Raising Goats – Learn the Facts Before Setting Up a Goat Farm
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There’s a small restaurant near campus (well, about a 40-minute walk away, but it was the closest we had) called My-Chosen Cafe. Outside the restaurant, there’s a little space where they raise chickens and goats — obviously, I was enthralled, even all these years later, by the beautiful animals.
Last month, I flew back to Victoria, British Columbia, to attend my ten-year high school reunion. The campus hadn’t changed much, and while the people had changed a lot, it felt like we had never left. It was a wonderful week spent with friends, on the water, and in a beautifully-picturesque part of the country.
Article by Ted Allen
When it comes to setting up your very one goat farm, knowledge in raising goats is definitely key. If you want to be able to raise healthy goats, you should first prepare yourself by gathering all the information you need. Goats can be fascinating creatures to keep, and as long as you have all the necessary tools, their proper care and maintenance can be a breeze. Here are just some of the facts you need to know about raising goats.
Raising Goats Fact #1: Different goat breeds require different levels of care
Although it’s easy to mistake one for another, you should understand there are over 300 breeds known today, more than half of which is bred to produce milk, meat or fur for today’s consumers. Milk producing breeds such as alpine goats require a different type of care than the meat producing Boer goats in terms of food and supplements. By knowing the different goat breeds, it will be a lot easier for you to decide on which specific type you should choose for your goat farm.
Raising Goats Fact #2: Goats are very curious creatures
Another thing that you should know is that they are generally very curious about their surroundings and they also possess a high level of intelligence. This is probably why they are known to chew on just about anything that they see lying around. Whether it be tin cans or notebooks, goats are more than happy to chew on an assortment of objects. So before you order in the goats for your farm, make sure that their surroundings are cleared of plants and objects that may cause harm to their health when ingested.
Raising Goats Fact #3: Choose a field of expertise
Lastly, before you get started on raising goats, you should first decide on the type of product that you want to produce. Choose a field of expertise and concentrate on that. Many beginner goat farmers often make the mistake of wanting to breed all types of goats at the same time since they feel that taking care of goats is all the same anyway. But this situation seldom works out successfully as such goat farmers soon realize that it’s much more lucrative to concentrate on a certain stock at a time.
Raising goats can quickly become a very profitable endeavor as long as you put an effort into learning how to properly take care of your livestock. Always inform yourself of the newest developments on keeping goats and you will surely be successful in just a few months time.
