Goat Farming Guide

Goat Farming Guide article is almost everything related to caring goats. Proper care is very important for raising goats. So before starting goat farming business, try to learn more about how to care for goats. In Goat Farming Guide you will learn what kind of greens and grains your goats love to eat, suitable place where they like to stay, the best food to feed them, good shelter or housing system, and many more. The caring methods are very easy and simple. Just follow the methods mentioned below.

Create A Safe Environment For Goat Farming:

Creating a safe environment for goat farming is very important. Try to create such an environment where your goats will live and grow happily. You must have to keep your goats free from all types of predators, harmful animals and plants. Consider to make good fencing facility: Make a good fence surrounding your farm land. The fence must have to be tall enough for your goats so that they can stay inside safely and for keeping wild animals and predators out. Usually a fence about five feet tall is suitable enough for the goats.

Provide Adequate Shelter For Goat Farming:

Goats require shelter for taking rest at night and for keeping themselves safe from rain and excessive cold. So create adequate shelter facilities for your animals. Usually goats can live in any type of shed or house. They can easily adopt themselves in a small shed, even in any large dog house. But while making shelter for your goats keep in mind that it should be well ventilated and must have to be free from drafts. You can make their bedding with straw. Concrete floor is very suitable for goats and it’s very easy to maintain. But it is pretty expensive.

Feeding for Goat :

Feeding adequate amount of nutritious food helps to keep your goats healthy and productive. Always ensure availability of sufficient amount of fresh and clean water according to the demand of your goats. See below for more.

Feed Your Goats Properly: You should always provide your goats a healthy diet. Usually a healthy diet of goat consists of hay, and concentrates like oats, bran, and barley. Never feed them on the ground. Keep their food off the ground for preventing mold and insects or birds from eating or infesting the food. Use goat feeders for feeding them. You can consider feeding them by using water proof feeders or trash cans. This will keep the food elevated and clean. Providing food on the ground can also cause various types of goat diseases. So always use specially designed goat feeders for feeding your goats. Read how to make homemade goat feeders.

Provide Sufficient Amount of Water: Always provide your goats sufficient amount of clean and fresh water according to their daily demand. Never let the water get dirty. If possible, change water from the pot frequently and clean the pot regularly. Try to allow your goats permanent access to water and provide a salt-lick block preferably containing Selenium. Selenium is required in such areas where it is less in the soil hence in the hay. Consult with your vet regularly. According to the suggestion of your vet, you can give your goats a “BoSe” shot. This type of shot contains Vitamin E and Selenium (both are very important for bone, muscle and reproductive health of goats). This shot is also very important for pregnant does. So give them about a month prior to kidding. BoSe helps to have proper heart and other muscular development, as well as helps the doe to avoid kidding complications.

Harmful Foods For Goats: There are some grains and plants which are extremely harmful for goat’s health. You have to remove ornamental plants from your farm area (especially the plants in the Rhododendron family). This types of goat food can cause different types of GI problems including diarrhea, vomiting and even death (if the goat has ingested enough and the condition hasn’t been treated by a veterinarian). So be very careful while giving your goats a treat that may contain rhododendron type plants.

Grooming of Goat :

Regular grooming is another goat caring method. Grooming goats on a regular basis not only helps to look the goats beautiful but also helps to keep them healthy and free from common parasites. Usually a proper and complete grooming consists of a long bath and thorough brushing. Trimming the hooves on a regular basis is also very important. It will be better if you can trim the hooves of your goats once a month. Trimming doesn’t take a lot of effort and time. So why not trimming every month? Regular trimming also help to prevent your goat’s hooves to bend, crack or from getting infected.

Always Try To Keep Your Goats Healthy:

Healthy goats = more production = maximum profit. So you have to be more conscious for keeping your goats healthy. Here we are describing the common methods for keeping your goats healthy and productive.

Exercise Your Goats Regularly:

Let your goats to exercise by their own. Goats usually love to climb. So help them to climb a lot. Give them some toys that would involve climbing. Goats are very intelligent and playful. They love to play. Keep a free space for them where they can run and play freely.

De-Worming of Goat:

Most of the goats are very susceptible to external and internal parasites. For example ‘worms’. So your goats should be dewormed on a regular basis. Hookworms, bloodworm and a different species known as coccidia are the common worms that prey on goats. This type of parasites can cause different types of health problems such as reproductive failures, weight loss, poor hair coat and more (even death) depending on the environment. So regular deworming is a must. The young kids should receive their first deworming at the age of between 6 to 8 weeks. You can easily purchase commercial dewormers for your goats from your local livestock feed stores. While applying deworming, be sure to follow label directions. Although, most of the goat dewormers are not effective against coccidia. Coccidia can be particularly harmful in young kids and immune or older compromised goats. For the treatment of coccidia, there are several products available in the market. Difficulty in weight gain, inappetence, lethargy and clumped stools are the signs of coccidia infestation. However, if you have any question about the worm problem in your herd, then you should consult with your vet. Only an experienced vet can provide you definitive answer and he/she will be able to recommend the proper treatment for your goats.

Vaccinate Your Goats: Never forget to vaccinate your goats timely. You have to vaccinate all your goats once yearly with CDT vaccine. CDT also includes tetanus. Vaccinate the kids at their 6 to 8 weeks of age, and then boost in 4 weeks. After that, vaccinate your goats once yearly.

Bloating: Providing your goats with too much lush green food can cause them to bloat. Bloating is very dangerous. And it can kill your goats if not treated timely.

Here are some tips for caring goats. Follow the tips carefully and always try to take good care of your goats.

• Never keep the does and bucks together. Because bucks are usually aggressive in nature and they might harm your does. Bring your does to the buck only for breeding purpose.
• Ensure that the latch on the fence is on the outside.
• You can visit your local agriculture extension office to learn more about goat care.
• If you want to have dehorned goat, then the best age to dehorn is one week. Ask for vet help to dehorn mature goats.
• Don’t do trimming by yourself for the first time. Instead call an expert or professional for trimming and try to learn from him/her.
• Never provide your goats wasted food from another animal. And never feed them dog or cat’s food.
• Never let your goats go outside the fence.

In a word, always try to take good care of your goats and keep them healthy and productive. Thus your goat farming business will be more profitable.

Requirements of  Vitamins and Minerals For Baby Goats:

Boer goats are very popular and among the world famous meat goat breeds. They are an indigenous breed, combined with Angora, European and Indian breeds. During the early 1900s, Boer goats were developed for highly meat production. They have a very fast growth rate and they can easily adjust themselves to dry, hot and other types of climates. That’s why it’s very easy to raise Boer goats. They are usually white in color with brown heads. Although you can see a solid white, solid brown or black colored goat. Usually Boer goats are raised for meat production purpose and as show goats. Boer doe produce small amount of milk but they are not suitable for raising as dairy goats. They are very suitable for commercial meat production purpose. For better production and maximum growth, you have to take good care of your baby Boer goats. They need balanced diet with all types of necessary vitamins and minerals. Here we are describing about required vitamins and minerals for baby Boer goats.

Calcium
Calcium is a very important mineral required for providing good health to a baby Boer goat. Calcium stimulates growth and provides bone health. Providing calcium to the baby Boer goats through natural sources is recommended. For example, legume and alfalfa hay is good natural source of calcium. As baby goats are growing, so they are losing calcium consistently from their bones. So calcium is needed for maintaining strength and proper growth.

Copper and Iron
Anemia in goats causes due to lack of copper or iron in the regular diet of goat. Providing small amount of iron and copper regularly is sufficient for your goats. Adjust the amount of iron and copper to the goat’s diet according to the age and size of your Boer goat kids. The Boer kids are prone to iron deficiency who are fed on milk only diet, because of lacking of iron in goat milk.

Iodine and Selenium
Hormones help to regulate the body. These hormones are produced through the thyroid gland of your goats. And iodine is required for maintaining proper thyroid function. Selenium helps to promote normal growth of your baby goats. Kelp is a great food source which provides selenium and iodine to the baby goat’s diet on a regular basis.

Phosphorus
Phosphorus is a daily necessity for your Boer goat kids. So it’s recommended to mix the Boer kid’s feed with correct proportion of phosphorus. This mineral is very important for goats, especially for growing goat kids. Beet pulp is a great source of phosphorus.

Salt
Salt is another very important mineral for baby Boer goats. Goats require salt for maintaining their normal bodily functions. Salt is made through the combination of chlorine and sodium. If you allow your Boer goats to fully access salt, then they will consume a large amount of salt daily. But don’t allow them fully access. Follow a proper dietary and add required amount of salt to their regular feed. Measure the required amount of salt daily by determining the age, size and weight of your goats. Always try to follow your vet’s suggestion.

Vitamins A, D and E
Usually green plants provide beta-carotene. And beta-carotene provides vitamin A to the goat’s regular diet. And Boer goats store Vitamin A in their liver and use the reserved vitamin A when the amount of greens are less in their daily diet. Goats absorb vitamin D through their skin while being outdoors or browsing. Another good source of vitamin D is sun-cured hay. Vitamin E also needed for your baby Boer goats. This vitamin allows normal growth by working with the mineral selenium.

These are the common and required vitamins and minerals for baby boer goats. Amino Power is the best supplement to fulfill vitamins & minerals requirements of baby goats.

Dear goat farmers please follow the guidelines given in goat farming guide article be a prosperous and profitable goat farmer.You should also read Goat Farming Business for Beginners