Goat meat is growing in popularity and is becoming an important export industry. It offers many opportunities for large- and small-scale farmers who need to diversify or seek alternative enterprises.
This book deals specifically with the production of goats for meat and addresses all aspects of the industry that the producer is likely to encounter. It covers selecting and preparing a property, choosing the breeding stock, breeding, health care and nutrition, drought feeding, condition scoring and marketing.
One of the key benefits of Farming Meat Goats is that it will allow farmers to produce animals to specification for targeted markets in Australia and overseas including: butchers; supermarkets; restaurants; on-farm live sales; sales to abattoirs that specialise in Halal kills; and breeding stock either as replacements, or for improved herd genetics.
Correction
We regret that there is an error in Table 10.1 ‘Drenches registered for use on goats’, on page 185.
The dose rate for ‘Neguvon trichlorfon’ should read as follows:
Neguvon trichlorfon (organophosphate)1 – Dose Rate: 0.5mL/kg2
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Will breeding meat goats pay?
2. Fencing and yards
3. Choosing your breeding stock
4. Breeding season
Preparation of does and bucks for breeding. Joining and the importance of good record-keeping.
Embryo transplants and artificial insemination.
Pregnancy testing.
Gestation chart.
5. Kidding management
Preparation of does: their nutrition and dealing with kidding problems.
6. Tagging, marking, vaccinating, weaning and foot trimming.
7. Nutrition
8. Drought feeding and strategies
9. Health:
Nutritional and metabolic diseases
Clostridial diseases
Other infectious diseases
Other diseases and conditions
10. Parasites
What they are, their lifecycles and how to deal with them
Drenching and back lining.
How to do your own faecal egg counts.
11. Poisoning
The causes and possible treatments.
12. Marketing
An outline of the available markets and the requirements for each.
Condition scoring.
An explanation of withholding periods and of the NVD (National vendor Declaration form) and its use.
Appendix - Resources for producers
A. Government departments
B. Agencies, associations, organisations and others
C. Books, programmes and videos
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
Large- and small-scale primary producers in temperate, tropical and sub-tropical regions throughout Australia. The book should also be of interest to primary producers in New Zealand and the USA.
Barbara Vincent has worked in a number of Federal Government Departments and has been a livestock consultant for more than 15 years. She has been closely involved in cross breeding of Boer and feral goats for meat production since the first imports of Boer goats into Australia. Barbara is currently the animal production manager for Claravale Park Boer Goat Stud.
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