Goat Farming
Quick Start
Guide
  

Introduction

Goats are one of the oldest species of domesticated animals. There are
nine species generally accepted as true goats with around three
hundred breeds. Many small farmers or backyard raisers have found
that they can earn from raising goats. Goats provide milk, meat, fiber,
and hide which raisers can sell or use for themselves. If you are
willing enough to try raising goats, you can start by raising one to two
goats. Goat-raising is not easy but if you also willing to learn more
about them, you can confidently raise goats either as pets or as
livestock. This quick-start guide will give you basic information about
goats and goat-raising.

 
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P a rt I –

The Goat

 
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I. What You Need

To Know About Goats

Goats are herbivores. They fall under the genus Capra. What we know
as the domestic goat is a subspecies of the family Bovidae. Goats are
closely related to the sheep so that both animals will often exhibit similar
traits. If you are serious about raising goats, you should start to
memorize terms related to this venture. A female goat is called a “nanny”
or “doe” and a young female is called a “doeling”. A mother goat is
referred to as a dam. A male goat is called a “buck” or “billy” and those
that have been castrated are “wethers”. A goat offspring is called a “kid”.
In Middle Eastern and Asian countries, goats are kept for agricultural
purposes or sometimes as pets. In the US, goat-raising is finding its way
to become a fast growing industry.

A Short Goat History

The oldest goat fossils and evidence of goat domestication were found in
Ganj-e Dareh, a Neolithic settlement located in Iranian Kurdistan dating
back to thousands of years ago. Other places that also showed early
signs of goat domestication include Euphrates River Valley in Turkey,
Zagros Mountains in Iran, and Indus Basin in Pakistan. Archaeologists
say that goat fossils found in these locations most probably belonged to
domesticated goats since it is very unlikely that wild goats would have
survived there on their own. In addition, the goat fossils had size and
body shape different from wild goats.

 
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Evidence of goat domestication show that they have been used as milk
and meat sources as far back as 10,000 to 11,000 years ago during the
Neolithic Age. Their dung was used as fuel and their hair, bones and
sinew were utilized as clothing, and also as tools and materials for
building. Goat hide served as water and wine bottles, and parchment.
Goats were also used as currency in the barter system before the
invention of coins.

The Domestic Goat The ancestors of the modern domestic goat came
from Asia and Eastern Europe. Goats are sociable animals which made
them easy to domesticate. They move in herds so they are easy to look
after. A goatherd tends the goat herd which usually has five to twenty
five heads. Goats communicate to each other by sight, smell or hearing.
They have enough intelligence to make the obey orders from the
goatherd.

You can easily observe the social structure followed by goats in their
herd. Usually, there are two goats in the head. These are the head doe
and the head buck. The leader is determined by means of duels. The
rival goats butt their heads until one surrenders and the winner becomes
the leader. Goats are naturally curious and intelligent. They are known
to be highly alert animals that can quickly assess the danger in a
situation, and react accordingly. They can jump up high places up to
five feet.

There are about two hundred breeds of goat known to exist today. They
fall into different categories based on their use or products they provide
such as dairy, meat, fiber and skin. Some goats are bred to become
companion animals.

Basic Goat Facts

Goats have 24 molars in the back of their mouths both on the top and
the bottom. Kids have 8 incisors in the lower front jaw. You can usually
tell a goat’s age by their teeth. Their stomach has four chambers which
allow the goat to digest almost anything they feed on. Both bucks and
nannies can grow beards. They generally dislike baths. Goats are
ruminants which mean they chew their food, soften it in their first
 
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stomach, regurgitate it and chew the food again. Goats make bleating
sounds which they use to express different moods.

Goats enter puberty at around seven to ten months of age. A buck’s

breeding age starts at around eight to ten months while a doe’s at
around one year. A female goat can have a maximum of 6 kids in one
pregnancy. The gestation period is about 145 to 155 days. Their average
life span is from eight to twelve years.

 
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II. Owning Your First Goat

Being ready to own your first goat is important. Preparing yourself

requires work but it is necessary in order to become successful. You
need to check existing laws in your locality about keeping animals as
pets. Since goats are not considered as traditional pets and have to be
raised in farms, you have to review those laws and make inquiries if you
will be allowed to keep them as pets. If you are going to keep your goat
in your backyard, you would need to install a goat pen or fences even
before you buy your first goat. You will also have to provide a clean,
well-ventilated goat shelter. If you have a farm where you can raise your
goats, you will have an easier time because they are farm animals
anyway. They will have enough open areas for grazing.

In addition, you also have to make sure that you will be able to take care
of their needs. Your schedule must permit you time to look after them or
if not you personally, someone who has time and will to do it. You need
to check your goats at least two times a day, making sure they are well
fed and have enough water always.

Pets or Livestock
As we have mentioned, goats are not traditionally kept as pets but there
is a growing number of people who keep goats as pets. If you plan to get
a goat for a pet, you have to be sure that you can provide for their
primary needs as well as medical attention and, adequate grounds for

 
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grazing or browsing. You should have them vaccinated, dehorned, and

have their hooves properly trimmed. You can train certainly train them
but it will take a lot of patience to do so. People call a trained goat
“halter broke”.

Pygmy goats are usually kept as pets because they are alert, highly
responsive and good natured. They are also able to adapt easily to
varying climatic conditions. Many goat lovers prefer cashmere goats to
keep as pets because of similar characteristics.

If you plan to keep goats as farm animals or livestock, you will have a
wider selection of goat breed to choose from. The requirements are
similar to keeping them as pets but in a larger scale and needs more
dedication on your part.

Goat Breeds
Goat breeds are classified according to their main use. To determine your
choice, you need to know your reasons why you want to keep goats.

a. The Meat Goat – Goat meat has lower fat content than lamb or
beef. Because of this, raising goats for their meat is becoming
very popular in the United States. Meat goats are bred to grow
faster and relatively easier than other types. The most popular
is the Boer goat.

b. The Dairy Goat – In some areas, goat milk is better than cow
milk. Goat milk is digested easily and has lower lactose content.
Dairy goats are easier to tend than dairy cows since they can
easily adapt to any environments. The 6 most common types of
dairy goats include the Alpines, Nubians, Togenburgs,
LaManchas, and the Saanens.

c. The Cashmere Goat – A cashmere goat is any breed that

produces cashmere wool, which is the goat's fine, soft inner coat
hair. It is a fast growing business in the United States. It
started in 1990 when Cashmere goats were initially imported
from Australia and New.

 
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Getting the Right Goat for You

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. This can be very difficult to do actually because there are many
breeds to choose from for each type of goat. You are most probably not
an animal specialist who can identify the particular goat that is best
suited to you. One option open to you is to consult veterinarians or
friends who have experiences in raising goats.

Once you have chosen the goat you want, the next step is to find the
possible locations where you can obtain the goat. After finding the place,
you have to assess the goats you find there before buying, basing your
decision on the standards that the type of goat you want must have. The
right goat for you among those that are there is the healthy one.

Another consideration for selecting the right goat is how much available
space you have for your goat. A goat you intend to keep as a pet and
raisin your backyard must be one of the smaller goat breeds. Goats for
dairy production needs a large enough space where you can build a milk
shed. Large sized goats need a corresponding large area as well.

It is quite important that you know how to determine a goat’s age. What
you don’t want is to get a very old goat that may die sooner than you
think. You can do this by looking at the goat’s set of teeth. Kids are born
with 8 baby teeth. Goat raisers call a one year old goat a “two-toother”
because the two baby teeth at the center front have been replaced by two
permanent teeth. A two year old goat is called a “four-toother” for the
same reason. The same principle is applied for the next two years. After
four years, it is more difficult to tell the goat’s age.

How to Choose a Dairy Goat and a Meat

Goat
A good nanny or doe must be angular, possessing prominent hip bones.
Its body must be long, its thighs thin, with two straight, and wide apart

 
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front legs. Its back legs must have ample distance in between at the
hocks. The escutcheon area must have a wide, arched opening. The
udder should not have any scarring or bumps and must be well-
attached.
Goat meat is called chevon or mutton. The body of a meat goat should
be squared. It must look wide and heavy in the legs and chest and its
back, flat and thick.

Horned and Unhorned Goats

Both the buck and doe can grow horns and beards. Unhorned goats
when born posses the gene associated with hermaphroditism.
Hermaphrodite goats have both male and female sex organs. Hornless
bucks are generally fertile but they cannot mate because their semen is
usually blocked. All goats born with horns are usually fertile. Combining
horned goats with hornless ones have a 25 to 50 percent chance of
producing hermaphrodite goats with no further breeding possible.

Where Can You Buy Goats

If you are just starting, you can contact an association for regional goat
breeding. These associations have contacts with goat breeders. You can
also look for local ranches and breeders. Be sure that the goats you will
buy are healthy and have been under good caretakers. As much as
possible, avoid buying from auctions because their current health
condition cannot be assessed well.

Transporting Your Goat

Goats are easily stressed and frightened so they should be transported
with great care. Never lift them by their horns, head, legs, hair or ears.
Hold their bodies firmly instead. When transporting several goats, make
sure you separate the small ones from the big ones to prevent serious

 
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injuries. Always place beddings in their confinement space so that the

goats will have secure footing. They scare easily if their foothold is
unstable, especially when the vehicle moves. If you are transporting baby
goats, it is better that you carry them yourself inside your vehicle. Have
the goat seller deliver the goats to your farm or home if you don’t have
the right transport. Never put your goats in a vehicle parked under direct
hot sunlight. Provide them with enough food and water for the duration
of the travel specially if it’s hot to reduce their stress.

 
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III. Housi ng, Pasture and

Nutrition Basics

The ideal housing for your new goats is dry and well-ventilated. The
walls, floors and ceilings must always be dry because goats dislike being
wet. Water and food containers must be sturdy and well-built. You
should put these containers in a location where they will not be
contaminated to avoid health problems.

You need to separate the nannies from the newborn kids, the growing
kids and the non-lactating does, and especially from the bucks. To avoid
bullying, you must also separate the horned goats from the hornless
ones.

You should also provide a grazing and browsing area and a dry storage
area for goat feeds, as well as a continuous fresh water supply. If you
are raising dairy goats, you must also provide a milking area and an
adequate manure disposal system.

Housing Facilities Requirements

The goat shelter must have adequate headroom so that the goatherds are
able to stand up inside. Each goat should have at least four square
meters of space where they can move freely. The height of the shelter

 
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door or pen must at least measure 1.3 meters or it could vary depending
on the type of goats you have.
Their grazing area must be at least twenty five square feet for each goat.
If you don’t have enough area for grazing, and you house your goats in a
confined space, you should provide an additional free space area of about
30 square feet for their exercise.

There are three important things you must consider in building the
shelter, namely: ventilation, lighting and temperature.

Ventilation can affect the temperature, moisture and odor inside the
shelter. The proper ventilation will ensure that fresh air, the right
temperature and humidity levels are maintained inside. It will also
reduce the level of ammonia that accumulates because of the manure.
Lighting is important too. Windows can let the sunlight in to provide
warmth, vitamin D to the goats and help dry the interior of the shelter.
To facilitate your night visits to the shelter, you must also install some
lights inside.

High temperatures can affect the goats more than lower temperatures so
it is important that you make steps to keep their shelter cool enough
during the summer months.

You must not mix the young goats with goats intended for milking. It is
better if you keep the kids in another box stall having a minimum area
covering four square feet. This stall must have heat lamps for the
newborn and sick kids. You can keep the older kids in another pen in
one of the stable’s corners.

Goat raisers use three types of fences for the area where they raise goats
- exterior or perimeter, interior and barn lot fences. Perimeter fences are
permanent structures surrounding the area. Interior fences subdivide
the lot for different purposes, and they can either be permanent or
temporary. Barn lots, also called corrals, are built to withstand the
activities of the animals within. Goat fences can be constructed out of
steel or wood.

Goat Pasture
 
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You must consider the type of species and the seeding rate of the pasture
before you select the right one. This will have a great effect on the
success of your goat raising efforts as goats must always have a
nutritious diet. Goats like various plants for their food so your pasture
must have high quality forages. The goats will thrive better on legumes
and cool or warm season grasses instead of weeds and brush. Blue
grass, smooth brome grass, reed canary grass and fescues are the best.
Your pasture must also include orchard grass and alfalfa.

Goat Feeds and Nutrition Basics

Each goat type has its own nutritional needs and requires its own
feeding program. In addition, the required nutritional intake of goats
depends on their developmental stage. You need to provide the right
combination of fats and carbohydrates in their diet that will supply their
energy needs. This is an important consideration since your goat’s
productivity depends on the available energy sources for them.
Insufficient energy supply can result to stunted growth of kids, delayed
puberty, reduced fertility and milk production. Goats also need high
quality protein for cellular repairs and phosphorous for bone and muscle
development.

Salt is an important part of a goat’s diet. Lack of salt in their diet could
result to reduced appetite and can drive goats to eat soil or debris. Other
nutrients they need are sulphur, potassium, and magnesium which are
needed to metabolize calcium and phosphorus and develop the right
muscular tone. Goats also require vitamins A,D,E,K,C and B complex.
You must not forget to always provide them with lots of water.

Your cheapest source of the right feed for your goats is pasture with high
quality forages. However, your goats could also benefit from a balanced
meal containing grains, shrub plants, hay and browse.

The formula for your goat feed will largely depend on the stage where
your goat is at the moment. A pregnant doe for example requires a good
quality pasture and hay. For nursing nannies with two kids, you should
provide an additional 14-15% ration of crude protein. You should

 
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provide bucks with only 12 – 15% crude protein in their diet. The inactive
bucks in your herd must be prevented from gaining weight.

 
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P a rt II –

G o a t C a re

 
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I. Goat Grooming

Grooming your goats is a means not only to keep them clean but also to
ensure that they are healthy. It involves several procedures such as
horn removal or dehorning, disbudding, hair care and hoof care. Goats
like to be groomed and grooming them is a good way to spend time with
your goats. They become presentable and it makes them feel really
loved.

Horn Removal
You might have observed your goats use their horns to fight other goats
to establish leadership. Horns are used for attacking, but they are also
there to protect the goat’s skull. They can also function as temperature
or blood supply regulators. The annual rings on the horns show the age
of goats too. Horns also serve as convenient handles when you need to
control your goats.

While horns serve a purpose of the benefit of the goat, they are very
dangerous to the people handling the goats and to other goats as well,
especially if you are raising several goats in a herd, or as a pet. They
should be removed. There are two ways to do this, namely: dehorning
and disbudding.

1. Dehorning. This process involves removing grown horns from

mature goats. Horns are part of the goat’s skull so only a

 
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veterinarian should do this as this is a difficult and bloody

operation.

2. Disbudding. This method refers to the removal of horn buds

from young goats. This is the preferred way to remove horns.
It is usually done when the male kid is 3 days old and 4 days
old for female kids. You must do it at the right time or
disbudding may result to scurs.

Hoof Care
Goat hooves require great attention and care to keep them in shape. You
must not neglect these parts or the goats may suffer health problems.
The environment and climate affect the hooves’ condition. They must be
trimmed especially when the weather is wet. You need to give tetanus
shots before doing it because trimming can injure the hooves and let
tetanus in. You can also give them footbaths to avoid other hoof
problems.

Coat care
While the other grooming procedures involve cutting and deliberately
injuring the goat, you can consider hair care as the least painful and
gentler way to keep your goats presentable. You need to 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.

 
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II. Goat Health and Sickness

It is important that you know the signs of a sick or injured goat so you
can take the necessary steps to prevent further health problems. Goats
are generally quite so that when they bleat or cry, you will know that
something is amiss with them. They will bleat or cry when they are
thirsty, hungry, ill or pregnant. If they are hungry or thirsty, they will
emit a sustained bleating that gets louder as they become more hungry
or thirsty. Pregnant nannies will behave differently too. The key to
knowing what is affecting your goats to make them bleat is to be really
observant.

Healthy goats are always energetic. Their tails are usually above their
back, their coats shiny, their stand balanced, and their eyes appear
bright and alert. Goats that exhibit the opposite traits are unhealthy.

You need to have your goats vaccinated against diseases such as rabies,
caseous lumphadentitais, tetanus, type C or D enterotoxemia, sore
mouth, and abortion. Veterinarians usually recommend that these
vaccines be administered to young goats.

Common Goat Diseases

There are a number of common goat diseases that you need to be aware
of. These include viral, bacterial and parasitic diseases. Many of the
symptoms are similar for each disease so you need to carefully observe

 
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which ones corresponds to the right disease. Some of the most common
diseases of goats include colds, ketosis, mastitis, grain overload, milk
fever, pizzle rot, urinary stones, polioencephalomalacia, abortion due to
iodine deficiency, and white muscle disease.

Parasite Control and Deworming

Stomach parasites such as coccidian and worms can cause great damage
to your goat’s health, and may even lead to death. You need to have a
program for parasite control and deworming to make sure that parasites
do not affect your goats’ health.

You have to make sure that your pasture is clean and safe. You need to
implement rotation of pasture for at least seventy days to ensure that it
is clean. You can apply anti-parasitic drugs but you need to be careful
since these drugs can make the worms immune to them.

Pregnant does must be dewormed before they give birth so prevent

newborn kids from being infected too.

Skin Problems
Skin problems in goats can be caused by fungi, virus, bacteria or
parasite. Ringworms are caused by fungi and it is the most common
skin problem in goats. You can treat it with a skin disinfectant for at
least one month. Sore mouths are caused by a virus. It usually affects
the lips and teats of female goats, and can cause abortion in pregnant
nannies. This disease can be treated with a vaccine. Bacteria can cause
infections. You can treat them by cleaning the affected area using
appropriate anti-bacterial products. Parasites such as lice can cause
anemia because they suck the blood out of the animal. You can get rid
of them by using an insecticide or a topical medicine.

First Aid Kit

 
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It is quite common for goats to be injured and have wounds. You can
handle some of them but there may be cases when you have to call for
help. For emergency cases, you need to know how to administer first aid
and for this you have to have your own first aid kit which should include
materials and general supplies for administering first aid procedure.  

 
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III. Goat Breeding Basics

Being able to breed goats will set you apart from other mediocre goat
raisers. However, to become successful, you need to know more about
the goat’s reproductive cycle, including the right age to breed, and other
related factors that affect the goat’s fertility.

Reproductive cycle
The reproductive season for does usually begins in February to March
and usually extends to June or July. Ovulation generally occurs from
two to ten days after the buck is introduced to the doe. Some goat
raisers encounter a problem in interpreting the signs showed by does
durng the reproductive cycle because there are does that exhibit signs of
estrus (the period when the doe is most sexually receptive) even after
they have been bred already. You should be able to tell the difference by
observing when the estrus cycle begins and the signs of pregnancy. The
doe’s first estrus usually occurs late in the summer until the middle of
winter. Each estrus cycle may last for about 21 days. Signs of estrus
include frequent urination, tail flagging, and mounting of other does.
Recognizing the signs of estrus is important because they will be your
basis in determining when mating of the doe and buck will produce the
desired results.

 
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Breeding age
Does usually enter their estrus period during autumn when the days are
shorter and the nights are longer. The breeding age for nannies is one
year old. The gestation period is 5 months or approximately 150 days.
This means that if you are successful in breeding during the fall season,
your does will give birth during spring.

You must also look at the doe’s weight in determining if the goat is ready
for breeding and reproduction. A doe should be about 75 pounds on
average to be considered fit for mating.

Mating Ritual
You can see young goats mount other young goats, even as young as
seven to ten days old. They mimic the behavior of adult goats. You can
observe some young bucks smelling a young doe’s urine to see if she is
already in heat. A healthy buck in the peak of sexual maturity can breed
up to 50 does. A doe in estrus shows her receptivity to sexual activity by
wagging her tail, a practice which goat raisers call flagging. The buck
will usually urinate on his face, including the beard and front legs. He
will then approach the doe that has flagged him. The doe will respond by
squatting and urinating, and the buck will place his nose in her urine
stream to find out if she is in fact in heat.

The sexual performance of a buck can be affected by diseases caused by

parasitic infections. To prevent this, you should start to deworm all your
goats before and during the season for breeding. It is also important that
you conduct a thorough physical examination and make sure that all
their reproductive parts are in order. You should also look at their
hooves and trim them as needed because infected hooves can affect how
the buck will mount the doe.

Pregnancy

 
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A veterinarian will decide if your does are ready to become pregnant or

not. Goat breeders usually have a vet examine their goats during late
summer or early fall to determine the readiness of the does destined for
breeding purposes. Even for some experienced breeders, determining
pregnancy in a doe is hard. A doe can show signs of pregnancy even if
she is not pregnant at all. A doe may appear to go through a cycle of
estrus several times even while she is already pregnant. Using an
ultrasound machine your veterinarian can detect true pregnancy at forty
five days of gestation. Hormone levels in the doe’s blood or milk can also
reveal pregnancy, as well as the levels of a specific protein in the blood.

The gestation period lasts for about 150 to 155 days, starting from the
time the egg is implanted in the uterus until kidding. You can already
see the limb segments or buds between twenty eight and thirty five days.
After twenty days, you can detect foetal heartbeat. Foetal stage ends on
the forty second day. By the forty first day, female foetus will show
mammary buds while the male foetus will show scrotal sac. The eyes
and nostrils will become apparent too. On the 56th day, the ear canal
opens and the eyelids close. The scrotal vessels and the jugular and
facial vein will become visible by the 60th day. The ear vein and horn pits
will be prominent when the young goat reaches the 84th day in its
mother’s womb. At around day 90, hair will start to grow in its forehead.
The male foetus’ testes can already be felt in the scrotum at this point.
Fine hair will cover almost the entire body on the 126th day and by the
140th, the body will then be covered by dense hair. Kidding occurs
usually between the 150th and 155th day. A doe may have one to three
kids per pregnancy.

You must not neglect the normal health needs and feeding practices for
your pregnant does. The need their usual feed and mineral supply
during the first three months of pregnancy. You must be careful not to
over feed them as this might cause problems that could lead to abortion.
Correct feeding practice will ensure that the does will have healthy
lactation and that they will be in excellent health condition when she
gives birth.

Because stress can cause the doe to abort, you must be careful not to
subject them to stress. Stress can disrupt the function of the corpus
luteum which produces the progesterone hormone that keeps the goat’s
pregnancy normal. Poor nutrition, the presence of predators or other
unfamiliar animals, transporting the goats can cause stress.

 
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Pregnant does can experience complications and other pregnancy

problems. The most common ones include congenital and development
defects such as cleft palate, absence of rectal opening and
mummification; uterine rupture, which results from the
pushing/pulling/rearranging of the kid within the uterus; uterine
torsion, where the uterus is twisted; ringwomb, which refers to the
incomplete cervical dilation resulting from inadequate hormone and
mineral levels; toxemia and ketosis, which is a condition caused by
improper nutrient supply; periparturient edema, a swelling of the doe’s
lower legs usually associated with multiple foetuses; mastitis, a condition
where the udder swells, hardens and become hot as a result of bacterial
infection; retained placenta, which is caused by toxoplasmosis or
chlamydiosis both abortion diseases; metritis, or uterine infection
resulting from dead kids inside the uterus or retained placenta.

You can avoid most of these complications if you keep your does in
excellent health condition before letting them breed and during the
gestation period.

Kidding
The doe’s body will undergo many changes as it prepares for kidding.
Her udder becomes swollen. She becomes restless, paws the ground and
pushes her head against the wall. When you see her do this, its time to
get ready and have clean gloves, towels, warm water and lubrication
within easy reach. She will kid anytime now.

The process of kidding starts as soon as the water sac breaks. The kid
will start to move through the birth canal. You may have to assist at this
point. The kid’s feet usually come out first with the hooves pointing
downward, followed by the nose. You don’t need to assist when this
happens. There could be another kid behind and the doe may have to
change her position several times to let the kid out of the birth canal.
Next to come out will be the head. You may have to assist this time if
you see the doe struggle with the effort to push the kid out. You can
apply lubrication jelly around the opening to help it stretch and relax.
Once the kid is complete out, you use the clean towels to wipe the mucus
out of the kid’s mouth. If it’s not breathing, grab its hind legs and hang it
 
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upside down and help it breathe. Repeat the procedure for the other
kids. Take the newly born kid(s) to the nursery where you will have to
treat the umbilical cord with 7% iodine to avoid navel joint disease. You
need to milk the mother doe and give the colustrum rich milk within the
first 24 hours preceding birth.

Raising Kids
You need to put the kids and the mother inside one stall for the first few
days after birth. This will allow them to bond together unbothered by the
other goats in the herd, and the kids can nurse without being disturbed.
You must make sure that the kids are getting enough milk and that they
nurse from evenly from both sides of the mother’s udder. This will
prevent any udder from becoming full of milk which could be quite
painful.

After two weeks, you can expect the newly born kids to spend more time
with other goats. You can take this opportunity to milk the mother. At
three weeks of age, you can administer vaccine shots to the kids against
tetanus and enterotoxemia. At the fourth week, you can start castrating
(wether or neuter) the young males you don’t want to keep as bucks. By
the sixth week, you can administer booster shots of the vaccines you
have given earlier. You can start selling the young goats at eight weeks
old.

There is no need for you to be concerned about weaning the young goats
as this can only cause stress to the mother and the kids. The mother is
perfectly capable to naturally weaning her kids on her own.

Goat Castration
Castration or the removal of testicles of male kids only a few days old, is
done to stop them from developing aggressive behaviors when they
mature. They often turn more aggressive as they become older and may
butt you. Intact adult males will also have an offensive odor, especially
while the breeding season lasts. There are several ways to do this.

 
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• Burdizzo – This is a metal instrument used to sever or crush

the blood vessels and cords that lead to the testicles. Such
action will prevent blood flow to the testicles resulting to its
degeneration within the scrotum. The procedure is done
internally and is totally bloodless.

• Elastrator – this method cuts off the blood supply to the

testicles with the use of a heavy rubber band or ring. This will
make the scrotum dry up and fall off within two weeks. This is
also a bloodless method but will cause some pain to the kid for
about ten to fifteen minutes. There is no open would so the
risk of infection is nil.

• Traditional Knife – Using clean and sterile knife is usually the

least expensive but most reliable castration method. A knife is
used to cut the bottom part of the scrotum. Each testicle is
then pulled out. The cord is then torn (not cut with a knife) to
avoid excessive bleeding. The bottom part of the scrotum is
allowed to remain open for drainage. Because this method
leaves an open wound, you will need to watch out for possible
infection.

You need to observe carefully the newly castrated kids for several days
for signs of infection regardless of the castration method you used.
Always consult with your veterinarian if you think there is something
wrong with the kids.

 
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P a rt III –

G o a t P ro d u c ts

 
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I. Goat Milk

Unlike in the United States, goat milk is more popular than cow milk in
many parts of the world. Goat milk is naturally delicious, slightly sweet
with a hint of saltiness. It doesn’t have to be homogenized because it
already has an even consistency and the cream doesn’t separate from the
rest of the milk contents. People who are sensitive to cow milk will find
goat milk the best alternative because, even if goat milk also has lactose,
it is very digestible and doesn’t produce the symptoms associated with
lactose intolerance.

Compared to cow’s milk, goat milk contains more nutrients: 350% more
niacin, 13% more calcium, 47% more vitamin A, 25% ore vitamin B6, ,
and 134% more potassium. Additionally, goat milk has more copper,
manganese, chloride and selenium. It also doesn’t contain Bovine
Growth Hormone or BGH.

Goat Milking Basics

It is important to ensure that the milk is free from possible
contamination and that the goats are comfortable during the milking
process. For this purpose, you need to put up an appropriate structure
for milking, such as a milking barn or milking house. Its flooring must
be made of concrete or any impervious material to facilitate cleaning.
Wood is not a suitable flooring material because it can be a breeding
place for bacteria. It is also difficult to clean. Regulatory agencies

 
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usually require that the structure’s ceilings and walls must be smooth,
dust-tight and painted so that they are easy to clean and kept that way.
It must be kept structurally sound and the floor must be smooth, have
accessible drains and slope away from where the milk room is located to
ensure cleanliness and that water will not pool on the floor. The door
between the milking barn and the milk room must be tight fitting and
self-closing. Ventilation must be sufficient in order to prevent the build-
up of odor and condensation on the walls and ceilings. You must also
install a wash sink with two compartments and hot running water.

You must also set up a separate milk room with enough space where
goat milk can be cooled and stored. This will reduce possible
contamination from the milking house or barn. This room will also be
used to wash, sanitize, and store all the milking equipment and utensils,
which must be made of non-absorbent, smooth, non-toxic, and
corrosion-resistant materials such as heat-resistant glass, stainless
steel, or inert, fat-resistant, non-odor rubber or plastic. Pails you will
use for hand-milking and stripping must be seamless and have small
mouth to prevent contamination by foreign matter. Milk cans must have
umbrella type lids and milk storage tanks must have working cooling
system. If you have a small goat raising venture and your milk
production is only on a small scale, you can store milk immediately in a
refrigerator or any suitable temperature controlled storage.

The quality and cleanliness of the water supply have a great influence on
the overall quality of the milk. Your water supply should be safe and
secured, and must comply with the requirements of the Clean Water Act
as implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well
as local or state standards.

You must also have a waste treatment system to make sure that there
will be no animal waste contamination of ground and surface water. The
EPA and your State Milk Sanitation Division can help you design and
implement the waste management system of your goat farm.

To legally operate a commercial dairy farm in the country, you need to

obtain a Grade A permit from your state regulatory agency. Once you
have it, you must comply with all the requirements and inspections
needed to operate your dairy farm. One such requirement is the
submission of milk samples from your goats.

 
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Milking Procedure
One important factor that you must remember always in milking a goat
is sanitation. Unsanitary conditions during the milking process will
greatly undermine your efforts in producing goat milk. You must take
steps the prevent bacteria from contaminating not only the teats of the
goat but all the materials and utensils used in the milking procedure.
You must wear sterile latex gloves or if you don’t want to wear them, you
must wash your hands very thoroughly and keep them clean all the time
while milking the goats.

The following are the basic materials and utensils for hand milking your
goat:

Seamless bucket made of stainless steel for the milk

A bucket large enough to hold the milk bucket and ice water.

Clean, dry cloth to used for filtering the milk

Large-mouth stainless steel or glass container to receive the

filtered milk.

Larger plastic or glass receptacle for storage in a temperature

controlled room

Rags and bucket for wash water

Some dry towels

After putting together all the materials and utensils listed above, you
can now begin the milking process.

Place feed in the feed bowl attached to the milking stand

Lead the goat to be milked in her position in the milking stand

 
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When the head of the goat is in the right position, lock the
stanchion

Attach hobble to the goat’s front legs.

Use hot soapy water to wash the udder and teats

Put the covered milk bucket beneath the udder.

Wear your gloves and dry the teats with dry towels.

With your thumb and forefinger, hold the teat near the top
firmly but not too tight. Squeeze the teat to express a small
amount of milk into a small receptacle using your other
fingers.

Check the milk that comes out for any discoloration, blood,
clots or lumps.

If the first strip of milk has no undesirable characteristics,

proceed to uncover the milk bucket and start to milk the goat
until flow stops. (If the milk has a questionable appearance, go
on with the milking but discard the milk. Do not attempt to
drink it.

To avoid any contamination, cover the milk bucket

immediately.

Clean the milking stand with wash water.

Rinse all used equipment with cold water and wash with hot
soapy water.

Allow the equipment to air dry.

Goat Milk Handling

You have to make sure that the milk is cooled properly. See to it that
there is no foam present on the milk surface. To ensure that milk is
 
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cooled to the right temperature, you can place the milk bucket in an ice
bath. You can tell that the milk has cooled adequately when the ice
cubes have melted completely. The next step is to strain the goat milk
into a clean container. You must then weigh the milk and record the
quantity and weight in your record sheet. Lastly, pour the milk from the
filter container to another where it will be stored in a temperature
controlled place.

Dairy Products from Goat Milk

Just like cow’s milk, goat milk also has many uses. You can drink it
straight or add as an ingredient in cooking and baking. It can also be
used to make butter, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, candy, and even beauty
products such as soap. Cheese and butter made from goat milk is whiter
because goat milk itself is whiter than cow’s milk. Dairy products from
goat milk are usually smoother and creamier too because goat milk
contains smaller curd and smaller fat globules.

 
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II. Goat Meat

The taste of goat meat (called chevon from an adult goat and cabrito from
a young goat), is rather strong and gamey. But depending on how the
meat is prepared and how the goat was raised, its flavour can turn mild.
Goat meat is a healthier choice because it is leaner and contains less fat
and cholesterol than beef and lamb. You only need low heat and slow
cooking to enjoy its tenderness.

Goat Meat Market

Goat meat is a staple in Africa and South/Central America, and Asia. It
is also very popular in India, the Middle East, the Caribbean and
Pakistan. Europeans consider goat meat a delicacy. In the United States,
local producers cannot meet the growing demand for goat meat so that
approximately 1.5 million pounds have to be imported from New Zealand
and Australia each week. The demand usually comes ethnic groups
such as African, Latin American, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and Asian.
The greatest demand today comes from the Hispanic ethnic group since
they consume more goat meat among them all. However, the greatest
potential market for goat meat is the Muslim market. Goat meat is a
traditional part of Middle Eastern cuisine. However, goat products have
to conform to the dietary laws of Muslims, which means that they have to
be “Halal”, which in turn means that a Muslim butcher must be the one
to slaughter the animal while conforming to other Muslim law

 
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requirements for butchering a goat. Included in this group also are

people from India, Somalia and Pakistan.
Goat Meat Recipes
There are many ways you can prepare and serve goat meat. You can
make it as the main ingredient in a stew or curry dish. You can either
grill it or bake it; make sausages, kabobs or jerky out of it. Goat meat
can be prepared minced, fried or even canned. In Japan, people serve it
raw in thin slices called “yagisashi”. In India, goat meat is used as the
main ingredient in biryani. Goat curry is a favorite Indo-Caribbean dish.
Many Mexican, Argentine and Brazilian goat recipes use cabrito instead
of the usual chevon as the main ingredient. Cabrito is a goat kid. In
Greece and Southern Italy, whole goats are served roasted, especially
during Easter celebrations while people in Bavaria prepare braised goat
meat.

Goat meat is a versatile meat and you can substitute it for any recipe
that calls for red meat or beef.

 
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III. Other Goat Products

We have seen that goats are valuable animals. They provide not only
milk and meat, but also for certain goat types, provide companionship to
people. But they also give us other products of great value and benefit to
us.

Fibers – While the usual source of animal fibers made into fabric is
sheep, two of the most expensive ones come from goats. These are
mohair and cashmere.

• Mohair is produced by Angora goats. This is different from

Angora fiber (from the Angora rabbit) and Angora wool. Mohair
is the yarn or fabric that is similar to silk, and comes from the
Angora goat’s hair.

• Cashmere comes from the fine undercoat of the cashmere goat.

It is considered as the most exotic and rarest of all fibers known
to the world. It is prized for beings soft, durable, lightweight and
very warm.

Hide – You can make different products out of goat skin such as
parchment or drumheads. Tanned goat skin is highly durable and
makes good material for rugs. Carpet manufacturers use it as binding
material for their products. Leather from goat skin is used for making
boots, gloves, and other personal products that requires soft hide. The
Spanish wine bota bag uses goatskin leather as material.

 
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Catgut – This is a tough thin cord made out of natural fiber from the
intestinal wall of the goat or sheep. Catgut has been used as strings for
many musical instruments such as lutes, harps, violas and violins. It
has also been used to string tennis rackets and used as surgical
ligatures. Nowadays however, synthetic or steel strings have replaced
catgut.

 
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Conclusion –
Goat Keeping Economics

Meat goat production is receiving a lot of attention in the US these days.

This fact can be due to the increasing demand for goat meat by the
Muslim, Hispanic and Caribbean communities in the country. In
addition, the current trends towards green farm management points to
using goats as a form of natural vegetation control. For small farm
operations, you will find that raising goats is easier and more
economically profitable than raising a herd of cows. Goats being raised
for their meat are easy-care creatures and you don’t need to spend much
to provide feeds and shelter for the animals. However, just like any
farming operations, you need to possess the necessary skills and
knowledge to ensure success. You need to investigate prevailing market
conditions, make cost estimates, and create a budget estimate before
even considering buying your first goat. As a prospective goat raiser,
your most important consideration must by your target market.
Knowing that there is a market for goat meat will certainly be a major
tipping point for your decision to go ahead. Combining such knowledge
with dedication, perseverance and hard work will ensure that your goat
raising business will be successful.

 
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