Raising goats for profit is one of the most up and coming businesses of today. Everywhere you look there seems to be an increasing demand for many goat-related products. Apart from the meat itself, there is goat's milk which can be consumed as-is, or used in the production everything from artisan cheeses and yogurts to soaps and lotions! The goat fiber, also known as mohair or cashmere, is a very profitable renewable crop. To someone looking for a profitable business venture with a very low initial investment, raising goats for profit is one of the best options available.
Step 1: Decide which type of production goat you are interested in: meat, fiber, dairy, or pet goats. Once you decide on the type of product you want to create a supply for, the next step is to decide on a breed that best suits your needs.
Step 2: Evaluate the goat breed best suited to your operation. While there are dozens of different breeds suitable for each production type, here is a list of a few of the most common breeds in each category:
Meat goats: Boer, Spanish and Kiko goat.
Dairy goats: Alpine, Nubian, LaMancha, Nigerian Darwf (or Nigerian goat ), Toggenburg and Oberhasli.
Fiber goats: Angora, Cashmere and Nigora goats.
Pets: The Australian Miniature, the Nigerian goat and the Pygmy.
Step 3: Educate yourself. This is the most important and most affordable step, yet surprisingly, so many people leave it out or only learn part of what they need to know. There are complete courses available that teach you everything you need to know about raising goats. Knowledge is power.
Step 4: Find a local veterinarian that includes goats in his practice. While goats are typically healthy and low maintenance, it is always good to have a vet on call for emergencies.
Step 5: Begin building housing for your goats. Housing is to provide shelter from outdoor weather and protection from predators, wild or otherwise. Another function of housing can be to hold feed and other supplies as well as a head chute for milking and/or administering medicines and other maintenance tasks.
I hope you have learned more about raising goats from this short article. To learn more, I highly recommend the very affordable complete learning course, The Boer Goat Profits Guide.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Raising Goats Past and Present
The history of raising goats goes back almost 10,000 years to Africa and the Middle East. Their use has remained relatively the same throughout the centuries, people around the world raise goats for their meat, milk, hair, and usefulness as pack animals due to being agile and sure-footed.
Goat meat and milk are consumed virtually the world over, being a daily food staple especially in the Middle Eastern countries. The milk is made into cheeses and other food items, the skins used as material for clothing, housing and containment for liquids such as water or wine.
Goats also make great pets, which early goat keepers learned quickly since spending a large part of each day with their herd. The herdsman would take his goats each day to an area that supplied plenty of fresh grass for grazing and clean water, keeping watch over them against any predator animal that may lurk. Each evening the herdsman gathers his goats to the barn and locks them in for safety.
Modern times have left this ritual of raising goats relatively unchanged, for the most part. Fences and automatic pasturing and watering systems for those who can afford it take the place of the daily duties of the goatherd, but many duties still must be done manually, such as giving medicine shots for illness and keeping the correct nutritional foods available.
In the years past there were only a few different goat breeds in the world. Today there are many different breeds of goats through cross breeding and careful improvement. While there are many goat breeds available, only a handful are popular due to various reasons. The breeds include the Boer, Alpine, Toggenburg, Pygmy, Spanish, Nubian, Fainting Goat, LaMancha, Angora, Cashmere and most recently, the Kiko goat which comes from New Zealand.
While there are various reasons for raising goats, the opportunity for pleasure and profit remain the same throughout, whether the goats are for companion, dairy, meat or fiber.
Goat meat and milk are consumed virtually the world over, being a daily food staple especially in the Middle Eastern countries. The milk is made into cheeses and other food items, the skins used as material for clothing, housing and containment for liquids such as water or wine.
Goats also make great pets, which early goat keepers learned quickly since spending a large part of each day with their herd. The herdsman would take his goats each day to an area that supplied plenty of fresh grass for grazing and clean water, keeping watch over them against any predator animal that may lurk. Each evening the herdsman gathers his goats to the barn and locks them in for safety.
Modern times have left this ritual of raising goats relatively unchanged, for the most part. Fences and automatic pasturing and watering systems for those who can afford it take the place of the daily duties of the goatherd, but many duties still must be done manually, such as giving medicine shots for illness and keeping the correct nutritional foods available.
In the years past there were only a few different goat breeds in the world. Today there are many different breeds of goats through cross breeding and careful improvement. While there are many goat breeds available, only a handful are popular due to various reasons. The breeds include the Boer, Alpine, Toggenburg, Pygmy, Spanish, Nubian, Fainting Goat, LaMancha, Angora, Cashmere and most recently, the Kiko goat which comes from New Zealand.
While there are various reasons for raising goats, the opportunity for pleasure and profit remain the same throughout, whether the goats are for companion, dairy, meat or fiber.
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