Goat Farming

Goat is known as ‘Poor man’s cow’ in India and is a very important component in dry land farming system. Marginal or undulating lands unsuitable for other types of animals like cow or buffalo, goat is the best alternative. With very low investments goat rearing can be made in to a profitable venture for small and marginal farmers.

Who can start this? Small and marginal farmers Landless labourers Availability of common grazing lands

Reasons to start Low capital investment and quick return Simple and small shed is enough Profitable under stall fed condition. High prolific rate of goats Year around job meat is lean & has low fats and is liked by all people Can be sold and encashed anytime

Which Breed is Right for You? Jamunapari Fairly tall animal Has a strongly arched Roman nose and long pendulous ears which are about 12 inches long in adult Jamunapari. Buck weighs about  65-85 kgs and does weighs about 45-60 kgs one kid per kidding six months kid weighs about 15 kg Milk production is about 2-2.5 lit/day.       Tellichery Goat are in white, brown and black colors Kidding size is 2-3 kids Buck weighs about  40-50 kgs and does weighs about 30 kgs Boer Rearing for meat all over the world Has a fast growth rate Buck weighs about  110-135 kgs and does weighs about 90-100 kgs Kids weighs about 20-30 kgs at 90 days of age

Selection of goats for breeding Does should have kidding size of 2- 3 kids should mature at 6- 9 months Bucks Tall with broad chest and slender body matures at age of 9- 12 months Select kids with good body weight at 6 months of age select from dam of 2- 3 kidding size

Feeding management Grazing  along with concentrate feeding gives maximum growth rate Feeding protein rich green fodder such as acacia, leucerne  and cassava and are important sources of dietary nitrogen. Farmers can cultivate agathi, subabul and glaricidia trees along the border of the farm and used as green fodder Fodders and trees cultivated in one acre of land is enough to feed 15-30 goats Concentrate feed can be prepared as follows.  Ingredients Kid ration Growing Ration Lactating Goat Ration Pregnant goat Ration Maize 37 15 52 35 Pulses 15 37 --- --- Oil Cakes 25 10 8 20 Wheat Bran 20 35 37 42 Mineral Mixture 2.5 2 2 2 Common salt 0.5 1 1 1 Total 100 100 100 100 Kids should be provided with 50- 100 gms of concentrate for  first 10 weeks. For growing ones concentrates should be provided 100 -150 gm daily for 3-10 months. For pregnant goat concentrates maybe given upto 200 gm daily. Milch goats producing 1 kg milk are provided 300 gms of concentrate daily Mineral blocks with rich copper (950-1250 ppm) should be provided in the goat stalls.

Breeding Management For a profitable goat farming there should be 3 kidding for 2 years Goats with faster growth rate and larger size should be used for breeding. Does of one year of age should be used for breeding Does should bred after 3 months of kidding then only there will be 3 kidding for 2 years. Goats come into heat or estrus approximately every 18 to 21 days and the heat will last for 24-72 hours.  Does in heat become vocal and some bleat very loudly as if in pain. Constant tail wagging from side to side is another sign of heat. In addition, the vulva will appear slightly swollen and reddened and the area around the tail may look wet and dirty because of vaginal discharge. There is decreased appetite and an increased frequency of urination. Doe in heat may mount another doe as if she were a buck or let another doe mount her. Does  can be bred 12-18 hours after the starting the estrus symptoms In some does the estrous period will last for 2-3 days. So they should bred again in the next day. Gestation period is approximately 145-150 days, but up to one week either way is fairly common. Better to be prepared well in advance.

Deworming Before breeding the doe should be dewormed. Those goats affected with worm infestation are lean and dull Kids should be dewormed at one month of age. The life cycle of worms is three weeks, so de-worming again at two months of age is recommended Pregnant does should be dewormed 2-3 weeks before kidding. Does in early pregnancy (upto 2 months) should not be dewormed to avoid abortion.

Vaccinations Kids should be given first dose of  Enterotoxaemia and Tetanus vaccination at 8 weeks of age and again at 12 weeks of age.. Does should be given Enterotoxaemia and Tetanus vaccination 4-6 weeks before breeding season and 4-6 weeks before kidding. Bucks should be vaccinated with Enterotoxaemia and Tetanus once in a year

Housing for goats 1. Deep litter system A small shed with good cross ventilation is enough to keep a small herd. Litter height should be atleat 6cms. Litter material maybe of sawdust, paddy husk and groundnut shell. The litter material has to be turned periodically to remove the foul odour in the pen. Litter material should be replaced once in  every 2 weeks. Each goat requires about 15 sq.ft area. care should be taken to reduce the external parasitic infestation. An adult goat produces about a tonne of manure in a year. 2. Raised platform system wooden plank or wire mesh is placed about 3-4 ft from the ground level External parasitic infestation is usually less in this method

Raising methods 1. Semi intensive system Places where less grazing lands, goats can be fed intensively with green fodders and concentrates after grazing 2. Intensive system Goats are fed with green fodder and concentrates in the shed. No grazing   house maybe of deep litter system or raised platform system

Goat Insurance Goats can be insured from 4 months of age through General Insurance companies Insurance can be claimed if death due to accident or diseases.

Goat farms in India Nadur Goat Farm Shivaji Park Goat farm Indian Goat farm

Model Bankable project on Commercial Goatery
Commercial goatery
A guide on Goat farming in Sikkim

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