jidestroud:


Yes, firstly as a hubby, then I intend making profits off my hobby while gathering the required knowledge.

On profit projections; Definitely in place. This is one of my 5 years program. I have a well drafted out blueprint of what is expected yearly and at the end of the 5th year.

A quick review, the African dwarf goats becomes active and ready to breed starting from 6 months in some cases but like most breeders/farmers, I intend keeping them for a year before breeding (one reason i intentionally didnt buy a male goat) I guess going by the sellers information, I have 4months more to go since they were 8months as at the time of purchase.

Secondly, the goats have gestation period of about 145 - 148 days, that about two births in a year. Though I don't intend to overstress them.
And from the information gotten from the seller, the mother goats gives birth to three (3) kids per birth, which I confirmed.
That is, by my calculations (using the two African dwarf I got)
1. 6 kids per 1 goat every year (x2 goats) = 12
2. In Five years, 12 x 5years = 60 goats

Lol...that's in an ideal state. Oya in reality

1. At least a birth each year i.e. 3 per goat yearly
For two goats, that's 6 goats yearly
2. In 5 years, 6 x 5 = 30 goats from both goats

Note: I have no intention of selling till the third year. So calculation above is been done on the two goats now.

Feeding and medication is another. For the time been, all I use is sourced solely by me at no cost except for the first time I went to food at alaba Rago. I have been getting excess supply of pap waste from the community though I except things to change soonest.

I just like your approach. This is what I am talking about. Verifying 3 little ones per birth is the KEY you are holding on to.

Bro, if you can add another technique to your pilot program, it will be lovely. If I was to go into livestock today, I would include growing fodder hydroponically. Think about it. I am sure you can do it. It will reduce your cost of production very well. However, you might have to spend now. Feeding livestocks with fodder from hydroponic has been proven to make them grow faster, bigger, heathier, and more profitable at the long run.

Well, maybe you want to explore organic fodder hydroponic production. Maybe. Lol. I think you are more of organic too.

Basically, I love this concept. Bless you!

jidestroud:


Yes, firstly as a hubby, then I intend making profits off my hobby while gathering the required knowledge.

On profit projections; Definitely in place. This is one of my 5 years program. I have a well drafted out blueprint of what is expected yearly and at the end of the 5th year.

A quick review, the African dwarf goats becomes active and ready to breed starting from 6 months in some cases but like most breeders/farmers, I intend keeping them for a year before breeding (one reason i intentionally didnt buy a male goat) I guess going by the sellers information, I have 4months more to go since they were 8months as at the time of purchase.

Secondly, the goats have gestation period of about 145 - 148 days, that about two births in a year. Though I don't intend to overstress them.
And from the information gotten from the seller, the mother goats gives birth to three (3) kids per birth, which I confirmed.
That is, by my calculations (using the two African dwarf I got)
1. 6 kids per 1 goat every year (x2 goats) = 12
2. In Five years, 12 x 5years = 60 goats

Lol...that's in an ideal state. Oya in reality

1. At least a birth each year i.e. 3 per goat yearly
For two goats, that's 6 goats yearly
2. In 5 years, 6 x 5 = 30 goats from both goats

Note: I have no intention of selling till the third year. So calculation above is been done on the two goats now.

Feeding and medication is another. For the time been, all I use is sourced solely by me at no cost except for the first time I went to food at alaba Rago. I have been getting excess supply of pap waste from the community though I except things to change soonest.

Ok. You feed them solely with pap waste?

Will that give them all their required nutrients?

And do the goats enjoy eating only that all day long?

You didn't mention cost of medication. Can they do without vaccines?

Shelumiel:
Yes they do . The gestation period of a healthy goat is 145-147 days, that means a goat will be pregnant twice in one year(at least) .But if you are in a hurry to make quick profit , I suggest you invest in more females to increase your future flock . Or ,you could buy goats from the remote villages near you , train and keep them until festive periods and then , resell them in urban areas . Or , you can go to the goat market with a vet(this what I do ); have the vet select sick goats(since the price will be lower )that have the potential to get well easily with little or no medication . Once they are well , sell them .

wow that nice... I think will try that. thanks

jidestroud:
I just sent you a mail.

thanks boss

Raising a local goat or goats on intensive ranching will never yield profit due to the low reproduction capability and the slow growth of goats. The cost of feeding will kill you even if you decide to use fodder.

It's like raising local chicken in pens. It will always be a loss. Your best bet aside poultry is pig, rabbits or even catfish where fodder can be used extensively for the former two mentioned here and their improved breeds are available unlike goats.

EMMAACHILE:
Raising a local goat or goats on intensive ranching will never yield profit due to the low reproduction capability and the slow growth of goats. The cost of feeding will kill you even if you decide to use fodder.

It's like raising local chicken in pens. It will always be a loss. Your best bet aside poultry is pig, rabbits or even catfish where fodder can be used extensively for the former two mentioned here and their improved breeds are available unlike goats.

What about Sokoto red or Sahel white?

Do they reproduce faster than the West African Dwarf?

EMMAACHILE:
Raising a local goat or goats on intensive ranching will never yield profit due to the low reproduction capability and the slow growth of goats. The cost of feeding will kill you even if you decide to use fodder.

It's like raising local chicken in pens. It will always be a loss. Your best bet aside poultry is pig, rabbits or even catfish where fodder can be used extensively for the former two mentioned here and their improved breeds are available unlike goats.

You got me thinking with the struck out phrase of yours. I have no problem with it.

Truly, it looks like goat farming is not worth it, but OP said he confirmed this particular breed's yield of 3 offsprings at birth. And he knows the timeframe.

My brother, real figures work wonders. But when I medidate deeply on your words, I know you understand what you are saying.

I hardly hear of commercial goat ranch. But there is something unique about goat meat. I have a friend who makes roasted meat with only goat, and it is so profitable. Again, goat poo is granules and lasts longer than any kind of manure even in container farming. My first thought was OP needs the granules poo from the goats since I know he is a good veggie farmer. And for him to say he is keeping them for a long period of time, I understsnd that he is up to something unique.

Again, perhaps there are better breeds of goats that can perform up to your own expectation. Yeah, I have heard of Sokoto Red.

I am not just a livestock lover because the figures I get everytime are not encouraging. But of recent, I have seen some nice ones I want to explore using fodder feeding method. I wonder how livestock owners survive and make profit. To me, feed sellers earn more.

Interesting topic. You may want to explain more based on your experience, but kindly do it in a way OP will not feel he is being rejected. Just my concern sir.

Please come up with this: Let us say I have one male and 10 females, how long does it take to grow them to maturity? What are the costs involved? Medication, feed, hygiene, etc. Then, explain explicity showing figures why you concluded that it is not profitable.

OP will definitely learn from your write up, maybe eventually avoid all the challenges you will raise, and then provide alternatives and solutions which can help many readers.

Thank you bro!

EMMAACHILE:
Raising a local goat or goats on intensive ranching will never yield profit [s]due to the low reproduction capability and the slow growth of goats[/s]. The cost of feeding will kill you even if you decide to use fodder.

It's like raising local chicken in pens. It will always be a loss. Your best bet aside poultry is pig, rabbits or even catfish where fodder can be used extensively for the former two mentioned here and their improved breeds are available unlike goats.

Sorry boss, but the statement struck out is totally not true.


The West African goats are renowned for their high fertility, multiple births, high twining rates, all season breeding, in addition to variations in qualitative traits within populations, justifying further policies for their conservation and sustainable use. Their rusticity and adaptation to backyard systems, as well as their cultural significance, contribute to their popularity.

(PDF) Nigerian West African Dwarf Goats. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322396566_Nigerian_West_African_Dwarf_Goats [accessed Jul 24 2018].

I am also banking on the findings/research which showed that Nigerian WAD goats are endowed with the capacity to resist trypanosome and intestinal nematode infections more effectively than any other known breed of goat.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3042002/
And I also plan to explore my organic approach to raising them.

On ranching, I will call it a semi-ranching style because I restricted them to a plot of land while feeding them aggressively a prepared diet plan I hope to keep to, checking their weights from time to time.

Lastly, there are improved breeds of goats and very much available but, ofcos, doesn't come cheap AT ALL.

Those are my reasons for choosing the WAD, moreover, I'm very new in the game.

Will try to get some pictures later.

jidestroud:


Sorry boss, but the statement struck out is totally not true.


The West African goats are renowned for their high fertility, multiple births, high twining rates, all season breeding, in addition to variations in qualitative traits within populations, justifying further policies for their conservation and sustainable use. Their rusticity and adaptation to backyard systems, as well as their cultural significance, contribute to their popularity.

(PDF) Nigerian West African Dwarf Goats. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322396566_Nigerian_West_African_Dwarf_Goats [accessed Jul 24 2018].

I am also banking on the findings/research which showed that Nigerian WAD goats are endowed with the capacity to resist trypanosome and intestinal nematode infections more effectively than any other known breed of goat.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3042002/
And I also plan to explore my organic approach to raising them.

On ranching, I will call it a semi-ranching style because I restricted them to a plot of land while feeding them aggressively a prepared diet plan I hope to keep to, checking their weights from time to time.

Lastly, there are improved breeds of goats and very much available but, ofcos, do

esn't come cheap AT ALL.

Those are my reasons for choosing the WAD, moreover, I'm very new in the game.

Will try to get some pictures later.

Great thinking sir,
from my own view of study, you can just visit any IITA office in your state you get new breeds of goats.

jidestroud good morning sir, I don't know how to go about the mail. am cool following you here also, just be updating us.

in my area, we only feed them with dry cassava and leftover foods. (free range method tho)

the only disadvantage
very prone to thieves

Good morning here, i am following your thread @ Jidestroud. I have a small backyard goat pen too. I feed with cassava peels and leaves and palmfronds

Yhemit:
in my area, we only feed them with dry cassava and leftover foods. (free range method tho)

the only disadvantage
very prone to thieves

The issue of theft cuts across for all. That seems to be the only disadvantage with the WAD free range method. And goats being what they are can become a pain in the society.

majralph:
Good morning here, i am following your thread @ Jidestroud. I have a small backyard goat pen too. I feed with cassava peels and leaves and palmfronds

Glad to know. Welcome me as I take my first baby steps into rearing goats. Same here, I have been feeding both goats with the above mentioned plus pawpaw, cucumbers, watermelons etc.
Recently I added dried spent grains in little quantity but they hardly eat it.

jidestroud:


The issue of theft cuts across for all. That seems to be the only disadvantage with the WAD free range method. And goats being what they are can become a pain in the society.

Please you guys should keep to your ranching. No to free range.

No one should constitute nuisance with his animals to society.

If I see any free range goats causing nuisance on my property, I have no reservations in putting them to death.

Let's be modern in all we do.

majralph:
Good morning here, i am following your thread @ Jidestroud. I have a small backyard goat pen too. I feed with cassava peels and leaves and palmfronds

How much does it cost you to get them and how long do they last?

Casting my mind to my late grannies, I remember as a child visiting them in the village and seeing the goats being fed only grass cut from the bushes. So zero cost on feeding cos my grandpa used to carry large grasses on his bicycle home to his goat ranch every 2 days. Seems profitable if he spends so little on their feeding.

Do goats still eat grass?

jidestroud:


The issue of theft cuts across for all. That seems to be the only disadvantage with the WAD free range method. And goats being what they are can become a pain in the society.

you're right bro.... but I see goats rearing like snail rearing (a long term investment).

excanny:


How much does it cost you to get them and how long do they last?

Casting my mind to my late grannies, I remember as a child visiting them in the village and seeing the goats being fed only grass cut from the bushes. So zero cost on feeding cos my grandpa used to carry large grasses on his bicycle home to his goat ranch every 2 days. Seems profitable if he spends so little on their feeding.

Do goats still eat grass?

I got my goat weaners for 6000 each in 2016. Presently they are being sold for about 8000. I started my goat farm when a neighbour informed me of a friend who needs money and wants to sell off his weaners. I will attach pictures soon. Goats still eat grass o. But i do interchange with cassava peels so they don't get addicted to just one type of feed.

Here is a pix of my farm

majralph:
I got my goat weaners for 6000 each in 2016. Presently they are being sold for about 8000. I started my goat farm when a neighbour informed me of a friend who needs money and wants to sell off his weaners. I will attach pictures soon. Goats still eat grass o. But i do interchange with cassava peels so they don't get addicted to just one type of feed.

How many do you have now? Can you say you are making profit from the farm?
Goat farming has been likened to grass cutter rearing meaning its not profitable as they take too long to rear with very poor feed convert ratio.

I have not raised them intensively before but have a classmate in Lagos who raised them before. They are also prone to sickness in intensive care.

Veteran farmers will tell you its better to raise a ram to a goat because of the fast weight gain of rams/sheep.

@majralph

Wow, I so impressed I started this thread after all. Also, I don't mind fetching from your wealth of experience.
What's your population like since 2016?
Any major tips you would like to share with me?

EMMAACHILE:

How many do you have now? Can you say you are making profit from the farm?
Goat farming has been likened to grass cutter rearing meaning its not profitable as they take too long to rear with very poor feed convert ratio.

I have not raised them intensively before but have a classmate in Lagos who raised them before. They are also prone to sickness in intensive care.

Veteran farmers will tell you its better to raise a ram to a goat because of the fast weight gain of rams/sheep.

i have six goats now, 5 females and 1 male. i lost 3 kids last year due to poor management. I did not have a place to rear them when i bought them so i kept them with my neighbour. I lost the first two kids in his care and also one of the 2nd set of kids so i made a place for them and brought them to my own place. I also bought one female goat, a ram and a sheep to the farm.Recently i sold the male goat i bought at the start of the farm when i was broke and i got 17500 for it even though i could have gotten more if i had the patience to wait. I can say i am making profit because the only amount i spend on feeding is 400 per month for a bag of dried cassava peels. As i stated earlier i interchange with cassava leaves, grass and also there is a tree called ayiwere tree(i dont know the english name) and they enjoy eating the leaves. They like banana leaves also and palm fronds. And all these are readily available in my area hence there is low cost of feeding which makes it profitable.

jidestroud:
@majralph

Wow, I so impressed I started this thread after all. Also, I don't mind fetching from your wealth of experience.
What's your population like since 2016?
Any major tips you would like to share with me?

6 goats o. Should have been 10 (6 kids from my first female goat and a kid from the 2nd one). I lost 3 and i sold 1. You dont have male goat o. Get one on time so it would mature quickly for reproduction or do you intend getting a matured male goat?

majralph:
6 goats o. Should have been 10 (6 kids from my first female goat and a kid from the 2nd one). I lost 3 and i sold 1. You dont have male goat o. Get one on time so it would mature quickly for reproduction or do you intend getting a matured male goat?

Meaning two females and a male have produced only three kids for you for about two years now. You only consolation is the cost of raising them.
Imagine another person raising pigs at the same time!

Mr Jidestroud should take note. Goats are best reared free range or where an extensive folder system is used mixed with fast crops like moringa. But our local goats are a real con to commercial production.

EMMAACHILE:

Meaning two females and a male have produced only three kids for you for about two years now. You only consolation is the cost of raising them.
Imagine another person raising pigs at the same time!

Mr Jidestroud should take note. Goats are best reared free range or where an extensive folder system is used mixed with fast crops like moringa. But our local goats are a real con to commercial production.

Are you implying that with free range his goats could have produced more in 2 years?

Okay. A pig is more prolific. Averagely, 15-20 piglets in a year.

But between pork and goat meat, which has a higher market demand?

EMMAACHILE:

Meaning two females and a male have produced only three kids for you for about two years now. You only consolation is the cost of raising them.
Imagine another person raising pigs at the same time!

Mr Jidestroud should take note. Goats are best reared free range or where an extensive folder system is used mixed with fast crops like moringa. But our local goats are a real con to commercial production.

pig farming is more profitable from what i have heard but it requires more capital. Also depending on the area you have to look at the market, availability of feed e.t.c. and also goat farmjng does not really require much attention unlike pig farming. My opinion tho'

excanny:


Are you implying that with free range his goats could have produced more in 2 years?

Okay. A pig is more prolific. Averagely, 15-20 piglets in a year.

But between pork and goat meat, which has a higher market demand?

It will definitely produce less but at a cheaper cost. If you are in a city, Free range is not an option.

Pig meat is very scarce is some areas. In Lokoja, pigs are brought from the north as local supply is way below demand.

A hybrid 90kg pig of about 6 months old cost about 70k naira here and a female would have produced about 10 or more piglets this same period.

A pig can be fed on dry and wet matter. Moringa leafs can be used extensively in its meal for upto 40% of daily feeding.

fluentinfor:


You got me thinking with the struck out phrase of yours. I have no problem with it.

Truly, it looks like goat farming is not worth it, but OP said he confirmed this particular breed's yield of 3 offsprings at birth. And he knows the timeframe.

My brother, real figures work wonders. But when I medidate deeply on your words, I know you understand what you are saying.

I hardly hear of commercial goat ranch. But there is something unique about goat meat. I have a friend who makes roasted meat with only goat, and it is so profitable. Again, goat poo is granules and lasts longer than any kind of manure even in container farming. My first thought was OP needs the granules poo from the goats since I know he is a good veggie farmer. And for him to say he is keeping them for a long period of time, I understsnd that he is up to something unique.

Again, perhaps there are better breeds of goats that can perform up to your own expectation. Yeah, I have heard of Sokoto Red.

I am not just a livestock lover because the figures I get everytime are not encouraging. But of recent, I have seen some nice ones I want to explore using fodder feeding method. I wonder how livestock owners survive and make profit. To me, feed sellers earn more.

Interesting topic. You may want to explain more based on your experience, but kindly do it in a way OP will not feel he is being rejected. Just my concern sir.

Please come up with this: Let us say I have one male and 10 females, how long does it take to grow them to maturity? What are the costs involved? Medication, feed, hygiene, etc. Then, explain explicity showing figures why you concluded that it is not profitable.

OP will definitely learn from your write up, maybe eventually avoid all the challenges you will raise, and then provide alternatives and solutions which can help many readers.

Thank you bro!

The average reproduction per female goat is 1.5-2 a year and imagine the cost of feeding for a year before it reaches full maturity.
Most medication require antibiotics and coccidiosis treatment. I don't have real figures as I have not raised them intensively but info from veteran farmers is not encouraging.

I was told rams and sheep are better than goats and if there is a way you can grass feed 100% using fodder crops (moringa, leucema and Napier grass) and not neccessary hydroponically, your cost will be lower.

This means it's best for a commercial farmer with a size of at least 10 goats or more and access to at least an acre of land for growing the crops.

nothing is wrong with rearing goats o... just that's it take longer time. how I wish people knows about the good side of rearing Rabbits for commercial purposes in Nigeria. the meats alone is 100% fit for the body more than anything.

Yhemit:
nothing is wrong with rearing goats o... just that's it take longer time. how I wish people knows about the good side of rearing Rabbits for commercial purposes in Nigeria. the meats alone is 100% fit for the body more than anything.

Being a farmer is different from being a consumer. A farmer is a seller, he worries about profit, while consumer worries more about his/her health.

Being an entrepreneur is better than being just a farmer. And entrepreneur = a farmer + a market researcher + a sales man.

Market research is not cheap. Building rabbit market is not cheap sir. As an entrepreneur I looked into it too some years ago when I realised the many benefits of rabbits.

1. It is a very good meat with low fat.
2. Human digests it easily unlike read meat which takes longer.
3. Its poo is a lovely manure. It can be used fresh.
4. Its urine is both urea and pesticide.

I can continue the list. It is endless.

Now, let us make comparison here, despite its many benefits, which can you sell easily? A grasscutter or a rabbit?

Market Target for rabbit: old people, sport men, and rich people.

Market target for grasscutter: everyone. I mean almost everyone. Poor people will save money to buy it at a reasonable price too. Even with rat ebola, people will buy. Let there be rat ebola today, farmers will still sell without marketing it. Peoole approach you for grasscutter when they know you.

Questions to ponder on:
1. As a entrepreneur who knows he barely has money to construct hydrponics for rabbit, while he can easily scout grasscutter's food, which would you do?

2. As an entrpeneur, you know you have a selected targeted market segmentation for rabbit, but grasscutter has got huge population, which would you do? Ok, this is a profit oriented farmer's line of thought. Of course it will be grasscutter.

Do you realize some people think you are a wicked soul because rabbits are pets in their world? Lol.

But look at another farmer, all he needs are the poo and urine. So, he will keep a rabbit garden at a micro scale.

Lesson learnt:
Do not let what you write force you to setting up any business. Let what you reader trigger the entrepreneurship person in you. Marketing research first. Get out and make a thorough research before you commit yourself to any cause.

If you are deligent enough to find a good market for rabbits, you must set.up your farm according to the units you can easily sell. Then, you expand as your market base expands too.

But wait! You must carry out break even analysis which tells you the smallest unit you must produce to make zero profit and zero loss. And then, you add to that unit so you make some profit. You must put together the cost of making hydroponic fodder, and then inputs cost must be in place. So, you will get the number of rabbits to sell within a time frame. If you see that you cannot make it, you may decide to exclude hydroponics. Then, check if you can reduce the cost of production, but obviously the units you produce will be lower. So, you check again if you can make profit. At the end of the day, you look at the profit in it and compare it with the time and energy you invest in it.

For someone like me, my time is more valuable than the money I put in any business or project. While many here are about money, money, money; I consider time first. Is this area of business worth the energy I am going to put in it? I can only know after I have set everything on the table.

My concern about goats:
1. Op looks to have found a way to scout food for the number of goats he has.
2. Op is on a trial. He can endure 3 years trial, can you? Oh! I cannot.
3. What if the market grows exponentially for him, can he easily meet the demand with 3 kids per mom at the time.frame he is working with?
4. What if there is an outburst of the goat population on his farm, would he be able to easily scout for leaves? Or maybe he will be forced to peg his production unit to a particular unit?
5. The unit he decides to peg it to is a vital information I am trying to get. I may not know until after 2 years..hmmm.. Would I say that the unit makes the business a good one for me?
6. A good business for Mr. Ladonaboski may be a terrible business for Ms..Siniganoga. While Mrs. Contention is happy with minimal profit, Ms. MoreProfit will feel terrible about it.

It is why you do not say a certain business is terrible or excellent. Look at veggie. Cucumber looks good. With 45 days, you are already going to market. Lol. But do you have the time to pamper them 24-7 for the short period of time they will spend in your garden? No matter the high profit in veggie, some people will not near it. So, is it not profitable? Or is it a terrible business?

Again, look at cash crops. Can you wait for many years before you start making sales? The risk involved might be minimal in terms of theft. You may not care about security for your farm until you get to like 3 months to harvest. But before you put watermelon seeds in the soil, you must be sure you can control theft. Even your workers can start eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the farm for the short period of time they spend on your farm.

Hope you get this detailed analysis.

All we need is to pull out information from this. Then after, everyone takes position based on his financial condition putting into consideration the time and energy that are required.

EMMAACHILE:


The average reproduction per female goat is 1.5-2 a year and imagine the cost of feeding for a year before it reaches full maturity.
Most medication require antibiotics and coccidiosis treatment. I don't have real figures as I have not raised them intensively but info from veteran farmers is not encouraging.

I was told rams and sheep are better than goats and if there is a way you can grass feed 100% using fodder crops (moringa, leucema and Napier grass) and not neccessary hydroponically, your cost will be lower.

This means it's best for a commercial farmer with a size of at least 10 goats or more and access to at least an acre of land for growing the crops.

Hahahaha. 1.5 to 2 years. Hmmmmm! Interesting. But still I will not call it a bad business yet. It may be good for someone. Who know?

I agree that using hydroponic is not always profitable like i explained in my post above. But we use it to produce fodder easily at a very resdobable cost in order to meet up with high need rate. When you expand, scouting for fodder becomes hard or not possible. I agree that on a micro scale, it may be not necessary. And it is a reason many farmers cannot expand beyond what they have. They have reached thier maximum production limit while demand is still very high. Hmmmmm. Such farmer can produce more only when he shoots himself up with this technology.

Ok. 10 goats or more for a good farm. Thanks for this info.

Please, any vet in the house?