General Principles of Goat Production

Goats were probably the first ruminant animal to be domesticated some 8000 years ago. In the ancient civilizations along the rivers of Nile (in Africa), Tigris and Euphrates (in Asia) and Indus (in India) when populations migrated from these areas, the domesticated goats spread through the continents of Europe and America.

There are several good reasons for keeping goats even in preference to larger animals such as cattle.

These include:

(a) Low purchase price

(b) Goats reproduce at an early age and have younger ones per litter than cattle.

(c) They have innate ability to survive on low quality feed or in difficult conditions or on relatively small amount of feed.

In Nigeria for example, goat keeping is a major form of investment which keepers in rural area easily use to meet urgent financial needs. A lot of social and religious functions demand the use of goat for exchange of goodwill, marital gifts, sacrifices and ceremonies.

Goat meat is a highly cherished delicacy in drinking places and hotels because of its favourable attributes of low fat, flavour and relatively low fibre.

For these and other peculiarities of goat keeping, its production is popular by its contribution to the national economy through the earning of foreign exchange from export of goat skin also known as “Morocco Leather” as well as providing employment for a host of individual being a major commodity for trade between regions.

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