How to Build Wealth in Goat Farming

Goat farming is a silent lucrative livestock area only few people have cultivated. It’s a rewarding agricultural aspect especially in Nigeria. Goat meat is generally consumed, its milk processed and the skin can be used to make leather.

Building wealth from goat farming has been a source of finance, boost savings and minimize debt among farmers.

Goat milk has not really been given much attention by Nigeria farmers, yet, it never rule out the fact that it is popular consumed in United States and most part of Europe. Also, the low fat content in the meat has made it widely acceptable.

Goat Farming Opportunities

In India and Nepal, goat farming is one of the major source of income for families and bigger farmers are producing larger quantity for export. China, India, and Pakistan are currently the largest producer of goat in the world with the opportunities still great there for any new farmer who would like to tap the gain. Nepal is said to still import about 1.3million live goat yearly from the neighboring countries such as India, meaning that the opportunity is very much huge in that country for any would be goat farmer.

Australia is the largest exporter of live goat and goat products in the world, yet they are still not meeting the demand of countries where they export. The opportunities in Australia for new farmers are equally great and increasing rapidly.

In United Kingdom, almost all the supermarkets sells goat meats and other goat products like the milk, cheese, butter, and yogurt. The demand is quite high and farmers there are not meeting those demands in full. There are plenty of money making opportunities for goat farmers in UK.

In Nigeria, goat meat is widely consumed locally and forms major part of the people’s delicacies. The popular goat meat pepper soup is so tasty that people come from far and wide to have a taste of it. Yet, few farmers are into goat rearing in the country, most of the goats consumed in Nigeria comes from the Niger Republic and the North. Nigerian Dwarf Goats is popular in the South and Eastern part of the country but only kept for family consumption and sold in the local markets occasionally despite the huge demand. Any serious farmer who would take goat farming to the next level will have serious money to make.

Goat farming is a big and profitable business anywhere in the world. In this article, I will explain how anyone can start goat farming on a small scale and grow to any size he want within couple of years in any part of the globe.

Goat Farming Profit

First, let’s look at the profit potential in goat farming business, I want to analyze the profit in dollar perspective because I am looking at a situation where some Nigerian farmer would take this goat farming to the next level and starts producing large enough to export even if it is to other African countries.

A fully mature goat weigh about 100 pound and in many places goat sale is measured in pound with each pound going for $1.5. Therefore, 100 pound weigh goat will bring it $150 minimum. If you produce just 500 goats yearly and each sold for $150 minimum, you will be making $75,000 per year. Take away $25,000 as the production cost, you will be left with $50,000(approx. ₦10,000,000) from just 500 goats as pure profit. Isn’t that great?

Don’t forget that goats take between 2-3 years to mature, in the profit estimate above, I assumed you have passed through the first three years of establishment. The 500 is a big number but very achievable if you take your farming seriously, in all honesty 500 goats per annul after three years is a realistic goal for small scale farmers. You can start smaller and expand gradually depending on the resources available.

Now, how do you proceed to start your own goat farming business in easy and simple way that guarantees profit and sustainability? How do you start off in a cost effective way that ensures you don’t get your fingers burnt. Below are what you need and things you need to put in place to ensure you get started quick and simple.

Goat Farming Startup:

1. Pasture

As a herbivore, goat eats grasses and specific vegetables. Now, a good grazing area with much vegetation is essential. However, production animals feed on grass, silage, hay and grain just like cattle. Getting a cheap land will be more profitable, and ensure the land is spacious because goats unlike poultry birds dislikes overcrowding. And this will help reduce infection amongst them and aid in effective grazing.

How many goats should be kept in an acre? On a good pasture ground, maximum of 10 goats should be kept in an acre of grazing land, if you intend to keep up to 500 goats, you will need 50 acres of pasturage. Understand that goat multiply very quickly – a pregnancy will always result to the birth of twins. Sometimes they can give birth to single kid or even triplet which is very rare.
Also read: How to build wealth in poultry farming - beginner's guide


2. Fencing

White healthy goats fenced in a goat farmland

Just as goat meat is consumed by humans, there are also carnivores or predators (like wild dogs, bears etc) that sees them as prey. Also, some goats are stubborn wanders. On these note, it’s wise to construct a dwarf fence (approximately 1.2m) around them for protection either with blocks or barbwire. This will effectively keep them safe.
Also read: How to build wealth in pig farming - beginner's guide

3. Housing

White goats housed in different compartments 

House serves as shelter. So housing goats will protect them from harsh climatic conditions like rain, cold and intense sunshine. Thus, they can come out and graze when the condition is favorable. Also, ensure the house is clean and has compartments to accommodate few goats, this would help prevent overcrowding and just like humans, goats needs privacy.
Also read: How to build wealth in cattle farming - beginner's guide
4. Species

There are large number of goat breeds suitable for different purposes of rearing. Some are very good for milk production, some are good for the meat, other are preferable for the fiber. However, there species that can combine all that. Some does well in certain area than the other, you need to go for the one that is most popular in your locality, they could be important reason why farmers prefer certain species in your environment. Check the list for available goat in your country and location.

Having decided on the goat breeds to go for, source for healthy kids. It must have history of De-worming and Vaccination. Goat is susceptible to stomach worm and other internal parasites. Get the healthiest of goats possible to start with.
Also read: How to build wealth in fish farming - beginner's guide

5. Veterinarians

You will need to have appointment with a veterinary doctors near you for periodic check-up and vaccination. This is very important if you hope to keep the mortality at the lowest or completely eliminated. You can use Government agencies near you or appoint a private vet doctor.

With all these in place, you are very good to go in your goat rearing business. Since goat does not necessarily feed on processed animal feeds, your cost of production will be highly reduced because they will be eating natural nutritious plants in their pasture that grows on their own.

Also read: How to manage business risk

Conclusively, grab all this caeful and use as a template to your actions towards goat farming business.
Please do well to share your suggestions and contributions in the comment box, and share this on social media for others to learn. Thanks.


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