Raising Goats

raising goats south africa

Raising goats teaches valuable lessons. Goats are popular additions to small farms and homesteading family’s back yards. Goats are versatile and can provide, milk and meat. They are mostly easy to keep, friendly and comical additions to the family farm.

A goat is known as a “poor man’s cow”, because it is relatively easy to rear, with a low cost of production, adaptability to different climatic conditions, compatibility with other livestock species, and many end-uses.

If you grow crops on your farm, you’ll be glad to know that goat manure makes great fertilizer too. Goats require adequate land for grazing or foraging and some heavy-duty fencing, but other than that, raising goats is no more difficult than any other farm animal.

 

Raising Show Goats

 

If you’ve got a desire to get involved in raising Boer goats for show, there’s plenty of opportunities to make some money while having a lot of fun at the same time. You may want to consider breeding show goats and selling them to others who want to show them. Or you may also want to get involved in showing goats yourself.

If you do not have the goats for a show and would like to buy some, find a reliable, reputed goat farm to buy goats. Such a farm will be able to show you the health, performance, and genetic records and assure you of the good quality breed. It is not a good idea to buy from sale barns or stockyards. Goats taken there have usually been culled ones by previous owners because of one problem or another.

 

Read more on Boer Goats | Studs | Bucks | Does

 

Raising Goats for Meat

 

Raising goats for meat can be a profitable small-farm venture. Currently, there is a higher demand for goat meat, also called chevon, than there is a supply. Many ethnic groups rely on the lean, tasty meat as a protein staple.

Raising goats for meat involves a variety of decisions: choosing a breed, deciding on housing and fencing, and finding a market for your goat meat, to name a few. It also means providing your goats with proper food, forage, and health care.

 

Raising Goats for Milk

 

Milking is easy to learn: Just ask anyone who’s ever milked a cow or goat to show you how. Milking is easier if you feed the does grain as you milk them. Milk out both udders completely and milk at about the same time each day. If you milk twice a day, separate the milking time by about 12 hours.

Keep your milking equipment and area clean. Once you’ve finished milking, cool the milk-filled container as quickly as possible by setting it into a large pan filled with cold water for about 15 minutes. Occasionally stirring the milk with a clean utensil will help it cool evenly. Once the milk has cooled, pour it into glass containers and refrigerate immediately.

 

Raising Goats as Pets

 

Although they are traditionally thought of as a farm animal, goats also make good pets. A perennial favourite in petting zoos, their curious and friendly nature makes them fun companions. There are over 300 distinct breeds of goats, but the dwarf or pygmy goat varieties are most commonly kept as pets.

Goats are herd animals, so they should never be kept as solitary animals. A pair (or more) of goats will make a good addition to the right family. You must be prepared for a long-term commitment when keeping goats. They need attention like any other pet.

You must also consider who can look after the goats when you are away. Pet goats tend to like attention, petting from their owners, and even eating out of your hand. They can get jealous and moderately aggressive if one goat is favoured over others.

 

Read more on: Goat DiseasesGoat Care | Feeding Goats | Milking Goats

 

Raising Goats for Fiber

 

Angora goats produce mohair, one of the warmest fibers in the world. It’s also soft, silky and luxurious. Mohair goats are the most productive fiber-producing animals. They are shorn twice a year as opposed to once a year like sheep.

The most common colour for an Angora goat is white, but other colours are gaining popularity. Unlike dairy goats, the wethered male is the most valuable goat. You will get the most fibre from a neutered male because the goat doesn’t have to use energy producing hormones and young.

If you plan on adding fiber goats to your herd, you need to get proper wool shears and learn the craft of shearing. Or you can hire someone to come and shear your goats.

Fiber animals are prone to lice infestations. In addition to regular worming, lice prevention should be a regular part of your routine.

 

Raising Goats for Cashmere

 

You may have wondered why cashmere sweaters cost so much. Much of the cost comes from the labour-intensive way in which cashmere needs to be harvested from the goat. Cashmere isn’t shorn from the goat the way wool is shorn from a sheep; instead, it must be brushed out and away from the guard hairs.

Cashmere goats have a double coat similar to that of a shedding dog such as a Golden Retriever or German Shepherd. They have a layer of more permanent hairs called guard hairs; then, as the days get shorter and the weather gets cooler, they grow an undercoat of soft, down-like fur. In the spring, they shed this undercoat. This is the cashmere fiber.

Cashmere goats also don’t produce as much fiber per animal because half of the coat is dedicated to guard hairs. When you shear sheep, for example, to the skin, ALL the wool is usable.