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Goat farming in Africa can be a very lucrative business if done right. Choose the right breeds of goats for your location and experience and you could raise superior livestock. Here’s all you need to know to prepare your goat farming business plan.
Livestock production is one of the most important activities of agriculture. If you’d like to turn a profit raising superior livestock, then consider goat farming.
Goats provide milk, meat and fibre. Goats have played multiple roles in the support of mankind in the last 7000 years and is one of the oldest species of domesticated animals.
Many small farmers and backyard raisers have found you can earn a lot of money raising goats. So, if you are thinking of starting a goat operation, then this article is for you.
An effective business plan is a must for taking hold of business opportunities. With goat farming being a highly profitable business idea, it is just as necessary to make a proper goat farming business plan before starting a farm.
It’s important that you get enough information before you delve into the farming business, to avoid mistakes and losses. For writing a suitable goat farming business plan read the following criteria very carefully.
1. Why goat farming?
Goats are hardy animals and can survive under harsh environments. They have survived centuries of periodic droughts and harsh temperatures. They also have the reputation of being resistant to the majority of tropical diseases and parasites.
Goats are a great source of income. Because of their small size, adaptive feed behaviour and low management, goats are a viable option in improving household cash flow. They are also a valuable source of rich milk and tasty meat. Goats also provide skins of commercial importance and manure for gardens and crop fields.
The human population is growing, and creating a significant and increasing demand for additional animal protein. Your goats can play an important role in meeting those demands.
It’s easier to increase the production of goats than larger livestock. For a relatively small business like yours, 100 plus kid goats a year can bring in a significant extra margin.
2. Three types of goat enterprises:
Goat farming is a diverse business. Goats produce dairy and have delicious meat, can be bread to sell and even their skin can be used. As a business owner you need to explore these avenues where you can make the most money. Decide on which area you want to focus.
-Meat goats
-Dairy goats
-Fibre goats.
You can choose one type or combine all three systems in your operation. Your interest and abilities and physical resources on your farm should determine which type of enterprise you choose.
3. Goat farming products
Goat’s meat
Goat’s milk
Goat’s cheese
Goat skins and fibre
Goat milk soap.
Additional sources of income:
Breeding goats for sales
Sales of excess males from dairy operations
Leasing out goats to clear brush
Goat manure for fertilisation.
Goat breedsDifferent -goat -breeds _goat -farming
There are many types of goats, but the breed you choose will depend on your enterprise and what products you want to sell. Carefully decide on the breeds of goats you want to farm.
4. Meat:
Goats meat is in high demand. The meat is widely consumed and accepted as an edible meat by people all around the world irrespective of tribal or religious differences. A report showed that 70% of total consumed meat globally comes from goats. There are a few breeds that are more specialised for meat production: Boer goats, Beetal, Matou and Black Bengal.
Meat goats are also cheaper to feed than traditional livestock giving you the opportunity to produce their meat at a competitive price to lamb and beef. Goat meat also has lower fat content than lamb or beef.
5. Dairy:
Goats milk isenriched with many necessary nutrition elements and is easy to digest. Many consumer markets are currently shifting from the consumption of other dairy products in favour of goat’s milk. Goat’s milk is also very suitable for making all types of dairy products, like goat cheese and goat milk and yogurt without the worry of antibiotics and hormones in the milk.
High milk producing goat breeds include: Saanen, Jamunapari, Anglo Nubian, Alpine and Toggenburg. Choosing which breed to raise should depend on the amount of milk yielded and on the quality of the milk produced. Higher fat and protein percentages indicate higher quality milk.
6. Fibre:
If you want to produce fibre from your farm then Cashmere and Angora goats will be most suitable.
The right goat for you depends on your reasons for raising goats. The breed will depend on which of the breeds of a particular goat type is the best. Consult veterinarians or friends who have experience in goat farming.
Another consideration when selecting a goat breed is your available space. Goats for dairy production need a large enough space so you can build a milk shed. Large sized goats need a corresponding large area as well.
7. How big should I start?
Determine the number of goats you want to begin with. Pick a number that would be sustainable enough to get things moving, depending on the purpose of your farming in South Africa.
It might be 300 or 500 depending on the size and location of your pasture and type of goat breed. Fewer than 150 is usually not enough to support one person or a small family.
8. Location and housing
Buy a sizeable expanse of land to comfortably accommodate your goats. You will need to fence the land for security purposes. Your location could turn out to be an important aspect of the success of your farm.
If you are near a consumer population, consider farm tourism as part of your income. If your goal is to sell milk, then there is advantage in decreased trucking costs when you are located close to a milk purchaser.
Existing farm fences can usually be goat-proofed with additional strands of barbed or electric wire. See resources section on how to build a fence. Build them a shelter where they can be shielded from the rain, sun and other elements of weather.
Goats are very adaptive animals and don’t need an elaborate goat barn. A simple three-sided shed facing away from prevailing winter winds will suffice.
High temperatures can affect the goats more than lower temperatures so it’s important that you take steps to keep their shelter cool during the hot summer months.
10. Goat feed – what do goats eat?
Goats are browsers, not grazers. For hundreds of years farmers and ranchers have employed goats to clear up rough land. Their stomachs can handle it.
They eat almost any type of crop, corn and leaves. It would be best if you have a farm where the goats can roam freely. In this way your goats will get food from different natural sources and will reduce your food cost.
Take care with pastures that contain high percentages of legumes such as alfalfa and clover, as these can cause bloat.
Goats have a high metabolism rate, and much of their daily feed goes toward keeping them alive. Based on kilogram of feed per kilogram of body weight, goats eat more than cows, just to stay alive besides what they need for milk production.
Dairy goats eat over 5% of their body weight in dry feed per day. So, find economical feed and it makes sense to manage the soil for the optimum production of good-quality feed. Goats do best with woody shrubs, saplings, broadleaf plants and weeds as part of a rotation.
11. Health and goat care
Always raise your goats hygienically. Goats can get sick very easily and will die fast. They need to be watched and treated early if something is amiss. It’s important that you know the signs of a sick or injured goat. Goats are generally quiet, so when they bleat or cry, you will know something is wrong. Healthy goats are energetic, with shiny coats and bright eyes.
-Prevent goat diseases and the spread to and from animals by implementing 3 components:
Isolation. Confine the infected animal away from the other goats.
Traffic control. Controlling the movement of people, animals and equipment.
Sanitation and husbandry. The cleanliness and care of animals and their environment.
Goat care includes:
Horn removal. It is your decision whether or not to dehorn your goats. Goats with horns use them for both defence and aggression. Dehorning should be done 5 days after birth.
Hoof care. Goat hooves require great attention and care to keep them in shape. If neglected it could lead to health problems. You need to give tetanus shots before trimming. You can also give them footbaths to prevent other hoof problems.
Castration. Castration should be done before kids are two weeks of age. The most common and safe method is to use an elastrator or docker knife.
Coat care. You must remove flakes, lice, fleas, mites, ring worms and other nasty parasites from the goat’s hair by brushing. This is usually done after winter when the goats don’t really need their coat.
Shearing. Goats raised for fibre should be shorn twice a year to ensure fleece quality and animal health.
12. Costings of a goat business
There are two types of costs associated with producing agricultural products: Variable costs and fixed costs.
Variable costsvary according to the size of your business. Feed, medicine, housing, paid labour and equipment.
Fixed costs(overhead) occurs regardless of the level of output. Depreciation, insurance repairs, taxes, interest and land charge.
To make a profit you must make sure that the selling price of your product is more the cost of producing it.
Record keeping is of utmost importance in livestock production. Records can serve as an early warning system to let you know whether changes need to be made in your operation.
13. Record which should be kept include:
Mating records.Take note of the number of females, males and kids.
Births.Record the date of birth, sex and weight of the kid and doe at kidding.
Deaths. Record the date and cause of death.
Sales.Record the number of sales, costs and name of buyers.
Health.Keep record of when the animals were vaccinated, dosed or given any other treatment.
Income records.Your records should account for all gross income and also show the source of each item.
14. Marketing your products
Get the news out that you opened a business. Use your circles of influence and promote your goat farm. Place signages along the road to advertise your farm and develop a website where people can virtually check out your farm.
Approach other goat farmers for links to their buyers. You can also get buyers through agricultural forums, product sourcing websites and e-commerce platform. Make consumers aware of goat products by educating them on its uses and benefits.
One of the best ways for marketing your goats is focusing on local markets. Some of the specific goat markets are individual traders, abattoirs, NGOs, ethnic groups and export market.
15. Goat meat for sale:
Successful goat entrepreneurships produce organic chevon (goat meat) for restaurants and other discriminating, health-conscious consumers.
They sell commercial slaughter goats individually or as part of a chevon marketing co-op though their local sale barns or to goat brokers or meat processors.
They direct market sell goats to ethnic buyers from their own back doors.
Aggressive marketing of goat meat is a prerequisite for success. In Southern Africa goat meat will always have to compete with beef, lamb, pork and poultry. However, goat meat contains less fat and cholesterol, and have higher levels of protein and iron than most other types of meat.
More attention, however, needs to be given to promoting the use of goat milk and milk products and the curing and processing of skins as value-added products.
16. Farm start-up cheat sheet
Build housing or get current housing ready.
Build a fence or check your fencing for security.
Buy feed and feeding equipment.
Put together a goat first aid kit.
Recognise the signs of a sick goat.
Ask the right questions before buying a goat.
Prepare for vet visits.
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