GOAT PRODUCTION AND LIVELIHOODS:An Integrated Development andTechnology for Nigerian Rural PovertyAlleviation

N.M. Anigbogu Coordinator, Life-Enzyme and Fine Chemical Research, & Department of AnimalNutrition and Forage Science, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.P.M.B. 7267, Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria. E- mail: nmanigbogu@yahoo.com.

Introduction It is widelyrecognized thatexpanding capacityfor goatproduction andmarketing can be apotent catalystfor rural povertyalleviation inNigeria. Goatshave varieties ofcharacteristicsthat make themimportantcontributors tosustainable ruraldevelopment. Theyproduce marketableproducts (meat,milk, and leather)

from scalablehousehold andcommunityproductionsystems, which aregenerally lessvulnerable tocritical harvesttiming than manycrops. Byprovidingagriculturalproducts withrelatively high-income elasticity,goat production isparticularlyattractive as amean for ruralhousehold toparticipate inurban-basedeconomic growth

trends. Goats arealso productiveassets,contributingdirectly to outputthrough animaltraction andindirectly as astore of wealthfor futureinvestment.Finally, they cancontribute to soilfertility andrecycling ofagriculturalwaste. With theseand otheradvantages inmind, the aidcommunity hasconsistentlypromoted

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livestock,especially amongthe poorer ruralcommunities, andthe FAO’s Pro-PoorLivestock Policyinitiative (PPLPI)is a prominentexample of thiscommitment. Inthis presentationwe provide anoverview of theeconomictechnology toolsfor development ofgoat productionand livelihood; anintegrateddevelopment andtechnology forpovertyalleviation forNigerian ruralpoor. The paperpresentsanalyticaltechniques thathave been broughttogether forpromoting Pro-PoorLivestockDevelopmentInterventions,refers to asIntegrated PovertyAlleviation ofLivestockPromotion (IPALP)

for Nigerian ruralpoor farmers.Since there aremany advantages inraising goats,compared tocattle, smallstarting capitalis needed; andmore goats can beraised perhectare. Goatsmultiply fasterthan cattle; theirmilk is easier todigest; and theyare easier tohandle so thateven children findthem easy tomanage.

Overview ofthe IPALP

To improvegeneralunderstandingabout the role ofthe goatproduction inpovertyalleviation, andat the same timestrengthening thebasis of evidenceon how technologycan best support

pro-poor goatdevelopment inNigeria, a suiteof analytical andtechnologicaltechniques arebeing consideredbased on the following:

A). Siteselection

High rollingarea with noswamps or stagnantwater is an idealsite for raisinggoats. They thrivewell in coconutand oil palmplantations whereplenty of space isallowed betweentrees forsunlight. Areasnear the seacoastswhere the soil issandy are idealfor goatproduction forbetter foodsecurity.

B). BreedsThere are no

less than 140different breedsof goats in the

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world, while about50 percent areindigenous to warmclimate. Thefollowing are someof breeds of goatsdeveloped forimprovedproductivities:

i). Anglo Nubain:This breedoriginated bycrossing goatsfrom Nubia, desertregion of NorthSudan and Englishgoats. They haveconvex pendulousears and are bestdescribed as“camel headed.”There is atendency for thejaws to beundershot. TheAnglo Nubian mayshow remarkablevariation incolor.

ii). FrenchAlpine: This breedwas found inSwitchzerland. Itis either blackand white or blackand fawn. Itsforequarters,

abdomen, and legsare either orfawn. Thehindquarters andthe hocks areblack.

iii). Saanen: Thisbreed wasdeveloped inSwiss. The coloris predominantlywhite. It is ahigh milk yielderwith longlactation period.

iv). Toggenburg:This breedoriginated fromthe ToggenburgValley of Switchzerland. Thecolor ranges fromlight fawn to darkchocolate withdistinct whitemarkings; ears arewhite with darkspot in themiddle; with thepresence of twowhite stripes downthe face from theeyes to muzzle.The hind legs maybe white from hockto hooves;forelegs are white

from kneesdownload; andwhite trianglesmay appear oneither side of thetail; while thewattles may bywhite.

v). Jumna Par: Thebreed is black orwhite, the largestand the mosthandsome of theIndian breeds. Itis slender, talland long-bodied.The horns areflat, twisted anddirected to therear, while theforehead isbulging. The earshang downward.

The followinggoats are commonlyfound among theNigerian farmerslocally and can betermed Nigerianbreeds.

1). The Red MaradigoatsThe Maradi as itis been known isof goat size, hasgained an

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internationalreputation for thequalities of itsskins which,because of thequalities traded,is esteemed inLondon and Paris.This goat’sgreatestpopulations arefound on eitherside of theNiger/Nigeriaborder, in Maradi,Zinder, Zaria andSokoto. It is agoat of an averagesize. The heightto the withers inbucks is about 65cm, and that ofthe does is less.It weighs between25-30 kg. Thesexual dimorphismis generallynegligible. Thehead of the Maradigoats is fine. Thehorns are ofaveragedevelopment, andare triangular,flattened whilethe face isbackwards. Theears are generallylong and dropping

but horizontal. Ithas a slender neckand in the buck,it is shorter. Thebody of this goatis full. Although,the length of thelimbs makes it toappear greyhound-like.

The coat is ofchestnut colorwith uniformmahogany coloredtints and is shortand thick. TheMaradi aregenerally veryprolific; twinbirths aregenerally commonand three or four.The kid births arenot unusual. Themilk production ismore thansufficient to feedthe young andvaries from 0.2 kgto 0.5 kg for 80– 100 days in thedry season, whileabout 0.5 kg to1.5 kg for 100 –200 days in therainy season. Theanimal is a goodchevon animal

therefore is goodfor meat. Theyield of meat isfrom 45 to 50 %and if castratedthe bucks reaches55 per cent. Theskins are highlyvalued and verymuch appreciatedfor their lighttexture. They areused for thequality Moroccantrade and forsuede garments.Here are thedifferent types ofMaradi goats:

i). The SokotoRed: This is themost importantbreed of Maradigoats in thenorthern part ofNigeria. Thebreed’s area ofmajor distributionis in the Sokotoat latitude 12º-13º N to longitude04º-05º E. The RedSokoto is a biganimal, with hasred glossy coatcolor and finebones. The skinsof this goat have

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been used forcenturies toproduce the finestleather in theworld, the Moroccoleather thatcommands goodvalue. The skin islight, thin andsupple due to thevery fine patternof the hairfollicles. Thisbreed is rearedmainly for itsskin value.

ii). Kano Brown:This breed ofMaradi is a mediumsize goat whichhas red glossycoat, while theears are straightand horizontal.This Kano brown ismostly producedfor its meat, andis transported tothe southern partof Nigeria forsale in the majorcities. They arelarger and morerobust than theSokoto Red, whilethe skin iscoarser. Generallyfound around the

Kano area ofNigeria. It isalso priced forits skin.

iii). Bornu Red:The Bornu red typeof Maradi isgenerally found inthe Bornu areas ofnorthern Nigeria.This breed of goatis fairly a biganimal with largependulous ears,with thin pointedhorns and longthin legs. Thecoat colorcharacteristicvaries from red towhite, while theskin is muchcoarser and largerthan that of theSokoto Red; alsoof good pricevalue.

iv). Bauchi Type:They can bedistinguished fromthe other Maradigoats only by itslarge size. Thecoat color isusually red andwhite. They aregood for chevon

and skin value;and are similar toBornu red and Kanobrown.

v). DamagaranDapple Grey: Thisbreed type ofMaradi goat isfound at area ofDamagaran in thenorthern Nigeria.They are dapplegrey in color.They are of chevontype goat but aswell productmoderate amount ofmilk. The size iscomparable tothose of the Bornured, Kano brownand the Bauchitype. TheDamagaran goatsare also good fortheir fine skins,which are highlyvalued.

vi). MaiduguriRoan: Is a breedof Maradi goatthat is foundmainly in the areaof Maiduguri inthe northernNigeria, andmainly roan in

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color. They aresimilar in size tothe Bornu red andthe Sokoto red.They are goodmilkers betterthan the otherMaradis, and alsoof good skincharacteristic asthe Maradi goats.

2). The WhiteMaradi/Dry-zone/Sahal goatsThis breed of goatis found at thefar northernNigeria aroundSokoto and areasnear the desert.The Sahal are oflarge size, andlong bodied, about80-95 cm to thewithers among thebucks and 70-75 cmin the does. Theweight varies from30 to 40 kg. andunto 50 kg whenthe animal isproperly managed.The head is smalland triangularwith a flatforehead, whilethe nose isstraight. The buck

has long hornsthat are thickset,flattened, ringedand spiral, turnedtowards the rearand spreadingoutwards. Notethat the horns ofthe female arefiner. The goatears are short andeither horizontalor dropping; thebeards andpendants arefrequent. The neckis flat, thin andlong, the chestsloppingdownwards, narrowand long. Thebelly is drawn in. The hindquartersof this goat areshort andinclined. The tailis short andraised. For thedoe the udder ispendulous and theteats are easy tomilk. The coatvaries withvariety and areawith two or threecolours – black,white, red, greyand somethingmixed. The coat is

generally fine andshort, while themale has a mane,which extends tothe hindquarters.The goat is veryprolific; theyoften producetwins, andsometimes more.Their milkproduction isabout 70 kg for a120 days lactationperiod. The meathas no odor exceptamong the oldmales. The chevonyield is from 40to 45 %, which isof good result.They are good bothfor meat and milk.

3). The Dwarfgoats The dwarf goatsare found mainlyin the southernNigeria,especially in theforest zones.There are alsointermediate typesthat occur fromthe SouthernGuinea Zonenorthwards. Thisbreed of goats has

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short thicksetframe. The coatcolorcharacteristicranges fromuniform tomulticoloredblack, brown andwhite, and it hascoarser bones andgreater bodysurface area thanthe Sokoto Red.These goatscorrespond closelyto thedistribution ofthe dwarf sheep.The breedcharacteristic isof short legs and‘blocky’ body,very hardy, goodmeat and prolific,frequentlyproducing twins ortriplets. Thisvery prolificbreed can producekids three timesin two years. Somecan kid six in agiven time. Basedon the place foundone candistinguished themas, 1). Sub-humidtype, 2). Thehumid types. The

main differenceamong them is thesize, which isbigger among thesub-humid ones andsmaller in sizeamong the humidtypes.

They are known asthe WAD goat. Theyare welldistributed inNigeria in allzones of thesouthern part ofthe countryreached byrainfall of morethan 1000mm. Theyare hardy littleanimals commonlyfound throughoutcoastal area southof lat. 140 N.They are reared infreedom and arevery independent.This humid-zonegoat weighs 20-25kg, and is ofsmall size, about35-50 cm high. Itis noted that thehigher theatmospherichumidity, the morethe size isreduced. Their

very short legsgave them anextraordinarycharacterizedappearance. Thehead is strong andof a straightprofile, which isslightly concave.The forehead hasbony pegs, whilethe ears are longand often heldhorizontally oreven erect.Generally the neckis short and broadat the base. TheWAD goat has roundbody, with sunkenwithers and withlarge chest. Thelimbs aregenerally shortand the sub-sternal space isvery small andabout 20-25 cmbased on the sizeof the animal. Thegoats aregenerally hardyand surviveperfectly in areasinfested withtsetse. Thecastrated bucksfatten easily andthe yield of

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chevon reaches 55or even 60 %.

C).Reproductivephenomena

In theNigeria, there isno definitebreeding seasonfor goats. Goatsare bred atanytime of theyear. Theshortening of thedaylight hoursstimulates theonset of estrus,while thelengtheningretards the onsetof the estrus. Inarea where theweather is similarto that of Umudikein Abia State, thetime to breed isMay and June sothat kidding cantake place inOctober andNovember. This isbecause, the feedis abundant atthis time and theweather up to Juneis favorable forthe development of

the young stocks.The breeding agefor the doe is 12months, while thatof the buck is 8months. Theconception rate isabout 80%. Theestrous cycle is21 days, withestrous period of1 to 3 days. A doein heat mayexhibit thefollowing signs:loss of appetite,bleating,decreased milkproduction,presence of mucousdischarge from thevagina,nervousness,waging of the tailrhythmically fromside to side;frequenturination, andswelling of thevulva. Some doesexhibit falseheat, and willaccept the buck inthe normal way,while few of themmay becomepregnant. Goat hasgestation periodof 150 days. The

kidding intervalof goat is about 8months, while thekidding rate is1.6kids per kidding,with the ovulationof about 33 hoursafter thebeginning ofestrus. Thepuberty period is5 months.

D). Breedingstrategies

The successof goat enterprisedepends on how oneapplies theprinciples ofbreeding,selection, systemsof breeding, andother strategies.No doe can producemeat or milkbeyond the limitsimposed by herancestor.Therefore, all-importantobjective inbreeding goats isto breed a moreuseful andproductive doe ormodify the goat tofit the human

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need. Theimprovement ofeconomic traitsthrough theapplication ofbreeding cannotsucceed without aneffective systemof selection,which should bebased on thefollowing:

i). Genetic: Theperformance of ananimal isinfluenced by itsgenetic make-upand thesurroundingenvironmentalfactors. An animalpossessing adesirable geneticcomposition for agiven trait willnot perform wellif theenvironmentalfactors areunfavorable forthe manifestationsof such traits. Onthe other hand,when an excellentenvironment isproved to ananimal, when theanimal in question

does not possessthe genetic make-up, the animal’sperformance willnot besatisfactory. Ourjob therefore isto utilize theknown geneticprinciples asapplied to goatbreeding; and toprovide thenecessaryenvironmentinconsistent witheconomicprinciples toallow the fullexpression of thegenetic potentialof individualgoat.

ii). Heritabilityestimates oftraits in goats.

TraitsHeritability

Estimates:

Weaning weight0.33 - 0.55

Weight at 7 months0.49 –

0.77Milk yield perlactation 0.36 –

0.60Protein yield(milk)

0.47Fat yield

0.30 – 0.47Milking time

0.67Age of kidding

0.77Multiple births

0.25

iii). Importantpoints to beconsidered inselection of goatsfor productionare: a); the malehood being thebuck and, b); thefemale hood knownas the doe.a). The buck:Generally one halfof the bloodcomposition of theherd comes fromthe buck, theimprovement of theherd depends muchon the male. Thefollowing pointsshould beconsidered inselection of thebuck for betterproductivity and

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improvement infood security.

Ii]. Bloodcomposition: Thepurebred buck ofan improved breedmay be used forbreeding purpose.The offspring of apurebred buck isgenerally moreuniform and betterthan theirparents, not onlyin the physicallyattributes butalso in generalcharacteristic aswell. If purebredsare hard to find,one’s secondchoice may be touse a crossbred ora high-grade buck.

Iii]. Compositionand vigor: Thebuck to be usedshould be heaviestanimal in theherd, with provenattributes. Thechest and barredshould be welldeveloped, andthere should bewidth between thelegs.

Iiii]. Breedingquality: It shouldhave the abilityto transmit itsperformancecharacteristics/qualities to hisprogeny orsubsequencegenerations. Thisability is shownby the appearanceof the head, neckand shoulders.

Iiv].Aggressiveness:The buck should beactive and alwaysready to breed an“in-heat” doe andshould not show apreference for aparticular doewhen two or moredoes are in heatat the same time.

b). The doe: Hereare facts toconsider in theselection of thedoe forproduction.

Ii]. Milkproduction: Thedoe’s body should

be wedge-shaped.The doe shouldhave a capaciousudder with well-shaped teats.

Iii]. Size: Shewill have largebody size, whichis an advantage inmilking does. Thelarge the doe themore milk sheproduces.

Iiii]. Docilityand dairytemperament: Thedoe should givethe least troublewhen handling.

Iiv]. Motherlyinstinct: The doeshould showfondness and carefor herkids/young.

E). Breedingsystems

i). Crossbreeding; This isthe mating of twodistinct breeds.The main emphasisis to obtain

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heterosis orhybrid vigor.ii). RotationalBreeding: Here twoor more breeds ofprovencharacteristicsare usedalternatively. Thepurpose is toincorporate thedesired traits ofthe differentbreeds in theoffspring or thesubsequentgeneration.

iii). Upgrading –This is asuccessive use ofa purebred sire oran improved sireon grade dams.Upgrading hasseveraladvantages; it isthe cheapest meansof replacing thelocal stockbecause only malesor semen are used.Since semen isused, areaprograms can berapidly initiatedthrough thefollowing: 1). Onecould plan for

upgrading for thelocal goats withimproved stockthroughimportation ofsires or semen, orfrom seed stockherd of imports.2). One could planfor the upgradingof the local stockwith crossbredsires producedfrom seed stockfarms.

F). Feeds andfeedingstrategies i). Feeding habitsof goats: Goatswill browse manykinds ofvegetation such asgrass, weeds andleaves of shrubsand trees.Although they eatgrass it is nottheir preference.They consumeplants ignored bycattle and willgrass too shortfor cattle. Theycan also subsiston refuse,

concentrate feeds,and otherconventional aswell as non-conventional feedstuffs.

ii). Feeding thegeneral herd: Ingeneral, herdshould be pasturedall the time tolower the cost ofbreeding andmaintaining thegoats. Note thatwith an improvedpasture, one canraise more than 28goats in onehectare. Oneshould keep thegoats in the barnduring rainy days,and provide themwith cut grass andhay to eat, withsome cheapconcentrate feedslike maize offal,wheat offal,bambara groundnutoffal, rice millfeed, palm kernelcake, soybeanmeal, soybeanhull, rice bran,bone meal, etc.When given forage

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or hay, it ispreferable to besuspended for thegoats to reach, orplaced in feedracks, as to whenthe concentratefeeds areprovided.

iii). Lactatingdoes: Thelactating doesmore especiallythe high producersdo not have thecapacity toconsume enoughforage that willsatisfy theirnutritionalrequirement.Hence, a goodquantity ofconcentratemixture must bemixed to containabout 16 to 18% ofcrude protein andbe provided tothem. Examples ofconcentratemixtures that maybe given to thelactating doesare: Mixture I -Ground maize 30parts, maize offal20 parts, palm

kernel cake 30parts, rice millfeed 20 parts;then mix 1 % eachof common tablesalt and groundoyster shell withthe concentratemixture to balancethe ration;Mixture II - Palmkernel cake 40parts, groundmaize 10 parts,maize offal 15parts, soybeanmeal 15 parts,Rice mill feed 10parts, molasses 8parts, bone meal 1part, and salt 1part. In the aboverations wheatoffal can replacemaize offal on 100% weight basis.The amount of theconcentratemixture to begiven to thelactating doe willdepend on the milkyield; give 0.3 to0.5 kg for everykg of milkproduced. If zerograzing or cut andcarry ispracticed, one

should provide 6kg of soilage forevery 100 kg ofbody weight or 2kg of dry roughagefor every 100 kgof body weight forthe lactating doe.

iv). Pregnantdoe / in kid doe:An in kid orpregnant doe mustbe fed with goodquality feeds tobuild up her bodyreserve for thecoming lactationand to nourish thedeveloping feti.The doe should beallowed access togood qualitypasture androughage plyconcentrate atlevel of 0.2 to 0kg per day,depending on herbody condition.

v). Yearling does:Yearling doesshould not beallowed to growfat, though shouldbe provided withsufficient feedfor maintenance

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and growth. Toobtain a desiredgrowth rate, goodquality pasture orroughage plus 0.2to 0.7 kg ofconcentrate willbe enough.

vi). Breedingbucks: The buckthat is not in theactive breedingservice could bemaintained solelyon good pasture.Two weeks beforeand during thebreeding season,the buck rationshould besupplemented with0.45 to 0.9 kgconcentrate.vii). Young kids:a). The kidsshould be allowedto go with theirdam until they areaged, if the doeis not handmilked. b). If thedam is hand milkeda few days afterkidding, the kidshould be bottle-fed. The kidshould be allowedto run with the

dam for the firstthree days. On the4th day, it willbe separated fromthe dam and bottlefed with 0.7 to0.9 liter of wholemilk per day. Thekid should be fed3 to 5 times aday, especiallyduring the firstweek. Then, at the2 weeks of age,good qualitylegume hay may begiven. At this agethey have startednibbling theconcentratemixtures. Notethat as amount ofthe forage andconcentrate intakeincreases theamount of milk tobe fed decreases.One shoulddiscontinue thefeeding of milk at4 months of age.

viii). Nutrientrequirements ofgoats: Thefollowing arenutrientrequirements forgoats: a). The

energy and proteinrequirements formaintenance ofgoats and, b).Energy and proteinrequirements formilk production ingoats as per kg ofmilk produced.

xv). CommonNigerianfeedstuffs forgoat production.

G). Housingfacilities

Adequatehousing facilitiesmust be providedto protect thegoats from coldweather and heavyrains. Goatsprefer staying onhigh shady and dryplaces. Goats areoften seen onprotruding rocks,beaches, on theexposed steps ofhouses, and piledlumber kept underthe house. Housefor goats must beraised above theground withsufficient space

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provided for easycleanliness. Ingoat housing gooddrainage isimportant, theurine must not beallowed toaccumulate on thefloor; it mustflow into thedrainage canal asprovided ascomponent of thehousing system.If the concretefloor is providedthis should slopedown into channeldrainage. It isnot advisable toprovide anexpensive housingfor the goats. Onecan make use ofthe makeshiftsfrom the old farmbuildings. An oldchicken house orone that is not inused anymore canbe repairedwithout muchexpense and labor,which could gointo theconstruction ofnew house. Inplanning a goathouse, one should

consider thehealth and comfortof the goats andthe convenience ofthe caretaker. Thehouse should bebuilt in such away that theattendant does nothave to enter theliving quarters inorder to give thefeed and water.The feeds andwater may beplaced in theholders (feedersand waterers) onthe inside of thefront walls, or tobe reached bygoats throughportholes in thefront of theirpens.

For the backyardgoat raisers,raising a fewheads the housecan be made withcogon or niparoof. When thereare no windbreaks,the side mostexposed to theprevailing windsshould be properlycovered. A small

box on elevatedplatform may beplaced in onecorner of the goathouse for holdingsalt block orminerals notprovided in thediet. Thematernity orkidding pen mustbe provided forthe does that areabout to kid. Thewateringfacilities andfeed rack forholding water, andputting forage andconcentrate mustbe provided in thefront of thehouse. Onepeculiarity of thegoats is that itcannot withstandgrazing under therain; hence, feedmust be providedto them in thehouse during theheavy rain. Allowa floor space ofat least onesquare meter peradult animal andabout 9 linear in.as feeding space.

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H).Managementpractices1). Breedingpractices forgoat:

a). It is possibleto breed a doe at5 months but thispractice is notadvisable for itwill affect herproperdevelopment. Whenthe doe is welldeveloped and isin good health,the doe should bebred afterattaining the ageof one year.

b). As a rule,the “in estrus”or “in heat” doeshould beintroduced to thebuck. Although itis possible to doit the other way,but bettercooperation may beexpected from thebuck if the doe isintroduced. Thisis because the

buck is at ease inhis environment.

c). Some does areshy when they areserved for thefirst time. Thisreaction shouldnot be confusedwith the does’refusal to bemated. Adjustmentsmust be made togive them a chanceto get acquainted.

d). Correct timefor breeding –Does are generallyfertile and easilybecome in kid orpregnant on oneservice. Thosethat are in heatin the morningmust be bred inthe afternoon,while the doesthat come in heatin afternoon mustbe bred early inthe morning of thefollowing day. Ifthe doe is stillreceptive 24 hoursafter the firstservice; she mustbe given a secondservice.

e). Bucks shouldbe change every1.5 to 2 years toprevent inbreedingin the herd.

2). Care of thefreshening doe andnewborn kids.

a). The doe shouldbe placed in abedded dry,disinfected stallof about 1 m x1.5m.

b). The doe shouldbe checked at halfhour intervalswithout anydisturbance,because anyexcitement mayinterfere with thenormal process.After the mucousdischargelubricates thepassage and theplacental sacbreaks, the kidsare usually bornwithin an hour.

c). After the doehas strained foran hour and a half

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with littlesuccess, one canplace bedding or asack half filledwith saw dustunder her hindlegs making thefront enddownhill. Thiswill help to lineup the kid forproperpresentation.

d). As soon as thekid is delivered,wipe the body withdry towel; alsoremove the mucousthat may beclogging the noseto help the kidbreath freely.

e). The umbilicalcord should be cutabout 2 inchesfrom itsattachment to thebody, and shouldbe painted withtincture of iodineafter tying thecut end.

f). The kid shouldbe placed in thebedding boxespecially

prepared for it.It should beprovided with abrooder, or ifpossible be placedunder the sun fora few minutes tohelp dry-off andstrengthen.

Note: In anextensive goatproduction andunder localcondition, nospecial attentionis given to thedoe (s) at beddingtime. It is leftalone and placedin a cleanpasture. The doelicks the kidclean and dry.

3). DehorningDehorn when thekid is less thanone week of age.The best way toperform it is withthe use of causticpotash or sodiumhydroxide pellets.The kid should bethrown on itsside, and thehairs around thebase of the horn

clipped off.Vaseline should beapplied around theunclipped portionof the hair. Thenrub the causticstick with acircular motion atthe base of thehorn until theskin bleedsslightly. The hornbutton should besloughed off inabout a week.

I). Otherroutinepractices

i). Hoof trimming:The hoofs f goatsunder confinementusually overgrown.Trimming of thehoofs are requiredusing a roseprunner and asmall curved knifeare among theadequate toolsneeded. The excesshoof will betrimmed until itleveled up withthe frog (whitecenter part). Notethat when the

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hooves areuntrimmed, willcoarse lamenessand make it proneto rot.

ii). Dehorning:This is muchimportantespecially amongthe milking herds.When the animal isdehorned, it ismore docile thanthe horned ones.Dehorning alsoeliminateunnecessary woundsdue to fighting.The young onesdehorn when thebuds appear (2-4months using hotiron cautery, a ½in GI pipe will beeffective andcheap. The methodof dehorning isnot really goodfor the young,because the youngkids tend to lickeach other, whichmay lead tocauterizedtongues.

iii). Castration:Castration in

goats is muchpreferable withinthe first onemonth of age. Thisis the stage thetesticle is stillnot properlydeveloped, thuscould not coarsemuch bleeding andstress among thekids. Thecastrated males dogrow faster thanthe uncastratedmales or thefemales.

iv). Tattooing,ear notching andother forms ofidentification: Inorder to keeptrack ofindividualanimals, apositiveidentification isneeded for thefarmer’s records.No properrecording will bepossible if theanimals are notcorrectlyidentified. Theear notching isthe most commonone because of its

permanence, lesscost and easyidentification.One should refrainfrom using plastictags. Tattooingthe animals thoughcauses nodeformities butrequires specialtools and withextra costs.

v). Recordkeeping: For thefarmer to attain agood breeding herdprogram, a properand well keptrecording systemis necessary. Therecord mustreflect all theessential data ofthe individualanimals.

vi). Sanitation:The environmentshould be properlyclean at all timeand should be freeof diseases,pests, andparasites.

Action forDevelopmentPractitioners

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It is hoped that agrowing number oflocal, nationaland internationalorganizations willseriously considerthis option of“Goat Productionand Livelihoods:An IntegratedDevelopment andTechnology forNigerian RuralPovertyAlleviation” fordevelopment andimplementation. Itcan serve as animportant toolboth ex ante andex post; and couldimprove Nigerianrural povertyalleviation oftarget groups andanticipate theneeds foreffective programsupport, marketaccess andemployment.Whether the desiretechnology andmanagement changesin the Nigeriangoat productionindustry willactually take

place depends to alarge extent onhow effectivelyproponents canpresent theirarguments topolicy anddecision makers atvarious levels,within the contextof the prevailingpolitical economy.Tool such as thistechnology willsupport thedesign, promotion,and implementationof more effectivepolicies forequitable,sustainableagricultural andeconomic growthfor betterNigerian as anintegrateddevelopment andtechnology for theNigerian ruralpovertyalleviation andfor betterNational as wellas world foodsecurity.

References

Anigbogu, N.M. 2009.Quail Production andIts Sustainability forNigeria Food Securityand PovertyAlleviation(Unpublished).

Anigbogu, N.M. 2009.Formulating Ration forDairy Cattle and It’sImpart on DairyIndustry and RuralEmploymentOpportunities inNigeria (Unpublished).

Anigbogu, N.M; S. I.Ibe; J.C. Anosike2009. Production oflife-enzyme (Direct-fed-microbes) fromsawdust/Zymomonasmobilis as feed forgoats. Raw MaterialsResearch andDevelopment Council.Federal Ministry ofScience and TechnologyDocumentation. RMRDCTECHNO-EXPO’ 09TECHNOLOGY ANDINNOVATION FAIR.www.rmrdc.gov.ng.

Anigbogu, N.M. 2007.Breeds and How toJudge and Select Sheepand Goats. Helen’sAgricultural Resourcesand BiotechnologicalCenter, Onitsha,Nigeria. 99pg.

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