Goat Farming

COMPLETE GOAT REARING GUIDE : A PRACTICAL APPROACH FOR INDIAN GOAT FARMERS

April 17, 2022

2047

Goat Farming in India

Goats have been associated with human since beginning of agriculture and domestication of animals, making them socioeconomically, a very important animal providing different products and service to man throughout the world, especially in developing countries. Goat rearing, one of the most widely adopted livestock rearing, has the potential to emerge as a very good source of income, food supply and employment for the rural people smallholder and marginal farmers especially in the less favoured environments. In pastoral societies in India, goats are kept as a source of additional income and as an insurance against income shocks of crop failure. In addition, the rural poor who cannot afford to maintain a cow or a buffalo find goat as the best alternative source ofsupplementary income and milk. Unlike a cow or buffalo, a few goats can be maintained easily and can be easily liquidated in times of distress. Goat is a unique multipurpose small ruminant that has adapted to wide climatic ranges from high snowy regions to deserts globally. However, 95% of goats are concentrated in Asia and Africa with poor. Governments of developing nations as well as Food and Agriculture Organization have compulsorily integrated goatery in their developmental and poverty elimination programs. In India also goats contribute significantly to its national economy, and hence we are the second largest nation with respect to its population. As per 20th All India Livestock Census (2019), country possessed 148.9 m goats, with 10.1% increase over last census. This ranks them as second popular (27.8%) species after cattle. Further, goats and buffaloes have been discussed as species of future. Hence, it is inevitable to understand them thoroughly in order to get optimum production. Goat is the first domesticated animal. Since then, a lot of information has been gathered about them. Gandhiji named goat as poor man’s cow, and now we call it ATM. Today goat is useful to mankind in several ways. Every part of its body and its produce has significance in its own manner. However, there are still many secrets which remained unexplored. Presently, there are 34 goat breeds, which are recognized by National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources. Goats in the village conditions are being kept on natural available feed resources such as tree leaves, grasses and food grain by products

Goat is a multi-functional animal and plays a significant role in the economy and nutrition of landless, small and marginal farmers in the country. Goat rearing is an enterprise which has been practiced by a large section of population in rural area. Goats are among the main meat-producing animals in India and has huge domestic demand. Goat rearing under intensive and semi-intensive system for commercial production has been gaining momentum. A number of commercial goat farms have been established in different regions of the country.

Goat farming in India dates back to many centuries. Farmers in India are well equipped with information about Goat farming. Many farmers in India, do hold at least an average of 5 to 20 goats in their small piece of land.

The most sustainable farming practice is Goat farming. It is easy to maintain a couple of goats when compared to cows and other livestock. In any drought condition, the goats can sustain. Goat farming in India is always a profitable business.

In India, goats are among the main source of meat. In fact goat meat is one of the choicest meats & has huge domestic demand. Owing to its good economic prospects, goat rearing under intensive & semi-intensive system for commercial production has been gaining momentum for the last few years.

Goats are one of the most common meat sources in India. In fact, goat meat is one of the most popular meats in the United States, with high domestic demand. Goat rearing in intensive and semi-intensive systems for commercial production has been gaining traction in recent years due to its favorable economic prospects.

Huge demand for goat & their products with the potential of good economic returns has been attracting many progressive farmers as well as youths to take up goat enterprise on a commercial scale.

As a goat is a small animal, you don’t have to spend much for it care and management. Even during the drought, its food can be easily arranged. The biggest advantage of goat rearing is that the market is locally available for this. In rural areas, the goat also known as the poor man’s cow has always been recognized as a safe source of livelihood. India is the largest producer of goat milk and the second-largest producer of goat meat in the world. It is said that with economic gains that can result from technological and marketing interventions in goat rearing is immense.

Goats are an integral part of rural India’s symbiotic system of crop and livestock production and make up a significant part of the livestock wealth of the country. Over the past 25 years or so, the Indian livestock industry has progressed from a situation of scarcity to one of plenty. Although the share of agriculture in India’s gross domestic product had been declining since the country’s independence in 1947, there was an increasing trend in the value of output from livestock as a share of GDP [GOI 1998], Goats are among the main meat-producing animals in India, and goat meat [chevon] faces huge domestic demand, with no social, cultural, and religious restrictions. Despite the popularity of goat meat, goat rearing has not been conducted as either a large- or a small-scale industry in the state of West Bengal or in India as a whole. Among the 20 well-defined breeds of goats in India, the black Bengal is a dwarf breed, highly prolific, and famous for its superior-quality meat and skin. In INDIA , it is commonly known as the “poor man’s cow.”

Specialties of goat

Goat prefers to browse on leaves at height and likes herbage with more fibers. Grazing on the ground is hardly 10%. But it can be reared only with green grass in stall feeding system. Leaves need not be given. Goat needs double amount of fodder compared to sheep and fast growth. Goat meat is slightly fibrous and hard. But the fat content is less and hence it is good for health. Minimum 2 kids per kidding is the major advantage of goat. It gives even 3 to 4 kids sometimes. Hence the multiplication of goat is very fast. Milk production is sufficient even it has 2 to 3 kids. Goat has some peculiar naughty behavior. It is very sharp and active. More care is necessary on health management. Disease resistance is good, but the vaccination and regular de-worming is compulsory. Kid mortality is more if enough attention is not given. Forest area is decreasing every year, which has affected traditional goat farming. The forest department avoids browsing in the forest. But the scope for stall fed goat farming is excellent.

Role of goat in rural economy:

Among all species of farm animals, Goats have the widest ecological range and have been poor people’s most reliable livelihood resource since their domestication during Neolithic Revolution about 10 millennia ago. Goats play a significant role in providing supplementary income and livelihood to millions of resource poor farmers and landless laborers of rural India. Small ruminant rearing ensures selfemployment and acts as a cushion in distress situations like drought, etc. Goat rearing has distinct economic and managerial advantages over other livestock because of its less initial investment, low input requirement, higher prolificacy, early sexual maturity, multiple product (milk, meat, fiber, skin, manure, etc.) use and ease of marketing. The goat husbandry also generates about 4.2% rural employment to the small and marginal farmers and landless laborers.

Contribution to national economy:

Goats play a significant role in livelihood and nutritional security, the former through providing supplementary income to nearly 70 m farmers in 0.5 m remote villages. Goats contribute 8.4% of the India’s livestock GDP i.e. Rs.38,590 crores through meat (Rs.22,625 crores), milk (Rs.9,564 crores), skin (Rs.1491 crores), manure (Rs.1,535 crores) and others Rs.3,360 crores.

India is largest exporters of sheep & goat meat. It has exported 14,128.85 MT of sheep & goat meat worth Rs. 646.69 crores in 2019-20. Major export destinations have been UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arab and Oman. · Production of chevon increased steadily over the years. Country stands second in goat meat production in the world and has its 12% share. · India produces 45 MT of pashmina per year from 0.0250 m pashmina goats and is less than 1% of the total world pashmina production. Indian goats produce around 100-145 g of pashmina per year.

Role in entrepreneurship:

In last few years, goat production in the country gained momentum in the form of a commercially viable enterprise as evidenced by increasing interest of young entrepreneurs to develop knowledge and skill in this species. In many small-herd dairy goat enterprises, not all does must be milked, so meat is often the main product. Along with meat, the sale of breeding stock from small herds of dairy goats may be an important income source. Recently inclination of young and unemployed youth has been observed towards goatery.

Role in global scenario:

India ranks second in goat population and also in chevon production. The demand for meat, milk and fiber is increasing progressively and expected to further rise in future in view of sizable increase in per capita income and health consciousness of people.

Role in nutrition and health:

Goat meat (chevon) is one of most preferred meat type by the consumers in several countries including India. The goat milk is easily digestible due to smaller size of fat globules and serves as a ready source of family nutrition. Some people preferably use goat milk even in distress conditions of diseases of alimentary canal, age related problems in infants and old, dengue fever, etc.

Choosing the Right Goat Breed

Buying a goat starts with choosing a breed that fits with your goals: meat or milk. If it is for the milk, choose a milch breed and if for meat, then a locally available meat breed is best. It is inadvisable to bring a breed from afar; rather choose one from the breeding tract of the breed selected. Normally, goats purchased for breeding stock are one to two year old.

Goat breeds distributed across India and their characteristics

Breed	Breeding tract	Important features
Attapady Black	Palakkad (Kerala)	Well adapted to Attapady and maintained mainly on grazing.
Barbari	Bharatpur (Rajastan); Aigarh, Mathura, Agra, Etawah, Hathras (Uttar Pradesh)	Prolific and non-seasonal breed well suited for rearing under restrained and stall feeding conditions.
Berari	Akola, Amravati, Wardha, Nagpur (Maharashtra)	The breed does well in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra where the temperature is extremely high in the summer.
Gohilwadi	Amreli, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Rajkot, Porbandar (Gujarat)	Adapted to the hot semi-arid climate. Has slightly twisted horns, a convex noseline and coarse long hair.
Jakhrana	Alwar (Rajasthan)	Has a straight faceline and narrow and slightly bulging forehead. Large udder with conical teats.
Jamunapari	Etawah (Uttar Pradesh)	The best dairy breed in South-East Asia and the tallest breed in India.
Kanni Adu	Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar/ Kamarajar, Thoothukudi (Tamil Nadu)	Has white stripes on both sides of the face extending from the base of the horn to the corner of the muzzle. Also has a white patch or line on either side of the neck.
Kodi Adu	Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi (Tamil Nadu)	Adapted to cover long distances during browsing and reared primarily for meat. Possesses white coat with black or reddish brown splashes.
Kutchi	Banas Kantha, Mehsana, Kuchchh, Patan (Gujarat)	Predominantly reared for meat and milk. Has predominantly black long coat with coarse hair, slightly roman nose, and corkscrew type horns.
Marwari	Barmer, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jalore, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Pali (Rajasthan)	The breed is well adapted to the inhospitable agro-climatic conditions of the hot arid region.
Mehsana	Ahmedabad, Banas Kantha, Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Sabar Kantha, Patan (Gujarat)	Well adapted to inhospitable agro-climatic conditions of the region. Possess black ears with a white base; a few are reddish brown with a white ear base.
Osmanabadi	Osmanabad, Latur, Ahmadnagar, Solapur, Parbhani (Maharashtra)	The breed is known for its early maturity, prolificacy and good dressing percentage.
Salem Black	Salem, Dharmapuri, Erode, Krishnagiri (Tamil Nadu)	Well adapted to the harsh climatic conditions of North-western Tamil Nadu. Its meat is very tasty compared to that of other goats.
Sangamneri	Nashik, Pune, Ahmadnagar (Maharashtra)	Its white coat is extensively coarse and short, and sometimes mixed with black and brown colour. Horns are thin, pointed, directed backwards and upwards.
Sirohi	Ajmer, Bhilwara, Chittaurgarh, Sirohi, Udaipur, Rajsamand (Rajasthan)	A hardy animal adapted to the harsh agro-climatic conditions of Rajasthan.
Surti	Vadodara, Bharuch, Valsad, Surat, Narmada, Navsari (Gujarat)	Good milch animals with milk production ranging from 1.5 – 4 litres/ day. They are good breeders and possess 50-60% twinning percentage but rarely (5%) are triplets born. They are suited to stall feeding or complete confinement.
Zalawadi	Rajkot, Surendranagar (Gujarat)	Well adapted to harsh climatic conditions and wider range of vegetation in the region. Possess long, wide, leaf-like droopy ears and well developed udder with distinctly placed long, cylindrical-shaped teat.

Goat breeds distributed across India

Black Bengal Goat Characteristics

Black Bengal goats are the dwarf goats which are a good source of meat, milk, and leather. Majorly seen in northeastern India like West Bengal, Odisha, and also in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has only one goat breed of its own, known as the Black Bengal goat.

Their small size is an advantage for many farmers, easy to breed, and also requires less feed. Kidding is twice a year and on each kidding the twins and triplets are common.

Black Bengal goat plays a vital role in the lives of small farmers in India. Goat Farming Business has reduced poverty and created economic freedom in the lives of many farmers in India.

They have a very low demand for food and are not fussy grazers, eating most grasses, leaves, and vegetables. For their less expensive maintenance and ability to produce more kids, makes farmers economically viable option.

Physical characteristics of the Black Bengal goats

Black Bengal Goats are mostly in black color but sometimes a mix of white, grey and brown can be seen.
The Goats are small in size (dwarf goat).
Both male(buck) and female(doe) Black Bengal Goats have small ears and legs.
Both sexes have short cylindrical horns.
The bodyweightof an adult Bucks and Does varies from 22-25 kg and 15-18 kg respectively.
The age at sexual maturity in males and females varied from 6 to 7 months.
Older bucks and does have beards.

Production characteristics of the Black Bengal goat

The growth rate, milk yield, milk composition and reproductive(kidding) efficiency of Black Bengal goats are high.

Growth rate

The bodyweight of an adult Buck and Doe varies from 22-25 kg and 15-18 kg respectively.
Wethers (castrated males) weigh typically weigh around 16 kg at one year of age.
The newborn kid of Black Bengal goat weighs around 800g to 900g on an average.
The average growth rates of male and female kids were 65g/day and 45g/day
In just 12 months, the buck can gain around 16kg and doe can gain up to 12kg.

Milk yield

The milk yield ranges from 400ml to 700ml a day.
The milk of Black Bengal goat is a very tasty and nutritious nature.
Does with multiple kids produced more milk than those with single kids.
Milk will be thicker than other goats.

Reproductive efficiency(kidding)

Twinning/Triple kidding Percentage is 80.
They breed around the year.
There can be 2 kidding cycles in a year.
There is a high chance to have 3 to 5 kids a year.
The age at sexual maturity in males and females varied from 6 to 8 months.
The average age of the first conception is the 7th month.
The preweaning kid survival rate is 85%.

Advantages of Black Bengal goat

The Black Bengal goat’smeat is tastier and always in demand.
Due to their small size, feed consumption is less.
They require less spacedue to their small size. More Goats can be rared in a Goat Shed.
Black Bengal goats mature sexually quite early, at 6-8 months of age, and breed around the year.
They are reported to haveresistance against common diseases.
It can reproduce in a very low plane of nutritionand are well adapted to the local environment.
They kid twice a year or more commonly thrice in two years.
Meat and skinobtained from the Black Bengal are of excellent quality and fetch high prices.
Twins and Triplets are common, so more profit in breeding Bengal Goats.

Brief characteristic of Black Bengal goat

Breed Name	Black Bengal goat
Country/Place of Origin	India and Bangladesh
Breed Purpose	Milk, Meat, and leather
Breed Size	small
Weight Buck(Male) (in one year)	16 kg
Doe(Female)	12 kg
Kidding	Twins and Triplets are common
Milk Yield	400ml – 600ml
Good for Stall Fed	Yes
Climate Tolerance	All Climates

Challenges In Black Bengal Goat Farming

As the meat industry is lucrative towards the black Bengal meat. The healthy Buck always gets sold to the market. The fastest-growing males should be used for the breeding purpose, but instead, they get sold to the market first.

Due to this, the Black Bengal Goats are losing their best Bucks. In fact, often the poorest males are used for breeding, leading to negative selection.

The quality of kids is going down, common knowledge on the breeding should be given to the farmers. With minimal knowledge on the commercial Goat, farming will increase their income and improve their livelihood.

Exotic Goat breeds in India

The exotic goat breeds in India are classified into milk breeds and meat breeds. The exotic dairy breeds of the goat are Toggenburg, Saanen, French Alpine and Nubian. They are well known throughout the world on account of their high milk yield. The exotic meat breed is Boer. The Boer goat is being introduced in recent years to increase the meat in the local breeds. They are being tried in India for evolving, by crossbreeding, new breeds with more milk, or for improving the nondescripts. Their breed characteristics are briefly mentioned here.

Toggenburg: This is a hardy and productive breed. It originated in the Toggenburg Valley in north-eastern Switzerland. It is an important milch goat and is adaptable to a wide variety of climates. The head is of medium length and size.

Toggenburg goat

The male usually has longer hair than the female, giving it a very rugged appearance. The skin of the doe is very soft and pliable. The udder is well attached and carried high. The breed is usually, but not always, hornless.

The Toggenburg doe should stand at least 68 cm at the withers and weigh 6S kg or more; bucks should stand 89 cm at withers and weigh more than 80 kg. The average milk production is 5.5 kg per day

the butterfat content of milk is 34 percent. A doe produced 2211 kg milk and 76 kg butter-fat in 10 months.

Saanen: This breed originated in the Saanen Valley of Switzerland. It is famous for its high production and persistence in yield. The goats of this breed are white or light cream. The face is straight or slightly dished, and the ears point upward and forward. The does are graceful.

Saanen

The Saanen breed is normally hornless, but occasionally horns do appear. The does stand at least 76 cm in height at withers and weighs 65 kg. Bucks stand 89 cm at withers and weigh 95 kg or more. The average milk yield ranges from 2 to 5 kg per day during a lactation period of 8 to 10 months. The average butter-fat content of milk is 3-5 percent. They are reliable winter milkers.

Alpine: This breed originated in the Alps. It was probably derived from French, Swiss, and Rock Alpine breeds. Size and production, rather than color patterns, have been stressed in its development. No distinct color has been established.

The mature female stands 73 to 90 cm at the withers and normally docs not weigh less than 85 kg. French Alpine females are excellent milkers and have horns. The butter-fat content of milk is 3 to 4 percent. A pure-bred doe, during 10 months of lactation, produced 2316 kg milk and 66 kg butter-fat

Nubian: This breed originated in Nubia (north-eastern Africa), but is also found in Egypt and Ethiopia. It is a long-legged and hardy goat. In Britain, the native goats were small, short-legged, and long-haired with no fixed color.

Nubian

Use of pedigreed males of Swiss breeds to improve the milk yield resulted in the almost total disappearance of the native type and development of the Anglo-Nubian breed. This is a cross between the Nubian of Egypt and the Jamunapari from India, with English parentage.

Anglo-Nubian is a big animal with fine skin and glossy coat, pendulous ears, and Roman nose. There is no fixed color. When horns appear they lie flat over the head. The milk yield is not as high as that of Swiss breeds, but the butter-fat percentage is decidedly higher. Anglo-Nubian is known as the Jersey cow. of the goat world.

The udder of the Nubian is capacious but pendulous; teats are large. Bucks weigh 65 to 80 kg and Does 50 to 60 kg. The peak milk production in a day is more than 6.5 kg. The breed average for the butter-fat content of milk is 4.5 percent. The breed record for Nubian females in California was 2,124 kg milk and 92 kg butter-fat in 305 days of lactation.

Angora: This breed originated in Turkey or Asia Minor. This is not a milch goat but produces valuable textile fiber commercially known as mohair. It was believed that this goat was originally indigenous to the Himalayas.

http://Angora

The soft, silky hair covers the whole body and most of the legs with close-matted ringlets. If not shorn in spring the fleece drops off naturally as summer approaches. The average weight of fleece is about 1-2 kg. A good specimen yields up to 6 kg. The Angora is small in size and its legs are much shorter. Homs are grey, spirally twisted, and inclined backward and outward. The tail is short and erect.

Boer goat: This breed originated in South Africa. Primarily used for meat production. Boer is known for its gentle behavior, easy birthing, and meaty characteristics.

The Boer goat weight of adult males reaches 350 lbs (160 kg) and females weigh around 250 lbs (110 kg). Also, the kidding is rate is at 200 percent.

http://Boer Goat

The pure Boer kid reaches a weight of 36 kg (80lb) at 90 days. Crossbred with Jamunapari, Sirohi, and Osmanabadi to produce high meat yielding offsprings.

Traditional goat rearing

Traditional or grazing method of sheep and goat farming is in trouble due to shortage of labor and grazing land. Forest is fenced in many states to avoid browsing. Goats come back with half stomach filled in summer. It is difficult to get even drinking water. Pathogen and parasite infestation is more in grazing goats. Problem of worms is persistent in forest regions and areas with medium and heavy rainfall. Spreading of contagious diseases is more and fast in the grazing herd. Growth is slow and less even though the cost of rearing is less. Most of the traditional farmers keeping goat and sheep are landless and poor people. They do not provide fodder and feed at home. Grazing goats spend lot of energy on wandering for food. Traditional farmers depend on local breeds which cannot gain more weight. Though it is the livelihood for them, it rarely gets commercial importance. Hence stall feeding is the only solution for commercial and viable farming of goats. This article explains stall fed system of goat rearing.

Suitable climate for goats

Basically goat is comfortable in dry climate. But it tolerates low temperature. Humid condition is not suitable. However, goat farming is possible under stall feeding with platform system in heavy rainfall regions. Of course the goat can tolerate higher humidity than sheep. These small ruminants suffer with problems like cold, cough, HS, CCPP etc. in marshy places. Low temperature with less humidity is acceptable.

Housing

Goat housing is simple. The semi-intensive (grazing and closed enclosure) system of rearing is suitable for the semi-arid tropics compared to the extensive (grazing) and intensive (zero grazing) systems.

How to Build a Cheap Goat House

The housing of goats is not a serious problem. It is enough if the goats are provided with a dry, comfortable, safe, and secure place, free from worms, and affording protection from excessive heat and inclement weather.

It is worthwhile to design a cheap house for goats which may result in increased milk and meat production. Some kind of housing is necessary if herds of goats are maintained in cities and at organized farms. Adequate space, proper ventilation, good drainage, and plenty of light should be provided for while constructing houses.

Successful goat dairying largely depends on the site where goats are kept. Goats do not thrive on marshy or swampy ground. Grazing areas should be free from pits and shallow pools, for goats contract parasitic infection mainly from such places.

‘Lean-to’ Type Goat shed

The cheapest form of the building is the ‘lean-to’ type Goat shed located against the side of an existing building. Such a shed for a family of two goats should be 1.5 m wide and 3 0 m long. This length provides 0.3 m for the manger and 1.2 m for the goats; the remaining 1.5 m space is sufficient for two milking does with a stub wall between them. The height nearest the wall should be 2.3 m and on the lower side 1.7 m giving a slope of 0.6 m to the roof, which may be tiled or thatched

The plan for a house varies with the climatic conditions and the type of flock to be sheltered. In dry climates with a rainfall of 50 to 75 cm a long shed open on the sides, little exposed to weather and built on well-drained ground makes an excellent shelter.

A goat, when reared singly, can be housed in any building provided it is dry, free from the draft, and well ventilated. The space allowed should be 1.8 m X 1.8 m. A plain board, 28 cm wide and 2.5 cm thick with two circular holes sufficiently large for receiving two small galvanized iron pails, may be used in place of the manger or a trough for food.

It should be raised 50 to 60 cm from the floor, supported on wooden or iron brackets fixed to the wall. These pails, one for water and the other for food, are preferred to the manger, as the accumulated residue of feed can be easily removed from them.

Stilted housing is common in areas of heavy rainfall under a humid climate or in a temperate cold and humid climate. The floor of the pen is raised about 1 to 1.5 above ground level. This facilitates easy cleaning and collecting dung and urine. The buildings are often constructed from bamboo and the roofs are thatched.

In the tropics because of high temperature, heavy rainfall, and the susceptibility of goats to parasitism, the most practical goat houses are those which are raised above the ground level, are well ventilated, and have long eaves to prevent heavy rain showers to splash in from the sides.

The floor must be strong (wooden strips with small slits in between) and the roof material should provide effective insulation from the solar radiation. The roofing material would be made of bamboo or tree leaves or earthen tiles which are cheap and practical. Provision must be made for the collection of dung and urine periodically.

Stall fed goat farming

By nature, it prefers to stay at height above the ground. But still it can be reared successfully on ground in dry regions. In heavy rainfall areas with high humidity platform system is inevitable. Slotted wooden platform is made at 5 feet height above the ground. In China fiber platform is in use. Urine and pellets dropdown and the goats remain clean. Collect the pellets every day or at least once in a week. In this method goat is free from ammonia smell of the urine. Goats remain healthy. Mud floor below is good. It absorbs the urine. If the height of the platform is 5 feet, cleaning is easy. Let the height of the shed be 8 to 10 feet in the middle and 5 to 6 feet on either side. This height is necessary to avoid heat during hot summer. Let the shed be in East-West direction in length to avoid direct sun inside the shed. Even the pellets on the ground keep moist. Roof may be of AC sheet, tiles or palm leaves. Each adult goat needs 10 square feet built-up space. Platform system accommodates more number of goats.

Open paddock of double size next to the shed is necessary. Trees around the farm keep the atmosphere cool. Put wire mesh fence covering the shed and paddock. Wooden steps are made for the entry and exit of goats. Steps are better for pregnant does. Let the door of the shed be kept open always so that the goats come out and go inside as and when they feel. If the bench like structure is made in the paddock, goats get on and sleep. Few farmers provide feed and water in the paddock itself. Shed is only for night stay. This is good for clean maintenance of the shed. Goats are kept in separate groups based on sex, age and body weight. Hence necessary partitions are made in the goat shed.

Generally, feed is given by keeping the goats inside the shed. Troughs are attached from outside all along the length of the shed. Feeding is easy and shed remains clean. If the trough is made with GI cleaning and maintenance is bit difficult. But it can be fabricated in any size and shape. Few farms have troughs made out of halved PVC pipes of 10-inch diameter. Maintenance is easy and durability is more. But the depth is less and hence the wastage of feed is more. It is better to go for 12 inch PVC pipe. Drinking water may also be given in these troughs itself. Clean the feeders before feeding once in a day.

Shelter for Buck

The buck should be housed separately. A single stall measuring 2.5 m X 2.0 m with the usual fittings for food and water would be suitable for the bucks. Two bucks should not be kept together, particularly during the breeding season, because they might fight and injure each other.

Space for Goats in Stanchions and Confinement

The size of the stanchion where the goat is kept should be 0.75 m wide and 1.2 m long. Goats kept longer in a pen should have a floor space of 2 sq m.

Loose Stalls for Pregnant Docs and Kids

Kids should be provided with separate loose stalls, away from adult females. The walls and doors of these stalls should be about 1.3 m high. A box barrel or a log is provided for exercise.

One small measuring 1.8 sq m can accommodate up to 10 kids. Such loose stalls are also suitable for goats at the time of kidding. All stalls should be provided with an enclosure in which the animals can be let loose during the day. This loose housing system reduces housing costs and labor.

Exercise Paddock for Stall-fed Goats

An enclosure measuring 12 m x 18 m is adequate for 100 to 125 goats. Such an enclosure or exercise paddock should be well fenced with strong woven wires which should not be far apart near the bottom. The exercise paddocks should be made bigger than the enclosures and should have some shade trees if the stock is to be maintained constantly in confinement.

An extra-strong woven wire should be used, as goats have the habit of climbing fences and also of rubbing their bodies against them. Barbed wire should not be used so as to avoid injury to the udder and teats. It will be good if a box of 1 m x 1 m and 60 cm high and a stationary steel-drum or a log of 30 cm x 2.4 cm size are provided for their exercise.

Lately, raised platforms or elevated housing systems have gained popularity compared to open housing to prevent foot rot and also to enable the farmer to collect pellets. The floor may be elevated with bamboo or wooden slats about 1.0 to 1.5 metres high. Commercial farmers may use fibre sheets or slats as a platform.

The space required for goats in intensive/stall feeding.

Category of goats	Average space (Sq m) required per goat
Kids	0.5
Adult females (doe)	1.0
Pregnant and lactating	1.5-2.0
Adult male (buck)	3.0-4.0

Feeding

Goat diet must include approximately 60-70% of green fodder, 20-30% of dry fodder and 5-10% of concentrate/supplementary feed, providing it about 16-20% of Crude Protein (CP) and 65% of Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN). Additional concentrate/ supplementary feed must be provided to pregnant and lactating animals and breeding bucks.
• Green fodder should include legumes (guar, berseem, cowpea, lucerne, stylosanthes); non-legumes/cereals (maize, pearl millet, sorghum, oat); grasses (hybrid napier, guinea grass, anjan grass), and fodder trees (Subabul, Sesbania, glyricidia, etc.)
• Concentrate/supplementary feed may be prepared using a combination of maize/soybean/green gram/cereals (broken/ground/mashed) (30-40%), any oilcake (20-30%), husk/bran (30-40%) and mineral mixture and salt (1-2%).
• Goats can also be fed low grade roughage/residues which are treated in the following methods: physical and mechanical (soaking, chopping, grinding, pelleting, steaming and irradiation); chemical (sodium hydroxide, urea/ammonia, etc.); and biological (fungi).
• Ensure a minimum 250 grams of concentrate and 5 grams each of common saltand mineral mixture in the daily diet of the goat.

First Combination

Nutrient composition and feed formulation of supplementary feed (concentrate mixture) for goat

Ingredients	Quantity for 100 kg
Maize	30
Groundnut cake	5
Soybean	5
Green gram chuni	10
Rice polish	5
Wheat bran	40
Limestone	2
Mineral mixture	1
Salt	2
Total	100

First combination

Second Combination

Nutrient composition and feed formulation of supplementary feed (concentrate mixture) for goat

Ingredients	Quantity for 100 kg
Maize/soybean/ green gram/cereal (broken/ground) mash	30-40
Any oilcake	20-30
Husk/bran	30-40
Mineral mixture and salt	01-02
Total	100

Second combination

Goats should be fed about 250-400 gms daily based on their growth stage.

Major raw materials and their sources used in making supplementary/concentrate feed.

Raw materials	Sources
Cereals and millets	Sorghum (jowar), maize, pearl millet (bajra), finger millet (ragi), rice, oats, wheat, etc.
Oilseed cake	Soybean meal, groundnut cake, cotton seed cake, sunflower cake, silkworm pupae meal, coconut cake
Agro-industrial by-products	Rice bran, wheat bran, rice polish, deoiled rice bran, chuni
Mineral and vitamin mixture	Calcite grit, calcium carbonate, ground limestone, oyster shell, steamed bone meal, monosodium phosphate, dicalcium phosphate, defluorinated rock phosphate, soft rock phosphate

Care and Management

When ill, goats need to be isolated. Symptoms of illness could be manifest in the form weakness, lagging behind in the flock, reduced feed and water consumption, etc.

Vaccination and deworming are the best options for farmers to keep their goats healthy. Hygienic living conditions on the farm and keeping them free of parasitic infestations is important. Dipping may be followed under the local veterinarian’s guidance.

Common Goat Diseases And Vaccination Schedules.

Disease	Age at vaccination	Periodicity of vaccination
Enterotoxaemia	> 4 months	Biannual (January and July)
Foot & Mouth Disease (FMD)	> 4-6 months	Biannual (Feb/March and August/September)
Black quarter	> 4-6 months	Annually (March/April)
Hemorrhagic septicemia	> 4-6 months	Annually (April/May)
Anthrax	> 6 months	Annually (April/May or in affected areas)
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR)	> 4 months	Annually (June/July)
Blue tongue	> 4-6 months	Annually (August)
Pox	> 4 months	Annually (December)

Deworming Schedule

15-20 days after birth
Every two months for the first year
Thrice a year (April, July and November)
Repeat deworming as required.

Caring for Kids

Cut the umbilicus to 1.5-2.0 inches length and apply tincture of iodine.
• Clean the mucous from the nose, mouth, etc, with a clean cloth if the mother has not cleaned the kid.
• Feed the kid colostrum @ 1/10th of the kid’s body weight within half an hour of kidding.
• If the doe has given birth to twins or triplets, make sure there is sufficient milk either from the mother or from the foster mother. Reconstituted milk can also be fed if natural milk is not available.
• Allow kids to suckle from the foster mother if the mother has health issues.
• Record the weight of the kid at birth and every 15 days.

Reproductive Management

Most Indian goat breeds exhibit oestrus throughout the year. A few breeds are seasonally polyestrous with the extended breeding season.
• Under extensive conditions, rearing of bucks (males) with females leads to mating throughout the year.
• Goats usually come to heat between September and November and March and April.
• Depending on the body condition, flush them with 300-350 g of concentrate feed daily along with ample green fodder to improve body condition. Flushing around breeding increases the kid crop by 10-20%, increasing the number of twins born.
• During pregnancy, feed the doe about 300-400 g of concentrate daily during late gestation (2 months). This transition feeding should continue for 2 months after kidding.
• Transition feeding helps improve milk yield, nursing ability, health condition, birth weight of kids, reduces stillbirths, and improves twinning and triplet percentage.
• During pregnancy, an increase of about 10-12 kg body weight is desirable.
• A doe can be first bred after it attains 65-70% of adult body weight. The age at first kidding is 12-14 months and the gestation period of goats is 5 months and 5 days. Take steps to avoid inbreeding.
• Be watchful for a shiny udder, restlessness, sunken tail and hip, heavy breathing, and constant looking sideways, which are signs of approaching parturition .
• Post kidding, provide the doe a bucket of clean water. Keep the doe and kid in the same cubicle for 3-4 days. Thereafter, the doe may be allowed to graze with other goats.

Management of Breeding Bucks

Breeding bucks or males contribute predominantly to production and reproduction potential.
• Semen production in males starts
at 6-8 months. Bucks for breeding should be selected on the basis
of 9-12 months of body weight. However, the optimum age of bucks for breeding is 2 years.
• The male to female ratio is very important in breeding. A ratio of 10 females to 1 male of one year and 20 females to 1 male of two years and above are ideal.
• The buck should have a good history/record, and should be shifted every 2 to 2.5 years from the flock to avoid inbreeding.
• Do not overfeed bucks. Do not allow them to run with the does. House the males and females apart.
• Avoid choosing a breeding buck from the same flock for several generations to avoid inbreeding.
• Feed bucks an extra concentrate @300-400 gm/day during the breeding season.
• Castration: Male kids not required for breeding can be castrated. This is known to increase the growth rate and feed utilization, and also believed to reduce the goat-like smell of meat, thereby increasing its acceptability.

Popular consensus is that mutton or goat meat can be incredibly tasty but at the same time is tough and hard. It ranks lower in the order than beef, pork or lamb. However, what is not commonly known is that eating goat can be very nutritious and beneficial for health. In this blog, we present the various advantages and qualities of this much maligned meat which should be part of your menu.

Good for Planet Earth

Goats do their bit for the environment and improve the quality of grazing land by consuming weeds and thorny bushes overlooked by other livestock. This helps the grassy pasture to regenerate and not become barren.

Ideal for Slow Cooking

The meat does not disintegrate quickly making it ideal for slow cooking. More time in the pot increases the flavor retention into fibres of the meat rendering mutton curries and stew, delectable and delicious.

Low in fat, calories and cholesterol

Goat meat has less fat, cholesterol and calories than other red meats such has beef, pork and lamb. There is no oil production when cooking and the iron content of the bone marrow from goat is considered the highest among all cuts of non-vegetarian food.

High Protein

Goat meat is rich in protein and essential amino acids for maintaining muscular health without the extra calories.

Rich in Calcium & Potassium.

Goat meat has much more calcium and potassium than other meats helping in maintaining fluid balance and controlling blood pressure.

Packed with Vitamins

It has high levels of Vitamin B6 & Vitamin B12 which are important for producing red blood cells and maintaining the proper function of the nervous system. It also contains antioxidants like selenium and choline which are useful for reducing risk of cancer, heart disease.

Low Sodium

It contains much less sodium than chicken and beef which is ideal for people who want to cut down on sodium but not lose out on taste, smell.

Major constraints:

Socio-economic profile: Majority of people are smallholder and marginal farmers in rural areas with middle age category and involvement of youths has been very less in goat rearing in rural areas. Recently, there has been growing interest in unemployed youths towards goatery in central and western parts of India.

Feeding constraints: Feeding management is one of the most important factors in any livestock farming because most of the cost in livestock farming coming from feed. So, feeding constraint directly affects economics of goat farming. The constraints associated with feeding practices are lack of knowledge about balance feeding, green and dry fodder availability, high feed and fodder cost, minerals mixture feeding, etc. Lack of grazing land was the most important constraint because reduction of grazing area which resulted reduction of net income per goat under extensive production system.

Breeding constraints: Breeding of goat is very important aspect for any goat famer. A large portion of the India’s goat population is maintained under free ranging conditions in which controlled mating are not possible. Thus, the mating system may approach random mating. Sound breeding objective is the basis for genetic improvement in overall economic merit of farm animals. The constraints associated with breeding are breeding buck problem, indiscriminate breeding, lack of knowledge on breeding practices and breeding buck selection. Repeat breeding is main problem in goats due to malnutrition and abortions during grazing when pregnant does are deliberately served by accompanying bucks.
Health care constraints: Lack of availability of health service in village and high kid mortality are the most serious constraints followed by high treatment cost. High cost of medicines is one of the major constraints faced by the small ruminant’s farmers. Lack of knowledge on importance of vaccination by goat owners was one of the big problems due to which several goats die due to disease outbreaks. Lack of knowledge on importance of deworming and unawareness of common disease leads to great suffering of/ mortality in flock.
Marketing constraints: Lack of established market infrastructure availability, long distance of market, low price of goat milk, less demand of goat milk as compared to cow milk coupled with lack of goat farmers’ co-operatives have been the major constraints.
Miscellaneous constraints: Road accident/ injuries were major problem followed by theft/ robbery problems, predator/ wild animal attack and labour problem. Theft of goats and kids and nuisance of attacks by dogs/ wild animals is very serious constraint in the villages in edge areas of the forests where wild animals (leopard, wild dogs, jackals, wolves, etc.) are concentrated.

Routine managemental practices for wellbeing of goats:

Like any other livestock, goats also prefer a set routine for their management at farm. It includes housing and sanitation, grazing and feeding, breeding and health care. However, some points which needs special attention are enumerated below:

Provide a healthy environment to the flock such as adequate floor space, cubic air space, comfortable and dry flooring & bedding, cleanliness to the animals, preferably in the form of elevated slatted platform and sleeping benches. Allow controlled ventilation in the barn to prevent upper respiratory infections and pneumonia.
Provide proper shade and shelter for protection from hot weather, wind and rain.
Always maintain good sanitary practices like providing clean bedding in barn and fresh, clean and wholesome water available at all times and offer clean feed. Use proper sanitation techniques on kid’s bottles, aseptic techniques with needles, etc.
Provide kids’ cradle to house kids to get ample sun light and protection from predators especially when does are out for grazing.
Manure removal keeps goats healthier by reducing flies and parasites and also provides a good working environment. When mange or any other skin disease breaks out amongst animals in such cases two dipping are carried out at interval of 7-14 days during the disease but in comfortable weather conditions.
Provide balanced nutrition for all stages of life and establish regular feeding times.
Offer well balanced rations to all categories of animals, preferably in protected mangers to avoid wastage of feed and fodders.
It is important to visually observe the goats daily. Pay close attention to normal behavior, body stance and pelleted manure.
Immediately isolate any animals showing clinical signs of illness or injury and medicate and treat appropriately.
Administer new animals with an appropriate dewormer, trim hooves and vaccinate, if needed.
With advisement from the veterinarian, a vaccine protocol should be decided for the best outcome of the operation and the animal’s overall optimum health to prevent illness and vaccination is done by competent staff.
With advisement from the veterinarian, a deworming strategy should also be determined to maintain the goats in good health and goats are deworming is done by trained staff.
Practicing good hoof care. It should be attempted in comfortable weather after dipping the hooves in water to make them softer. The hooves of 4-6 months old kid may be considered ideal in shape for reference purpose and accordingly the old hooves should be trimmed.
When an animal dies suddenly or under any suspicious circumstances, it is appropriate to ask the veterinarian to perform a postmortem to find out cause of death and prevent other goats from the same cause of death.
Castration should be performed in buckling that are not aimed for breeding, at about two months age. Castration has been proved to enhance body weight gain.
Very shaggy goats require their hair clipped, especially around udder and vulva. They help to yield clean milk and easy mating.
Bucks should be housed away from milking does in order to avoid penetration of goaty odour in milk.

https://www.pashudhanpraharee.com/commercial-goat-farming-in-india/

(This article is a work of many Livestock Consultants and is for public information purpose only. This has been written to share knowledge on Goat farming and is not a legal information or statement. References will be given on Request.)

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