18 Jan 2017

Although many youth today are disillusioned about the level of unemployment in the country, Mr Karolo Rammusi of Shashe-Mooke village is living comfortably by earning a living through his goat production business.

Speaking in an interview with BOPA, the 29 year-old Mr Rammusi stated that his goat rearing business was started in 2015 and sells to butchers, other farmers and individuals.

His goat production, he said, was funded through the Youth Development Fund (YDF) programme to the tune of P90 000.

Through that funding he managed to construct a kraal, buy goats, vaccines and supplementary feeds and is the proud owner of 43 goats.

He stated that he had opted to rear Boer goats for his goat production business as the breed has been proven to withstand the harsh drought conditions of Botswana and another reason for choosing the goat was that it produced high quality meat.

“My goats cost P750 to P800 for those wanting to buy them.  This is the average price of a goat in many parts of this country.  The price is in line with some of the expenses we incur in taking care of the goats such as buying vaccines, feeding the goats with Molasses, whole grain and Lab Lab to keep them fit and fresh for potential customers,” he said.

While goats vary in sizes, Mr Rammusi noted that their basic care was the same, noting that farmers who gave their goats quality care tended to rip more rewards from them than those who did not.

“Every day I give my goats a thorough inspection, running my hands over their bodies to feel any cuts or bumps. I then attend to such minor veterinary issues before they become major problems.” He said.

Mr Rammusi said he has also realised that though pasture or hay can make up some good goats feed, some pregnant or nursing ones do greatly benefit from some alfalfa mixed with grass hay, or a commercial goat feed.

He said a goat should consume between two and three per cent of its body weight daily in forage or other food.

“With my goats, I always ensure that they have access to clean, fresh water along with a salt block containing traces of minerals sold specifically for them,” he said.

Mr Rammusi is currently in the process of building a caprine fence to house his goats.

Caprine fencing, he explained, will keep the goats in their pen or pasture, and keep predators and local dogs out.

For results, he highlighted, he chose a wire fence with a maximum of four inch squares as he believed that anything larger than that could entrap a hoof or horn or allow goats to try to push the fence out of the way as they try to test the strength of the fence occasionally.

“Goats require regular hoof trimming as well and I have come to be good in that field lately. I learned to trim goats hooves when I was a student of Animal Health Sciences at the then Botswana College of Agriculture where I got my degree.” He noted.

He said he trims his goats’ hooves after every three months and always creates an annual vaccine schedule for his goats against rabies, as well as tetanus and enterotoxaemia.

“I have recently vaccinated them against diseases that can cause abortion, such as chlamydia. It would be best though, for farmers who are not familiar with the vaccine matters to ask experienced veterinarians about the best deworming process for their goats,” he said.

Furthermore, he said the deworming protocol may include rotating different types of dewormers to delay parasites resistance to a particular class of drugs.

He also advised goat farmers to always calculate their goat’s weight before dispensing an oral dewormer to avoid overdosing or under dosing their animals. ENDS