Goat Farming – Important Tips To Help You Raise Goats Successfully
Image by J. Paxon Reyes
Read Goat Song to find out about raising goats for milking. It’ll make you want to try fresh, unpasteurized goat cheese. They say it’s above and beyond the pasteurized crap you buy for per ounce at the store.
This is from when we wanted to do a corn maze. Unfortunately we arrived too late and could only pet the farm animals and buy pie pumpkins.
This photo was taken at Rock Creek Farms
Article by Ted Allen
Raising goats for a living is quite a profitable business if you know what you’re doing. This not only involves having the know-how of managing a business but more of being familiar with the life of this preferred animal.
Nowadays, more people are into goat farming. This is so because goats do not require high maintenance and are relatively cheap to tend. The returns are great since almost every part of the goat can be used. Its meat is sought-after, its wool is utilized to create sweaters and jackets and most importantly, its milk is harvested.
But one who intends to make a living out of raising goats needs to have an in-depth knowledge about the animal and the basics of farming first before delving into the business. First, one should determine his reason of goat farming. Does he intend to cultivate the goats for meat? Or does he want to grow the goats for milk or for wool? This is important because certain breeds of goats are more applicable for milk production or meat cultivation. After deciding on your purpose, you may now pick the breed of your choice. For starters, there’s no need to buy the expensive ones. As long as you have studied well what suits the breed you chose, you’re fine.
Next consideration in goat farming is the shelter. If you start with a few goats, you may opt not to build a big elaborate barn. You may start with a medium-sized pole barn. What is important is that the animals are comfortable. Material to be used for flooring can be sawdust or straw. Just ensure that there is proper ventilation and that sunlight can enter to remove the moisture which might cause bacteria. Include windows in the shelter to allow air to pass through, to remove the odor.
Build a fixed container of food and water that can easily be accessed by the animals. Make sure that there is ample space for them to walk around. You may utilize the surrounding open ground as an exercise area for the goats. Enclose it by a wire fence high enough to prevent the goats from jumping over. Goat farming also requires that you take care of your animals from predators like foxes or wild dogs.
It’s best if you schedule your goats’ activities accordingly. Shearing them every six months is advisable. You must also have the animals regularly checked-up to ensure that they are healthy. This is especially important if you are raising goats for milk production.
