Agriconomy Magazine | By Primrose Something

Due to growing demand for goats by farmers within and outside Zimbabwe this article is intended to give an insight and guideline needed for one to promptly kick start goat rearing. Let’s define goat production as the rearing of goats for meat.

Why rear goats?

First and foremost, goats can produce well in different environments that is in diverse habitats and even when there is water and feed shortage. Also, with small farm sizes that we have most of us it can be a better way to earn a living. It is imperative as it requires low capital injection.

Some people cannot drink cow’s milk because of allergies to it and this is why some children are often nurtured on goat’ milk. Goats also reproduce twice per year which is economical. They make very good manure droppings which we can then use to improve our crop yields.

Goat Breeds in Zimbabwe

Matabele Goat

In the southern parts of Zimbabwe, there are larger goats, which are termed the Matabele goat with a mature weight of 45kg.

Small Eastern African goat (SEA)

The vast majority of goats in Zimbabwe are indigenous and amongst them are smaller goats termed Small Eastern African goat which has a mature weight of 20-25 kg.

Boar Goat

Other breeds found in Zimbabwe include exotic types, the Boer goat (mainly for meat) with a mature weight of 65kg.

Saanen Goat

The Saanen goat is for milk production and produces an average of 3.5litres of milk per day.

Goat Housing

A well-constructed goat house should have the following elements – a good roof to keep the goats dry; a raised floor to keep the goats dry; slats in the floor to allow droppings and other dirt to fall through and to allow air to pass through a strong secure door that can be locked to keep the goats inside, dry and safe; a water bucket and a feed trough which are easy to clean and easy for the goats to use; a container for a mineral block that is raised off the floor and protected from rain

The goat house should be kept in good repair and should not contain any sharp objects

Goat Management

Well-fed and health parents produce good offspring. Both does (female goat) and buck (male goat) must be well fed and cared for before becoming parents. Keep does and bucks apart to allow mating to occur at the right time. Keep a record of dates. A doe comes into heat (is when a doe is especially fertile and eager to mate) at 4 to 5 months of age therefore must be raised apart from bucks from 4 months. Doe should be met when it is over a year old.

If young animals are mated when they are very young (less than 8months) they will remain stunted the rest of their life and will have poor reproductive performance. A well-managed female can produce kids for about eight years. Pregnancy in goats lasts between 145 –150 days (five months). Preparation for kidding (the act of goat giving birth).

Three Important rules for Kidding

Rule 1: Ensure the kidding doe is put in a dry clean and quiet place at the time of kidding.

Rule 2: The kidding place should be under a shelter (in the house) or shade. This is to protect the kid from scotching sun

Rule 3: The doe should drink water just after giving birth so as to return water lost from giving birth and to have enough milk to feed the new born.

Kidding should be done where one can see what is happening easily and often.

Feeds and Feeding of Goats

Buy the best quality feed that one can afford. Store the feed well – protect it from sun and rain. Good feeding and plenty of clean water are important to help your goat stay healthy. A goat obtains most of the nutrients it needs from grazing. Ideally it needs to spend 6-8 hours a day grazing and browsing.

In the dry season the quality of the food available decreases and it is important to provide some supplementary food to the animals especially if they are in late pregnancy or early lactation.

Clean water should be available at all times. This is especially important when the goats have kids which they are suckling. Offer water at least 4 times a day if it is not freely available.

Health Management

It is important to know how to recognise healthy and sick goats as this allows one to contact animal health technicians or veterinary services in time for further information.

Sick Goats: How to Identify

Sick goat stands apart from the others in a group. (Animals about to give birth also behave like this); they are restless; they do not lie down and rest even when others in their group do so unless it gets very ill; they hold their head down; they have dull eyes and show little interest in their surroundings; often have rough coat and look weak and tired; do not like to feed.

Lastly meat from an animal that has died should never be eaten or fed to other animals such as dogs or cats. To dispose of the carcass, dig a deep hole and bury the carcass so that dogs and wild animals will not dig it up.

Marketing and processing

When we do goat farming as a business, the major objective is to make a profit. In the goat business the products that we can sell to the market are live goats, goat meat, skins, milk and manure.

Therefore, one can make a profit by providing a quality product that meets the market requirements. Identify needs because buyers require goats of different ages, size, breeds, etc. Some buyers such as the local traders are much concerned about the size while some buyers from the urban, high value markets emphasize on quality.

It is also important for farmers to be able to plan their production so that they consistently supply the required quantities at specified time intervals (e.g. 20 slaughter goats every month). This is key in business as this helps towards building longstanding and mutually beneficial (win-win) relationships with your buyers.