In Kenya, goat milk production costs less than cow’s milk. You can start a goat farming in Kenya with low investment. Sources of different nutrients and 10 Their functions 4.1 Protein 11 4.2 Carbohydrates 12 4.3 Fats and oils 13 4.4 Minerals / salts 13 4.5 Vitamins 14 4.6 Water 14 5. This organization meets every two years to present results of efforts made, and plans for future development of goats within the region. Principles of feeding dairy cows 16 The small land sizes required for their rearing are especially useful in these highly populated areas. Goats can be kept for their milk and meat, depending on what you are interested in. 3. There are plenty of grazing land and nature. Goat Farming in Kenya: Kenya is a beautiful place for raising goats for meat and milk. This guide contains basic knowledge to help those who are considering a dairy goat operation make a sound decision as to whether or not this would be a viable business for them. This user guide will focus on indigenous type goats and provide some information that can guide a goat farmer and allow him or her to assess the herd’s performance. The dairy goat gives as much milk as it is given the right food!! Success in the industry is not guaranteed. Goat farming as a Business MRS, SNV, DLPD 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION There are more than 3 .5 million goats in Zimbabwe, of which 98 per cent are indigenous breeds and owned by the smallholder farmers. The price of dairy goats Vary depending on the breed, Age and the seller of course. (a) Estimate the cost of each item in the development plan, speak to other farmers who have undertaken similar scale conversions and get quotations from builders/suppliers. Develop a capital budget for the farm to quantify the total cost of converting to an operational dairy farm. Benefits of small scale dairy farming 8 3.1 Conditions that favour dairy farming 9 3.2 Essentials of successful dairy farming 10 4. A Kenya Goat Development Network (KEGODEN) was also founded by FARM-Africa to promote goat development within the East Africa region. In Kenya, the population of dairy goats is about 200,000 and 80% of these are reared in Mount Kenya region. Read about Profitable goat farming in Kenya. There are many feeds the goat likes. Half an acre of napier grass is needed to feed one dairy cow, while the same can feed 5 dairy goats. They provide a quick source of milk for consumption or sale, which has an immense value especially to poor households. 1.2 Basic information for indigenous goats Production norms for different goats are fairly variable. Goat farming in Kenya for meat or milk- You can focus on either . A goat dairy farmer in this “Best Practices Guide” is defined as a farm … The picture of the goat house in the section on housing, watering and feeding goats was modified from a poster entitled Dairy goats are great!, FARM-Africa and The Mediae Company, Nairobi, Kenya. Dairy goats have also excellent demand in Kenya. 3.4.What kind of feed should the goat be given? The most popular dairy goat breeds in Kenya are German alpine and the toggenburg. Figure 1.3 Common dairy goat breeds in South Africa (Saanen4 and Toggenburg5). Goat milk brings more income per litre than cow’s milk. For instance the price of 6-8 month Alpine or Togg is Ksh 8,000 on average, 12-18,000 for a mature goat and 20-25,000 for a in-kid/served goat. Here are some good feeds that can be used. dairy goat industry. Most of them are kept in the drier agro - ecological zones in Natural Ecological Regions IV and V and in Tse -tse infested areas .Natural Sweet potato vines • This is a very good feed that goats like very much • It is a good crop to plant because it gives tubers for the family to eat and • Kenya Dairy Board established in 1958,to organize and promote orderly marketing of dairy produce. 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