Poor Mans Cow

Goat--Poor Man’s Cow - Explain
Contribution of Goat has an overwhelming impact when it comes to the rural India. They
are usually associated with the poorest of the poor and many a time the goat has been the only
source of income for a family. That is why, it has rightly been called "Poor Man's Cow" by
Mahatma Gandhi. Goat has been described as a poor man’s cow (or mini-cow) because of its
immense contribution to the poor man’s economy. They not only supply nutritious and easily
digestible milk to their children but also regular source of additional income for poor and
landless or marginal farmers. Being small-sized animals, goats can easily be managed by women
and children. Feeding, milking and care of goats does not require much equipment and hard
work. Capital investment and feeding costs are also quite low. Four goats can be maintained as
cheaply as one indigenous cow. Goats can be successfully reared in areas where fodder resources
are limited and milch cattle do not thrive. Being a prolific breeder, the unique ability of the
goat ,kidding twice in 14 months and of producing seven female kids in eight years cannot be
achieved either by a cow or buffalo in their life period. In rural areas, goat farming plays a vital
role in providing gainful employment. Small ruminants not only contribute to the household
livelihood and nutrition security, but are also a hedge against the losses in agriculture consequent
upon the vagaries of nature, and the adversities faced by these families in the absence of
adequate health and social security systems.
Importance of Goat farming for poor:
1. Goats can withstand heat stress and can endure prolonged water deprivation. They have
additionally great adaptability to adverse climatic and geophysical conditions, where other
livestock cannot perform well.
2. They can efficiently utilize poor quality forage and cover long distances looking for food.
Their peculiar feeding habits(Browsing) make it easier to
choose diets to meet their requirements.
3. Goats are the most prolific domesticated ruminant. Faster
reproduction contributes to the genetic progress that can be
achieved and enables their owners to recover quickly.
4. Farmers and pastoralists are increasingly relying on goats
as means of survival and a way of boosting their income .
The increasing frequency of droughts, with long-term
environmental degradation is causing pastoralists to change
from cattle or sheep to camels or goats.
5. Overgrazing makes rangelands increasingly suitable for
browsing species such as goats.
6. The widespread decline in services supplied by
governmental agencies encourages farmers to move from
keeping cattle to goats.
7. Goats provide their owners with a broad range of products
such as milk, meat, fiber, skin together and socio-economic
services and have played an important role in the social life
of many people being used as gifts, dowry, in religious rituals and rites of passage .
8.The goats appear to have superior adaptation to arid areas , because of the ability to conserve
water ,travel well, graze selectively and to take wide variety of vegetation .
9. Goats can adopt themselves with almost all types of agro-climatic conditions. Semi-arid areas
with sparse vegetation ,bushes and shrubs cannot support cattle but suit the browsing behavior of
goat. Mountainous areas with steep slopes (above 30°and higher than 2000 m above sea level)
cannot be used safely by cattle , but may be used by goats.
11.Indigenous goats are tend to be resistant to many of the diseases which cause havoc in other
livestock species.
12. The initial investment required for a goat farm is much low than dairy farming.
13. Goat meat has a number of health benefits and more nutritional value than other red meat.
Low in calories, total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol than traditional meats, goat meat has
higher levels of iron when compared to a similar serving size of beef, pork, lamb and chicken.
Comparatively, goat meat also contains higher potassium content with lower sodium levels.
14. Since ancient times goat milk has traditionally been known for its medicinal properties and
has recently gained importance in human health due to its proximity to human milk for easy
digestibility and it’s all round health promoting traits.
15. Goats are ideal for mixed species grazing. The animal can thrive well on wide variety of
thorny bushes, weeds, crop residues, and agricultural by-products unsuitable for human
consumption.
16. Technical parameters:
Age of attainment of puberty: 7 months to 1 year

Approximate weight at first mating: 15-18 kg
8 months to 12
Age at first mating or insemination:
months
Generally every 17-
Oestrous cycle :
21 days
Duration of heat: 24 – 48 hours
Gestation period: 145 – 155 days
Age at first kidding: 13 –17 months
3 in 2 consecutive
Ideal kidding rate:
years
Service period : 45 days
Dry period : 30-45 days days
Service period 90 days

Kidding interval 8-9 months
No. of kids per kidding 1-3
Lactation length 150-200 days
Birth weight 1.9 to 3.5 kg
Weaning age 3 months (Traditional system)
7 Days (Organised farm)
Male-female Ratio 1:30
The kidding percentage and twinning ability are two important parameters for
reproductive efficiency . It is the measure of production and profit in goat farming.
What is Kidding percentage?
Number of does kidded to the number of does put to a buck (expressed in percentage)
Say, 100 female goats put with buck (for a period) 96 does kidded ,37 twin kidding,178 kids
born ,171 born alive ,160 kids weaned ,157 kids sold
Calculation:
Kidding percentage (96/100)x100=96%
Number of kids born per doe(as percentage) =178/96=185%
Number of live kids born per doe(as percentage )=171/96=178%
Number of kids born alive per doe exposed for breeding(as percentage) =171/100=171%
Number of kids weaned per doe exposed for breeding(as percentage) = 160/100=160%
Number of kids sold per doe exposed for breeding(as percentage )= 157/100=157%
The twinning ability i.e. Twining percentage can be determined as number of twin kidding
over number of total kidding per year(as percentage )=37/96=38%
Point to ponder:
Multispecies grazing:
It is common practice in extensive livestock
production system. Mixed-species grazing
has several
advantages. Cows
prefer grass; sheep
prefer
forbs(flowering plant); goats prefer trees and shrubs.
Nevertheless, there is regular crossover among the three types of
grazers. Goats prefer to browse or eat things such as brush, leaves and
small trees. The grass too short for cattle ,the drier coarser grass unacceptable to sheep is well
utilized by goats. This is made possible by their mobile upper lips and very prehensile tongues.
Weakness of goat farming sector in India:

1. Unorganised structure of the sector. 2. Lack of marketing infrastructure facilities for value
addition such as humane transport ,meat processing, warehousing, cold storage, refrigerated
vehicles etc 3. Absence of Public Private Partnership. 4. Lack of demand driven interventions 5.
Scarcity of good breeding stock, 6. Inadequate veterinary and extension services, 7. Lack of
credit and access to markets
Assignment:
Study the note carefully:
Write a brief note in your own language on-
1.Goat rearing is an important source of livelihood for the resource poor rural people of India.
2.Reproductive coefficients of goat

Poor Mans Cow

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Poor Mans Cow

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Goat--Poor Man’s Cow - Explain

Age of attainment of puberty: 7 months to 1 year

Service period 90 days

Weakness of goat farming sector in India:

2.Reproductive coefficients of goat

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