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Goat Farming Tips: How To Start Right and Avoid Common Mistakes
Goat farming is one of the easiest and most flexible livestock businesses anyone can start. After one year and seven months of hands-on experience, I can confidently say that goats are hardy, intelligent animals that adapt well when managed properly.
They eat grass, leaves, kitchen waste, and many farm by-products. They grow fast, reproduce quickly, and the market for goats is always active, from meat buyers and restaurant owners to traders and home rearers.
However, success in goat farming does not come by luck. It comes from starting right, feeding smart, observing daily, and avoiding common mistakes that quietly destroy many farms.
How To Choose the Right Goats From the Market
When buying goats, never rush. Spend time observing them.
A healthy goat is:
1. Active and alert
2. Always moving or bleating
3. Curious and responsive
4. Ready to run if untied
Avoid goats that are quiet, dull, weak, or isolated. Such goats often have hidden health or genetic issues and are better sold for meat, not breeding.
If possible, start with one or two pregnant female goats. Goats carry pregnancy for about five months, and many give birth to two or three kids at once. This single decision can double or triple your herd within a short time.
From experience, energetic mothers usually produce energetic kids. Weak or dull goats often pass those traits to their offspring.
Call a Vet Immediately After Purchase
Once you bring your goats home, invite a veterinarian to inspect them before mixing them with others.
This helps to:
1. Detect hidden illnesses
2. Treat parasites early
3. Administer vaccines and vitamins
4. Protect your existing herd
The most common health issues in goats include diarrhea, bloating, fever, worms, lice, and ticks. Early treatment saves money and lives.
How To Feed Your Goats the Smart and Affordable Way
Feeding is where many farmers lose money unnecessarily. Keeping feeding costs low while maintaining good nutrition is possible, but it requires strategy, not cheap feeding.
Goats Are Browsers, Not Grazers
Goats naturally browse leaves, shrubs, vines, and weeds. If you manage browsing well, you can reduce concentrate feed by 40–70%.
Allow goats to roam or cut browse materials daily. This is your cheapest and healthiest feed source.
How To Use Kitchen Waste and Farm By-Products
Commercial feeds are expensive because they contain maize and soy. Instead, some farmers use safe by-products that supply energy and moderate protein at a fraction of the cost.
Examples include:
Cassava peel meal (sun-dried)
Brewers grain (wet or dried)
Palm kernel cake (PKC)
Cowpea husks
Maize bran
Groundnut hay
Beans husks
Vegetables and leaves: Cabbage waste
African palm grass
Bitter leaf (occasionally)
Pawpaw leaf
Plantain and banana peels (sun-wilted)
Carrot leaves
Cassava leaves (sun-dried first)
Lettuce, spinach, water leaf
Mango leaves
Ewedu leaves (occasionally)
Okra leaves
Ugu vines
Vegetable stalks
Other safe feeds: Yam peels
Sweet potato peels or vines
Chopped maize stems
Guinea corn chaff
Watermelon rind
Pineapple peels (in moderation)
Soy milk residue (pressed paste)
Elephant grass mixed with legumes
These alone can cut feeding costs by 50–80%.
Making Cheap Homemade Protein Sources For Your Goats
Protein is important, but it doesn’t have to be expensive.
Affordable protein options include:
1. Dried Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae or meal
2. Azolla (from Azolla farming)
3. Poultry blood meal (properly cooked and dried)
Azolla combined with BSF meal can raise protein levels without buying fishmeal or soy meal.
Selective Supplementation
Instead of feeding concentrates daily, you can give your goats concentrates 3–4 times weekly. Also, don't forget to provide free forage and browse daily - and make sure mineral salt block are available at all times.
This method will save you money and keep your goats healthy.
Do You Know You Can Mix Your Own Low-Cost Goat Concentrate?
Mixing your own feed is the biggest money saver.
Example: 100kg Budget Goat Ration
1. 40kg maize bran
2. 20kg PKC or cassava peel meal
3. 15kg brewers grain or sweet potato peels
4. 10kg BSF meal or blood meal
5. 3kg wheat offal
6. 1kg mineral-salt mix
This gives 16–18% crude protein, suitable for goats of all ages.
My Daily Goat Feeding Routine
This routine keeps my feeding cost low and growth steady:
Morning:
Free browsing for 3–5 hours
Afternoon:
Chopped forage and leaves
Evening (selectively):
Small concentrate portion for pregnant goats, lactating mothers, and kids
If you are a commercial-scale farmers, you can also adopt this model easily.
Why a Mineral Salt Block Is a Must-Have
Many farmers underestimate salt blocks, but they are one of the most powerful tools in goat farming.
A good mineral block supplies:
• Sodium & Chloride for digestion and hydration
• Calcium & Phosphorus for bones and milk
• Copper & Zinc for immunity and fertility
• Iodine & Selenium for strong kids and reproduction
Goats lose minerals quickly through movement and browsing. A mineral block replaces what feed alone cannot provide.
What Are The Signs of Mineral Deficiency in Goats?
As a goat farming, you need to watch out for:
1. Rough or faded coat
2. Weak or slow-growing kids
3. Low milk yield
4. Failed pregnancies
5. Limping or brittle bones
6. Frequent sickness
7. Licking soil or chewing wood
One mineral block can prevent most of these issues.
Here is How You Can Choose and Using a Salt Block Correctly
> Use mineral blocks made for goats
> Keep it off the ground and away from rain
> Replace it immediately when finished
> Always provide clean drinking water nearby
With consistent mineral access, you’ll notice better growth, stronger breeding, improved immunity, and shinier coats.
Shelter, Cleanliness, and Observation
A goat that sleeps well stays healthy. So, always keep the pen dry and well-ventilated, and raised above ground. Remember to cleaned daily, and avoid not overcrowded.
Always isolate new goats for a few weeks. Cleanliness alone prevents many diseases.
Avoid Inbreeding at All Costs
Not every goat farmers knows this, but inbreeding weakens your herd and causes deformities, low fertility, and frequent sickness.
You can control breeding by castrating excess males, or sell/trade for extra money. Some experienced goat farmers do rotate breeding males every 1–2 years. They select only strong males for breeding.
How To Managing Aggression in Goats
Goats are hierarchical animals. They fight over food and dominance. To avoid any unnecessary rivals, try separate pregnant goats. And a good idea is to creating multiple feeding points - feeding dominant goats first. You should be smart enough to know that giving kids separate feeding spaces helps avoid fights amongst older goats.
Lastly, avoid overcrowding. Peaceful goats grow better and stay productive.
Final Thoughts
Goat farming rewards patience, observation, and smart management. If you manage your goats well, they will reward you with growth, reproduction, and steady income.