Goat Business in Nigeria: How to Get Started

Goat rearing is one of the most rewarding animal agribusinesses one can engage in anywhere in the world and especially in Nigeria. Goat meats are widely accepted and consumed round the globe. You can also obtain goat milk from goats. You can also rear goats for some other of its by-products such as milk, fibers, skin, and manure.

Goat meat is believed to be the best animal meat available in the market for good reasons. These reasons include the meat’s great taste as well as its nutritional benefits. Goat meat is also lower in fat than chicken but contains higher protein than beef. This makes it better than chicken and beef. In Nigeria, goat meat is a major part of people’s delicacies. It is widely consumed locally especially in the popular goat meat pepper soup.

Goat Business in Nigeria

Goat Business in Nigeria: How to Get Started

In spite of the huge opportunities open in the goat rearing business, only a few farmers are into goat rearing in the country. Popular species of goats is the Nigerian Dwarf Goats which is popular in the South and Eastern part of the country but is usually kept only for family consumption and sold in the local markets occasionally despite its huge demand.

Goat farming is big and profitable business in Nigeria. This article explains how anyone can start goat farming on a small scale and then grow to any size he want within a couple of years in any part of the business.

How profitable is goat business

Grooming a goat takes about two to three years. A healthy and well-matured goat could weigh about 100-150 pounds. For this size, a goat should cost roughly #50,000 or even more. The more goats you breed, the greater your profit. Let us say you have about 100 goats in your goat farm, you would be selling for about #5,000,000. Putting in the cost of feeding and other expenses involved in taking care of the goats which will be discussed later in this article, you will still be making such a huge profit. Based on the assumption above, you could earn about #2,000,000. Note that there are many factors that could influence sales such as the environment you are located in.

How to Setup your Goat Farm

Pasture

It is good that you acquire a good grazing ground that grows different varieties of grass. Goats eat a wide variety of plants available to them. These include weeds, hay, grain and leaves which they can eat at different seasons and for days. Goats are relatively clean animals. They eat a wide variety of plants that are nutritious to them. It is important you look for a suitable location where land is cheap and acquire some acres depending on the number of animals you want to keep.

Goats need a large expanse of land to aid movement and feeding. Goats do not like overcrowded conditions. They also feed on grasses that are not too close to the ground to avoid worm-infested plants. Goats also like to keep enough distance from each other so as to reduce contamination. Ensure you have enough acres of land for your goats to roam about freely while grazing and feeding. Bear in mind also that Goat multiplies very quickly, this should inform your choice of location.

Security and Fencing

Ensure you protect and safeguard the goats well. You can construct a short perimeter fence around your pasture or use a barbwire fence.

Housing 

Yes, these animals require a suitable house. This house is required to keep them safe from rain and other conditions like cold. Goats like to stay indoors when it is raining or stay under a shade when the weather is hot. When the weather is conducive, however, they like to stay outside and graze.

Choose the Species you want to breed

There are a wide variety of goat breeds suitable for different purposes of rearing. While some goats are very good for milk production, some others are good for the meat while others are preferable for the fiber. There are also some species that can combine all these benefits. Some species do well in certain areas than others. You will need to make a research on which is most suitable in your locality. You can also go for the one that is most popular in your locality,

Examples of Nigeria breeds are:

  • Nigerian dwarf
  • Maradi
  • Pygmy
  • Boer
  • Saanen
  • Nubians
  • LaMancha
  • Alpine
  • Oberhasli

It is recommended that when you want to start the goat rearing business, you should buy at least two bucks (a male goat) and many female goats.

Feeding

You can feed your goat any types of crops, corn, and leaves. Although goats can also be selective, some species are able to eat some grasses while some others will not be able to. While some people look for a grazing place aside, you can make the grazing place close to the location of the housing so that the cost of feeding will be lowered. Your cost of production is also highly reduced because they will be eating natural nutritious plants in their pasture that grows on their own.

There are also specially formulated feeds you can buy in the market. Although they are more expensive compared to pastures, these feeds can make your goat grow faster and big. Some farmers also produce their own feed. If you want to do this, make sure the feed has a composition of about 11%-18% of protein.

Veterinarians

After deciding on the goat breeds to go for, source for healthy ones after a check up at a veterinary clinic. The goats you breed must have a history of deworming and vaccination. This is because Goats are susceptible to stomach worm and other internal parasites. Unhealthy goats could make you run at a loss.

Ensure you have veterinary doctors near you who would have a periodic checkup and vaccination for the animals. This step cannot be skipped so as to keep the mortality rate at its lowest or completely eliminate it. You can use government agencies near you or appoint a private vet doctor.

Marketing your goats

Ensure you do proper market research to know your competition and the selling price of goats so you will not sell yours below the market price. Ensure you also advertise your business well.

 

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