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Buy purebred dairy Buy75% crosses Buy 50% crosses Choose your type Purchase request Keeping pure dairy Keeping 75% crosses Keeping 50% crosses

Health

The main reason for zero-grazing is to maintain the health of the goats, particularly by avoiding worms and also ticks that can carry serious diseases. However, it is important to periodically deworm them, even when zero grazing. If any illness is observed, it is important to call a qualified vet promptly.

Alternatives to purebreds

If the price of dairy meal is too high, 75% crosses may be a suitable option. They still give a reasonable amount of milk, but are cheaper to feed and easier to keep healthy. (Although it is still advisable to zero-graze them.)

Lower-grade crosses such as 50% produce much less milk, but have an advantage of not needing to be zero-grazed.

Zero-grazing

In Uganda, purebred dairy goats should always be zero grazed. For the females, the house should have a well-drained raised floor. For the males, it is not necessary to have a raised floor, as long as they have somewhere that is dry. More information about housing can be found on the JOY Goats website.

Feeding

Purebred dairy goats are able to produce a lot of milk, typically around 3 litres per day, but up to 5 litres per day have been obtained in Uganda. For goats producing that amount of milk, it is necessary to provide some concentrate (dairy meal) as part of the feed. More information about feeding can be found on the JOY Goats website.

The Future

Wherever there is a substantial livestock industry there is a breed that is unique to that country or region. We are developing the Kabulya Commercial Goat (KCB) through selective breeding, based mainly on 75% dairy crossbreeds. It will be a long time before the milk production is as good as the European goats. But even before that time, the KCB is likely to become a more profitable option than the purebred European dairy goats, because it will me cheaper to maintain.

Keeping purebred dairy goats

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