GOAT prelim

• Goats, being small animals, are popularly raised by smallholder farmers
• Goats


  • Relatively easier to raise than large ruminant animals
  • Small initial investment
  • Small risk of loss
• Goats


  • Provide meat, milk, and supplemental cash to rural farm families
  • Their manure is used as organic fertilizer in crops, contributing to soil improvement
• In 2002, the volume and value of goat production were 74,790 t liveweight and P4,152 million, respectively
• Utilization was recorded at 33,550 t, which is a bit higher than the 2001 figure of 33,467 t
• The demand for chevon is increasing, but supply is low, particularly in Luzon
• To increase production, it is imperative to employ improved production techniques
• This volume is the third revision of The Philippines Recommends for Goat Farming, which was first published in 1977 and was revised in 1982 and 1985
• It aims at providing extension workers, research and development (R&D) workers, students, farmers, and those who are yet to venture in goat production an updated package of recommendations on goat farming
• PCARRD, in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture-Livestock Development Council (DA-LDC) and the Philippine Agriculture and Resources Research Foundation, Inc. (PARRFI), hopes to contribute to the improvement of the goat industry, as well as the government's programs on food sufficiency and income improvement, particularly in the rural areas
• Parturition


  The general term for giving birth
• Postpartum


  The period after birth
• Postpartum breeding


  Mating after calving or when uterus and other parts of the reproductive system have returned to normal
• Purebreed


  Animals bred from pureblood and are qualified for registration
• Ration


  Feed allowed for a given animal for a day of 24 hours, whether it is fed at one time or in proportion at different times
• Scrotum


  The external bag or pouch that holds the primary sex organs of males
• Sole


  Bottom or undersurface of the foot
• Stocky


  Thick-set; sturdy or firm built
• Tan


  To treat or change hide or animal skin into leather
• Teat


  Nipple of the udder; the protuberance of an udder through which the milk passes out
• Testes


  Primary sex organ of the male where sperms and male hormones are produced
• Tethering


  Restraining an animal with a rope or chain to allow limited movement
• Tunica vaginales


  Thin membrane covering the testes
• Udder


  Organ in the female animal that secretes milk
• Viscera


  Soft interior organs in the body cavities that include the intestines, heart, lungs, etc.
• Vulva


  Outer genital organ of the female animal; the opening into the vagina
• Wattle


  Fleshy lobe or appendage hanging down from the throat or chin of goats
• The country's goat industry is generally of the smallholder type or small-scale in operation. Tethering production is still the predominant system being practiced. Goat raising remains an integral component of smallholder mixed farming systems where it provides smallholders with meat, milk, and supplemental income.
• In 2002, the Philippines had 3.29 million (M) goats; 99.6% (3.28 M head) of these are raised in smallholder farms in rural and rural-fringed areas. Only a meager .4% (.01 M head) is found in commercial farms.
• Regions with highest goat population

  • Region VII (15%)
  • Region I (13%)
  • Region VI (11%)
  • Region XI (10%)
  • Region III (7%)
• The goats' popularity as a 'poor man's cow' helped boost its population inventory and total volume and value of production.
• Inventory increased from 2.3 M in 1992 to 3.3 M in 2002, with an average annual growth rate of 4%. Total production of 59,670 t liveweight valued at P1,908.0 M in 1992 reached 74,790 t liveweight valued at P4,152.0 M in 2002.
• Offtake figures decreased from 26 kg in 1992 to 23 kg in 2002.
• In 2002, gross supply of chevon was 33,550 t, 8% lower than the 1992 figure of 36,520 t. Utilization in 2002 was 25,308 t for carcasses and 8,242 t for offals. The per capita consumption is still low at .42 kg/year.
• Advantages of goat farming

  • Require only a small initial investment
  • Can be easily integrated with crop-based farming systems
  • Can thrive even on browse and survive in environments that cannot support cattle
  • Mature earlier, have higher fertility, capable of multiple births, and have shorter gestation period
• Constraints hampering goat productivity and development

  • Lack of and high cost of quality breeder stocks
  • High mortality rate at preweaning stage
  • Endoparasitism and development of anthelmintic resistance
  • Absence of a defined breeding program
  • Socioeconomic problems (e.g., land ownership, lack of institutional credit facilities, undefined marketing system)
• The goat subsector faces a bright future due to high and increasing demand for meat, and low supply, particularly in Luzon.
• Price on per head and per kilogram liveweight bases is increasing every year. The average yearly increase from 1990 to 2000 was 7% on per head basis, and 50% increase from 2000 to 2001 price level on per kilogram liveweight basis.
• Chevon can be prepared into a wide array of palatable dishes and is a good material for processing into different meat products. Goat milk has a niche market and is used in the manufacture of cosmetics and processing into cheese, butter, ice-cream, among other products.
• Goat raising offers a good source of sustained income to rural enterprisers, with positive net income and return-on-investment (ROI) realized even during the first year for 25-, 50-, and 100-doe level operations.