Starting In The Goat Business:

[mikey]

There is more to the goat business,other than buying some goats and letting them roam in a pasture.In most cases this will fail as a venture.There are 3 areas one can consider:
-Breeding for brood/foundation stock to sell to other producers,this is very expensive to start up as one needs superior stock to begin with.The sale of the offspring would be expensive.Sales can be slow at first until one gets a good name in the breeding business
-Commercial/Slaughter,cheaper to set up than a breeding business,this is probably the best choice for someone new in the business.
-Dairy,should you be lucky enough to live near a dairy or able to sell fresh goats milk,having dairy goats with no market for their milk,is not profitable.Culled dairy goats end up in the meat market.Some people have been known to only milk their goats for 3-4 months,dry them off and wait to rebred the does,you are now breeding for the meat market.
In the goat business,there is always a learning curve at first,educate yourself,talk to other producers,visit other farms,read all the material you can.Good Farming To You:
Farmers Feed The World

[mikey]

Crossbreeding Options for goat meat production:
1-this is the most simpe plan,have some maternal goats,  does kept in a purebred system to produce replacement does and you would crossbred the rest with a terminal sire.All crossbred kids will be going for slaughter.This is the most simple and economical system
2-the best crossbreeding system is one that maximizes hybrid vigor,by crossing 2 maternal breeds in order to produce a maternal hybrid F1 does.Later,these hybrid does will be crossed to a terminal sire.All progeny is going to slaughter

Example:
1-purebred anglo doe X purebred boer buck =50/50 anglo/boer or Borang
2-native doe X purebred anglo buck =F1 anglo/native or Hybrid
   F1 hybrid doe X purebred boer buck =3 way cross  Mix

This is commercial/slaughter goat meat production.You are now in the business.

[mikey]

Why Crossbreeding:
hybridization or crossing 2 very different and unrelated breeds,will produce all the advantages of heterosis.Heterosis,is commonly known as Hybrid Vigor.This allows the progency (offspring) to be superior to the average of its 2 parents.The crossbreeding produces hybrid vigor,which should result in an improvement of the performance and to the productivity.Productivity is measured by number of kids born.This is defined by the kidding interval,meaning,number of kidding/year/goat and the mortality rate of the kids at birth.In meat goat productions,crossbreeding has some main objectives to improve performance.Productivity and efficiency is important to reduce your production costs.The biggest does produce bigger kids,but the goat needs more food to maintain and to reproduce.The biggest does are not always the most productive animals.In a commercial/slaughter operation,productivity is most important,than the size of the maternal does to be crossed.Your goal in a typical meat goat production is to strive for medium size goats,that are hardy,long lives,very maternal,fertile,prolific,good milkability.very vigorous kids.One should also remember that your terminal sire(s) should be be selected for their growth and meat confirmation.

[mikey]

maternal,prolific,sire or terminal breed:
-Maternal means:you select this breed for the productivity of the does.There is a relationship between strong muscling and the productivity.Some believe,very muscled goats are less productive.The does of maternal breeds are your foundation breeding stock of a commercial herd,chosen for their low maintance costs,their high productivity and their muscle/meat conformation.

-Prolific means:does selected for their prolificity,number of kids born/kidding and the kidding interval.Prolific breeds will not have a meat conformation at all.

-Sire & Terminal Breed:selected for strong masculine traits,means sire breed.Your choice is geared towards an outstanding meat confirmation and high growth rate.This breed will be used for terminal crosses,that is why it is known as a terminal breed.

The objective of your commercial/slaughter meat goat operation is:
-a crossbreeding program requires to breed a maternal breed and the sire breed,that allows the maximum of hybrid vigor in order to maximize the efficiency of your production.

Welcome To The Goat Business:

[mikey]

The Plan,easier to start with f1s,then breed for a Triple Cross (TC),purebred does will cost alot of money to start a goat business.

Maternal Does-Prolific-philippine native does are smaller but much more adaptable to local conditions,reach sexual maturity earlier,have higher fertility rates,shorter kidding interval,good mothering ability,known for multiple births.Their body conformation at this point is not so important as they will be bred to a Anglo Nubian (A-N) buck to create f1s for the final step in your goat meat enterprize (triple cross).
Anglo Nubian (A-N)-is a meat and milk type breed.The crosses between the A-N and the native gives one the capacity to produce more milk,really helpful when twins and triplets are born.The first generation F1 does are expected to inherit the qualities of their parents.A-N buck and native does for the grandparental lines because of their known traits.
Boer breed-as a terminal sire because of its meatiness quality,its a meat breed,high growth rates,gaining more than 200 grams per day from birth to 100 days.
The Triple Cross (TC)-A-N X N = F1 X Boer = Triple Cross TC:has a higher body weight gain and better meat quality compared with their counterparts.Triple cross goats can command higher market price.At birth.a TC goat weighed 3.34 kg. compared to the A-N 2.62 kg.At 3 months old a TC was 13.27 kg. A-N was 10.25 kg.At 8 months old, a TC was 22.74 kg.A-N was 19.87 kg.A triple cross (TC) goat had a 80 gram daily weight gain,which is more than the A-Ns 71.87 grams.TC goats post higher weight than A-N upgrades at different stages.In producing TC goats,selection of breeds to serve as Grandparental and Parental lines is important as it will detethe goats characteristics and features to what a producer weants to be inherited by the offspring.

Some of the biggest mistakes people make in this business:
-try to get too big too fast
-lack of experience and knowledge about goats
-out of sight,out of mind,goats cannot take care of themselves
-lack of capital
-poor business plan,high expectations in the beginning
-bringing in the goats before the housing,fencing,feedstuffs etc.
wiser to start small,with gained experience and knowledge,one can always expand and purchase better quality terminal sires.Start with Native does and upgrade.You have now been given a basic lesson on meat goat production.The rest is up to you.
Good Farming:
SUPPORT THE GOAT: