Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Selecting Animals
• Part 2 of 3: Preparing the Farm
• Part 3 of 3: Getting Started
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

Raising goats is a very exciting family activity, if, of course, you are smart about it. There are many ways to do this, and here are a few of the most common.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Selecting Animals

1. 1 Check local breeder requirements. Let's say you are unlikely to be able to open a goat farm while living in the city. Contact your local authority to find out what breeds you can breed and what requirements and restrictions will apply to animals, and do not forget to check with the owner of your land.
   • Raising animals for yourself and for commercial use are two, as they say, big differences that may be subject to different laws.
2. 2 Get at least two individuals. Goats are social animals, single-handedly prone to escape and stubbornness.Each stall should have at least two individuals - and given the fact that males who have not been neutered cannot be kept in the same stall with females, it makes sense to buy more than two animals. Next - how to choose the sex of animals.
3. 3 Think about how many goats you need and how many goats. Actually, there is a moment - the goats are different, namely, castrated and not. Goats, in order to start giving milk, must first be covered with a goat - but breeding goats that will not be castrated is a rather complicated process: they need separate stalls, they stink, and they are often aggressive in nature. The easiest way to start a farm is to buy two goats, and to rent inseminating goats, so to speak, from time to time.
   • There is no benefit in the tribal sense from castrated goats, which is understandable - their fate is to become meat.
   • If you buy a goat inseminator, then buy one that has a good pedigree. This will make it clearer for you what will happen in the end.
4. 4 Decide on the age of the animals. Kids, especially 2 months old, are usually cheaper and more agreeable in temper - but it will take about a year or two before they can be milked, allowed for meat, or used to improve the livestock population. The older the kid, the less time he needs to reach age, but sometimes you can buy such female kids who are no longer barn (and this is beneficial, so they can start giving milk earlier). Adult and old animals can also be bought at a very reasonable price - however, keep your ears on top and remember that you can always try to sell a bad animal.
5. 5 Choose a breed. The names of the breeds are not important, it is important its purpose - dairy, meat, meat and dairy or wool. Find out what breeds of goats are bred in your area, how the representatives of this or that breed differ and other related aspects. You yourself understand that it is better to find out in advance than to be surprised later why one herd is, say, meek, the other smelly, and the third is constantly sick ...
   • You may be interested in learning about especially milking, shearing or preparing goats. By the way, the presence of a livestock slaughterhouse nearby is a good argument in favor of commercial breeding of meat breeds of goats.
6. 6 Imagine the costs. Of course, the exact numbers depend on where you live - and that is in terms of expenses and income. Of course, if you are raising animals for commercial purposes, then you need to determine these values ​​for yourself in advance. Talking to other goat farmers is a good idea. If it turns out that you do not have enough money, you will need to change something - say, buy fewer animals or choose a cheaper breed. And remember that in the first year or two, there will be no income from the farm, especially if you are raising young animals, and the farm itself is being built from scratch.
   • How much does it cost to raise a goat or goat? Find the numbers as accurate as possible.
   • How much milk can one goat of your chosen dairy breed give? How much can you sell it?
   • How much meat can you get from one beef carcass? Is there a demand for such meat? Is it permanent or seasonal?
   • How much do you have set aside for unforeseen expenses - say, a fence breakage or a herd dying?

Part 2 of 3: Preparing the Farm

1. 1 Build a solid fence. Goats climb well and skillfully crawl through holes. The fence should be at least one and a half meters high, and such that the animal cannot climb. The fence separating the stalls of goats and non-neutered goats must be especially strong and strong so that nothing unexpected happens.
   • Animals whose sizes differ significantly should not be kept together - unless we are talking about goats and kids.
   • A non-neutered goat will become aggressive upon sensing a current goat, so keep them separate from the rest - even if you don't care who your goats get pregnant from and when.
2. 2 Build a goat pen. Do animals need to spend the winter somewhere and wait out the rain? A small shed will do just fine. Please note that for animals with thick wool, the thickness of the walls will not be particularly important - but this point should be checked separately with an experienced farmer. In a warm climate, a pen may have only three walls, in a cold climate - all four. Then the main thing is to release the animals from there during the day.
   • Goats hate puddles and dampness. If you live in an area with a rainy climate, then it makes sense to build a larger enclosure.
3. 3 Dig up poisonous and strong-smelling plants from the pasture. Goats chew on everything, including what they don't need - and especially plants that are toxic to goats. Of course, if animals have a lot of food, then they may not be tempted by dangerous bushes, but ... In general, find out what harmful grows in the area for goats, and act accordingly - including with strongly smelling plants that can spoil the smell of milk (onions, dill, cabbage, and so on).
4. 4 Buy everything you need. Food, buckets for water, feed mixtures rich in calcium and phosphorus (1: 2: 1 - for prevention), as well as various additives, including minerals - that's what we mean. The advice of an experienced veterinarian or breeder will be helpful at this stage.

Part 3 of 3: Getting Started

1. 1 Cut off the horns of the young. Many goat breeds have horns that are potentially dangerous. Accordingly, they must be removed - and best of all in the third week of the animal's life. This, of course, is painful for the animal, and it is not easy for the farmer, so bring in a veterinarian - and better than one who does not hesitate to use anesthesia.
   • There are, however, and hornless breeds - they have nothing to cut.
2. 2 Castrate young goats. If you are planning to breed goats, then you do not need more than one non-neutered goat for 25-50 goats. So, young animals that you do not plan to use for breeding purposes should be emasculated at the age of 2 weeks or older - but only if the kids are healthy. And let the vet first give the animals a tetanus shot!
   • The testicles of adult goats grow large, so that even a neutered goat will not look much different from its more successful brother.
3. 3 Make sure the goats are covered. This is, of course, more important for dairy goat breeds - after all, a cow goat will not produce milk. The matter is simple: as the goat begins to estrus, remove it from the herd and bring it to the inseminator (and better - only this way). Two to four mating is an almost 100% guarantee of pregnancy, which lasts about 150 days (the exact numbers depend on the breed).
4. 4 Milk your goats daily. You can milk pregnant goats, those whose udders are swollen. Milk the goats once or twice a day until they are two months old. Further - a break, which will serve as a guarantee that the goat will be able to feed the kids. When the kids are 6 weeks old, milk can be continued. Until milk production has dropped more than significantly, there is no need to lead the goat to the inseminator again.
5. 5 Contact a specialist when faced with serious problems. You need to know who to turn to for help if your herd gets sick or escapes. If there are none nearby - well, comprehend the wisdom of goat breeding from written sources!
6. 6 Find the distribution channels for the final product. Whether you are selling meat, wool or milk - you need a market! It is easier, of course, to sell small batches at the place of residence, but with large batches it already makes sense to go to wholesalers.
   • It makes sense to open your farm to visitors - but, of course, not for free.

Tips

• Disinfect all milk milking equipment and keep the milking area clean. This is a very important aspect if the taste of milk is important to you.
• Check fences frequently for holes and cracks. Goats can crawl through very small holes, especially kids.
• Attach to your goats, but not too close. It's hard to bring yourself to kill the goat you have become friends with.
• During the mating season, goats often urinate on their muzzles or legs, and therefore if you notice that the goat naturally stinks, and its wool is sticky, you know what you got soiled in.

Warnings

• Goat breeding will tie you to the place, and it will be difficult for you to go on vacation. Calculate everything - you may need to hire an assistant for your vacation.
• When building a fence, stay away from the wire. It is much safer to use panels or netting.

What do you need

• Goats
• Fence
• Different sheds for males and females
• Feed
• Vet