₦airaland Forum

Pause.
i just want to share something i read in premium times about goat. of all livestock. goat should appeal most to you.

yes Talking about goat empowerment, the new trend in economic empowerment.

read the news:


Jigawa Govt. empowers 200 women with 600 goats


. The Jigawa Government has empowered 200 women with 600 goats in Buji Local Government Area of the state.
Ali Safiyanu, the Information Officer of Buji LGA, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Dutse.
The goats were distributed to the beneficiaries in the 11 wards of the local government under the Goat Rearing/Breeding Loan Scheme introduced to empower women in the state.
The beneficiaries would pay back the revolving loan in 18 months.
Mr. Safiyanu said the state’s APC Women Leader, Binta Shuaibu, distributed the goats to the beneficiaries on Oct. 14, in Buji town.
He said that the women were given two she-goats and one he-goat to rear, adding that the breeds would give birth twice a year.
According to him, the women would pay back the loan with three goats.
The spokesperson quoted the APC women leader as explaining that the decision to give the beneficiaries goats was because of its economic value and simplicity into rearing.

“The government decided to give the women goats because of its economic values; both the goat’s meat and its skin are needed.
“Since most of the beneficiaries are rural dwellers, to feed the animals will not be hard for them because of the availability of the animal feeds in their villages,’’ he quoted Binta as saying. (NAN)
Premium Times

i promised to share some thoughts on mulbery as livestock feed especially goats. either in dry form or fresh form, goats of diff breeds are crazy about it.

let me share the pix of some we planted around our place. will discuss further later
look at the pix very and see if you can recognise it.

growersfarm:
What do you think of this

nice one.
But are you open to suggestions ? i would love to drop a word or two which may help you. just let me know what you feel about it.
Is this your farm ? one of the goats appear not to be the typical WAD breed- the first on the left- maybe am not seeing it well.
would you like to tell us the breed ? just for knowledge sake.

if the work is yours then you are making steady progress.
cheers

lanre2009:
Is it possible to get dairy cows from them too and what could be the cost for each dairy cow?

yea you can get dairy cows from them - foreign breeds. expensive between 300k and 400k per one for female dairy cows.

Akinbaba:
Dear Zayons,

Please do you have the South African Boer Goat in stock or do you know anyone that has it in stock on their farm.

At. present I do not have. sure it is in my plan to get both the south African Boer and Kalahari breeds. but that is after basic arrangements and facilities are in place. they need special care diff from the one we give Nigerian breeds

you may get one from Tagwai farms ( owned by Niger state Govt ) in Niger and Sabore farm in Adamawa.

different breeds

I should add that I rear different breeds on my farm including sokoto red and the west African dwarfs. there are only 3 widely recognised goat breeds in Nigeria.

from experience their level of intelligence differs, also feeding behaviours . this is important in designing a feeding system that is multipurpose. bear this in mind

the feed trough .

the most important component in a zero grazing goat farm is the feed trough . if you miss it you will lose out . why ?

goats are picky and irrational when it comes to food. it is not true that goats eat anything.

the feed trough should not allow for contamination with their urine or excreta or even sand . else they will reject it and you will have poor malnourished goats.
see the pix

the single entrance. however there is partition with door inside. there are reasons

PAUSE
Am making a pause here. I will continue discussions on mulberry and Goat feeding later.

Right now want to show some pix. I have been able to get around the challenge of how to paste pix and phone camera issue .


The pix below is my urban Goat Farm where I experimented and now fully practice Zero grazing goat farm

observe very well the different dimensions : sleeping area, playing area and feeding area. all are unique.

you also see the feed trough, uniquely designed

Praiseson:
@Rayon, thanks so much for your time, dedication and selfless spirit to give what you have inspite of barrage of critisims from those that wanted to shout you out. Either copy and paste of inability to formulate a feeding formular for goats, you have succedded to do something, if you have it flaunt it. Thanks and keep it up because alot of people are following you.

@praiseson thank you.
you see, I have a pure motive for doing what am doing. many of the critics are "marketers" who wants to sell goats ,rams , cattle and consultancy services and they felt threatened when they saw someone simplifying the whole stuff not knowing that we are not at same level.

am not all out to sell anything on this thread. I have goats , I have materials and manuals but I have never offer anyone for sale on this thread. I have better, ready and hungry markets for them.

am not into cattle or sheep or rams. am not even into this funny "animal fattening " nonsense . these are not goat breeders or farmers. they may be cattle farmers. I don't know. but at best "emergency goat sellers"

am only into goats, an expert for that matter. I also rear snail but not an expert.
I practice zero grazing for goat in an urban area around where I live. I have both northern and southern/western breeds that I cross , not talking of bigger farm we are working on.

am running this thread out of passion and also believing that if I sow good seeds i will one way or the other have good returns. I don't do copy and paste. all materials here are facts that you can try out. we have tried them on goats.

I did not read about mulberry or poultry droppings in any place earlier on. a man and a partner who has been working with goats for more than twenty unbroken years introduced it to me and trained me practically.

so i laugh at some people. I don't need to proof any point.
if I tell you what it took us to design a mobile suitable feeding trough for south western dwarf goats you will marvel. because the standard feeding trough will not work for them. they are extremely sturbon and intelligent unlike northern or other breeds. they will mess the feed with their urine and excreta if you use the common feeding trough. they will not eat the feed once it is contaminated. and if they don't eat well they won't grow well. you can't copy and paste this type of thing. we designed it from scratch and got it after several trials and spending much.


I hope to continue the tread and educate with pix.

Goat feeding cont'd
I have discussed poultry droppings and cassava peels as good for goat feeding.

the next one I will be discussing is a plant called mulberry . I will dwell on this later and try if I can take pix of the ones we have and post here.

please note that nutrition is central to profitable goat business. no amount of grazing on grass can be sufficient or replace good balanced and well planned goat feeding program. take your time to learn this as it holds the key to good profit.

stop looking for large expanse of land for your goat to graze. that is not the place to start when it come to goat feeding.

Goat Feeding cont'd
Cassava Peels cont'd

one more thing that you can do with cassava peels is to grate it with same machine used to grate cassava tubers or any grinder / grater. afterwards pack them inside sacks and put heavy stones on it to extract water out. alternatively you can use the presser at garri factories to extract the water.
Afterwards sun dry it and this should take few hours since it is already without much water. with this method the peels can last several months without getting spoilt . you can serve them to goats or mix them with goat feeds.

testing

testing

Goat feeding cont'd.
Cassava peels cont'd

2. Aside drying the peels, you must also ensure if possible that you cut the peels into small bits. sometimes goats like to scoop bits of food into the mouth. if you are handling small quantity you made need to cut with knife or else you use locally made chaff cutter - manual or electric. however they will still eat it even if you don't cut them but a lot may be wasted .

3. sometimes you may just pack the peels into a sack and use heavy stone to press it until most of the water is extracted . afterwards serve them to the goats in bits but finish them within days or else they grow too much fungi and become foul smelling and unpalatable to goats.

4. funny enough if you just pack the peels in a place for about two weeks without doing anything to it and afterwards serve them, it is safe and goat will eat. from experience sometimes we pack the leftovers to a place and after sometime the goat will eat them.

yes there is the danger of fungi contamination but if you follow these steps there will be no problem. I practice them.
but remember goat eating pattern for stall fed goat is somewhat funny and irrational. you just need to understand it or else you will waste a lot of feed. I did wasted feed initially because of inexperience. I will guide you if you are interested . just follow on.

cont'd

Goat Feeding cont'd.

Aside poultry droppings , another cheap source of goat feeding is cassava peels. you van get this from any garri processing centre around . it is cheap. sometimes I get it free and sometimes I buy a bag for N100 or N200 depending on bargaining power

there is a caveat here . before you feed your goat with cassava peels ensure the following :
1. make sure it is dried. drying will remove the cyanide content in it which is unhealthy for goat at a high concentration . slow drying via the sun and wind is better in reducing cyanide content and making it "sweet" for goat. you can spread it out on clean floor without much sand contamination or else the goat may not accept it.

to be cont'd.

Goat Feeding cont'd.

Aside poultry droppings , another cheap source of goat feeding is cassava peels. you van get this from any garri processing centre around . it is cheap. sometimes I get it free and sometimes I buy a bag for N100 or N200 depending on bargaining power

there is a caveat here . before you feed your goat with cassava peels ensure the following :
1. make sure it is dried. drying will remove the cyanide content in it which is unhealthy for goat at a high concentration . slow drying via the sun and wind is better in reducing cyanide content and making it "sweet" for goat. you can spread it out on clean floor without much sand contamination or else the goat may not accept it.

to be cont'd.

bizitex:
What are the feed that goat fed on and where to get it.Also what did they eat during the dry season.

@bizitex we are currently discussing goat feeding and you can follow the discussion. the goal is cheap readily and locally available options that I use myself for my goats

contrary to opinions, goat does not just eat anything and sometimes can be erratic in their feeding.

we have discussed poultry droppings and you can easily get that almost free from any poultry around you.
we shall continue the discussion on feeding

@bizitex we are currently discussing goat feeding and you can follow the discussion. the goal is cheap readily and locally available options that I use myself for my goats

contrary to opinions, goat does not just eat anything and sometimes can be erratic in their feeding.

we have discussed poultry droppings and you can easily get that almost free from any poultry around you.
we shall continue the discussion on feeding

bizitex:
What are the feed that goat fed on and where to get it.Also what did they eat during the dry season.

@bizitex we are currently discussing goat feeding and you can follow the discussion. the goal is cheap readily and locally available options that I use myself for my goats

contrary to opinions, goat does not just eat anything and sometimes can be erratic in their feeding.

we have discussed poultry droppings and you can easily get that almost free from any poultry around you.
we shall continue the discussion on feeding

bizitex:
upload the picture of the house you are discussing to share more light on what you are saying.

@ bizitex i have posted the pix as attachment in my earlier posts up there. am re-pasting a copy down here to answer you . am trying to see how to paste the pix directly without you having to download

Goat Housing cont'd
re-pasted
backyard goat farm simple and cheap fencing.
sorry for the delay. it is due to hustles
here are the pictures from my backyard Goat farm housing. the fencing is simple and cheap
pls note the following:
I insist that you start with backyard goat farm where possible and if your budget is small. don't mind "agnostics"and "naysayers". start small and learn the ropes.
these people, the ',armchair critics " and " political farmers" will discourage you from even lifting a finger talk less of doing anything . ignore them and do something this month
1 I use cheap common mosquito net, nails and "agunmaniye" plant/stick ( I don't know the English name but it is fast growing plant in southwest ) as support
2 note the position of net to the plant/stick support. the plant/stick is always outside or else the goat will push it out.
3 use nail to fasten net to the stick
4 it is simple and anyone can do it. with my busy schedule I did it in my backyard and you can see my goats. I have other housing.
do something and start anyhow even if small
more later.
(Modify) (Quote ) (Report) (Share )
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Am back
will resume posting my thoughts on goats in few days time
I will also attend to issues and questions raised

again thanks to those who called to enquire about my absence . God bless you. I do not have any plan to discontinue this topic for now or stop discussing goats. we have
many things to share together on goats.

Help Needed in Pasting Pix

for those who can help please give me guidance on how to upload/paste pix on this tread. am an ICT guy myself but have not been able to upload pix taken with my techno h6 phone to this tread .

I have struggled with this for sometime now. the best I was able to do are up there where i uploaded some pix on fencing as attachments and Nairaland restricted them to be downloaded first before they are viewed . I want pix that will pasted and visible to all. I use techno h6
I will appreciate any guidance how others are doing it

Goat Feeding

feeding your goat should not be a problem. there are cost effective and cheap options that I have tried and you too can try them
.
1 . poultry droppings.
many poultry farms will be glad to see you packing poultry droppings from their farms

goats do eat them and will do well. on them however it is better you sun dry them before giving them to goats as against giving them wet. there are many reasons for this.

if you have pelletizing machine then turn them to pellets as this will prevent wastage (in the powdery form) and encourage eating.

contd

Goat Housing cont'd
backyard goat farm simple and cheap fencing.

sorry for the delay. it is due to hustles

here are the pictures from my backyard Goat farm housing. the fencing is simple and cheap

pls note the following:
I insist that you start with backyard goat farm where possible and if your budget is small. don't mind "agnostics"and "naysayers". start small and learn the ropes.

these people, the ',armchair critics " and " political farmers" will discourage you from even lifting a finger talk less of doing anything . ignore them and do something this month

1 I use cheap common mosquito net, nails and "agunmaniye" plant/stick ( I don't know the English name but it is fast growing plant in southwest ) as support

2 note the position of net to the plant/stick support. the plant/stick is always outside or else the goat will push it out.

3 use nail to fasten net to the stick


4 it is simple and anyone can do it. with my busy schedule I did it in my backyard and you can see my goats. I have other housing.
do something and start anyhow even if small
more later.

Housing of Goats cont'd

For starters it is important you try cost effective methods especially if you are working with small budget. by next week I will try and upload pictures of one of such cheap goat house I constructed for my backyard goats.

remember there are Goat farming skills you need to learn sometimes informally. and you do that from your own experience on the "job" and you can easily do that by starting small.

backyard Goat farming is possible and you should try this if your budget is small. I started like that. or you try and start from uncompleted building.

note the following points :

1. goats are intelligent and stubborn animals and you should note this during construction. apply a little smartness in your design.

2. if the compound is already fenced, good. that means you only need to construct a shed where the goat sleeps .

3. if your compound is not fenced, you will need to construct fence around a particular area no matter how small for the goat to range free and eat/exercise .

4 . you don't need permanent perimeter fences if you are starting from backyard where you can provide a measure of security.

you can actually use cheap common mosquitoes net to construct Goat fences. with little smartness no goat can beat this. I will show you how to do this later. it is cheap and easy.

cont'd

ozinetbiz:
I provide the brown color goat(hausa goat) of any size ranging from 5k-30k,any size u can thnk of. Book and i wl provide for u of any quantity. I base in Abuja. Tel:08181348167

@Ozinetbiz are you into goat farming or are you just into goat buying and selling ? just wanting to know for cross breeding purpose. how many different breeds do you have ?

am interested in cross breeding especially our local southwestern dwarfs breeds with your so called "Hausa goats" (if you mean different northern breeds). is your farm into this ?

cheers.

Goat Sheds (Housing) Requirements

There are certain Requirements for building goat sheds for better reproduction.

Goats are raised in all climatic zones of Nigeria. These climatic zones are very diverse with some being dry and others wet.

Extreme heat is a major characteristic of some zones while others experience cold temperatures.

Each situation has its own requirements for the design and construction of optimum Goat housing.

cont'd

Some Tips and Tricks when you plan to buy Goat flock in local markets cont'd.

Tip 6) Negotiate on Transportation charges to your farm. This should not cost a fortune if you bargain well. Better to transport several goats at a time.

If you decide to buy again and again, then arrange with one or two transporters and get their phone numbers so that u can inform anyone of them in advance for getting better price

Some Tips and Tricks when you plan to buy Goat flock in local markets CONTD

Tip 3) :Scan through all flocks and select the healthy group and find out the Flock Price, For example, you want to buy 100 goats…let us say , he quoted you 950,000 naira which in turn cost you 9,500 naira/ goat. Ask him whether he can be able to to reduce it to 900,000 naira as your budget is set for 9000 per goat.

Tip 4) If He does not agree keep an eye on that flock and wait till noon. Key point is waiting for little long and show them that you have the budget. 90% of the sellers will come to your price
as much as you can always buy in flock - anything from 2 goats

. it gives you better bargaining power.
cont'd.

Some Tips and Tricks when you plan to buy Goat flock in local markets

Tip 1) Research/Find about Local/Goat markets nearer to your farm location. This will save you some transportation charges. And also make sure you will get lot’s of breeds as well as lot’s quantity in the market
Tip 2) After Finding the market, reach there by 7am so that you will have lot’s selection available. Remember, most local markets close early by 4 pm or 5 pm.

cont'd.

coolrose:
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.

we shall soon discuss housing for goats. by then you will understand the various options available especially the low cost ones.

getting the Goat breeds is not really difficult. the typical Nigerian dwarfs are readily available in the southern, eastern and western parts of Nigeria. so get to the local markets in the towns and villages or if you really have enough time spare some time and comb the rural areas you will get more than enough. you can also contract it out to someone who has the knowledge to help you get the goats.

kaysy:
Zenith Bank and diamond Bank within my location seems not to be aware of this scheme, please who has got some fund via this scheme.

yes I am one of the beneficiary of the CBN loan . although it is a long process but real. interest is 9% per annum. am still repaying monthly.