Goat Farming

This second edition of a book on goats reflects the increasing interest in these animals as a domestic breed. The book emphasizes the impressive perrformance of the goat – it has the ability to survive in areas of the world that will not support other livestock, and in such environments it will produce products of value to man. Breeds of goats have been developed to yield prodigious quantities of product. For example, on a body weight comparison, a good milking goat produces much more milk than a cow in a comparable environment and the Angora goat grows its fine mohair coat at an impressive rate. On performance alone, it is difficult to understand why the goat has not reached a position of importance in agricultural production before now. Even in the developing countries, where over 65% of the world’s goats are to be found, they are rarely considered as desirable as cows. However, this situation is changing, as education in developing countries has shown that it is often best to improve indigenous species’ breeds and systems rather than import exotic species or breeds from overseas. In the West the paradox of over-production has forced farmers to seek alternative enterprises, concentrating on products for which the demand is still greater than the supply. All of this adds up to an increased interest in the goat and the justification for writing this book.