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Goat Farming In Kenya

Victor Wairiuko January 09, 2023

goat-farming-in-kenya. goat-business-in-kenya.


Goat farming in Kenya is quite lucrative. Anyone can make a life from it with enough help and perseverance. Goats are in high demand and will stay that way. However, a lot of young people are not considering this. We are ready to offer advice whether you want to start a goat farm in Kenya or just raise goats for personal use.

Table of Contents

 Starting Goat Farming In Kenya

If you just want to get into the profitable business of purchasing and selling goats!

Choose the type of goat farming you want to perform in Kenya.

Goat rearing is a diverse sector in Kenya. Goats also produce manure and hair in addition to milk and meat.

Additionally, goats can be bred for sale. To make money as a business owner, investigate these distinct business components. Decide which areas you wish to focus your attention on.

Determine the PURPOSE of your goat-raising enterprise. With a little dedication and direction, anyone can complete these tasks because they are not difficult.

Step-by-Step; How to Start Goat Farming in Kenya 

• Select an area of interest. I advise settling for goat meat production that also uses live goats.

• You can work at it full- or part-time, but you must schedule time each day to visit the goat. Don't assign tasks yet. Begin part-time goat farming in Kenya. Employ attendants later.

• Start small and get experience for a few months at the very least. At this point, go it alone. Start goat farming in Kenya with 10 mixed-breed goats, but don't stress too much about the breeds just yet. Chances of failure or discouragement are considerable if you begin with 50 goats unless you hire experienced personnel, which will raise your budget.

• Make the decision to operate goat farming in Kenya as a business. Give it a name, such as Xaxa farms Goat firm ltd. You can register it later once you have enough money. Nonetheless, keep a record book. Even if you are only working on it part-time, treat it like a full-fledged corporate organization.

Select a Very Good Farm Area; Goat Farming in Kenya

Choose a site for your farm before you start goat farming in Kenya. Make sure there are all necessary facilities in the area while choosing a good site for your farm. A reliable source of fresh, pure water is necessary. Choose a piece of land close to a community so you can find labor for your farm quickly.

Choose a piece of property with convenient transportation options. Always check to see if the place you choose has enough veterinarian services. You may also see whether there are any other producers in the chosen region.

It's time to decide what goat farming in Kenya products you want to produce from your farm after choosing an appropriate place for it. Goats are versatile creatures. From them, you can make milk, meat, skin, fiber, etc. The next stage is to decide what products you wish to produce.

Choose the Products You Want to Produce

• Don't begin your goat farming in Kenya with just one animal. Consider purchasing at least two goats. Get ten goats normally if you have enough money. Since goats are sociable creatures, keeping them alone increases their propensity for rebellion and escape attempts. Always keep two goats or more in each pen.
• Save for intentional breeding purposes, avoid keeping uncastrated males (bucks) and females (does) in the same enclosure all the time.
• Choose the quantity of male and female goats to buy.

There are three

Main types of goats divided by sex:

• Females, called Does.
• Uncastrated males, called Bucks 
• Castrated males, called Wethers. 

Before producing milk and offspring, does must be impregnated by a buck, but rearing a buck can be very labor-intensive.

Bucks are often aggressive, require a separate confinement, and may acquire a strong stench.

Purchasing two does and paying another goat farm for the chance to mate your does with its buck is the simplest method to begin goat farming in Kenya.

Breeders and milk producers are not wethers. When their goats have additional male offspring, many goat farms wind up with wethers.

Therefore, you want to think about castrating the surplus males and keeping only one male for every 25 to 50 females.

In order to avoid introducing faults into your herd, if you do decide to buy a buck, take into account one with the perfect characteristics in goats without any flaws.

Selecting a buck to breed with only that buck and the females is a smart management choice.

goat-farming-in-kenya. goat-business-in-kenya.

Choose the Right Goat Breed

Once you've decided what you want to produce, invest in high-quality goat breeds that are adapted to your environment and climate. As an illustration, if you wish to start a dairy goat farm and generate milk from it, you must purchase premium dairy goat breeds. 

If you want to produce meat, you must get goat breeds that produce a lot of flesh. You can buy various goat breeds that are suited to your climate for commercial purposes. Few exotic goats include the Boer, Kalahari red, Savanah, Saanen, Toggenburg, Anglo Nubian, British Alpine, Angora, French Alpine, etc.

Types of Goat Breeds

Saanen goats in Kenya

Saanen: Switzerland gave rise to the unusual goat breed known as the Saanen. It has a white color. It has a large body and straight ears. If properly handled, it produces 3 to 5 liters of milk per day, which is great for milk production.

Galla/Somali goats in Kenya.

Galla/Somali: In dry and semi-dry regions of Kenya and East Africa, the Galla or Somali goat is a familiar sight. It is a native species that is from the northern part of Kenya. It has a white color. Males weigh between 60 and 70 kg and females between 45 and 55 kg at maturity.

Alpine goats in Kenya.

Alpine: The French Alps are where the Alpine goat breed first appeared. They are available in brown, grey, or black. Their thick mane helps them stand out from other breeds. It can also be raised for milk production; it typically produces 2 to 4 liters per day.

Toggenburg goats in Kenya.

Toggenburg: The unique breed of goat known as the Toggenburg originates in Switzerland and Britain. They have unique white stripes on their cheeks and legs and are dark or greyish brown in color. The breed is excellent at producing milk. In environments with cool temperatures, they function well.
Housing/Shelter/Sheds: Goat Farming in Kenya

goat-farming-in-kenya. goat-housing,

All breeds of domesticated and commercially bred animals require a decent housing system or shelter. For rest and protection from predators and bad weather, goats also require a solid housing system. Make sure there is an appropriate ventilation system in place when building housing or a shelter for your goats so that fresh air can circulate through and there is enough light inside.

Protecting goats from the weather. A goat needs to be treated if it becomes ill. More importantly, it's crucial to keep track of the goats you treat since, if a certain animal becomes ill frequently, it should be put to death because it is a weak animal that not only costs you money but also passes on its genes to the following generation.

Make Shelter or Housing for Your Goats

I'll let you know. This type of space that people talk about is not what you need. They are rustic and "old school" materials. You don't, according to experience, culture, research, and goat science.

According to a common misconception, goat farming in Kenya can only be economically maintained in semi-intensive and extensive systems with grazing. Contrary to popular belief, goats can be effectively raised under an intense management system both here in Africa and elsewhere.
In truth, goat farming in Kenya is largely organized.

There is really no excuse for you not to start a goat farm in Kenya.

Your next task is to either get your backyard ready or rent out your neighbor's backyard. Build open sheds to the back of your fence. The goats should be kept there.

Animals that are good will be exposed to the elements and unable to choose a location that is more protected from rain or wind if they are not given a shelter. It is crucial that the owner offers the required shelter and security because of this.

It is crucial to take into account the following factors when building such a structure:

• A roof to keep out the rain; 
• Walls or sides to keep out the wind

Provide raised sections (ideally slatted to allow droppings to flow through) where goats can escape from muddy, wet weather. Drainage to prevent the ground from becoming too muddy after rain.

The ability to clean the farm is crucial in order to stop the growth of parasites and bacteria that cause disease in the manure and dust.

goat-farming-in-kenya. goat-business-in-kenya.

Feeding Your Goats

The most crucial aspect of goat farming in Kenya is feeding.

So prospective commercial goat farmers shouldn't be deterred by a lack of access to grazing resources and a significant amount of land.

Therefore, the question is: 

How do you deal with the problem of feeding when you don't have access to a free, vast grassy area?
You can think about: growing fodder hydroponically; creating fodder beds around your house; and understanding goat feeding so you can employ substitute supplement feeding.

Just keep in mind that you don't need a lot of land to raise goats for business.

In actuality, it is more lucrative.

Are you saying that I can still keep 10 goats in my spacious backyard?

YES, provided you can secure them securely, provide them with appropriate ventilation, and provide them with shelter from the elements. Actually, there are a number of reasons why you should begin goat farming in Kenya in your backyard or another nearby area.

goat-farming-in-kenya. goat-business-in-kenya.

Diseases and Pest in Goat Farming in Kenya

How do I know if my goat is sick? 

If the goat is sick:  
• It will appear dull and listless 
• It may have obvious symptoms of sickness such as coughing or diarrhea 
• It may not follow the rest of the flock when they go out to feed 
• It may have an abnormal temperature – either too high or too low.

Record Keeping in goat farming in Kenya.

Part of record-keeping, You need a simple method of record keeping to be able to manage your goats.

 You should be able to get the following data from your system:

- The precise goats that received treatment (for what and with what)
- The mother of each individual child 
- How many goats you actually have (broken down into different age categories)
- The dates of your ewes' pregnancies and the amount of children they bear - The number of goats that pass away (and the age when they die and cause of death)
- The year that a certain ram was introduced to the herd 
- The age of each individual goat - the quantity of goats sold, the date and hour of their sales, and the values realized.

Care & Management in Goat Farming in Kenya

Care & Management; Goat Farming in Kenya

Vaccination; Goat Farming in Kenya

Vaccine Name

Applying Rate

Applying Method

PPR    1 ml

Injection

Under Skin

Foot & Mouth Disease

2 ml     Injection

Under Skin

Anthrax

1 ml     Injection

Under Skin

Advantages of Goat Farming in Kenya

1. Goat farming in Kenya requires a small initial investment.

2. Goats are prolific breeders, reach sexual maturity at 10 to 12 months of age, have a brief gestation period, and begin lactating at 16 to 17 months. Triplets and quadruplets are quite uncommon, although twins are very common.

3. Goats farming in Kenya have fewer housing needs and management issues due to their tiny size and gentle disposition.

4. Goats farming in Kenya are perfect for grazing with different species. The animal can survive and even thrive on a wide range of thorny shrubs, weeds, crop leftovers, and agricultural by-products that are not fit for human diet.

5. Compared to other livestock species, goat farming in Kenya poses a significantly lower risk in areas susceptible to drought.

6. Because goat milk is naturally homogenized and has smaller fat globules than cow milk, it is easier to digest than cow milk. According to some sources, goat milk helps with digestion and hunger. Unlike cow milk, goat milk is non-allergic and possesses anti-bacterial and anti-fungal qualities that can be utilized to treat urogenital disorders with a fungal origin.

7. Goat meat (chevon) is occasionally favored over mutton because of its "chewability" and is more lean (low cholesterol) and generally ideal for persons who prefer low energy diets, especially in the summer.

8. Goats successfully utilize unpaid family labor while also providing employment to the rural poor. There is plenty of room for developing cottage companies based on goat milk, meat, and fiber products that have been added value.

Under semi-arid environments and free range grazing, goats are 2.5 times more cost-effective than sheep.

Key Risks in Goat Farming in Kenya

• Diseases and Parasites in goat farming in Kenya.

The two major problems affecting goat farming in Kenya are diseases and parasites. 

Veterinary services, medicine purchases, and immunization costs have all increased. As a result, goat farming in Kenya is seeing a rise in production costs.

In Kenya, foot and mouth disease, rinderpest, brucellosis, and Rift Valley Fever are the most prevalent ailments that affect goats.

Ticks, tapeworms, roundworms, lice, and liver fluke are examples of parasites. Therefore, goats need to be regularly dewormed and immunized against common livestock diseases. Acaricides should be used on goats as well to get rid of external parasites like ticks and lice.

Since these areas might serve as breeding grounds for parasites and disease pathogens, general cleanliness should be kept up in both the goat houses and the grazing meadows.

• Inbreeding in goat farming in Kenya.

Goat farming in Kenya. Unfortunately, the performance of such BIG herds is compromised by inbreeding within the herd. The act of breeding two genetically related animals is known as inbreeding.

The performance of inbred offspring in terms of growth and weight gain is subpar. They frequently have low reproductive rates and have underdeveloped, frail babies. To avoid marrying related animals, farmers should maintain reliable records.

Goat Farming in Kenya Marketing 

The total cost and profit of goat farming in Kenya rely on a number of variables, including the farming system, location, breeds, and feeding costs.

Goat farming in Kenya can be made profitable with careful planning and effective management. Small-scale farming can supplement your regular income with little financial outlay.

Large-scale or commercial production, however, necessitates a significant financial commitment as well as additional expenses.

goat-farming-in-kenya. goat-business-in-kenya.

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FAQs - Goat Farming In Kenya


How is goat farming in Kenya?

Goat farming in Kenya is quite lucrative. Anyone can make a life from it with enough help and perseverance. Goats are in high demand and will stay that way. However, a lot of young people are not considering this. We are ready to offer advice whether you want to start a goat farm in Kenya or just raise goats for personal use.

How fast do goats multiply?

Some goats can be made to kid twice in 18 months.

Which goat is best for farming in Kenya?

In a commercial goat farm, the Saanen goat would be the best selection for breeding. They are particularly tolerant to cold temperatures and good milk producers.

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