Goat Production and Health Management

Goats naturally like to browse and cover a wide range for their food/grazing. They prefer to live in social groups and appear to enjoy human contact. Their coats are made from hair and, unlike sheep, which produce an oily secretion (lanolin) into the wool, goats do not have natural waterproofing and therefore like to shelter in the wet weather. Goats are reared for milk and meat. The goat is a multi functional animal and plays a significant role in the economy and nutrition of landless, small and marginal farmers in the country. Goat rearing is an enterprise, which has been practiced by a large section of population in rural areas. Goats can efficiently survive on available shrubs and trees in an adverse harsh environment in low fertile lands where no other crop can be grown. Around the world, more people drink goat milk than cow milk. Also, more people eat Chevon (goat meat) than beef. The World Health Organization says that more than 70% of the world's population have some allergy to cow milk. The allergic symptoms could be stomachaches, gas, skin rashes and ear infections. An allergy to goat milk is very rare.

According to many historians, goats were the first animals to be domesticated. For thousands of years, they have been utilized for their milk, meat, hair, and skins all over the world. This publication is intended to provide a format and a set of guidelines for determining costs of production of meat goat operations. The production costs included in these enterprise budgets are estimates based on information obtained from goat producers in the province. While these figures were considered accurate at the time, they should only be used as a guideline when preparing budgets for your own operation. The publication is expected to provide a useful reference source for all those who are interested in goats.