Galla Goats at a livestock fair.
Two weeks ago, my article was about dairy breeds of goats suitable for rearing in Kenya.
It raised many enquiries on meat breeds recommended for rearing. Today’s article responds to the questions.
I have come to learn that many farmers fail to realise that there are breeds of goats that are more appropriate for meat than others.
A majority of farmers in Kenya have stuck with the local breeds. These are mainly the Small East African Goat, Galla goat and mixed breeds.
These breeds have their good and bad points but a farmer should look for animals that give her optimum profit with the least amount of care.
This consideration automatically knocks out the Small East African goat and the random breed mixes.
The main issue with the local breeds – except the Galla goat – is that they grow slowly and have low adult carcass weight. This makes the goats less profitable to rear for commercial purposes than imported breeds.
There are four breeds that are highly recommended for meat production; three of which are imported but have established populations in the country.
The fourth is the Galla or Somali Goat. It is a local breed originally found in Somalia, Ethiopia and northern Kenya. The breed has, however, now spread to many parts of the country and beyond.
Incidentally, the three imported breeds of goats were developed in South Africa and have been exported throughout the world due to their high suitability for meat production.
First on the list is the Savannah goat. The real origin of this breed is not very clear but is generally attributed to a ranch in South Africa in 1957; Cilliers and Sons, near the Vaal River.
It is a large-framed, well-muscled breed. It typically has an impressive snow-white coat. The skin, horns and hooves have black pigmentation to protect from the sun.
This breed is suitable for crossing with the Galla to give white kids that are better muscled than the Galla and taller than the Savannah. Galla producers prefer the all-white coloured types of the breed.
The Galla is taller than the Savannah but is less muscular and weighs less. Crossing the Galla with the Savannah, therefore, improves the growth rate of the goats, meat production and quality while maintaining the all white colour of the Savannah.
Savannah goats have good reproductive traits. These are high fertility, mothering ability and milk production. They also often produce twins.
The kids have a good growth rate. In the last two years, I have received many enquiries on the availability of the Savannah goat in Kenya from existing and potential farmers. The breed is not yet widely available in the country.
Next is the famous Boer, also called Africander, Afrikaner or South African common goat. It is a beautiful, majestic goat typically with a brown head and white body. Other white and brown colour patterns exist.
The goat is also referred to as the Angus of the meat breeds in goats, likening the goat to the high-performing Angus beef cattle due to its adaptability to climatic conditions and high performance in meat production.
The Boer is an improved breed with some mixing of European, Angora and Indian goat carefully bred many years ago with the indigenous South African breeds.
The name of the goat is derived from the Dutch word boer, meaning “farmer”.
The present day Boer goat was recognised in the early 1900s when ranchers in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa started selective breeding for a meat breed.
The Boer is the most common goat breed in South Africa. The numbers in Kenya keep increasing as more people appreciate the value of the breed in meat production.
The goat is early maturing, with males reaching puberty at six months and 10-12 months for the females. The goat is suitable for feedlot farming where impressive daily weight gains of 200g have been achieved.
The standard gain, however, is 150-170g per day. The mature Boer goat buck (male) on average weighs 110 to 135 kilogrammes and does (females) some 90 to 100 kilos.
The Boer has a high rate of multiple births of two to four kids, making it suitable for fast herd building.
The third is the Kalahari Red goat, named after the harsh Kalahari desert. Like the Savannah and Boer, it is a highly muscular meat goat. It emerged from selective breeding and natural selection in the Kalahari desert.
The goat was mainly bred to persevere the harsh Kalahari environment, disease and parasite resistance. While that may be the case, the breed is not tolerant to diseases and parasites found in wet regions.
The breed has a distinct and appealing red coat. White or light shades of red exist but are not desirable.
Savannah goat, Galla goathave long, floppy ears. The frame of the goat is similar to that of the Boer yet the two breeds have no genetic relationship.
Kalahari Reds can be used to improve local goats to increase hardiness, growth rate and carcass size. There are few Kalahari Reds in Kenya.
Fourth and most important is the Galla goat. It is a hardy and the most common meat goat in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.
The main colour is white but various colour patterns also exist due to attempts at improving the breed, mainly with the Boer, Kalahari Red and Savannah.
Crosses of the Galla with the other three meat goat breeds have superior production traits such as fast growth and more muscle than the Galla.
The Galla is the tallest of the four meat breeds of goats most recommended for Kenya but I consider it the most important due to its high availability in the country, lower buying price, good production traits and high suitability of cross breeding with the Savannah, Boer and Kalahari.
I advise farmers who rear goats commercially for meat to settle on one breed or crossbreed of goats and avoid mixing too many breeds for ease of management, production cost reduction and to avoid degrading the quality of the animals.
