
You may feed goats under zero grazing with fresh maize stalks. PHOTO/FILE
Goat fattening is nothing but ‘intensive feeding of goats in feedlots to slaughter weight with an adequate finish or fat deposit’.
Advantages of goat fattening Technically, it is quite simple and within the capabilities of small farmers to execute; moreover, the results are highly visible. This helps farmers to have confidence in the system.
Other techniques, such as feeding to boost reproductive performance, are less convincing because the farmer can be unsure that the extra feed resulted in any benefit.
Benefits can be understood within a short period of time, unlike other animal production activities.
Goat fattening generates cash income that is eagerly sought by farmers. Goat fattening is profitable because of the value per kilogramme of live weight increases as both weight and condition
increase.
Weight gain for goats
How do you fatten up a goat? Grains are the quickest, easiest approach to fatten up a goat because of the high carbohydrate content, but according to goat expert Susan Schoenian, your goat must receive no more than five kilogrammes of grain per day.
“Goats must be fed grains out of a trough or hand-fed. The food must not be sprinkled on the ground. The goat should feed daily in a field or in a pasture. Eating grass, plants, and bugs are beneficial and one of the most “natural” ways for a goat to eat. It is very inexpensive for you,” she notes.
The vitamins and minerals you give your goat will vary based on the levels of carbohydrates, fats, and protein you decide to feed your goat.
Vitamins and minerals can be purchased especially for goats at most feed stores. Calcium is perhaps the main popular mineral for goats, but phosphorus, magnesium, selenium, iron, and copper are just as important and must not be overlooked.
The protein is very important because it helps your goat build muscle, and it also aids in the proper levels of carbohydrate digestions. When protein is lacking in a goat’s diet, the carbohydrates will digest quickly, decreasing your goat’s energy and affecting the absorption of minerals.
Water
Supplying water for goats is especially important in goats that are pregnant or lactating, as well as for goats that live in a dry area.
“Most of the time, goats are capable to have their water needs met by eating plenty of lush grasses and plants. If you are concerned about goat water needs and do not have a pond or lake nearby, a water trough could be a wise investment for your goats,” Nathan Ssuubi, a veterinary doctor and farmer, says.
Housing
Build a goat house with either bamboo or mud with a thatched roof. Space required must be 2 sq. m. per animal.
The shelter must be open on one side with walls up to 1.2 m on the other three sides, and a gap of 0.5 to 0.8 m between the walls and roof, to supply sufficient ventilation without drought.
Housing could be on the raised floor made of bamboo with the thatched roof covering midway into the pens on both sides.
Leguminous fodder trees must be planted around the edges of the paddock to form solid fencing and browse plants for all goats. Slatted bamboo or barbed wires can be used for whole the fencing.

Goats should consume a higher quality diet than cattle because their digestive tract size is smaller with regard to their maintenance energy needs. PHOTO/SHABIBAH NAKIRIGYA
Selection of goat for fattening
Selection of good quality goats is very important if you are planning for goat fattening.
•Select goats that are good health without any physical defects.
•Avoid emaciated (thin or weak, due to illness or a lack of food) goats as they often get a long time to recover.
•Selected goats must have a large skeletal frame.
•Select goat breeds with an improved potential for growth and fattening.
•Select goats with weights ranging from 20kg to 25kg for better fattening.
•Avoid goats that are too old as they are not appropriate for the fattening process and no demand in the local market.
•It is better to select goats between two and four years of age for the fattening process.
Breed
Some goat breeds in Uganda include Boer, Kalahari Red, Anglo-Nubian, Savannah, and Karamoja. These breeds are known for being disease-resistant, adaptable to different climates, and having good growth rates.
Identify goat breeds with the greatest potential for growth and fattening.
Early maturing breeds start depositing fat at an earlier age and can be prepared for the market at a lower weight.
They want a shorter feeding period to reach a good carcass finish, although their growth rates are relatively lower.
Late maturing types can make market readiness at a higher weight. In general, lowland goats mature late compared with highland animals.
Hence,lowland animals are chosen for the production of fattened animals at a higher weight.
Age
Animals can be placed on intensive feeding at any age, generally after weaning. Avoid goats that are too old. Check that the goat teeth are sound.
This has implications on goat feed utilization. It is advisable to select goats between 2 and 4 years of age for fattening.
Feeding requirements
The goat is not able to digest the cell walls of plants as well as the cow because feed stays in its rumen for a shorter time phase.
A distinction as to what is meant by “poor quality roughage”is essential in order to make decisions concerning which animal can best utilise particular forage.
This is so because goats avoid eating the stems, don’t mind the taste, have the capability to detoxify tannins and benefit from the relatively high levels of protein and cell soluble found in the leaves of these plants. On the other hand, straw, which is of reduced quality due to the high cell wall and low protein, can be used by cattle, but will not give even maintenance needs for goats because they don’t utilize the cell wall as efficiently as cattle.
In addition, goats should consume a higher quality diet than cattle because their digestive tract size is smaller with regard to their maintenance energy needs. Relative to their body weight, the amount of feed wanted by meat goats is approximately twice that of cattle.
When the density of high-quality forage is low and the stocking rate is low, goats will still do well because their grazing or browsing behavior allows them to select only the highest quality forage from that on offer.
Thus, they are able to do well in these situations, even though their nutrient requirements exceed those of most domesticated ruminant species.
How to gain weight for goats?
Feed your goats grain that is corn or oats, out of a trough or bucket. Due to the high carbohydrate substance, the grain is the quickest method to increase weight gain in goats. Start feeding a quarter-pound of grain to each goat per day, and then gradually increase the amount.
Give a vitamin and mineral supplement that includes calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, selenium, iron, and copper. You can either add feed it to the grain or in a free-choice mineral block.
Feed goats protein to help build muscle and aid digestion. Complete supplements are obtainable that include protein, vitamins, and minerals.
A minimum of seven percent crude protein is necessary for meat goats; lower protein levels will decrease forage consumption, causing goats to lose weight.

GENERAL RULES FOR SELECTING IDEAL GOATS FOR BREEDING
Regardless of which breeds you select, there are certain general rules you will need to remember when breeding your goats. When choosing a buck to breed with your does, look for one that has desirable characteristics you want in your herd.
The characteristics of the buck is more crucial than that of your does because your herd will be produced from many does, but many of those does will usually be bred by a single buck.
Therefore, it’s critical to make sure that buck has the kind of strong, desirable conformation that you want to see being developed in your entire goat herd.
Another rule related to this is, always breed to make your herd better. In other words, use a buck that has more desirable characteristics and conformation than the goats you already have.
This applies whether you own the buck yourself, or you borrow a buck from another goat breeder as a stud goat. When using a buck to breed your does, always make sure the buck is healthy and exhibits excellent conformation to the breed standards.
As mentioned before, attempt to look at the buck’s mother and grandmother to check out their dairy qualities such as udder, teats, orifice size, etc. Finally, don’t ignore coloring.
Attractive and desirable coloring is sought after by many buyers and recognized by many goat show judges.
Hopefully, you now have some valuable knowledge that will help you begin to learn how to confidently pick goats for your own breeding program.