While breeding livestock either for subsistence or for commercial purposes, the time needed to cater for the animals is quite important, and for goats, they do not need much attention but could mean a lot if they are neglected. Fish and poultry require much time and experience, and for now, I prefer to keep those for future investments.
My younger sister was gifted a hybrid couple of goats about two years ago. They grew so fast and became quite intimidating. The goats are allowed to roam freely within the spacious compound and fed feeds that ranged from cassava peels to bean shells, with a preference for the latter.
We were excited to welcome their firstborn twin kids in August 2023, and painfully, both were males, which would have a high sale value but posed a serious problem: three bucks in the compound and just one doe. We managed the situation up until recently, when I decided to invest in livestock farming using these goats as a start-up. Of course, the kids have grown into partly full-fledged bucks as they have begun making efforts to mate as well. We needed more female goats in the compound.
So, I went in search of a suitable doe for the bucks in the compound. Unfortunately, their species are rare since they are hybrids. I liked their physiques; they were very intimidating and would definitely fetch significant returns when sold. I have been looking out for similar hybrid species since last year, and when I could not get any, I settled for a pure breed.
I got a Sokoto breed about a month ago for ₦35,000, which, if I compare its stature with the kid bucks in the compound, should be less than a year old. I was excited to have the new doe introduced to the resident goats in the compound. The landlady surely did not take the welcome party happily. She practically set herself up for a fight against the newly brought-up young doe, a sort of rivalry that we needed to appease. Thankfully, the older doe has taken in almost 3 to 4 months by gestation. She could not match the speed of the young doe, and thus, less harm was done. The bucks (the older buck and two young bucks) gladly welcomed the dress in take and soon began to make advances to mate. Perhaps the testosterone in them was heightened even before her arrival.
Well, like Oliver Twist, I wanted more, and thus, I got another similar Sokoto purebred doe for ₦35,000, which was introduced to the herd just last week. The two new breeds are similar in stature and color. However, it seems one of them was pregnant even before arrival, which is a plus for me. A primigravida doe, and who knows, the other may also be pregnant already, and if not, I'm sure the bucks in the compound would do justice as they barely let them rest.
My major focus now is their feeding. More goats means more feed. Hopefully, when I travel out of town to neighboring villages or urban areas, I can procure some bags of feed at cheaper rates. The last bag of bean shell I bought in the rural areas two months ago was for ₦8, 000, which I hear is now ₦13, 500 in the city. I'm sure it'll be cheaper than the city price, even though it's higher than the amount I got the last time.
Thank you for reading. I would love to have your comments and contributions.