Hello followers. Welcome to another day of our GOAT FARMING TRAINING
The first thing you need to do is to assess the plot for goat farming. You need to check if the plot is suitable to conduct the farming.
It is always better to choose a plot which is nearer to local roads so that it would reduce transportation costs. If the farm is built near to roads, then the farmer will have easy access to the nearby markets too.
There should be good sources of water on the farm or near the farm. There should be an availability of borewells, rivers or dams nearby. If there is no adequate water to conduct goat farming, then it is advised to construct a reservoir
Goats are excellent escape artists. They always tend to escape from the farm. As a result, for preventing them from escaping, you have to make a strong fence around your farm.
Make the fence suitable enough for keeping your goats safe inside, and strong enough for keeping all types of predators or harmful animals outside.
Woven wire topped with board and electric fencing are suitable to keep goats in and predators out. But they are quiet expensive, and using electric fencing is not recommended for goats.
You can use electric fencing, if you keep equines in the same pasture with goats or if you rotate your goats to different browse areas. You can use barbed wire for goats, and it is less expensive.
Make a suitable pasture for your goats. Divide the pasture into different parts. And if possible, rotate the pastures where your goats graze on, for avoiding overuse and the overgrowth of less desirable forage (that means, allow your goats to graze on a pasture while other pasture areas rest).
Plant various types of pasture plants or grasses. Doing this will increase the food value and help to meetup all types of necessary nutrient requirements for goats. You can plant various types of plants and grasses that goats prefer. We shall teach more about this later in our training.
Both domestic and wild animals can be dangerous predators for your goats. For example, some domestic dogs (even your own), wild coyotes, bobcats etc. are sometimes become very dangerous for goats.
There are some other large carnivores too (depending on your area or region) that can harm your goats. Good fencing works as the first line of defense.
So make your fence strong enough for preventing all types of predators. You can also use a guard animal for protection.
There are certain dog breeds available which work as guard. Komondor, Great Pyrenees are such dog breeds that guard livestock, if brought up with them as puppies.
Adding a donkey to your herd can provide protection from wild animals, because they hate canines. You can also try your own method for controlling predators.
Goats require a simple shelter for protecting themselves from rain and the sun. A run-in shed or similar structure fills the bill. Although kids are the exception.
You can allow the kids to nurse from their moms or hand-raise them. Make four sided and draft free shelters for your does and kids. Add some dry straw or wood shavings inside the shelter during cold weather.
These are the common steps for setting up your farm land and making it suitable for your goats.
Goat dairy farms can be set up near the city or town where there is assured market of milk round the year or in the milk-shed areas of milk processing plants.
Nearness to market is important as nearer the market lesser will be the transportation charges and lesser will be the loss due to spoilage of highly perishable milk and milk products during storage and transportation.
Ideally the large dairy farms should be located nearer to towns but not in towns itself as in urban areas the conditions are not exactly ideal nor economical for production of milk.
Land may not be available or available at high rentals for animal sheds and for fodder production.
The producer has to purchase the feed items at higher prices. Yet many city dairy owners earn handsome money as they can sell milk at high prices to the consumers directly often circumventing the middlemen.
In rural areas the cost of fodders and labour which are the major inputs for milk production are comparatively lower but so also is the demand and prices of milk. The villages located close to cities on highways leading into cities are ideally suited for goat dairy business.
In fact most of commercial milk producers in the country comprise of this category who market milk readily in cities by themselves.
The cornerstone of successful dairying is the elimination of middlemen in the marketing of milk and the producers themselves have to devise their marketing mechanism so that they directly sell the milk and value added milk products to the consumers.
The other important requirement for setting up of a successful commercial dairy farm is the land for fodder cultivation.
The land should be fertile so that all the seasonal fodder crops could be successfully raised and abundant good quality green fodders are made available for animal feeding throughout the year.
The place where the dairy farm is to be set up should have a source of good quality fresh water for animal drinking and for the cleaning, washing etc. at the dairy farm.
Goat housing is one of the most important parts of goat farming business. before purchasing goats from the market, there should be an arrangement for his proper living.
Usually goats’ housing/shelter is for protection from inclement weather such as rains, excessive heat and cold in addition to protection from predator attacks.
Separate goat housing arrangements for different categories of animal-like growers, adult females, breeding males, etc. are required in order to ensure proper care and management as per requirement.
The first investment of goat farming is spent on shed or shelter for goats. The size of shed or house totally depends on how many goats you are planning to rear in your farm.
Invest wisely on the goat housing system because it is a one-time initial investment. Also, I have seen many beginner goat farmers or entrepreneurs invest too much money on Goat housing design.
In Kenya, in village condition, goats don`t not need any special shelter and are usually kept in simple constructed houses. Goats however need to be protected from drastic weather. Goats are susceptible to cold hence should be kept in warm places.
Houses should be well ventilated with free access of sunlight. Proper ventilation and good drainage is another important criteria for housing of goats. The purpose of ventilation is to provide the desired amount of fresh air, without drafts, to all parts of the shelter; to maintain temperatures within desired limits; and to maintain ammonia levels below specified levels.
Ventilation is of utmost importance to maintain a desirable interior temperature of 28 to 30°C. If the animals cannot get rid of heat because the surrounding temperature is too high (above 30°C), they eat less and therefore produce less.
It is therefore necessary to make the shed sufficiently high and make sure, there are openings for ventilation in the roof or walls. Hence height of roof of the goat shed should be 3 m at the periphery and 3.5 m at the center for proper ventilation.
The orientation of the shed is another important factor depending on the climate. In dry arid region one can prevent the entry of sunlight inside the shed for preventing heating up of stall too much by placing the longitudinal axis of the goat shed east – west.
On the contrary in humid and high rainfall area, if one wants to keep floor of the shed dry and disease free, he would construct goat shed with long axis in north – south direction for allowing of sunlight to enter inside the shed sufficiently to keep the house warm and dry.
The roof provides protection from sun and rain and can be of a shed, gable or modified gable style. Slope is important in removing rain and thatched roofs need a greater slope than iron sheeting. A greater slope is also beneficial in areas with high rainfall.
The roof should be light, waterproof with sufficient overhang to prevent rain from blowing in. A high roof encourages air movement but is more likely to be damaged by strong winds. A roof vent can assist in proper ventilation.
Roofs can be constructed by GI sheet, asbestos, tiles, grass/bushes, wood depending on production system, material availability and climate.
The floor could either be packed earth, concrete or slatted. Packed earth or concrete floors should have a slope of about 5 % for good drainage. Raised platforms where goats can lie above the floor and away from manure and urine are beneficial.
Slatted floors should be raised about 1-1.5 meters above ground level to facilitate easy cleaning and collecting of dung and urine. The gap between the slats should be 1.4 to 1.6 cm to allow easy passage of fecal material and guarantee safe footing for the animals. Newborn and young should not be put on slatted floors.
A raised, slatted floor in tropical and subtropical areas has the following advantages:
- No need of bedding
- Allows manure, urine and debris to drop through the slatted floor, thus removing a major source of disease and parasite infestation
- Requires less labor to clean and maintain
- Remains relatively dry and clean
- Reduced space requirements
- Manure is easily collected for fertilizer use or for sale
- Allows air to pass through the slats increasing ventilation and comfort in hot weather.
The main disadvantage of raised, slatted floors is the high expense of construction. Other concerns with slatted floors are leg and foot problems from too wide a gap or poor maintenance of existing slatted floors.
Regular disposal of dung and urine is very essential to keep animal house hygienic. Preference of floor type and material was studied due to the reason, it determines the conductive heat loss from the animal which is very important factor to keep animal warm during the cold season, simultaneously it would help to disseminate heat load during hot seson.
So idea on floor type and floor material is of immense helpful during construction of goat shed in different agro climatic condition as well as in different seasons.
Goats like to see each other, even if penned separately, so provision needs to be made for this in the type of partitions / gates used. Pen and door heights vary according to breed and 1 to 1.25 m. height is recommended for most of the breeds of goats.
The buck should be housed separately. A single stall measuring 2•5 m x 2•0 m with the usual fittings for food and water would be suitable for the bucks. Two bucks should not be kept together, particularly during the breeding season, because they might fight.
Pregnant goats should be maintained individually to avoid fighting between themselves, as it may lead to abortion. So, a pen of 2.5 x 2 m is sufficient to house a pregnant doe.
Kids should be kept in warm houses, especially in chilly and wet weather. There should have proper drainage facility. Generally goats are allowed for grazing during daytime and stall fed during night.
Adequate space should be given to each goat if maintained individually or group of two or three in pen for proper growth and production. Floor space requirement for breeding buck / pregnant doe, breeding doe, adult buck / doe, finisher and grower is 5m square per head, 4m square per head, 3m square per head, 2m square per and 1m square per head respectively.
Overcrowding should be avoided for proper growth and production. If the goats are housed in a group in the same area a minimum of 2m square per goat needs to be provided. Although more than this minimum is recommended if fighting is to be avoided.
In the tropics because of high temperature, heavy rainfall and the susceptibility of goats to parasitism, the most practical goat houses are those which are raised above the ground level, are well ventilated, and have long eaves to prevent heavy rain showers to splash in from the sides.
The floor must be strong (wooden strips with small slits in between) and the roof material should provide effective insulation from the solar radiation. The roofing material would be made of bamboo or tree leaves or earthen tiles which are cheap and practical. Provision must be made for collection of dung and urine periodically.
An enclosure measuring 20 m x 10 m is adequate as paddock for stall fed goats of 100 numbers for roaming and exercise. Such an enclosure or exercise paddock should be well fenced with strong woven wires.
The exercise paddocks should be made bigger than the enclosures and should have some shade trees if the stock is to be maintained constantly in confinement. Barbed wire should not be used so as to avoid injury to the udder and teats.
In housing, bedding must be available to animals at all times. Bedding must be clean, dry, mold-free and replenished as needed. Bedding must not cause discomfort or harm to the animals.
Bedding with straw or sawdust preferred. There must be enough bedding to ensure the comfort of all animals. In cold temperatures heat must be provided as necessary to keep animals comfortable.
Where to locate animal housing/sheds
- On a well-drained area
- On a floor 1-1.5 ft above the ground should the area be waterlogged or prone to flooding
- keep in mind the possibility of expansion
- An appropriate flock development plan has to be made to anticipate future construction needs
Orientation
One can prevent the sun from heating up the stall too much by placing the longitudinal axis of the stall east – west.
Click on the link below to watch a YouTube video on How To Construct a Modern Goat House.
Ventilation
Ventilation is of utmost importance to maintain a desirable interior temperature of 28 to 30°C. If the animals cannot get rid of heat because the surrounding temperature is too high (above 30°C), they eat less and therefore produce less.
Majority of pneumonia cases can be traced to excessively warm and humid interior and sudden changes in temperature. It is, therefore, necessary to make the shed sufficiently high and make sure there are openings for ventilation in the roof or walls.
Solid brick wall along with galvanized wire net is most desirable in Kenyan conditions. Although it is expensive to make such durable building but its need is undeniable due to various reasons
Asbestos roofing is essential in low height sheds and fiber shed could be used in high height sheds.
Always avoid metal roofing because they easily heat up in hot weather and cool down in cold weather. It is difficult to provide ideal environment inside the goat house in such conditions.
Providing openings or short side walls of about 1 – 1.5 ft height will provide sufficient ventilation. A hedge can also fulfill this function. Outer walls are designed to protect animals from external influences and inner walls aid in animal management, such as controlling breeding.
At a minimum, inner walls should create pens for:
- Males
- Females with young
- Females without young
Other pens to consider building are those for weaned young, young males of breeding age, young females of breeding age, and an isolation pen for sick animals. A paddock or yard alongside the shed where animals can exercise and be fed and watered can also be built.
If the herd is large and space is available, additional pens should be constructed for:
- Weaned male lambs/kids of the same size should be kept together and not mixed with other animals to avoid competition for feed;
- Pregnant females close to parturition should be kept separately from nursing females, young females not bred yet and adult males;
- Whereas small barns may not need an aisle between pens, particularly in large barns, a center aisle makes many management practices easer; such as sorting animals, feeding, monitoring breeding, etc. It also facilitates movement of workers in the barn.
Floor of the goat house
The floor could either be packed earth, concrete or slatted. Packed earth or concrete floors should have a slope of about 5% (1:20) for good drainage. Raised platforms where goats can lie above the floor and away from manure and urine are also beneficial. These can be placed along the longest wall of the barn.
Slatted floor is good from hygienic point of view and disease occurrences are least in this case but its expensiveness limits its use for large farms. It could be used successfully in breeding farms to maintain elite flocks.
Slatted floors should be raised about 1-1.5 meters above ground level to facilitate easy cleaning and collecting of dung and urine. The gap between the slats should be 1.4 to 1.6 cm to allow easy passage of fecal material and guarantee safe footing for the animals. Newborn and young lambs should not be put on slatted floors.
A raised, slatted floor in tropical and subtropical areas has the following advantages:
- No need of bedding
- Allows manure, urine and debris to drop through the slatted floor, thus removing a major source of disease and parasite infestation
- Requires less labor to clean and maintain
- Remains relatively dry and clean
- Reduced space requirements
- Manure is easily collected for fertilizer use or for sale
- Allows air to pass through the slats increasing ventilation and comfort in hot weather.
Disadvantages of slatted floor for goats
The main disadvantage of raised, slatted floors is the high expense of construction. Some materials, such as bamboo, may be cheaper than wood but may provide less secure footing.
For all but the smallest barns, commercial wood is preferred to bamboo as it stronger and more long-lasting. Cost, ease of installation and safety must all be considered when selecting flooring material for a slatted floor.
Other concerns with slatted floors are leg and foot problems from too wide a gap or poor maintenance of existing slatted floors.
Pucca floor: It is most recommended from hygienic point of view. Breeding and dry stock can be maintained with some bedding material on pucca floor. Daily or weekly cleaning with disinfectant is advisable. However hoof problems are encounter with this type of flooring.
How to make a Goat House?
Goat house should be constructed in a well-drained elevated plain area with easy access to transport, electricity, and water.
Orientation – for our tropical Indian conditions, the long axis of the shed should be in East-west direction.
Floor: The soil floor is generally recommended for goats. However, the floor made bamboo, wooden slats, or plastics are being used in elevated goat house constructed in high rainfall, high humid as well as areas prone for floods.
Roof: roof of the goat house may be made of thatch, tiles, cemented sheets, thermally insulated GI sheets depending upon availability as well as durability required.
Walls: side walls along with the length of the shed should be 4 feet with remaining height kept open for fixing iron mesh for free air circulation. The walls across the width of the house on both sides need to be closed up to roof height.
Shelter surroundings: maintain the green vegetation and greenery all around the shed adjacent to the goat shelter.
A separate provision of water and feeders of fixed or movable type should be provided in each paddock
Keep the animals as much as possible under the thermal comfort zone so that productivity will be optimum.
Run area should be Double the width of covered area.
Start with minimal housing requirements and as the farm grows in size, add the sheds according to requirements.
Design the facility so that there is a less distance involved while carrying and removing manure or other sources of contamination such as soiled bedding from the sick area.
Space requirement for the goats
Space requires for goats depend on the size or age of goat.
Overcrowding in farm causes diseases. From overcrowding, Viral bacterial diseases spread from one to another and cycle goes on. Therefore space requirement is necessary for a commercial goat farm.
The space required are same in sheep and Goat housing as shown in the image below:-
Housing for 100 females + 5 Males with followers kids
By taking into assumptions of the following points and space requirements of different categories of goats, the housing requirement for goat house is calculated for starting 100 female goat unit, at least 5 adult males required for breeding purpose. (20 females: 1 male).
However, due to unforeseen reasons like the poor reproductive performance of male, it is better to rear 7 adult males.
In the organized farm, usually 85% of females give birth to young ones every year, so out of 100 female adult goats, we expect 85 females giving birth every year.
Suppose, 50% of female goats giving twins birth out of 85 females that we get 84 kids. And therefore 50% of female goats giving single birth out of 85 females that we get 43 kids.
The total kid’s strength is 84+43 = 127. Suppose 63 will be male and 64 will be female kids
The replacement rate of adult animals is expected at 10 percent in the organized farm.
The kids are reared up to 9 to 12 months of age sold to farmers for breeding or for meat purposes.
The goat housing requirement increases according to their age and size as shown in the image below:
This is only for shed or housing area. The open paddock area for goats depends on how much land you have. Generally, the open Paddock area should be double of your shed area.
The open paddock area is very important for the exercise and refreshment of the goats.
Click on the link below to watch a YouTube video on Secrets of How we grew to OVER 800 GOATS and Sheep at VERY LOW COST.
What is the difference between Sheep And Goat Housing?
There is no difference between sheep and goat house. the structure of the shed is the same the only difference is that sheep required more space than goats because sheep are larger in size compared to goats.
The space required for one matured goat is 10 square feet per goat while the space required per matured sheep is 12 square feet per sheep.
The space required per 100 Goats is 1000 square feet while the space required per 100 sheep is 1200 square feet.
Well, sheep and goat housing are of equal value, they have the same gestation period and all things are the same. The size of sheep and goats also similar, some sheep breeds are heavier than normal goat size but the housing requirement is the same for both sheep and goats.
The goat house also called Shed or shelter. Goat require house to save from excessive weather condition. Don’t be over crown goats in the shed.
Goats need space according to their age. One year matured goat that weighs around 35kgs approx require 10 square feet area. When the age increases, the goat size too increases and it requires more area.
Normally, the height of the fence should be minimum 5 to 6 ft approximately. So the goat couldn’t go outside and other wild animals don’t come inside the house.
Start with minimal housing requirements and as the farm grows in size, add the sheds according to requirement.
Separate the animals according to their age in the house.
Before purchasing goats from the market do the proper arrangement of their house and green, dry, and concentrated feed.
Always keep a quarantine shed on the farm.
Construct the shed or Goat Housing according to the orientation or climate condition.
Click on the link below to watch a YouTube video on Building No Smell GOAT HOUSE! Modern Raised Very Clean House.
END OF DAY 4 GOAT FARMING BUSINESS TEACHING SESSION
We now come to the end of today`s teaching session.
Our blog is now open for questions and discussions on what we have learnt today.
Also below is a PDF file containing notes on what has been taught today.
Save it for future reference.
