Goats Breeds Perfect For Your Small Scale Farm

Goats are small ruminants reared in various parts of the world, they are kept by farmers and families for their meat, milk and some keep them as pets.

The common breeds of goats in Africa are Red Sokoto, West African Dwarf, Kalahari Red, Pygmy Goat, Kalahari Goat. etc.

West African Dwarf Goats

This breed is one of the most popular goat breeds in existence.  They’re excellent milkers, with milk that is high in butterfat and protein and sweet tasting.

The average daily milk production is said to be around 2 quarts a day. Some are of course going to be a little higher (the record is just over 3 quarts) and some are going to be lower. 

Red Sokoto

This bread is spread mostly in the Sokoto area. This type is considered as one of the most well defined among African bread.

The colour of the skin coat is red, and it is very valued for leather production.

There is also a sub-breads of such goats, they are called Kano brown and Boronu white. The goats have horns and horizontally positioned short ears. Mature animals have 20- 30 kg of weight. 

Boer Goat

 The Boer breed is characterized by a redhead and red on at least a portion of the neck, with a white body. They have large pendulous ears.

Boer goats are in high demand because they grow fast and produce desirable carcasses.

Boer goats are the largest of the goat breeds. Mature does can weigh between 190-230 pounds, and mature Boer bucks can weigh between 200–340 pounds. 

Pygmy Goat

Pygmy goats are small goats of African origin. They were originally called the Cameroon Dwarf goat. The goat is mostly restricted to the West African countries.

African Pygmy goats are small in size, averaging 15 to 20 inches tall at the shoulders.

Their colour can range from light/white caramel, medium caramel, dark caramel, dark red caramel, silver or light grey agouti, medium grey agouti, dark grey agouti, black with frosted points, solid black and brown agouti.

They provide small amounts of high-quality milk but are considered a meat goat. The pygmy is small, cobby and compact and is not fine-boned like the dairy breeds or Nigerian Dwarfs Pygmies are bred to be “cobby” and heavy boned.

Kalahari Goat

The Kalahari Red is a meat-type goat breed that originated in South Africa.

The namesake comes from the Kalahari desert, which spans the borders of Botswana, South Africa, and Namibia. This semi-arid climate has contributed to Kalahari’s overall hardiness. 

The most distinct visual characteristic of Kalahari Red goats is their red coat colour. They also have strong herding instincts for protection as well. Kalahari Reds have long, floppy ears. Above their ears are moderately-sized, sloping horns.

Starting a livestock farm whether small or large can be quite intensive, If you wish to learn more on how to begin, send us a mail support@livestock247.com

If you made it to the end of this article, don’t forget to check out our other post on “Critical Principles in Dairy Herd Management” here.

Share