GOAT

RAISING
Common Breeds
of Goats
• Has long, wide, drooping ears and
graceful appearance
• Large Kind: 100 to 140 kg and the
1. Anglo-Nubian
Average: 65 kg
• Some have horns and some are
hornless
• Coat color: Black, gray, white
shades of tan red, and white
• Comes from Nubia in the
Northeastern Africa.
• Milk Production per day: 2 to 3 kg
and the Butterfat Content of Milk:
5% to 6%
 2. Jumma Pari / Jumna Pari
• Hardy and thrives well in
hot areas or tropics
• Coat Color: Black or
White
• Milk production per day:
2 kg and its Butterfat: 5%
• Has a straight nose and erect
ears, well-built with milky 3. Saanen
head and neck
• Coat Color: either pure or
creamy white
• Milk production per day: 3
kg and its Butterfat: 4.3%
• “Queen of Dairy Goats” –
longest milking period
• Comes from the Swiss Alps
and known to have longer life 4. Toggenburg
• Sturdy and Vigorous
• Color: Chocolate brown with
distinct white stripes on the
face and white on the legs
below the knees
• Weighs 52 kg at maturity
• Average Milk Production per
day: 4 kg and its Butterfat:
3.81%
 5. Frenck Alpine
• Originated in France
• Has multicolored coat
but with no distinct
markings
• Weighs about 56 kg
• Daily Milk Production:
3 to 4 kg
 6. Native Goats
• Small, stocky, and hardy
• Coat color: Red, white or black, or
a combination of these colors
• Weighs about 25 to 30 kg at
maturity
• Average Daily Milk Production:
350 gm only
• Can be found throughout Asia
 CHOOSING THE
BREEDING STOCK
 “THE BUCK”
Some important points to consider in selecting a herd
buck are as follows:

1. Vigor – the buck should be the heaviest in the herd. Its legs
are strong and high-heeled. The chest should be well-
developed and must be free of physical defects.
2. Blood Composition – a purebred buck may be used for
breeding. If purebreds are not available, a crossbreed or an
upgraded buck may be used.
3. Breeding Quality – the buck chosen should have the ability
to transmit his good qualities to his offspring or progency. This
can be detected by the rugged and course appearance of the
head, neck, and shoulders (masculine appearance)
4. Aggressiveness – the buck should be alert, active, and
 “THE DOE”
Some points to consider are the following:
1. Milk Production – the body should be wedge-shaped.
The udder should show plenty of capacity, pliable, soft,
and balanced in shape with formed treats.
2. Size – large body size indicates that she will be a good
producer and is advantageous in milking. Ribs also should
be well-sprung.
3. Docility and Dairy Temperament – the doe should not
create trouble and should be handled easily. This is shown
by the happy expression of the eyes.
4. Motherly Instinct – the doe show fondness and care for
 BREEDING
- increasing the animal population and improving
the performance of the herd.
- Ideal Age for Breeding: 10 to 12 months and by
that time the goat must already be capable of
sustaining the needs for pregnancy and lactation
or milk production.
1. PUBERTY – is known as the age of maturity. It is
reaching the age of three to four months. Bucks and does
are not yet ready for breeding at this age.
2. ESTRUS OR HEAT – is the period when the doe is
ready to accept the buck. Usually this lasts two to three
days.
3. STROUS CYCLE – is the period between two
successive heat periods where no conception happened. It
runs from 18 to 24 days.
4. GESTATION PERIOD – is the period between
conception and kidding (growth of offspring or pregnancy).
The normal length of gestation period is five months.
 BREEDING PRACTICES FOR
DOES
The doe is generally fertile and can become
pregnant easily after “one service”. Common signs
of estrus are:

1. Shaking of tail from side to side

2. Bleating
3. Urination
4. Mucus discharge from vulva
5. Riding other animals
6. Vulva is swollen
REPRODUCTIVE FAILURES
There are many reasons why some female
goats or does fail to conceive:
1. Infertile sperm from the buck
2. Female disease – vibriosis and brucellosis
3. Abnormal egg
4. Overfat condition of the doe
5. Malnutrition or too weak
 BREEDING PRACTICES
FOR BUCKS
- A buck is considered superior if gain in weight, feed
efficiency, and / or milk production in his offspring are better
that of the dam.
- A buck should:
1. Not be used until he is eight months old.
2. Not serve more than ten or twenty does before he
becomes one year old
3. Not serve more than two per week.
4. Never be allowed to run with the herd as some of the
does may be bred too young.
5. Be changed often to prevent inbreeding of the herd
- If he reaches more than a year old, the number of
services may be increased gradually.
- If breeding is not controlled, the breeding load should be
25 does for every buck.
- It is not, however, advisable to sell them but instead lease
or lend them for a specific period of time to other goat
raisers with contract of leave, cash arrangement, and
conditions.
- Bucks are the highest breeding efficiency if combined and
their services are regulated.
 BREEDING SYSTEM
The goat breeding systems that may be adopted are:
1. UPGRADING – is the safest system and good for the
prospective breeder of purebred stock. It is mating of a
native or relatively unimproved parent with highly improved
one. One may get a purebred bucks to service a native
doe. The Offspring are called half-breeds.
2. INBREEDING – is the mating of closely related goats
such as with brother and sister, parents with offspring. The
raiser of this system must be willing to cull the offspring if
detected with undesirable characteristics. This has been
used in developing most breeds of livestock.
3. LINE BREEDING – is considered the mild form of
inbreeding because the mating is only between half brother
and sister.
4. CROSSBREEDING – is the mating of two different
breeds, thus increasing the size of the offspring particularly
if two inbreeds are crossed.
5. OUTCROSSING – is the mating of unrelated animals,
within the same breed. Development is slow because the
two animals have different qualities.
HOUSING, FENCING
AND FEEDING THE
GOATS
 HOUSING
For a goat house that can be built in the backyard,
the following can be done:
1. A shed of bamboo with nipa and cogon roofing should be
acquired.
2. A shed measuring 2x3 m can house two mature goats.
3. The flooring should be made of bamboo slats elevated
one foot high for easy cleaning.
4. There should also be spaces between to allow manure
to fall through.
5. Build a feeder, mineral box, hay tract, and water holder
for better feeding especially when the weather is bad.
6. The floor should be about 1 m off the ground.
 FOR A GOAT FARM
1. A barn measuring 10 feet high is recommended.
Nipa, cogon, or galvanized iron sheets can be used as roof.
2. Its floor may be made of wooden slats measuring 1 to 2
inches wide and must be elevated approximately 3 feet to
facilitate cleaning underneath.
3. Barn for the general herd should provide partition to
separate kids, pregnant does, milking does, and bucks.
4. The front of the goat house should be provided with hay
or forage racks, mineral boxes, and water troughs so that
the caretaker can feed the animals outside.
 FENCING
- The fence should at least 3 to 4 feet
high.
- Fencing materials such as barbed-wire,
hog wire, bamboo poles can be used.
- A hard wood, preferably yakal may be
used as corner posts since it could stand
pressure
- Each post should be dug deep enough
to prevent falling.
 PROPER FEEING
GUIDE FOR GOATS
- Goats are by nature “chewing animals” so a
practical feeding program should be applied
and is based on the type and quality of
roughage available. This is because the quality
of roughage determines both the amount and
the quality of concentrated needed.
 FEEDING THE
LACTATING DOE
- A lactating doe should be fed with good
quality grasses and legumes. For every kilo of
milk that a doe gives, she should be fed with
one kilo of concentrate. Fresh water and loose
coarse salt should be given abundantly.
 FEEDING THE DRY
DOE
- Good-quality pasture and roughage plus
concentrate at a level of 0.2 to 0.7 kilogram per
day is usually recommended for pregnant, dry
does. She should be adequately fed with good,
high quality feeds in order to build reserves for
coming lactation, and also to nourish the
developing fetus.
 FEEDING THE
YEARLINGS
- Young goats should be provided with enough
nutrients for maintenance and growth. A space
for exercise, good quality grasses, and legumes
are important for yearlings. Give them one half
kilo of concentrate a day.
 FEEDING THE BABY
GOATS
- Allow the Baby goat to be with the mother for
the first five days. In this situation, the baby will
be able to suck the milk whenever it is hungry
and also get the colostrum needed for its good
health. After 5 days the kid should be with the
mother during the day only. This should be
done until the kid is ready to be weaned at four
to five months old.
Baby goats can be bottle fed if:
1. There are more than two kids from a
doe
2. A doe is not capable of nursing her
own kids
3. A doe died after delivery
4. If the goat’s milk is for consumption or
for sale
 FEEDING THE BUCK
- The buck for breeding should be fed properly.
He should be given one-half kilo of concentrate
plus twenty of grasses and legumes when not
being used. When the buck is scheduled for
service, increase the concentrate to one kilo per
day to maintain his fertility and good condition.
 COMMON FEED IN
INGREDIENTS FOR
GOATS
 Goat feeds are classified to the amount of a specific
nutrient or the amount of digestible nutrients they provide.
The first classes of feed ingredients are:

1. ROUGHAGE – feeds containing large amounts of fiber.

This includes fresh-cut grasses, legumes, hays, and other
similar feeds. Common examples are ipil-ipil, napier, para
grass, kakawate, and kadyos.
2. CONCENTRATE – feeds which are highly digestible but
low in fiber. This includes all grains and many byproducts of
grains and animals such as rice bran, corn bran, meat
meal, molasses, and soybean oil meal.
3. ADDITIVES – chemical compounds which are used to
improve growth rate and to control disease in farm animals.
Examples are antibiotics, enzymes, antibacterial agents.
Etc.
GOAT HERD HEALTH
PROGRAM
A Herd Health Program for goats is
essential in maintaining the
productivity of the animals and to
control the possibility of disease
outbreaks.
SOME PRACTICES FOR DISEASE PREVENTION:
1. Buy only healthy and vigorous stocks.
2. Isolate new purchased stocks for at least 30 days before
mixing with old herds.
3. Do not allow the entry of other people except those who are in
charge of taking care of the herds. Keep production records,
this is important in keeping track of productivity in herds.
4. Keep production records, this is important in keeping track of
productivity in herds.
5. Have regular deworming since internal and external parasites
are common problems in goats.
6. Have a continuing health monitoring of the herd. Early
detection of illness and treatment will prevent further spread
and diseases.