Animal husbandry business is not a very common idea today. With the development of technology, few come to mind to engage in agriculture. Whereas such a business can be quite cost-effective. In particular, goat breeding as a business pays for itself within 2-3 years. This is a short period, especially when compared with many other niches. The household, equipped at home, of course, will require certain costs in terms of money and effort. However, the profit that it can bring compensates for these difficulties.
Goat farming as a business
The content of the article:
Advantages and disadvantages of a goat farm
You should immediately decide on the pros and cons of a goat breeding business. This will allow the novice breeder to decide for himself whether he is ready for the difficulties that will arise before him.
Among the advantages of a home farm for goats, the following should be noted:
- high cost of manufactured products (milk, meat, wool, fluff);
- unpretentiousness of animals;
- low competition
- relatively fast payback of the farm.
The main product of most goat farms is milk. Goat’s milk is an order of magnitude more useful than cow’s, and, with a higher fat content, it is easier to digest by the human body. Often it is used as a substitute for mother’s milk for babies. This useful product is used even in cosmetology, in the manufacture of skin masks. Therefore, the cost of goat milk can greatly exceed the cost of its production. While there are very few large goat farms in Russia and Ukraine.
Naturally, there are also disadvantages that should be considered when breeding goats:
- uneven volumes of milk production (in winter, a decrease of about 5 times);
- high costs at the initial stages;
- the need for a large free space for pasture.
From all of the above, we can conclude that breeding goats is a troublesome business, and, at first, quite costly. On the other hand, if gross mistakes are not made in the arrangement of the economy, then, after a couple of years, it will begin to bring tangible income.
Preparation of premises
At the very beginning, long before buying young animals, you should take care of preparing a “bridgehead” for the planned project. More precisely – the places where the goats will be kept. Building a suitable space is an expensive pleasure that will take a lot of time. It is best to find an already built barn or barn, which its owners have not used for a long time, and buy it out. The number of such buildings is high enough to have plenty to choose from. And it will be much easier and cheaper to re-equip it.
The main point in terms of restructuring will be an increase in the height of the partitions. Goats are very agile and jumping animals. For them, jumping over a partition designed for cows is not so difficult.
The second point about the room is its insulation. In winter, the temperature in it should not fall below 8 degrees Celsius. Otherwise, not only kids, but also adults can get sick. And this should not be allowed. It will be useful to equip a walking room for the winter. Since goats are active animals, and without the opportunity to walk they quickly lose weight, their health deteriorates and, with it, the quality of milk, wool and meat.
Farm arrangement
Having completed the preparation of the premises, you should move on to the general arrangement of the mini-farm (it is unlikely that a novice enthusiast will have enough resources for something more). And the first step here will be the acquisition of working equipment. The goat farm needs the following items:
- shovels, pitchforks and carts for cleaning and manure removal;
- feeders and drinkers;
- milking machines (you can remake cows).
Having completed with the inventory, you can proceed to the purchase of feed. Greens and compound feeds are the main components of the diet of goats. And at first it is better to buy them for at least six months or a year.
Finally, you have to take care of the working staff. It is unrealistic to maintain the entire farm alone. What is the optimal number of people? You need at least one or two assistants who will feed and water the goats, clean the room and monitor the condition of the animals. Plus, a veterinarian is required. If the goats get sick and there is no specialist nearby, the farm can suffer enormous losses.
Selection and purchase of young animals
Having completed the preparation, it’s time for the final stage – the purchase of young kids. Here you need to immediately decide what breed will be bred on the farm: dairy, meat, wool or downy. The latter are more of a hassle as they require careful combing, so beginners should concentrate on choosing a dairy breed.
The best option here would be the Saanen breed. It has excellent milk characteristics and is quite unpretentious. In popularity, it is followed by Russian, Gorky and Tenburg goats.
Regardless of the chosen breed, it is better to acquire young animals on specialized breeding farms. In subsidiary farms, there is a chance to acquire healthy kids with a good “pedigree”, but this is an exception.
Especially carefully it is necessary to choose the future goat-producer on breeding farms. It is he who will become the basis of the livestock of the farm for the next few years. Therefore, saving here is not worth it. Although defective goats will not do anything good for the farm either. Therefore, goat “harems” need to be collected quite thoughtfully.
Goat keeping
A goat farm has been built and equipped. What’s next? Next, you need to make sure that the money invested does not go to the wind. This requires careful attention to the animals and the farm itself.
In the first place – feeding and watering animals. Goats agree to drink only warm and clean water. You need to feed only high-quality feed. In summer, goats need a large pasture for walking, and for the winter they will have to harvest green fodder. And the more, the better. Grass and twigs make up the bulk of a goat’s diet. At least once a week, animal feeders should be washed with baking soda and warm water.
The room where the goats are kept should be regularly ventilated (with the exception of frost). On the other hand, drafts are also unacceptable. We’ll have to look for a farmer’s middle ground. Goat breeding often requires a similar approach, especially at home.
Additional tips
Now some tips on how to make your home goat farm more profitable and avoid some mistakes. This requires a few “secrets” that will be taken into account when drawing up a business plan.
The first is that it is desirable to equip several separate rooms in the room. One will be for the goats, the other, smaller, for the goat of the producer. Another paddock is needed for young animals, and separately – storage for food supplies. The latter must be protected from dampness and rats. Although this point is true for all other “branches”.
Another point is about grazing. In warm weather, it is better to let animals out on โfree breadโ. But, if left unattended, goats can go quite far in search of grass, although, more often, they return on their own. These are smart animals. What you should not do is to tie them near bushes or roads. Both options can lead to injury or even death of the animal.
The last one concerns the sale of milk. In winter, milk yields drop sharply, and if you conclude a permanent contract with supermarkets, then there is a chance to fall under their penalties for interruptions in deliveries. A better solution would be to subscribe to one-time deliveries. Or discuss the details in a permanent contract in advance.
With wool and meat in this regard, it is easier. The number of these products throughout the year is more or less unchanged. Therefore, here you can more easily negotiate with buyers on an ongoing basis. The volume of products produced here largely depends on the owner of the farm, his diligence and competence.
Conclusion
So, what can be said about the topic of a home-based goat breeding business? This is a troublesome and costly business – you can not argue here. The premises, inventory, young animals – all this costs a lot of money. And in order not to lose what you have spent, you need to work hard and hard. Therefore, such a business is suitable exclusively for enthusiasts who are interested in doing this. Otherwise, success is not to be expected.
On the other hand, if a person is interested in animal husbandry, and he knows how to handle goats, he has every chance of succeeding and โpromotingโ to an industrial dream farm with automated equipment. And this is already a different level and amount of profit.
