However, when we realised that, we formed that association recently, and we have decided to be holding regular meetings so that government can be hearing our voices and through that we can, perhaps, receive assistance to improve our farming activities. This association of ours is meant to be for the whole North, and it is intended to be an association for rearers of red goats. When the association is finally registered, we would import those Kalahari Red Goats for cross-breeding with our local types in order to improve our production.
Another dimension to these efforts of improving the production of red goats has to do with milk production. There is a plan to even start producing red goats' yoghurt just like we have that of cows; these are largely some of the objectives. Apart from that, the price of red goat is also encouraging. For example, a matured local male goat can be sold at between N12,000 to N20,000, but the ones from Niger and Cameroun that are bigger can go as high as N60,000 and above. In this farm, we bought one recently at the cost of N60,000.

What is the major problem that is associated with rearing of red goats?

The major problem of red goats the is rainy season. They are more prone to diseases during rainy season. These diseases can even kill them. We have however embarked on research to find solution to those diseases in collaboration with NAPRI of the ABU, Zaria. Apart from rainy season, I don't know of any problem that is associated with rearing of red goats. If a farmer can provide spacious shelter for them with feed and water points, a farmer would not have problem with his goats even during rainy season.

Is there any feed that red goats like most?

Red goats eat different types of food. They eat beans, maize and groundnut; corn as well as grass. They also like 'Stallon' grass. All these feeds improve, their productivity. In a nutshell, all farming activities cannot be effective without government intervention. Unfortunately however, government is paying less attention to farming and farmers. In this farm, for example, we have never received any form of intervention from government; even supply of fertilizers.
We sustain our activities here through the marketing of our products where we sell our produce locally. Even on the marketing issue, government needs to come in by buying these products at reasonable prices and even export them like what obtains in other countries where their governments highly subsidise and is actively involved in agriculture.

aguiyi: Can't the vet doctors conduct a cesarean section for the goats like they do for humans?

FarmTech:
..
Thanks for the reply. Do u think the fly would be a problem if their pen is in a bushy area?

tse tse fly will not be a problem with proper housing.

felixzo1: tse tse fly will not be a problem with proper housing.

..
What do u mean by proper housing? U mean a closed house?
..
Do u also think that crossing a livestock from the north, with a tse tse resistant livestock from the south, will make the offspring to be resistant to the fly?