Rearing of goats could be a rewarding investment as a single goat can give birth to six or more at once. Interestingly, these goats can grow to maturity within few months.
Speaking with LEADERSHIP Weekend when he playeed host to this reporter, Pastor ( Dr) Innocent Ogbonna ,encouraged people who have interest in rearing goats and sheep to hurily venture into the business because of its profitability.
This paper observed that the cleric, who Pastors a branch of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, divided his large compound for different businesses, with the largest portion earmarked for rearing of goats and other farm produces.
Profitability
“As I am speaking to you right now, some people who want to start rearing goats for domestic or call it for personal use during festivities visit hear regularly to buy two-week old goats for rearing. At least, one baby goat is sold for between N20, 000 to N30, 000 while matured ones goes for N100,000 to N120,000 depending on the size.
Business Capital
“I started with N40,000 . Interestingly, I bought a young female and a male specie in 2020 , since then, the female has kept multipliying. its births between one to four at one pregnancy. And the female can become pregnant two times in a year.
“With many eatries and hotels going into pepper soup making for their customers, goat meat is always in high demand. The taste of male goat (he-goat is more welcomed by most customers so, breading more males is good income making gesture.”
Requirements
Ogbonna advised anyone who is interested in the agribusiness to have a land or have a large compound that can accommodate them because it is an offense to allow goats or sheep to be roaming in some parts of Lagos and other parts of the country.
“If you intend to camp them in your compound, then you should be going into bush to cut grasses to feed them. But allowing them to go into bush to feed themselves may not be advisable,” he pointed out.
According to him, female goats become sexually mature as early as four months, though it may take up to 12 months for them to reach complete puberty, while male goats are ready to go as young as four months and become progressively more fertile until they reach around four years of age.
Explaining further, Ogbonna said, it is very encouraging to start with one male and three or four female goats. Female goats normally reach reproductive maturity by 12 months, and at this stage, they go into heat every 21 days as they often get pregnant and carry the pregnancy for five months.
