The secrets to a profitable goat farming business in Nigeria
Goats are adaptable animals that can produce milk, low-fat meat, and aid in weed control. They are easier to work with than large livestock and are less expensive to purchase and maintain.
Nigerian Goat Breads
Before commencing goat farming in Nigeria, it is essential to understand the proper goat breeds.
In Nigeria, the three major goat breeds are sahelian (Sh), Red Sokoto (RS), and West African Dwarf (WAD).
The Nigerian Dwarf goat is a small goat from West Africa. They were first imported from West Africa in the mid 1970s, and the American Minor Breeds Conservancy now considers them a rare breed.
It is crucial to know the proper goat breeds to start with. If you want to start little, choose species that are fast growing, adaptable, and require little feeding.
The procedure for starting a goat farm
a. Choose an appropriate farming location which must be close to town and suitable for establishing a pasture or grazing area.
b. Build a pen for your goat.
The pen must be fenced in order to prevent theft. It must also be clean and well ventilated to avoid disease transmission.
c. Provide the facilities and equipments needed. The major facilities required to start a goat farm include; feeding racks, water, loafing sheds, feed or silage storage, animal sick bay, thermometer and manure handling bay are all necessary for proper and effective goat rearing.
The Best Food for Goat farming
Goats can get plenty of calories from pasture grass, plant leaves, grass and alfalfa long-stemmed forage and grain. Forages such as pasture, leaves, and long-stemmed forage are always the best starting point for feeding goats because they are biologically created to digest fiber.
Major problem in goat farming
Diseases
There seem to be no category or type of goat farming in Nigeria that would not face animal health problems. This is coupled with the fact that obtaining suitable veterinary level of care for appropriate treatment is challenging. Among the epidemics are disease and Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia. Worm infestation, foot and mouth, vector-borne diseases (rodents), ectoparasite infestation (mange, ticks, fleas), feed contaminants (like fungi) , PPR (also known as goat plague) and others that could occur due to bacteria and other forms of microorganism are examples of diseases that are challenging to the goat and interfere with productivity.
Consulting your veterinary regularly will help you identify the symptoms of these diseases and also to preventing or treating them immediately
Choosing the appropriate Breed
Many goat farmers in Nigeria do fail to adequately evaluate all the challenges involved in goat farming in order to choose the proper breed of goat that can yield the desired product. For instance, if you lack the necessary intensive infrastructure and a seamless healthcare plan to support an exotic breed, it’s really better to start with the indigenous breeds. Several breeds perform much better in certain environments than others; and many Nigerian goat farmers have failed to take this into consideration, resulting in a lack of better business profitability.
Marketing Techniques
Advertising methods vary in terms of direct expenses as well as the farmers’ time and energy.
Listing your goats on popular agribusiness websites on the internet will expose them to a wider range of potential buyers. This is currently the easiest marketing technique. livestock auction markets, local grocery stores, personal contacts, private buyers, consignment sales, and on-farm sales are the secondary approaches to goat marketing.
