How To Start A Goat Farming In Ghana

WHAT IS GOAT FARMING ?
Goat farming is the commercial rearing of various breeds of goats (or a single goat breed) in a confined environment or an expanse of land.
It involves raising goats for various purposes like; dairy production, meat, fiber, and multiple other purposes.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN GOAT FARMING
1: GOAT MEAT PRODUCTION
In many countries, billions of people consume goat meat. This extremely high demand has got supermarkets and abattoirs in countries like Australia, The United Kingdom, India, America, and many others stocking goat meat for sale on their shelves.
The abundance of goats in Australia is so high that the country hasn’t just become the largest exporter of live goats and goat products worldwide, but has also created a high business opportunity for goat farmers in the country.
Despite the extreme number of goats and goat products exported from Australia yearly to many other countries, the demand for goat meat remains insatiable.
In Ghana, the level of goat meat consumption is so extreme that many workers look forward to their closing hours, so they can rush off to a bar for a goat meat pepper soup meal.
This demand has made the pepper soup business flourish in the country. People eat goat meat at home, work, restaurants, parties, and in many other places.
When they’re asked for an option of meat, many choose goat meat ahead of chicken meat.
2. DAIRY PRODUCTION
Dairy products like yoghurt, milk, cheese, butter, and more, can be processed from the milk gotten from dairy goats.
This locally unpopular business opportunity in goat farming generates high revenue for many goat farmers around the world. In many countries, goat milk is wildly produced for household consumption, but in Ghana, hardly any home consumes goat milk, and so the milk’s commercial value is extremely low.
Irrespective of this, goat milk is easy to digest than cow milk because of small fat globules and is naturally homogenized. It also helps in improving an individual’s appetite and digestive efficiency.
While dairy production from farm goats milk may not be a major buzz in Nigeria, in several other countries around the world, dairy goats are used immensely to fuel their dairy needs.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF GOAT FARMING ?
1. It’s easier to raise goats than to rear chickens.
2. A good source of employment at the right scale.
3. A great source of food.
4. The startup capital can be modest.
5. Required labour is low.
6. Good source of manure.
7. Goat farming can be practiced in most weathers.
8. All goat breeds can share the same environment and feed with cattle.
9. Goats can serve as a major export product.
10. Great source of protein!
TYPES OF GOAT BREEDS
1). Nigerian Dwarf Goat.
2). Nubian Goats.
3). Lamancha Goats.
4). Alpine Goats.
5). Oberhasli Goat.
6). Boer Goat.
GOATS FEEDING
Goats pay very close attention to the kind of food they eat.
They focus on the accuracy and details of their meals. Because of their mobile upper lips and very prehensile tongues, they are easily able to browse on very short grass, and to feed on foliage not usually eaten by other domestic livestock.
Goats have very good feeding habits. They can feed on a wide variety of animal food, but would refuse any feed that has been soiled by them or by any other animal.
HOW TO SET UP A GOAT FARM
1). Acquire A Large Pasture:
Getting a good pasture to rear your goats is
important to the overall success of your goat farm.
It’s important the landmass used for your goat
farming business is not just in a remote area not
too far from a city, but is also large enough to
accommodate your grazing needs. Here are a few
points to take note of when determining the kind of
pasture to use for your goat farm:
i. Select a pasture not too far away from a
city.
ii. The land mass must be large enough
(maybe 50 to 100 acres, depending on the
number of goats you want to rear) for your
goats to graze freely.
iii. Make sure veterinary services can be easily
accessed close to your farm.
iv. There must be an adequate and efficient
source of both clean and fresh water close
to the farm.
v. There should be a market close to your farm
for easy purchase of any farm tool and goat
needs.
vi. A good road network and transportation
service must be available within a short
distance from your goat farm.
2). Fence The environment:
Construct a fence around the pasture to keep the
goats inside. The fence should usually be a short
perimeter fence coated with barbwires. This will
ensure that the goats cannot just wander off without
control.
The fence can also ward off dangerous
animals like wolves, foxes, and coyotes (one of the
most common predator in the United states). You
can also purchase guard dogs to ward off wild
animals from preying on the goats.
If the goats are always fond of trying to break
through the fence, electric fences could then be
used. A shocking experience from this fence would
keep almost all the goats away from it for good.
Another strategy is to create “play areas” for the
goats to mostly hang around.
Since goats like
climbing structures and more, creating a play zone
will keep them preoccupied and far away from
damaging farm products or structures.
3). Build Goat Barns:
You have to build an adequate barn for the goats to
stay in when it’s dark or when their graze time is
over. Goats also need to stay under shelter when
the weather is cold, rainy or generally unfavourable.
When the weather is in a perfect condition, goats
prefer to be outside grazing and climbing various
objects.
It’s important that the barns built are segmented for
various groups of goats. Since they like their
privacy, the separation in the barn must be wide
enough to accommodate each number of goats put
into it.
In the case of owning thousands of goats,
multiple separate goat barns may be required.
Place guard dogs to protect each barn containing
the goats from predators, and also know that goats
love to chew on something, preferably grass, while
they are at rest. So it’s important you put in some
for them.
4). Acquire The Right Goat Breeds:
Deciding on the right type of goat breeds to rear is
highly dependent on what is available and is highly
demanded in your country.
While there are various
types of goat breeds ranging from the dwarf goats to nubian goats, lamancha goats, alpine
goats, oberhasli goats, boer goats, and a lot more, picking the right goat breed to suit your needs is
very important.
You can choose to either rear goats for dairy production, meat, fiber, and many other purposes. After making a decision, purchase healthy kids (baby goats) that are in good shape and have no signs of diseases. Make sure they undergo proper vaccination before they start grazing, to improve their chances of longevity.
5). Keep A Regular Appointment With The Veterinary Doctor:
Never skip an appointment with the veterinary
doctor. Staying up to date with constant check-ups
and vaccination from the doctor will increase the
lifespan of your goats, thereby making their
mortality rate very low.
If the required veterinary service you require for
your goat farm is far away, make sure you stock
enough vaccines and medications on your farm to
cater for your goats.
6). Market Your Goats
Selling your farm goats,
goat milk, meat, and more, can be slightly different.
It’s important to identify hotspots where they use
goat meats a lot; like pepper soup joints, abattoirs,
and more, to market your goats to them.
When you
make your customers feel great about partnering
with you, they’ll never stop making you money.
The goat farming sector is arguably one of the most profitable aspects of any agricultural practice.
Their
explosive worldwide demand makes any farmer who
ventures into it on a large scale earn a substantial
income.
So you have to Get Started Today!!!