Goat

paravet manual

production and
commercialization

 2013 CARE and International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)

This publication is copyrighted by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). It is licensed for use under the Creative Commons AttributionNoncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/. Unless otherwise noted, you are free
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Fair dealing and other rights are in no way affected by the above.
The parts used must not misrepresent the meaning of the publication. ILRI would appreciate being sent a copy of any materials in which text, photos etc. have been used.
Authors: Gisela Costa Pereira (Independent consultant), Birgit Boogaard (ILRI), Michaela Cosijn (CARE), Saskia Hendrickx (ILRI), Amosse Maheme (CARE),
Felisberto Maute (ILRI)
ISBN: 9291463450
Correct citation: Costa Pereira G., Boogaard B., Cosijn M., Hendrickx S., Maheme A. & Maute F. 2013. Goat production and commercialization paravet manual. ILRI
(International Livestock Research Institute), Nairobi, Kenya and CARE Maputo, Mozambique.
ilri.org

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Goat production and commercialization

paravet manual

Who this manual is intended for and how to use it

This manual was developed to help community animal health workers or paravets to
transmit important information on goat production and commercialization to goat
keepers.
Paravets can meet with a small group of goat keepers and talk about goat production
with the support of this manual. It has a number of drawings (sheets) with related text
on the most important issues to discuss regarding production and commercialization.
The paravet starts the session by showing an image to the goat keepers who then say
what they see. From there, the paravet starts asking questions that the goat keepers
answer and, if necessary, the paravet will complete or correct these answers.
The objective of the manual is to improve the knowledge of goat keepers regarding
production and commercialization. In addition, it allows the paravet to interact with
the goat keepers and help them with some of the challenges of goat production.
This manual was developed as part of the imGoats Project, implemented by CARE
and ILRI, and funded by the European Commission through the International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD). The content of this manual was adapted from the
Guide for Veterinary Paravets from the Non-Governmental Organization by VetAid.
The images used were made by Birgit Boogaard (ILRI), with the exception of the one of
the parasites (sheet 3), the well-built male and doe (sheets 8 and 9), the doe with kids
(sheet 10) and the kids (sheet 11), which are from the Heifer manual Raising Goats for
Milk and Meat; and of the castration tool (forms 8 and 9) which is from the Agromisa
Foundation manual Goat Breeding in Tropical Regions.
June 2013

Goat production and commercialization

paravet manual

List of sheets

Sheet 1

How to recognize disease

Sheet 2

Causes of disease

Sheet 3

Parasites

Sheet 4

The goat shelter

Sheet 5

Feeding

Sheet 6

Pasture management (1)

Sheet 7

Pasture management (2)

Sheet 8

Reproductive management (1)

Sheet 9

Reproductive management (2)

Sheet 10

Reproductive management (3)

Sheet 11

Reproductive management (4)

Sheet 12

Commercialization (1)

Sheet 13

Commercialization (2)

Goat production and commercialization

paravet manual

Sheet 1 How to recognize disease

Goat production and commercialization

paravet manual

Sheet 1 How to recognize disease

What do we see in the pictures?
Top left: a goat with normal droppings next to another with diarrhea. In the rest of the page: a flock grazing and
below, left, a goat lying down and isolated from the others.
How can we see if an animal is healthy or sick?
Healthy animal:

It walks well
It is active, alert and has a lively look
It eats and drinks well and ruminates after meals
It has a smooth and shiny pelt
It breaths normally
It has clear urine and droppings with normal
consistency

A sick animal changes its behavior or aspect. It has one

or more of the following symptoms:

It walks alone and is depressed

It is aggressive or anxious
It is weak, with fallen head and tail
It has diarrhea
It lies down
It has liquids running down from the nose or eyes or from
other openings
It doesnt walk well (it limps)
It doesnt eat normally (stops grazing or drinking water)
It is very slim
It has a big belly (swollen)
It breaths with difficulties
It has wounds on the body
It has a high body temperature.

K e y me s s age s

and sick
Signs of healthy
animals
an
What to do when
k is sick
animal in the floc
ences
and the consequ
ck
of not treating si
animals

What should we do if we notice that an animal is not well?

We should separate it from the healthy animals and immediately call the paravet to assist.
We shouldnt forget feeding and watering the animal while it is separated from the others!
What happens if we dont treat a sick animal?
It can get worse and die;
It can transmit the disease to other animals and cause major losses;
It can always have health problems and never become a good breeder or a good animal for sale;
It can have diseases transmissible to human;
For these reasons it is very important to treat sick animals!

Goat production and commercialization

paravet manual

Sheet 2 Causes of diseases

Goat production and commercialization

paravet manual

Sheet 2 Causes of diseases

What do we see in the pictures? A goat defecating in the water; other goats are drinking the same water with droppings.
Why do diseases occur?

K e y me s s age s

s
Causes of disease
imals
How to avoid an
ased
from getting dise
and how to treat
ccur
diseases if they o

Similarly as in people, there are several factors that can cause goats to get sick
Limited feeding
Contact of healthy animals with sick animals
Water or pasture contaminated with droppings
Parasites present in the pasture or in the shelters
Why is prevention better than cure?
It is better to do all we can to prevent animals from getting sick. By doing so, we can avoid concerns and losses when the animals
get sick and need to be treated.
How can we prevent diseases in the flock?
Feed the animals well as this makes them more resistant to diseases (we will talk more about this in a future session).
Always give them clean water to drink.
Keep the goat shelter clean and well ventilated.
Separate sick from healthy animals, so that the disease is not transmitted.
Regular (twice a year) treatment against internal and external parasites (we will talk more about this in a future session).
Where applicable, give goats vaccinations provided by the Veterinary Services.
And when the animal is sick, how can we treat it?
Some diseases can be treated with dewormers, others need drugs such as antibiotics. The best is to call a paravet to assess the
situation and treat accordingly.
Attention: after drug administration, animals shouldnt be slaughtered and consumed immediately (ask the paravet how many
days you should wait)!

Goat production and commercialization

paravet manual

Sheet 3 Parasites

Goat production and commercialization

paravet manual

Sheet 3 Parasites
What do we see on the pictures? A goat with ticks is grazing. Ticks on the grass going towards the goat; a big tick falling on
the pasture and laying eggs. A paravet is spraying the goat against external parasites (ticks).
What are parasites?
Parasites are very small animals that live by benefitting from other animals, in this case, goats.
Examples of parasites are ticks, worms, flies, acarus (often very small or tiny animals that cant be seen with the naked eye
that live on the skin or inside the animal).
How does an animal with parasites look?

Skinny
Sad
It gets sick easily
It has difficulties to reproduce
It can have wounds on the skin.

K e y me s s age s

s
Types of parasite
How animals get
w to
parasites and ho
prevent them

What are internal and external parasites?

Internal parasites live inside the animals body (such as

worms).
External parasites are those that live on the animals skin (such
as ticks) and can cause wounds and abscesses.
Ticks can cause diseases that result in diarrhea.

How do goats get parasites?

In the pasture area, especially when there is overgrazing,
In the shelters if they are not clean, and
When they are near other goats with parasites.
Ticks are found on the grass in the pasture area. When goats are grazing ticks stick to the goats hair and move over the body.
They then start sucking blood and when they are full, they fall on the ground to lay eggs.
Eggs from worms can also be found on the grass and can be swallowed when the goat is feeding. They then develop inside the
goats intestines and subsequently lay eggs that are expelled together with goats droppings. Thus, more grass is contaminated.
How can we prevent and treat parasites? Once again, remember: prevention is better than cure!
Prevention:

Deworm goats twice each year (once at the end of the dry season/
beginning of the rainy season and again at the end of the rainy
season/beginning of dry season);
Deworm young goats after weaning;
Dont deworm pregnant goats during the first month of gestation to
avoid harming foetus;
Rotate the grazing areas;
Build goat shelter in an elevated and dry location and keep it clean!

Treat:

With dewormer,
If the animal is seriously ill, apart from a dewormer, it can be
given an antibiotic to treat possible secondary infections.

Goat production and commercialization

paravet manual

Sheet 4 The goat shelter

10

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Sheet 4 The goat shelter

What do we see in the picture? We can see a shelter built above the ground level. It is night, a time at which it is better
for the goats to be inside the shelter.
Why is it important to have a shelter?
A shelter protects the animals from the rain and adverse weather conditions (just like houses protect humans)
A shelter provides shade (goats like the shade and suffer when there is too much sun)
With a shelter it is easier to restrain the animals when we need to treat and/or to observe them.
The shelter can also help to protect the animals against thieves and predators.

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e
Importance of th
shelter
to build
How and where
d what
a goat shelter an
ke
precautions to ta

What is a good shelter?

Whenever possible, the shelter should be built on an elevated and dry location.
The floor should be above ground level (0,6 to 1m) and should be of bamboo or thin poles/stakes placed at
approximately 1 finger distance from each other to allow droppings to fall on the ground. This prevents animals
from being in contact with urine and droppings (hence possibly parasites).
The shelter should be covered to avoid rainwater from entering.
The shelter should be open enough to allow sunlight to enter in the mornings and late afternoons to ensure it
stays dry and well ventilated.
There should be supplemental feeding in the shelter (in the dry season) and clean water near the shelter (always).
The shelter should be at least 1.5m2 (one and half square meter) for each doe with kid and 1m2 (one square meter)
for other animals.
What precautions should we take with a shelter?
A dirty shelter can be a source of diseases!
It is important to clean the shelter at least once a week.
The droppings that are underneath the shelter should be collected at least once a week and kept separate from the
shelter; after some weeks, it can be used as manure for the cropping areas.

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Sheet 5 Feeding

12

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Sheet 5 Feeding
What do we see in the pictures? A flock of goats grazing with cattle. On the pasture we see grass as
well as shrubs and trees.
Just like people need a balanced diet, animals also need good feeding to grow healthy.
What should goats eat to grow well and be healthy?
It is very important to have a diverse diet consisting of grass, shrubs and tree leaves.

K e y me s s age

Importance of
g
good goat feedin
ear
throughout the y

Goat keepers can cut and give their goats:

Crop residues (maize, sorghum, cassava, peanuts, etc.),
Vegetable leaves (cassava, sweet potato, pumpkin, etc.),
Vegetable left overs (sweet potato, pumpkin, cassava, etc.)
Native and planted vegetation (leucaena, mulberry, velvet bean, etc.)
It is important for goats to eat leaves from trees and shrubs that give pods because they are
usually rich in minerals and vitamins that are important for the good development of the
animals.
It is important to water goats daily. The water must be clean and free of droppings.
Difference in feeding between the dry and rainy season
In the rainy season animals are fatter because they have more feed available.
In the dry season animals are thin because of reduced pasture.
What can be done to mitigate the feed scarcity during the dry season?
One option is to preserve grass as hay bales in the rainy season to use as feed during the dry season.
In addition, crop residues as well as leaves of forage trees can be given to the animals in the dry
season.

13

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Sheet 6 Pasture management (1)

14

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Sheet 6 Pasture management (1)

What do we see in the pictures? On top, a good practice: a herd of goats grazing in a field of
grass, trees and shrubs.
Below, a bad practice: many skinny goats grazing in a depleted field.
What is overgrazing and why is it important to avoid it?
A pasture area has its life cycle.
During the rainy season there is abundant pasture and in the dry season the pasture is
scarce.
In order for the pasture to continue growing, it is necessary to have seeds in the earth.

K e y me s s age

Good practices
on the use and
management of
ure
community past
areas to avoid
overgrazing

Overgrazing is what happens when animals stay for too long on the same pasture and
Eat all that exists;
The pasture gets depleted and is not productive the following year;
When the pasture is depleted, the animals start suffering, getting skinny and sicker.
For these reasons it is important to move animals to different grazing sites regularly (rotation
of grazing areas).
How should the pasture area be?
Animals should graze freely (not tethered).
Goats and cattle can graze on the same area. This is advantageous because they will eat
different plants.
The pasture area should have varied vegetation.
Animals should be moved before depleting the pasture area.
Young animals, being less resistant to diseases, should graze in cleaner sites (less
parasites)
Rotation of grazing areas is advised.

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Sheet 7 Pasture management (2)

16

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Sheet 7 Pasture management (2)

What do we see in the pictures? On top; good practice: rotation of pasture

Below, bad practice: fire in pasture area

K e y me s s age

What is overgrazing and why is it important to avoid it?

A pasture area has its life cycle.
During the rainy season there is abundant pasture and in the dry season the pasture is scarce.
In order for the pasture to continue growing, it is necessary to have seeds in the earth.
Overgrazing is what happens when animals stay for too long on the same pasture and

n the
Good practices o
ment
use and manage
of community
avoid
pasture areas to
overgrazing

Eat all that exists;

The pasture gets depleted and is not productive the following year;
When the pasture is depleted, the animals start suffering, getting skinny and sicker.
For these reasons it is important that to move animals to different grazing sites regularly (rotation of grazing
areas).
What is pasture rotation?
It is a systematic way of moving the animals around over various pasture areas.
The rotation prevents overgrazing and even depletion of the area and it helps to control parasites.
Why is it dangerous to burn grazing areas?
The fires:
Will destroy many shrubs that goats can eat.
When uncontrolled, fires can destroy pasture and endanger houses, people and animals.
They remove grass and shrubs from the soil leaving it more exposed to the sun and rains possibly causing
erosion.
Fires can destroy important medicinal plants for the community.

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Sheet 8 Reproductive management (1)

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Sheet 8 Reproductive management (1)

What do we see in the pictures? Good breeding males selected for reproduction, and the poor ones are
castrated. By using good breeding males, a healthy flock is maintained and there is more income for the farmer.
Talk with goat keepers on the possible advantages of having a good reproductive management system.
Good reproductive management allows maintaining the same flock size while generating income by
selling offspring.
More good quality and quantity of offspring will generate higher income through sales.
For this it is important to select the animals we want to keep in the flock and plan parturitions.

K e y me s s age

Advantages of a
ve
good reproducti
eal age
management; id
es of
for and advantag
castration.

By planning parturitions, good quality offspring will be born in the right period of the year.
With a good reproductive management system we will have healthy flock growth to address our needs!
What are the advantages of castration?
In order to have good offspring, we must only choose the best breeding bucks and castrate the others (with a
burdizzo).
The advantages of castration are:
Castrated bucks will put on weight faster than non-castrated bucks;
Since they gain weight faster, castrated bucks are easier to sell.
Meat from castrated animals is of better quality (it doesnt smell and is tenderer).
The number of abortions caused by attempts of mating pregnant does is reduced and, therefore, the
number of births increases.
The castrated bucks are quieter (less fighting).
It avoids propagation of undesirable characteristics in the flock (poor quality bucks should be castrated).
When should animals be castrated?
As soon as possible, when the animal is young (before 3 months of age).
Old bucks that are not needed for reproduction could be castrated and sold afterwards.

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Sheet 9 Reproductive management (2)

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Sheet 9 Reproductive management (2)

What do we see in the pictures? Good breeding males are selected for reproduction, and the poor
ones are castrated. By using good breeding males, a healthy flock is maintained and there is more
income for the farmer.
How many bucks and does should I have in my flock?
A flock has does, bucks for reproduction, castrated bucks and kids.
It is important to look at the composition of the flock to have more births of healthy offspring and,
thus, more income from sales of animals.
One buck is enough to mate 20-30 does.
With one buck I can have up to 30 does. If I have more than 30 does I will need more bucks.
It is not worthwhile to have more breeder males than the necessary because:
they will start fighting for the does and get hurt

K e y me s s age s

osition
Ideal flock comp
bucks
(right number of
lanced
and does for a ba
vantages
flock) and the ad
ck
of considering flo
composition
f good
Characteristics o
als
reproductive anim

they can cause abortion in pregnant does

a lot of bucks in a flock does not result in more pregnant does.
What are the animals I should choose to keep in my flock?
Choose the does and buck with the best characteristics:
The most sturdy and healthy,
Well built,
Without undesirable characteristics,
Bucks should have both testicles well descended,
Bucks should not be from the same family with the does they are going to mate.
If we leave bad-quality animals in the flock:
Undesirable characteristics will be transferred to offspring,
The quality of the flock decreases over time.

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Sheet 10 Reproductive management (3)

22

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Sheet 10 Reproductive management (3)

What do we see in the pictures? Two (2) does and their offspring, and to the right many kids.
Talk with goat keepers on the possible advantages of having a good reproductive management
system.
Good reproductive management maintains the same flock size while generating income by selling
offspring.

K e y me s s age

ritions
Planning of partu
antages
and possible adv

The more good quality and quantity offspring, the more income we will generate through sales.
To achieve this, it is important to select the animals we want to keep in the flock and plan
parturitions.
By planning parturitions, good quality offspring will be born in the right period of the year.
With a good reproductive management system we will have healthy flock growth to address our
needs!
What is the advantage of planning parturitions?
Goats will be born in the time that is more advantageous to us
when we want to sell,
when there is more pasture,
when we have less work in the field
If we dont plan the parturitions:
offspring can be born at any time
does may run out of feed and get weak and sick
offspring can be born when it is not good time to sell
How to plan parturitions?
We know that the gestation period of goats is 5 months; therefore, the mating time has to be 5
months before the desired time of parturition.
For instance, for offspring to be born in February, the does must be mated in September. This way, the
offspring can be sold by Christmas at 10 months of age.

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Sheet 11 Reproductive management (4)

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Sheet 11 Reproductive management (4)

What do we see in the picture? A kid suckling, and to the right, many kids.
Are there special precautions to consider with pregnant does?
Does approaching parturition get agitated and keep away from the flock. Hence, it is important for them to be in a safe
place where they can be assisted if necessary.
It is safer for kids to be born in the shelter rather than in the pasture area where they might be attacked by wild animals.
By separating the pregnant does from the flock we prevent abortions due to harassment by other goats.
Pregnant does shouldnt walk for long distances, especially during the last months of the gestation.
Pregnant does should be fed well and they should always have clean water available
We need to ensure that the kids, shortly after birth, drink the first milk (called colostrum) as it has important
ingredients to make it strong and able to resist diseases. By doing so, more offspring will survive and there will be
more goats in the flock.

K e y me s s age s

ke with
Precautions to ta
pregnant does
e in
Importance of ag
reproduction
to
The mechanisms
ductive
increase the repro
rate of the flock

What is the best time for does to mate for the first time?
It depends on their weight not on their age. A doe that has reached of its adult weight is ready for mating. For instance, if
the normal weight of an adult doe is 20kg, it can be mated at 15Kg.
Only healthy does should be mated!
What are the disadvantages when a doe gets pregnant at a young age?
It will have to share their energy for their own development with that of the kid
It will never fully develop
The kids born are often small and weak and can easily die
How can we increase the flocks reproductive performance?
As goat keepers, our objective is to improve and increase production so that we can sell more animals.
To increase the number of parturitions per doe in the flock we need to:
Carefully choose the breeding bucks and does
Replace the breeding bucks every 2 to 4 years with younger and stronger animals from other villages so that they wont be
from the same family as the does
Castrate the males that are not good for reproduction
Sell or slaughter does with undesirable characteristics
Keep the animals well fed and de-wormed.

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Goat production and commercialization

paravet manual

Sheet 12 Commercialization (1)

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Goat production and commercialization

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Sheet 12 Commercialization (1)

What do we see in the pictures? To the left, a goat being sold; to the right there is money that can be used to buy food,
for household and school expenditures and to pay the paravet to treat the goats.
Why do persons keep goats?
The goats can be:
A way of saving money,
For consumption,

K e y me s s age s

of a
The importance
gement
good flock mana
ss, cost
Basics on busine
and revenue

For selling,
For offering,
To give prestige in the community, etc.
Why is it important to have a good flock management?
To ensure that we are not losing money with animal production and that we will continue improving our production.
Are we always earning money when we sell an animal?
Note that not all money from selling animals is profit!
We have to think of the costs we had while rearing the animal (e.g., deworming, treatments, transportation to the market,
herder, etc.)
Out of the money that we receive from selling an animal (revenue) we have to put aside what we spent on that animal.
The remaining of the amount we can consider gain or profit.
For example: If we sell a does for 900 meticais (30 USD) while we spent 60 meticais (2 USD) on it (40 on treatment and 20
to go to the market to sell it), then our profit is of 840 meticais (28USD).
Revenue - Costs = Profit (900 - 60 = 840).

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paravet manual

Sheet 13 Commercialization (2)

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Goat production and commercialization

paravet manual

Sheet 13 Commercialization (2)

What do we see in the pictures? To the left, a goat being sold; to the right there is money that can be used to buy food, for
household and school expenditures and to pay the paravet to treat the goats.
Why is it important to invest in the flock?
When we sell animals, it is very important to invest part of the money in the flock so that the business can continue thriving!
Investment in the flock can be:
To buy a good quality animals for reproduction
To deworm the animals
To save some money for when the animals need treatment
To buy some construction materials to make a goat shelter
Thus, our flock will improve and we will always have good offspring and a reliable source of income!
What may happen if we dont invest in the flock?
If we dont invest in the flock:
Weak animals or those with undesirable characteristics may mate and produce weak offspring
We will have less offspring
We will have to sell animals
Some animals may get sick and die
We may end up with no animals.
For these reasons, it is important to invest in good breeding animals and keep the animals healthy!
What can we do to increase the profit?
Keep the animals healthy (well fed, dewormed, with water to drink)
Treat quickly diseases when they occur (to prevent the animals from getting worse and infect others)
Sell the animals when they are young and healthy, around 8 to 10 months (old animals cost more to keep healthy, such as
through treatment and we often sell them at a lower price).
Ensure a balanced flock composition in order to get a lot of offspring.
A lot of does in a flock can give a lot of offspring each year.
Dont forget that one breeding buck is enough for 30 does.
It is not good to have more breeding buck than necessary.
A lot of bucks in a flock doesnt result in more pregnant does.

29

K e y me s s age s

of
The importance
ock
investing in the fl
ces that
Production practi
profit
help increase the

Goat production and commercialization

paravet manual

TEcHnicaL
INFORMATION
Title:
Design:

30

Goat production and commercialization paravet manual

Pixel Design & Servios
[email protected]

21 301463

Goat production and commercialization

paravet manual