Raising Goats - Practical Method To Choose The Goat Breeds For Your Farm

This can be true, if you are raising goats as
pets. Cute and cuddly: those are the two terms
people associate with goats. However, if you are
trying to establish a goat farm, you will quickly
discover that these two terms are the farthest
descriptions you can give your animal wards.
Like all animal husbandry practices, raising
goats also means having to deal with housing
units, choosing feeds and dietary supplements,
keeping out unwanted predators (especially wild
animals in the surrounding areas,) health check
ups done by the vet, updating or buying tools
and machineries, regular inspection done by the
authorities, knowing the breeding cycle of
goats, and most important of all, choosing what
breed of goats you intend to keep.

Although you can buy any breed of animal you
want, raising goats according to their output
will help you quickly regain your investments,
and make your endeavors into a profitable
business. As such, there are four types of goat
farming. These are:

1. Raising goats for their fibers.

Wool is the most common fiber to be harvested
from goats. But you can also acquire mohair and
cashmere wool; both of which are usually prized
for their silken texture and softness. For
medium class wool, which is similar to sheep
wool but only somewhat thicker, you would need
to buy nigora and pygora goats (hybrid goats.)

Angora goats produce mohair and cashmere goats
produce cashmere wool. And these are about 100
times more expensive than the common wool.
However, you can only every successfully
establish a goat farm of this kind in areas that
are very cold or experience near freezing
temperatures.

2. Raising goats for their meat.

The South African Boer goats are considered as
the true meat yielding goats because of their
fast growth rate, the high litter count, and
their resiliency to almost all kinds of animal
diseases. Very young goats are highly prized for
their tender meats which are sold as fresh
produce in the market. On the other hand, meat
coming from older animals is usually
incorporated in processed food items like cured,
salted or smoked meat.

Other types of meat producing breeds are the:
Brush, Kiko, Myotonic (also called Fainting
goats,) Spanish, and the West African Dwarf
goats.

3. Raising goats for their milk.

Goat milk can be used as a substitute for cow's
milk because it contains fewer levels of
lactose, which makes it perfect for lactose
intolerant people. However, goat's milk can also
be used in: buttermilk, candy, cheese (and cream
cheese), clarified butterfat (ghee,) kefir
(alcoholic beverage,) yogurt... or incorporated
in a number of bath and beauty care products as
well.

The Anglo-Nubian breed is considered as the best
producers of quality goat milk. But other breeds
like the: Alpine, La Mancha, Oberhasli, Saanen
and Toggenburg also yield great milk outputs.

4. Raising goats as pets.

Pet goats are usually chosen for their quiet and
docile demeanors. However, many people choose
animals that are low maintenance as well. Some
of the best breeds that can be raised as home or
farm pets are the: Anglo-Nubian, Pygmy goat, and
the South African Boer goat.

----------------------------------------------------
Raising goats does not need to be difficult if
you know how. If you would like to learn more
tips about raising goats and avoid the costly
mistakes, please visit:
http://www.raising-goats.com

EasyPublish this article: http://submityourarticle.com/articles/easypublish.php?art_id=188834

>