Goat Farming

1. GOAT FARMING
AN EMERGING AGRI-BUSINESS
OPPORTUNITY IN KENYA

2. INTRODUCTION
 The goat is a versatile animal;‘poor man’s cow’ in the rural
economy
 Goat products: meat, goats,milk, skin, cheese fiber, manure etc.
 Increasing demand for additional animal protein foods
 Need to shift from subsistence production to commercial
production.

3. Goat and sheep industry in Kenya
(Source: National Livestock Policy ’10)
2009
44 million
goats and
sheep
of the total
red meat
consumed in
the country
30% 78
Metric
Tonnes
of meat
per annum
Meat
850k
Estimated
Number of
sheep
80K
Dairy goats
11.08
Million goats
1500
Metric tonnes of
wool per annum

4. WHY COMMERCIAL GOAT FARMING?
 Require little capital and investment
 Care and management are very easy
 Need less labor
 Great business idea with good return of investment ratio (ROI).
 Goat’s products like meat (chevon) and milk have demand
 Pleasuring and enjoyable. Friendly
 Nutritional demand of your family
 A tool for poverty reduction; economic growth of the country.
 Great income source for the women and children
 No need of a high end housing system for goats or fanciness.
 Suitable for mixed farming with other domestic animals.

5. WHY COMMERCIAL GOAT FARMING?
 Sexual maturity 7-12 months of age; gestation period is 6 months.
 Risks are less for goat farming (even in drought prone areas) than any
other livestock farming business.
 No religious taboo against goat farming and meat consumption.
 Goats are multipurpose animals

6. 4 =
KPLC
FOR A
YEAR
1 =
WATER
FOR A
YEAR
6 =
MEDICAL
FOR A
YEAR
40 =
RENT
FOR A
YEAR
100 = CAR
66 = LAND
40 = FOOD
FOR A
YEAR
8 =
CLOTHES
FOR A
YEAR
ASSUMING EACH GOAT IS 5000K SHS ON AVERAGE

7. STEPS FOR STARTING GOAT FARMING BUSINESS
Knowledge Capital
Land Market

8. Capital
 Start with 50 goats (ROI).
 50 goats CAPITAL of 140,000kshs on free range,
 160,000kshs on zero grazing if you are buying your own feeds
 A profitable and successful business, make a proper &
effective plan

9. Selecting Farm Area
 Select a suitable farm land/area for your business with the
following;
 Great source of fresh and clean water supply.
 Easily available food source.
 Fertile field for crop, grasses and other green plant production.
 Availability of full time labor.
 Good transportation and available Veterinary services.
 A market near the farm land.

10. Some of the Goat Breeds in Kenya
 Savanna, Gallla (Boran or Somali goat), Small East African, a
few Boers for meat.
 Saanen, alpines, and Toggenburg famous for dairy goat
breeds.
 Choose the right breeds for profit.
 Choose proper breed according to your desired production
and geographical location.
 Visit farmers already in business for knowledge

11. GOAT BREEDING

12. Natural breeding and Artificial breeding
 Artificial breeding is not so popular in Kenya; facilities are not
readily available.
 Natural breeding ratio of buck and doe is 1:25.
 For breeding, use fresh and diseases free does and bucks.
 Mate the does/ nannies after two months of kidding.
 Introduce a buck with the does/nannies for 2-3 weeks.
 Gestation period of goats is150 days of mating (5 months).

13. HOUSING

14. Housing
 A good quality goat housing system is highly recommended
 Gives shelter, protects them from predators, goat diseases,
rain, and sharp objects.
 Average an adult goat requires 1 to 1.5 sq space
 Always keep the house neat, clean and dry.
 Make proper ventilation and drainage system inside the
house.

15. Housing
 Housing and goat farm design types vary.
 You can divide the house into two parts;
 taking rest or sleeping;
 for feeding - water troughs, feed trough, slated floor; a
rain proof mineral block pack area.
• Sufficient flow of fresh air and light

16. Types of goat pens
 The wall is usually up to one meter high;
 Well ventilated; Protects animals from wetness
during the rainy season; Easy to clean’; It is
warm
 *In some cases the wall could be made from
poles and the roof from thatch grass or stover.
(a). Walled and Roofed

20.  Warm and easy to clean
 Animals can be fed at the
pens
 Floor is well drained
resulting in reduced foot
rot incidences
 This is usually ideal for small
to medium size flocks
(a). Raised floor with wooden walls, flat roof and a
feeding area

21.  Well ventilated
 Floors get wet and
increase foot rot cases
 Cheap to construct
 Expose animals to rain,
heat, cold and draughts.
 These structures can be
upgraded.
c) Poles only with a roof

23. HOUSING

24. Feeding
 Prefer to eat grasses, plants, shrubs, weeds and herbs.
 Balanced diet comprising of water, carbohydrates, protein,
vitamins, minerals and fibre.
 The nutrients & feeds from which the nutrients can be
obtained;
Nutrient Source
Protein: Leguminous plants, Cotton seed cake, etc
Carbohydrates: Cereals, maize, sorghum, millet, corn, molasses
Vitamins: Vegetables, green forage
Minerals: Agro-industrial residue, limestone flour
Water: Water bodies, succulents (water melons, cacti, etc)
Fibre: Crop residues, hay

25. Problems encountered in feeding
Bloat: Feeding leguminous feeds which are high in nitrogen
content causes bloat, which is the accumulation of gases in
the stomach. If animals are not attended to in time they may
die.
Bladder stones
Plant poisoning

26. HEALTH OF YOUR GOATS

27. HEALTH OF YOUR GOATS
Diseases contribute to high mortalities in goats, and they reduce
animal performance.
• Clossely monitor the flock.
• Early treatment reduces the chances of spread of the disease.
• Note that different diseases may present similar symptoms
• Proper and accurate diagnosis is required
• Consult your local veterinary officer always

28. The flock can be kept healthy by
applying these simple techniques:
• Provision of clean fresh
water
• Adequate feeding
• Provision of dry, warm
and well ventilated
housing
The general symptoms of an
unhealthy animal are:
• Dullness of the coat;
• Ruffled hair;
• Loss of appetite;
• Drooping ears;
• Dull and pale eyes;
• Difficult in movement and
breathing;
• Dropping tail; and
• Going off feed.

29. Common goat diseases and parasites
Pulpy kidney, Heart water, Orf, Coccidiosis, Brucellosis, Pneumonia,
Abscesses, worms, Ticks, etc
A farmer should have a simple veterinary kit containing the following
items:
• One bottle (100ml) of antibiotic eg alamycin, pen n strep.
• Wound powder (100g) eg Supona earosal
• Healing oil
• Needles, Drenching gun, Hoof trimmer, Spray pump etc
• Surgical blade
• Iodine (100ml), ferrum (100mls)
• Syringes (20ml)
• Cotton wool
• Clinical thermometer

30. Routine Management
• Deworming quarterly or as advised by your local vet
• Hoof trimming
• Weekly dipping eg spray, greasing, pour on, etc.
• Vaccination - viral diseases like goat pox, foot and
mouth diseases and bacterial diseases like anthrax,
brucellosis etc.
• Treatment of general diseases
• Plastic gloves etc

31. GOAT BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

32. Goat Business Management
• One can make a profit by providing a quality product
that meets the market requirements.
• Marketing is identifying the needs of the customers/
buyers and then supply a product (goats) that meets
the required needs in the right quantities at the right
time and place.

33. Goat markets
• The market for goats is highly informal and middlemen
dominate transactions.
• Sales are predominantly at farm gate level.
• There is lack of market information.

34. Market options available to goat farmers
Individual traders
• Individual buyers who buy goats for resell in high value urban
markets.
Private sector companies (Abattoirs, butcheries and others)
• Require huge volumes of goats to serve both the local
market and the export market
• Emphasizes on quality, consistency and timely supply
• High transport costs involved when accessing this market

35. Market options available to goat farmers
Other groups:
The Moslem community during their religious events.
Slaughtered according to Halaal tradition.
Specific butcheries and abattoirs that serve the Moslem community.
Non-Governmental Organizations:
They pay competitive prices.
Export market:
The export demand is found in Asian countries and other African countries.
The market is more demanding in terms of requirements.
Requires organized effort eg Cooperatives

36. RECORD KEEPING
Record keeping is of utmost importance in livestock production.
a) Physical records
Records, which should be kept, include:
Mating records: the female, male number, when mated, when kidded and
whether aborted or not,
Births: date of birth, sex and weight of kid and doe at kidding,
Deaths: Record the date and cause of death if known,
Sales: Record the number of sales, costs, name of buyer
Health: vaccinated, dosed or given any other treatment, castrated etc
b) Financial records
The Importance of Good Record Keeping
• Helps business to check whether it is making or losing money.
• An early warning system to for changes need to be made

37. Keeping Income Records
• Your operation may take in money from one or many sources,
depending on what line of work you are in.
• Account for all gross income; show the source of each item
Keep track of where your money come from
Keeping Expense Records
To make money in your business, undoubtedly you will have to spend money.
• Record all the expenses you incur
• Deduct expense from your income to determine whether you are making
profits or not.

38. CHALLENGES IN GOAT FARMING

39. • High mortality in goats
• Lack of key knowledge practices
• Non-availability of vaccines and vet services, land etc.,
• Low prices offered in some areas.
• awareness and linkages, farmers decide the price of their live goats on
body weight basis.
• Poor access to good quality breeding
• Goat thefts etc
CHALLENGES IN GOAT FARMING

40. • Keep your goat healthy and strong.
• Choose the right and high productive goat breeds
• Learn more about goat farming business
• Big area so for goats to roam freely; live in groups.
• Availability of all equipment which are essential for goat farms
• Sufficient clean water, food and fresh grasses daily
• Never feed them contaminated food or polluted water.
• Care to the pregnant doe, breeding buck and kids.
• Feed the buck extra nutritious foods during the period of mating.
• Contact with a veterinarian regularly (if possible).
• Give salt and mineral blocks with a lot of water during the dry season.
• Cold and rain to avoid massive deaths.
Some Essential Tips For Raising Goats

41. CONCLUSION

42. • It is easier to increase the population of small ruminants (goats and
sheep) than large stock. In short, goat farming is a traditional, profitable,
risk-less and very easy business due to its fast growing rate. Proper care
and good management can ensure better production and high profit.
Key words
• Nanny/doe – female goat;
• Billy/Buck – male goat;
• Kidding – giving birth;
• Kid – baby goat;
• Chevon – goat’s meat

43. Thank you
Grace Bwogi,
Bwogi Mixed Farms Ltd
Uganda Tel: +256 702850600