{"id":284807,"date":"2019-03-19T08:00:06","date_gmt":"2019-03-19T07:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nigerianfinder.com\/?p=284807"},"modified":"2019-08-08T02:16:59","modified_gmt":"2019-08-08T01:16:59","slug":"breeds-of-goat-in-nigeria-their-characteristics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nigerianfinder.com\/breeds-of-goat-in-nigeria-their-characteristics\/","title":{"rendered":"Breeds of Goat in Nigeria & Their Characteristics"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Nigeria, commercial and domestic goat farming<\/a> plays a vital role in the development of agriculture in the country. The Northern part of Nigeria is actively involved in commercial goat farming and goat meat is in high demand in the country.<\/p>\n

\"Breeds<\/p>\n

There are different breeds of goats in Nigeria and these breeds produce different quantity\/quality of meat, hides, skin, fiber, and milk.<\/p>\n

Breeds of Goat in Nigeria & Their Characteristics<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The 3 main breeds are:<\/p>\n

1) West African Dwarf<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This type of goat is commonly found in the Southwestern part of Nigeria, their meat has a special taste and they are commonly reared for beef. This breed of goat has a high resistibility to trypanosome, a common disease of goats.<\/p>\n

2) Sokoto Maradi Red<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This breed is commonly found in northwestern Nigeria, it is darkly red in colour and weighs between 20 – 30 kg at maturity.<\/p>\n

3) Borno Sahel<\/strong><\/h3>\n

They are commonly found in the Sahel region of the country, they are well adapted to trekking long distances for grazing, and mature goat weighs between 25-30 kg.<\/p>\n

Although these are the main breeds in Nigeria, farmers have begun to import foreign breeds for rearing purposes. Breeds such as Boer, Sirohi, and Kalahari are frequently being purchased from South Africa and India by Nigerian farmers. These breeds are popular for their good body formation and skin quality, helping to provide immense profitability for the farmer.<\/p>\n

With good maintenance and feed, an average Boer can grow up to 80 kg in weight, which is much more than an average West African dwarf. The advantages of rearing foreign breeds of goat are numerous, that is if a farmer can overcome the challenges involved.<\/p>\n

However, foreign goat breeds can be costly, Importing a 30 kg Sirohi breed can go up to N72, 000, while an 80-100 kg goat of the same breed goes for almost N200, 000. Generally, the full cost of importing these goats breed varies which is due to cost like vaccination, customs duty, and air freight.<\/p>\n

If a farmer can surmount these challenges, foreign breeds can be very profitable. They can also be cross breed with the local breed or raised breed pure. Kid goats of a foreign breed can be sold for nice sums to other livestock farmers in Nigeria.<\/a><\/p>\n

To properly benefit from raising a foreign breed of goat, it would be advisable to buy one or two male goats and three or more female goats for starters based on the finances of the farmer.<\/p>\n

Although foreign breeds are very profitable, with the right amount of care, feed and management, farmers can make a good profit from raising local breeds of goats.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s take a look at the local and exotic breeds of goats in the country.<\/p>\n

Local breeds<\/strong><\/h3>\n