A lot of people want to venture into the agriculture business without passing through much stress. If you are looking for an animal farming business in Kenya which can fetch you good cash without much stress, then take a look at Goat Farming Business in Kenya
If you love goats and you want to enter into the goat-rearing business or you are already into this business and looking for new tips
on how to improve it , then you’re in the right place.
Goat rearing business is by far among the intensive animal
farming business in which a lot of people have embarked on and are testifying
of it income return.
Another amazing thing about goat farming is that anyone in
any place can setup this business and soon enough, they will start
making profit from it.
Do Kenyan people consume goat meat?
Aside from cow meat, goat meat is another type of meat
widely loved, by many in Kenya. And the reason is because of its unique taste
or aroma. Kenyans love nyama choma especially goat meat.
Apart from these, goat meat is highly nutritious because it
has more Lean that is; it has low cholesterol which is very good for people who
have a preference for low energy diet and most times Doctors do recommend it to
some patients .
So allow me to conclude that many Kenyans eat goat meat
every day and this should drive you to the zeal of starting up your own
commercial goat farming in Kenya.
Is Goat Farming Business Profitable in Kenya?
If I invest into goat farming, how much will be my income
flow be? Are you asking this question?
Let’s make a possible estimation ;
A healthy and well-matured goat could weigh about 35-40 Kg
(So, for that Kilos, a goat should cost roughly Ksh 7,000 or even more . And
let’s say you have about 100 goats in your goat farm, you would be selling for
about Ksh 700,000.
Let’s assume that the cost of feeding and labour is even as
high as Ksh 100,000, you could still be making as much as Ksh 600,000 every
year.
Incredible! Right? So you see, goat farming is a good
investment, though no business makes you rich overnight. There’s always a time
of little beginning.
How much capital do I need to setup my goat farming
business?
Compared to rearing other livestock, goat farming business
requires little or less capital.
You don’t need millions of Shillings to set up a goat farm,
unless if you want to make it larger. But nevertheless, you can set up your
goat farming business with not so much amount.
Just bear in mind that you are setting up a commercial goat farming. When you’re in the business, as profits flows in, you can then put in more goats.
Other byproducts from goat farming in Kenya
As interesting as it might be, the amazing fact about
rearing goats is that goat is a multifunctional animal. You don’t only gain from
selling your goats as meats, but you can also gain more from some of its
byproducts such as milk, fibers, skin, and manure.
I will explain each of this a bit for better understanding.
Goat Milk; though it may not be that popular or
widely consumed in Kenya, goat milk can be produced from goat. Goat milk is
said to have low cholesterol and it is non-allergic compared to cow milk.
The nutrients in goat milk are said to help in improving
appetite and digestive efficiency. It also has anti-fungal and antibacterial
properties which can be used for the treatment urinogenital diseases of fungal
origin. Other dairy products derived from goat aside milk are yoghurt, cheese,
and butter.
Fibers; some breed of goats like the Cashmere and
Angora can produce high-quality fibers. These can also be sold for maximum
profit.
Hides and skin; every breed of goats produce hides
and skin, which can serve or use in the production of leather items. But know
that the breed which produces high quality hides and skin are the Black
Bengal goats or Kalahari Red goats (can be mostly
found in Kenya).
They have thick hides and skin which is not only sold in
Kenya but also internationally, and because of it extravagantly quality, their
skin has a high demand. If you intend to deal with in goat hides and skin, make
a market research about it and know who your buyers are.
Manure; Most farmers love and prefer to use organic
manure than using artificial fertilizers to grow their crops. Goat’s faeces are
high organic manure (fertilizers) that are used for the rapid growth of farm
crops. You as a goat seller can make a good income from these.
What weather condition is suitable for rearing goats in
Kenya?
Unlike some livestock farming like chickens , Fish and
the likes, goat is one animal that is never selective of weather condition. And
to top it all, Kenya weather is very suitable for rearing goats in any state.
Now we have discussed the considerable factors, let’s move
to the main point; How
to start goat farming in Kenya.
Goat farming business plan; a good business
should have a business plan. This will assist you to pinpoint things you should
do to improve your goat farm. Alongside, you should have record keeping if need
maybe, it should document what has been sold, purchased. To know when you are
gaining or losing.
The reason why you are rearing goat; when setting up
your goat rearing business, you should determine the main reason why you are
rearing goat; are you rearing them for meat, for milk, or for their skin?
Make a market research of the one that has a high demand and
will also profit you more and go into it.
Land location; when you want to get a land for your
goat farming, select a location that is good for pasture or grazing (just as
you would do in cattle farming).
Make sure the land is not far from town or market for easy
access. If possible, let there be a market near the farm land, so you can have
easy access to get any types of equipment you might need.
Housing; when building a pen for your goat, build one
that will shed them from rain and the sun. You can put electricity if need may
be. The shed should be well fenced to prevent thief and burglaries. Also, the
pen should be clean, should be free from dampness and well it should be well
ventilated.
The goat pens should also be free from pest and rodents. You
should always use fresh hay or straw for bedding. Initiate activities like
introducing toys or so your goats can move around. This also helps in making
them healthy and active.
Buying your goat breed
After you have set up the housing (goat pens) for keeping
your goat, the next step is to purchase your breed. You should purchase
high-quality breed.
Dairy Goat Breeds in Kenya
There are many dairy goat breeds in Kenya today. These are
the goats reared for milk. You will find farmers with dairy goats in Kenya for
sale. You can also check out your local classifieds or online for dairy goats
in Kenya for sale. While choosing the Dairy Goat Breeds in Kenya ensure
that the breed have high production and quality milk. Here are the popular
Dairy Goat Breeds in Kenya.
- Saanen
- Toggenburg
- Barbari
- Jamunapari
Meat Goat breeds in Kenya
There are many meat goat breeds in Kenya. If you are
considering goat rearing for meat, then this is what you should consider. Look
for meat goat breeds in Kenya that are highly productive and produce good
quality meat. Here are the popular Meat Goat Breeds in Kenya.
- Boer
- Mato
- Black
Bengal
If you are purchasing a baby goat, make sure that they are
properly vaccinated.
Feeding your goat
You can feed your goat any types of crops, corns, and leaves
since goats are ruminant’s animals (though like human, they have their
different taste, i.e, certain goat may not eat something other goats eat).
However, it is advisable that you should have a grazing place so that the cost
of feed can be lowered.
There are also specially formulated feeds you can buy in the
market; these feeds can make your goat grow faster and big. The little
disadvantage of it is that, these feeds can be costly compares to pastures.
Sometimes, most farmers do produce their own feed; you can make yours if you
can just make sure the feed has about 11%-18% of protein.
Get the Services of a Veterinary doctor; A lot of you
might frown on this; you might be asking if rearing goat is easy, why then do I
need the service of a veterinary?
Here is the point, When you are starting up your goat
farming business that you should bear in mind that you are setting up a
commercial goat farming business. The reason is you will be rearing lots of
goats in larger quantity for business.
You don’t want to use your goats for experimenting like
those who are rearing two or few goats. With the help of a veterinary, you will
know the right nutrient, mineral or medicine that will be administered to your
livestock that will maximum your profit and also you can learn new tips from
them.
If you want to do it yourself be cautioned that you might
lose quite a number of goats in the process, this is from the best agricultural website in Kenya.
Goats Maturation; this is the process of goats
becoming mature. In goat, puberty age is between six and 12 months (though it
can most times vary in breeds. Some breeds maybe more other mat be less.
Sometimes, nutrients can also contribute to this. You should note that female
goats (doe) go into estrus every 21 days for three to 50 hours.
At this stage, some enough natural mating can begin. But
since the advance of technology, some modern farmers practices artificial
insemination. It is said that it allocates straight forward entrance to a wide
variety of bloodlines.
Marketing your goats; before you fully start your own
goat farming, you should make a market research to know how much others are
selling in the market so you’ll have a better understanding of goat business in
your area and so that you won’t sell your goat below the market price.
Some common disease to look out for when rearing your
goat;
Tapeworm; you will notice symptoms like; Diarrhea,
constipation, some part of tapeworm may be seen in the faeces.
Tuberculosis; you will notice difficulty in
respiration, coughing, Irregular low-grade fever of long period, loss of body
weight and anemia.
Salmonella infection; noticeable symptoms are like
loss of weight and low milk production. This disease is mostly caused by using
or giving the dirty or contaminated drinking water.
Rinderpest; the symptoms are Ulcerative lesions will
appear inside the lower lip and on the gums. There will also be a mild thermal
reaction and diarrhea.
Nitrate/nitrite Poisoning; noticeable symptoms
include; urine tested positive for nitrate/nitrite, respiratory difficulty
staggering gait, the goat blood becomes chocolate brown in color. Most times
death might occur.
This diseases listed above are just a few to mention, there
are still many of them. These are the more reason why appointing a veterinary
is highly recommend.
If your goat farming business is well managed by a good veterinary, your goats will grow healthy and you will gain more than lose.