Goat Feeds
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Sourcing the highest quality raw materials for pig feed production
The quality of feeds offered to goats influences their overall performance. Fast growth rate can be achieved through addressing nutritional deficiency and ensuring proper feeding is carried out. Providing high nutritive value feed to goats is associated with fast growth, improved fertility, reduced age to reach puberty and slaughter weights hence the overall profitability of the goat enterprise. Mortality rate of both mature and young goat and their susceptibility to diseases can be significantly lowered with adequate provision of quality diet. For smallholder farmers to be profitable, they should pay extra attention to rangeland condition and the body condition score of their animals. When the rangelands are limited in quality due to seasonal fluctuation, farmers should provide supplements which address the nutritional deficiencies.
- Bucks should be fed properly with the correct amount of feed per day
- Good quality hay mixed with a good protein source with CP greater than 12 percent is ideal
- A protein supplement should be provided together with ad lib good quality hay
- Supplementing them during the dry season will enable them to maintain good health and productivity
- Body condition scoring should be regularly done and maintain your buck condition score between 3 and 4 all the time to ensure good reproductive performance and general health.
- Proper nutrition and optimum Body Condition Score (2.5 and above) will make it possible for does to rebreed within a few days postpartum.
- Does fed for maintenance may not need supplementation as rangelands and pastures normally supply adequate nutrients. However, during certain times such as drought, cold weather and dry seasons associated with feed scarcity supplementation becomes a necessity.
- Starting a goats production project requires minimal initial capital outlay
- A goat can be easily sold when a small amount of money is needed to meet immediate household needs in a smallholder communal setup.
- Goats require small amounts of feed and use inexpensive, easily constructed housing
- Goats are a quick-breeding source of low-fat, high-protein meat and have long been enjoyed as food by people around the world
- Goat production projects create employment
- Goat production is easy to venture into because of the low habitat requirement, high reproductive rates, no apparent competition with humans for food, minimal transmission of diseases from goats to human beings and low capital investment requirement.
- A goat fed on Agrifoods Goat Meal/Cubes produces lean and tender, highly nutritious, low-fat and low-cholesterol meat which is required by most markets
- The feed is very affordable hence the farmer saves much on feed expenses hence more profit
- The Agrifoods Goat Meal/Cubes are available countrywide in all Agrifoods Stockfeed Centres, Farm and City shops and all our stockists hence convenient to the farmer thereby saving time
- Free consultancy as well as farm visits
GOAT MEAL/CUBES (12.6% Crude Protein)
This feed is formulated with great expertise using raw material of best quality. The Agrifoods Goat Meal/Cubes is well-balanced and complete feed for growing and maintenance of does and bucks. The goats can be fed on veld grazing or good quality hay and supplemented with Agrifoods Goat Meal/Cubes. The feeding of Agrifoods Goat Meal/Cubes depends on production factors such as age of the goat, weight, sex and physiological status of the goat. The recommended average feeding rate is shown in the table below. The feed is highly palatable and digestible, and the goats gain weight and attain good body condition and good meat quality in the shortest possible time.
NB: ALWAYS PROVIDE AD-LIB GOOD QUALITY ROUGHAGE SUCH AS HAY AND CLEAN AND FRESH DRINKING WATER TO THE GOATS.
GOAT MEAL/CUBES FEEDING GUIDE
| Age (Weeks) | Agrifoods Goat Meal/Cubes Quantity per Day | Hay |
| 4-8 | 0.5 to 1% of Body weight | Always available |
| 8-16 | 1 to 2% of Body weight | Always available |
| 16 -24 | 1.5 to 2.5% of Body weight | Always available |
(Doe and Buck Feeding Guide) Goat Meal/Cubes
| Physiological Condition | Agrifoods Goat Meal/Cubes Quantity per Day | Hay | |
| Doe | Pregnant | 1 to 1.5% of Body weight | Always available |
| Doe | Lactating | 1 to 2% of Body weight | Always available |
| Doe | Dry | 0.5 to 1% of Body weight | Always available |
| Buck | Adult | 0.5 to 1% of Body weight | Always available |
NB: Good quality hay harvested at the right stage is recommended.
HOW TO CHANGE THE GOAT’S DIET
If it becomes necessary to change the diet, this must be done gradually over 7 – 14 days as sudden changes will be detrimental to the health and wellbeing of the goats. Below is an example of a transition plan one can follow:
| Transition period | Proportion of new feed | Proportion of old feed | Hay |
| Day 1-3 | 25% | 75% | Ad-lib |
| Day 4-6 | 50% | 50% | Ad-lib |
| Day 7- 10 | 75% | 25% | Ad-lib |
| Day 11- 14 | 100% | 0% | Ad-lib |
NB: Where the old feed is no longer available, one can slowly introduce the new feed in small quantities with Ad-lid hay over the same period above.
GOAT MANAGEMENT TIPS
Adequate nutrition
- The simplest diet sustaining good health, growth and reproduction is preferred
- Decline in normal health may increase susceptibility to disease agents and cause heavy monetary loss
- Slow growth and development may be as costly as diseases control or mortality
- Finally, the doe or buck must be more than just healthy; it must reproduce and raise kids profitably
Suitable environment
- Careful examination and control of the environment are essential for effective productivity and disease prevention
- Some of these factors are pen size and location, nearness to other animals, dryness, temperature, amount of sunshine, shelter design, availability of water and general management
- The term “environment” includes every factor that influences the life of the goat
Parasites
- There is need for prevention and control of internal and external parasites.
- Internal parasites include worms and flukes among others.
- External parasites include ticks, mange, mites and lice (to mention a few).
- Use veterinary doctor recommended doses for internal parasites and dips for external parasites on goats