Goats play a major role in the livelihoods of farmers. Their very low cost of rearing is facilitated by grazing on wasteland and agriculture by-products and at times on garden and kitchen waste. Their high disease resistance, improved production, quick growth in a short time, good demand and market, droppings, and make them amenable for rearing by small, marginal, and landless farmers.
Goat farming is a low investment business where any farmer with a family of four can earn their livelihood with just 5 goats. Goats are multi-beneficial where they are used for milk, meat, and fiber (wool). Goats farming is mainly for its meat and very rarely for its milk. With so many advantages one can easily reap benefits.
Points to consider before Starting a profitable Goat Farming business
- Goat Shed to be constructed based on the breed, land availability, and investment. Goathouse can also be planned based on Goat grazing behavior.
- Breed selection to be done based on the weather conditions, location of the farm, and purpose of the farm.
- Goat feed – What to feed, how much to feed, and how to reduce feed cost.
- Knowledge of Disease management should know, as goats are social animals if one goat gets sick, most of the goats get sick pretty soon.
‘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. 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.
READ MORE: Build a Cheap Goat House
Goat Management Practices
Basic goat management practices need to be followed by every goat breeder. On a low investment and following well management practices, goat farming business can be profitable.
READ MORE: Complete list of Goat Management practices
Best Goat Breeds to Raise for Meat
Goats are bred mainly for meat and milk. Goat meat is devoured generally all through the world, particularly in developing nations.
The Boer is viewed as the best meat-creating goat. Other prominent meat goat breeds are Kiko, Nubian, Pygmy, and Spanish.
READ MORE: Best Meat Goat Breeds
Breeds of Goat suitable for Goat Farming
There are different goat breeds accessible all through the world. A portion of those goat breeds are reasonable for meat creation, some are well known as dairy goats. A few goats produce amazing skins and a few goats are raised for their mohair/fiber creation. A few people likewise incline toward raising goats as pets.
The goat breeds are unique in relation to each other by their size, shape, qualities and generation type. For the most part, goats are raised for milk, meat, skin and fiber/mohair generation. For explicit generation reason, you need to pick explicit goat breeds. Not all goats are appropriate for a wide range of creation reasons. Furthermore, if there should arise an occurrence of business goat cultivating, you should need to pick the best breeds for your business.
Mainly goat breeds are classified into five types – meat goat breed, dairy goat breed, breeding goat bread, pet goat and skin goat breed. Some breeds fall into multiple classifications also.
- Meat Goat Breed is the one that produces more meat in a short period of time. Some of Best Goat Breeds Raised for the meat are Kiko goat, Spanish Goat, Boer, Black Bengal, Jamunapari Goat, Fainting Goat, Nubian Goat, Savanna Goat.
- Dairy Goat Breed is the ones which produce more milk per day. Few examples are Jamunapari Goat, the Pygmy goat, Barbari goat
- Pet Goat Breed is the one which is raised primarily as pets on the farm. Few examples are Pygmy goat, Nubian Goat
- Breeding Goat Breed is the ones that are raised to produce more kids per kidding. The kids are sold to other breeders. Eg: Jamunapari, Boer, Tellicherry
- Skin Goat Breed is the one that is raised to get high-quality skin like Black Bengal Goat.
Breed name along with breed usage and place of origin is given for each of the Goat Breeds.
| No | Breed Name | Breed Usage | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JamunapariGoat | Dairy, Meat | India |
| 2 | Tellicherry Goat | Meat, Breeding | India |
| 3 | Pygmy Goat | Dairy, Meat, Pet | Africa |
| 4 | Black Bengal Goat | Meat, Breeding, Skin | Bangladesh |
| 5 | Sirohi Goat | Dairy, Meat | India |
| 6 | Rove Goat | Meat | France |
| 7 | Alpine Goat | Dairy | French Alps |
| 8 | Anglo Nubian Goat | Dairy, Meat, Fiber | UK |
| 9 | Damascus Goat | Dairy | Syria |
| 10 | Fainting Goat | Meat, Pet | USA |
| 11 | Boer Goat | Meat | South Africa |
