BAIF Institute for Sustainable Livelihoods & Development

A Brief Introduction to Goat Farming

(In Special Reference to Assam)

~: Presentation by :~
DR. SANTOSH KUMAR
ATPE Livestock BISLD East
 Part – I
General Briefing
 Introduction
INDIA having First rank in the Goat
population in world (~ 149 million)

Goat is multipurpose Known as Poor Man’s Cow

Principal source of meat in the country, commonly called

chevon, low in fat and most popular meat in country

Important role in improving the socio-economics of small

poor rural families in particular landless labour,
marginal farmers, SC / ST and other weaker sections

High feed conversion ratio and it can utilize feed

resources which other animals do not consume
Advantages Of Goat Farming
Backbone of rural poor family economy

Economic returns

Employment

Income generation

Insurance against crop failure

ATM to rural families

Different Type Of Goat Farming
 Extensive: Goats graze freely over a large area

 Semi- intensive: A combination of grazing and

supplementary feeding

 Intensive: Close management and high inputs

 Tethering: Goats are tied to a fixed point and

graze in a limited area
 Housing Of Goat
1. Made to develop an economic.

2. Comfortable, Dry, Well Ventilated

3. Protect from adverse weather: rain,

Humidity

4. Protection from predators accidents and

parasitic infestation.

5. Minimum labour requirement

6. Good drainage & Plenty of light

 Slatted (Elevated) Goat House
 Very suitable for NE Region due to high humidity &
heavy rainfall

 Protection from possible water logging

 Elevated floor ~3-3.5ft to facilitate cleaning

 Another floor underneath where the dung and urine

will fall

 Advantage: goats will not come in direct contact of

urine and faeces, thereby preventing various infectious
diseases
 Slatted Goat House
Flooring material
o 3” thick & 1” wide bamboo/wooden slats with 1cm gap in between

Floor space reuirement

 Adult goats: 12-16 sq.ft./goat
 Buck/Lactating& Pregnant Doe: 20 sq.ft/goat
 Kids: 5-10 sq.ft/kid

Walls
 Bamboo or timber

Roof
 Thatch or Asbestos

Open fence area for exercise

 Feeding
 Can be raised entirely on roughages

 Prefer tree leaves, small branches, weeds,

herbs, etc. in natural grazing condition

 There is hardly anything that goat will not eat

 Poor quality straws can be enriched with urea

 Azolla, leaf meal, silage etc.

 Colostrum feeding to kids.

 By Products As Feed

Industrial By-products: Agricultural By-

 Factory tea waste
 Decaffeinated tea waste
products:
 Rice bran, Rice husk, Rice polish,
 Coffee husk/pulse/waste
 Molasses Broken rice etc.
 Wheat straw
 Wheat bran
 Sugarcane tops & Bagasse

By-products of Edible Oil Seeds:

o Mustard oil cake
o Rape seed oil cake
o Sunflower oil cake
 Goat Breeding
Cross breeding
(mating of two unrelated individuals of two different
breeds)
 Using AI
 Increase in productive & reproductive performance
 Growth rate & milk yield of Assam hill goats can be
improved
 Meat production can also be improved

Selective breeding
(mating of two unrelated individuals of same breed
as per their performance)
 Using AI
 Can be used among Assam hill goats
 Health Care
Parasitic Diseases:
 Agro-climatic conditions of Assam favours occurance of parasitic
diseases
 Common symptoms: foul smelling diarrhoea, dehydration, anaemia,
debility & off fed condition
 Prevention: Deworming with ecto & endo parasiticide first at the age of
3 months
 Deworming twice in a year – pre monsoon & post monsoon

Viral & Bacterial Diseases Vaccination Schedule

Diseases Primary Dose Revaccination
Enterotoxaemia 3-5 months of age 6 monthly
PPR 3 months of age Yearly
FMD 3-4 months of age Yearly
Goat Pox 3-5 months of age Yearly
 Part - II
Goat Farming in Context to Assam
 Introduction
 A land area of 78438 sq. km.

 31.98% population live below the poverty line

 Goat population: 4.31 millions

 Mostly non-vegetarian people resulting in very high

demand of meat & meat products

 Under this context, goat occupies a unique position in the

animal husbandry scenario of Assam

 Goat rearing is an age-old avocation of the rural farmers

 Introduction contd.
 Species of choice for in-house rearing for small, marginal
& landless farmers due to their hardiness, versatility,
feeding habits & prolificacy

 Huge opportunity as lot of green forage available

 Goat meat is eaten by all sections of the society

irrespective of caste and religion.

 Therefore, a little bit of scientific support would help in

providing livelihood security to the farmers through goat
husbandry

 Primarily managed by women folk.

 Climatic Conditions In Assam
“tropical monsoon rainfall” type with high level of humidity and heavy
rainfall

Jorhat
 Maximum temperature recorded during summer 32°C & minimum
temperature recorded 5°C during winter
 Actual rainfall 1544.8 mm in 2021-2022

Goalpara
 Maximum temperature rises up to 33o C during July and August but the
minimum temperature falls up to 7o C in January.

 Actual rainfall 2074 mm in 2021-2022

 Geo-Topographical Mapping
Goalpara
 Situated in the south western part of Assam (Lower Brahmaputra)
between 25°53' N and 26° 30' N latitudes and 90°07' E and 91°05' E
longitudes

 Geographical area: 1824 sq km

 The topography is characterized by an almost flat plain except for few hills
with elevations ranging from 100 to 500 meters.

 The soils of the district consist of Newer Alluvium on the bank of the
Brahmaputra and Older Alluvium near the hillocks and foot hills.

 Soil pH ranges: 5.5 to 6.8

 Total population: 10, 08,959

 Geo-Topographical Mapping
Jorhat
o Situated in the eastern part of Assam (Upper Brahmaputra) between
26°20'N and 27°11'N latitudes and 93°58'E and 94°33'E longitudes

o Geographical area: 1758 sq km

o Bounded on the north by Lakhimpur district of Assam, and on the south by

Wokha and Mokakchung districts of Nagaland

o The river Brahmaputra flows along the northern side separating Majuli
sub-division from the main land. All rivers in the district are of perennial
nature

o The soils vary from sandy loam to clay loam.

o Soil pH: 4.5 to 6.5

 Goat Breeds To Rear In Assam
Assam Hill Goat
o Native breed
o Adopted to local climate & resistant
to diseases
o Mainly meat purpose
o Sexual maturity at 12-16 months &
kidding interval ~ 5 months
o High twinning & triplet percentage
o Small body size (~14 kg in 12 months)
o Prolificacy rate ~1.6
Black Bengal
 West Bengal & in some parts of
Assam
 Excellent meat quality
 High twinning & triplet percentage
 Small body size (~15 kg in 12 months)
 Prolificacy rate ~1.8
 Goats Management System In
Assam
Management
Semi-intensive system

Feeding
Open grazing system

No cultivated fodder or concentrate

During rainy season – tree leaves (jack fruits, neem trees etc.)

Housing
Small herd size of 2-5 goats in houses made of locally available materials
viz. wood or bamboo etc.

Kachha or wooden plank flooring

 Goats Management System In
Assam
Breeding
Very limited knowledge among rural farmers

One or two breeding bucks used extensively in entire locality for many
generations leading to deterioration in performance due to inbreeding

Health Care
Routine measures like vaccination, deworming etc. not followed regularly
by farmers

Major issues: Enterotoxaemia & Parasitic infestations

 Market Potential
 Significant market potential for both meat and milk

 Demand for goat meat and milk products is on the

rise due to their nutritional benefits and unique taste

 Number of non-vegetarians is more than the other

states

 Price of goat meat and its products are high in

Assam as demand is more than its production

 There is not too much competition in this business.

 Sold on live weight basis (after proper interventions)

 Per Capita Meat Avaliability during 2022-23 (figures in kg/Annum)
Rank State Per Capita Availability kg/Annum
1 Telangana 28.51
2 Haryana 22.29
3 Andhra Pradesh 20.66
4 Meghalaya 15.55
5 Arunachal Pradesh 15.21
6 Andaman & Nicobar 13.81
7 Tripura 13.74
8 Kerala 13.27
9 Mizoram 12.65
10 West Bengal 11.82
7.1
Average Meat Consumption
40.0
Worlds’ Average
80.3
Developed Countries
282.9 15
Developing Contries
 Leading States In Goat Meat Production During 2022-23

Rank States Meat Production (Figures in 000 Tonnes)

1 West Bengal 429.86

2 Bihar 126.7

3 Maharashtra 112.91

4 Karnataka 95.43

5 Rajasthan 95.23

6 Telengana 82.33

7 Odisha 81.42

8 Uttar Pradesh 78.56

9 Tamil Nadu 72.45

10 Andhra Pradesh 70.94 16

Strength of Goat Farming in Assam
 Substantially large population size.

 The animals are well adapted to hot and humid agro-

climatic condition of the state.

 Well adapted to climatic stress, disease resistance, low

quality feeds and poor management.

 Low capital investment and production input due to small

body size.

 No religious taboo for consumption and rearing

 High feed conversion efficiency and suitable to small farm

system.
Weakness of Goat Farming in Assam
 Scarcity of superior breeding buck & Indiscriminate
breeding.

 Poor marketing facilities: linkage and organization

 Limited veterinary services.

 Lack of breed societies.

 Inadequate and poor slaughter facilities.

 Poor awareness of the farmers for improved management

practices /technologies/inputs
 Part - III
Interventions & Follow
Throughs
 Objectives
 Awareness among farmers about
socio-economic benefits by Capacity
building
improving local goats.
Awarene Scientific
 Income augmentation ss breeding

opportunities through goat

rearing. Objective
s
 Promotion of scientific Innovati Good
ons mgmt.
breeding.
 Promote innovative ideas to
Income
improve profitability. Linkages generati
on
 Reduce mortality.
 Gender inclusion.
 Strengthen linkages.
 Implementation Methodology
Awareness & cadre Breeding & allied Improved management Linkages
practices
development services • Convergence.
o Baseline assessment. • Low cost goat platform /
• AI services through stilted housing. • Back-end inputs &
o SHGs as primary GDCs. services through local
• Nutrition.
stakeholders. • Promotion of fodder cadre.
• First aid services.
o Outreach through & preservation. • Cluster of 5-6 villages.
• Health camps.
local cadre (AITs, • Convergence with
• Parasite control, • Linkages with traders
Pashu Sakhis). the existing vaccination. through groups.
o Capacity building & schemes. • Promotion of initiatives like • Sale on live-weight
trainings of goat • Castration of surplus leaf meal cake production basis .
keepers. male kids & through SHGs, herbal
health kits. • Innovative platform.
o Promotional fattening.
• Promotion of milk replacer
activities. for the feeding kids.
• Local enterprises for
feed, medicines.
 Possible Outcomes/Benefits
Actions Expected Outcomes
• Formation of homogeneous goat keepers’ groups. • Genetic improvement.
• Training & capacity building of goat keepers
• Reduction in mortality.
especially women.
• Added income.
• Breed improvement & promotion of good
• Livelihood for women.
management practices.
• Local skilled self-employment generation.
• Fodder production, effective utilization of crop
residues, leaf meal, azolla etc. • Upliftment of socio-economic status & sustainability.

• Strengthening backward and forward linkages.

• Motivation, follow up and monitoring.
• Promote innovative ideas.
 Project Sustainability
o A Goat keeper receives various inputs such as capacity building, AI to
improve local goats, health and marketing support. However, efforts
were made to ensure their sustainability in the long run.

o Following efforts will be taken for ensuring sustainability of the market-

focused goat development programme:

1. Strengthening of the Groups by sharing of experiences in internal meetings,

capacity building, Workshops/Seminars, assessments and evaluations at
various levels to identify the shortcomings and arriving at suitable solutions.

2. Linkages with Government departments such as Animal Husbandry

Department for diagnosis of disease and their treatment, vaccinations, etc.,
Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees for marketing, Department of
Agriculture for high yielding varieties, etc.
 Project Sustainability
3. Field Guides to act as paid service providers: Considering the
limitations of Government line departments, Field Guides was act as
service providers by establishing linkages with veterinary
dispensaries for providing services such as de-worming, vaccination,
castration, body weight monitoring, linkages with traders/butchers at
a nominal charge.

4. Introduction of innovative ideas such as fattening of male kids for

festivals, milk replacer, hydroponic fodder and rearing of breeding
stock. These ideas were facilitate marketing and help to enhance the
socio-economic status of goat keepers.

5. During the project period, efforts was made to establish linkages with
traders, butchers, slaughter houses, meat processors, etc.
 Part - IV
Cost Economics
 Economics Of Goat Rearing
• Extensive /free grazing

• Self labor

• Purchases of dry fodder during scarcity

• Cost of veterinary services @ Rs. 100/- per goat per

annum

• AI services

• Kid mortality 10 %

• Surplus males and females will be sold

 Economics of Rearing Three Does
Sr. No. Particulars No. of Units Unit Rate Total Amount
(Rs) Rs)
1 Fixed Assets
1.1. Goat : Does 3 4000 12000.00
1.2. Shed and Equipment

a Total covered space required in sq. ft. 225 sq. ft 5000.00

b. Total value of assets 17000.00

c Average fixed Asset cost per year (considering the 5 year) 3400.00
2. Recurring costs
a. AI Services 3 100 300.00
a Purchase of Dry Fodder to feed during scarcity 3000.00

b. Concentrate feed 5000.00

c. Cost of Medicine 600.00

d. Labor and any unforeseen expenditure 5000.00

e. Total Recurring cost /year 9900.00

1.3 Total Recurring and Non recurring expenditure 17300.00

 Economics of Rearing Three Does
Sr. Particulars No. of Unit Rate (Rs) Total Amount ( Rs)
No. Units

3 Expected births 10 No.

a Mortalities in Kids -10% 1

b Remaining Kids :5 males + 4 females

4 Sale

a Female 20 kg @Rs. 300/ kg at 18 2 6000.00 12000.00

months age
b Male 25 kg @ Rs. 400 /kg at 18 3 10000.00 30000.00
months age

c Total Sales Rs. 50000.00

5 Earning per year from Sales: 4 (c) –[1.2.(c)+1.3] 32700 .00

Part - V
FAQ’s
 FAQ’s
What kind of house does a goat needs
Need just basic housing facility which should be dry, well ventilated, well fenced
and enough light

What should goats eat

Greens and some concentrates

Can goats live alone

When left alone they get bored and noisy as they are social, curious and gentle
animals

How long can goats survive without food

Without wate for 3 days & without food for 3 weeks

Do goats need water and how much in a day

4-5 litres/day upto 10 litres for lactating animals
 FAQ’s
What are the common diseases & how to prevent them
PPR, Enterotoxaemia, Goat Pox & FMD
Prevention by timely vaccination

At what age should goats be vaccinated

As per the vaccination schedule

At what age goats should dewormed

First at 3 months of age, then about 2-3 times a year

How long is goats lactation period & gestation period

Lactation period: 230 days
Gestation period: 145-155 days
 FAQ’s
What is the breeding season for goats
Throughtout the year usually

How many babies do goats have at once

Usually 2

What is the price of goat milk & meat in India

Average price of milk if Rs 150/litre
Meat price Rs 700-800/kg depending on the type/breed of goat

Do I have to milk the goat everyday

Yes and it should not stopped suddenly but gradually
 BAIF’s Goat Development Program
Interventions & Major Breeds In Programme Area
 Rajasthan, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand,
Karnataka, Bihar, Uttar-Pradesh, Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh
 No. of families : 4 lac
 Artificial Insemination in Goats : 12806 (2023-2024) Ganjam
 Training facilities for skilling local youths
 Focus on breed improvement, flock
multiplication/optimization, health, nutrition and
management at small holders’ level
 Development of community cadre and capacity
building of especially women
Black Bengal

Sirohi Marwari Berari Sangamneri

 THANK YOU !!!

BAIF Institute for Sustainable Livelihoods and Development (BISLD), East Region