Prospects for Black Goat Farming

Advantages of Black Goat Farming

1. High reproductive performance: Ewes generally produce 1.7 litters per year, with a first-birth rate of 193% and 246% for the 2nd to 4th litters. Newborn and two-month-old male kids weigh 2.35 kg, and female kids 2.22 kg.

2. Fast growth and development: At 6 months of age, body weight and body height are 25.5 kg and 58.2 cm for males, and 23.8 kg and 55.1 cm for females; at 12 months of age, body weight and body height are 37.2 kg and 65.8 cm for males, and 34.9 kg and 60.7 cm for females; at adulthood, body weight and body height are 74.6 kg and 76.7 cm for males, with a maximum weight of 125 kg, and 56.2 kg and 68.5 cm for females, with a maximum weight of 80.5 kg.

Prospects for Black Goat Farming

1. Abundant labor resources

China has the most abundant labor resources in the world. Every year, a large number of surplus rural laborers flood into cities, forming the migrant worker tide during the Spring Festival travel rush that is most characteristic of China. Although most of them are absorbed by township enterprises and foreign-funded enterprises, making enormous contributions to urban development and the takeoff of local economies, we can still see that their educational level is relatively low and their technical skills are limited, making it increasingly difficult for them to find work in cities, which has created certain pressure on urban public security and social stability. How to resettle and mobilize this surplus labor force is also a major issue that successive governments have strived to solve. With the strong momentum of black goat farming development, rationally allocating labor resources and carrying out barn-fed and large-scale goat farming production will be an important way out.

2. Abundant feed resources

China has more than 400 million hm of grassland and grassy hills and slopes (Ministry of Agriculture, 1994), accounting for 40% of the national territory, second only to Australia and ranking second in the world. In addition, the state is implementing the conversion of cropland to forest and grassland and improving the ecological environment, which will further increase grassland area and improve forage varieties. Moreover, agricultural regions in China can produce about 500 million t of crop straw and other feed suitable for sheep production each year. All of these provide the basic material foundation for the development of China's meat sheep industry.

3. China has excellent black goat breeds with high reproductive rates and distinctive characteristics

For example, the Weiyan black goat in the Hunan region is an excellent black goat breed with a high reproductive rate, suitable for large-scale pen feeding or free-range raising in agricultural areas. High-quality black goats can be introduced for vigorous promotion and breeding, which will help improve the economic benefits of black goat farming and also promote entrepreneurship and wealth creation through black goat farming in China's rural areas.

4. Expanding domestic market demand

With the improvement of the country's economic strength and the improvement of people's living standards, food that is economical, healthy, nutritious and environmentally friendly is receiving increasing attention. Mutton is tender, delicious, juicy, low in cholesterol and rich in nutrients, and has increasingly become a fashionable choice for people to sell. Domestic market demand has further expanded, especially in coastal provinces and cities such as Guangdong and Fujian, where mutton consumption was previously relatively low, and in recent years mutton consumption has also increased significantly.