Raising goats for profit

RAISING goats in the backyard is a lucrative venture.  But if you want the project to be more profitable, raise at least 12 does (females). That’s according to the Laguna-based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD).
“A 25-doe-level goat production only requires a small investment of about P134,000, hence entails a relatively small risk,” said a PCARRD profitability analysis.  “Within four months of operation, inflow of cash can already be realized.  In a span of three years, the farmer can recover his initial capital investment.”
The additional value added in investing in goat farming is about P90,679.10 at 19-percent discount rate.  Estimated internal rate of return may be as high as 37-percent for a 5-year projected cash flow.
Goats provide livelihood to about 15 million Filipinos across the country, according to PCARRD.  But despite this, goat farming is still not very popular among Filipinos and no one exactly knows how many goats there are in the country. 
PCARRD claims that the total goat inventory is “steadily increasing” at two percent per year.  This supply is still not enough to meet the current demands.  “We expect that increased demand will last to 2020 when the project supply can meet the demand of the consumers,” PCARRD said.
The optimum potential of goat as one of the main sources of milk and meat has not been fully tapped in the country. The Bureau of Agricultural Statistics of the Department of Agriculture reported that the total number of goats in the country is about 3,355,574.  Most of the goat farms are concentrated in Southern Luzon and various parts of Mindanao. 
In Mindanao, goat farming is considered a “sunshine industry.”  The country’s second largest island region has a large Muslim population and goat meat is considered halal food.  There is also a big demand in the international market, particularly the Middle East.
“With the increasing demand and limited supply of goats, raising them is an attractive investment for small entrepreneurs,” the PCARRD profitability analysis claimed.  It bats for full confinement, semi-intensive production system of raising goats.
The recommended stocks are native (mature weight of 20 kilograms) or crossbreeds for does and purebreds or 75-percent of either Anglo Nubian or Boer goats for bucks.   When buying the breeding stock, “consider both the physical features and the productive and reproductive performance of the animals,” the PCARRD suggested. 
“If performance data are not available, choose stocks based on the number of offspring weaned per year per doe exposed to buck, mortality, length of production life for each sex, and incidence of major defects,” it added.
In building a goat house, each doe must be provided a floor space of 1.5 square meters while the buck should have a floor space of two square meters per head.  The kids have a lower floor space requirement of one square meter per head.
The permanent or semi-permanent goat house must be built in an area that is elevated and well-drained.  It should be built in a way that is well-ventilated and easy to clean.  The materials to be used are those suitable to local conditions and within the financial capability of the farmer.
Farmers who have limited area can follow the system popularized by the Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC) Foundation, Inc.   For one-half hectare, it recommends raising 12 does and one buck. “We recommend raising dairy goats since they are good source of milk,” explains Roy C. Alimoane, the foundation’s director. 
Presently, the Philippines imports 98% of its milk and other dairy products requirements.  During the period 2002-2007, the Philippines spent an average of over US$460 million to cover the cost for an average volume of 1.8 billion liters of milk imports annually.  Powdered milk accounts for some 86% of the imports.
While the production of local dairy farmers has been steadily increasing, the average annual local production is only about 12,000 metric tons or some 12 million liters.  On the other hand, the national requirement based on actual consumption during the period 2002-2007 was 1,550 metric tons or about 1.55 billion liters. 
That is why MBRLC, touted to be Davao del Sur’s goat center, is batting for dairy goats – particularly those living in the uplands.  Based on studies done in Palawan, second and third degree of malnutrition ranging from 41-47 percent is prevalent among the upland population.
Since the area is limited, MBRLC recommends that the house should be built at the center of the farm.  The twelve does are raised at the back of the house.  A shed for buck is built a little farther from where the does are located.  This is done so that the milk harvested from does won’t have the so-called “goaty” smell, which makes it odorous when consumed.
At the lower portion of the one-half hectare farm, forage garden is established.  Following the contour lines, the following are planted: Desmodium rensonii (55 percent of the total area), Flemingia macrophylla (20 percent), Gliricidia sepium (20 percent), and Leucaena leucocephala (5 percent).  These palatable, high in protein, fast coppicing, and high-yielding forage crops are planted first before bringing in the goats; about six months ahead.  The top edible portions are harvested and given to goats.
The upper portion is planted to permanent crops (like black pepper, lanzones, mangosteen, and calamansi) and cash crops (legumes, corn, cucumber, squash, melon, etc.) are planted.  To keep the soil intact, hedgerows are planted following the contour lines.  The same forage species are recommended as hedgerows.  The hedgerows are cut every two weeks and the cuttings are used as fertilizer for the crops.
Milk is the immediate source of income.  “Milk your goats daily and regularly,” Alimoane said.  Milking should have a definite procedure and time.  A slight change in the routine of feeding and milking results in unfavorable milk yield.  The milk must be pasteurized first (at 74 degrees Celsius about 30 seconds) before selling it.
The kids are another source of income.  They can be marketed at the age of six to eight months or when they weigh from 25 to 35 kilograms.
Like most farms, the project must be maintained.  “Cut the hedgerows half to one-meter from the ground when they start to shade the field crops,” Alimoane instructed.  “Replant missing hills of the hedgerows, weed and clean the crops.  Rotate the non-permanent crops.  Collect manure and spread them over the forage garden every four months to maintain soil fertility and sustain forage production.”
Raise goats now!  “Goats require less feed than cows and carabaos,” said Rowe Celeste, MBRLC livestock supervisor.   About 10 native goats can be fed on the feedstuffs sufficient for one cattle.  And about 6-7 purebred dairy goats can be fed on the feedstuffs adequate for one dairy cow. 
“Although a goat is small, she can produce as much as four liters of milk a day if she is purebred and is given a ration to meet all of her nutritional requirements,” Celeste informed.