Goats
Capra aegagrus hircus
Comfortable at
10°C to 30°C
Space per animal
1.5 m² of housing
First sale or produce
240 to 365 days
Conditions
What it needs
Heat stress
Above a heat-and-humidity index of 82, expect the animals to go off feed and production to drop.
Soil
Not soil dependent. Browse and rangeland suit them; they need dry housing at night.
Feed and water
Browsers rather than grazers, so they use scrub and shrubs other stock cannot. Need supplementary feed in the dry season and reliable water.
What you will need
Tick what you already have; Grow carries the rest into the cost working.
Grow holds no supplier listings and no local prices, so it cannot tell you where to buy these or what they cost near you. Ask at your nearest agrodealer or extension office, then put those figures into the planner.
Through the season
Stages
- 01
Preparation
30 days- Build secure housing
- Fence or plan grazing
- Source healthy stock
- 02
Breeding
30 days- Introduce the buck
- Record mating dates
- 03
Gestation
150 days- Improve feed in late pregnancy
- Vaccinate as advised
- 04
Kidding and rearing
90 days- Supervise kidding
- Ensure kids get colostrum
- Deworm as advised
- 05
Growing to market
180 days- Monitor weight
- Manage parasites
- Plan sales around demand
Watch for
Common problems
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR)
- What you will see
- Fever, discharge from eyes and nose, mouth sores, diarrhoea, rapid deaths.
- What to do
- Vaccination is the only reliable protection. Report suspected outbreaks — this is a notifiable disease in many countries.
Internal parasites
- What you will see
- Poor condition despite feed, pale gums, bottle jaw, scouring.
- What to do
- Deworm strategically rather than routinely, rotate grazing, and ask a vet which product still works locally.
Mange
- What you will see
- Hair loss, thickened crusted skin, constant scratching.
- What to do
- Isolate affected animals and treat under veterinary guidance. Clean and rest the housing.
Follow the label for doses, and ask an extension officer or vet before using a chemical you have not used before.