About Farm Goats

Humans have been domesticating goats and raising these animals as livestock since ancient times, with archaeological findings suggesting that goat domestication first occurred as early as 7000 B.C, according to the Smallstock.info website. Goats are bred for their wool as well as products derived from their milk and meat. While some farmers keep only a few goats, larger farms can hold as many as 500.

  1. Reproduction

    • Most female farm goats will breed once a year, with mating season running from August until March. Female farm goats are able to begin breeding after between seven and nine months, typically producing up to five young, called kids. These kids are fed either by their mothers or by a bottle, with their first feeding after birth being vitally important as this is when the kids receive the nutrients and antibodies they need to survive their first days.

    Breeding Specifics

    • Breeding farm goats is an important business farmers don't take lightly. The best female and male sheep within a herd are chosen for reproduction, with farmers considering the milk recording data of each male before selection to ensure the consistency and quality of the yield. Goat farmers might instead choose to breed goats that are geared towards meat production. These animals are nursed for around 10 weeks after birth and then fattened up, with farmers feeding them grain and hay to increase their weight to up to 90 pounds.

    Milking

    • A chief product of goats is their milk. Farmers take milk from goats two times a day in general, waiting 12 hours between each milking. Farmers utilize a number of machines for the purpose of extracting and monitoring milk, including teat spraying systems for example, while other farmers extract milk by hand.

    Products

    • The milk from goats is turned into gourmet cheese products, sold at supermarkets worldwide. Its higher quantities of vitamin A when compared to cow's milk, alongside the fact that it's easier to digest, means that goat's milk is given to children and the infirm, and also used in the rearing of animals such as foals. Some farm goats are reared to produce meat, while others are used for both milk and then meat. Other farms breed goats, such as those of the Turkish Angora variety, for the production of fibers.

    Health

    • Farmers need to pay attention to the health of their herds and watch out for conditions such as footrot. This form of hoof infection causes immense pain to the goat, and can easily spread between herd animals, meaning that farmers may have to pay out a lot of money to cure it.