In addition to grass and concentrate, goats need minerals as they are critical for growth and general wellbeing. Here is a sample mineral lick suitable for goats.

Bone meal: 50%
Trace mineral mix: 10%
Molasses: 5%
Cement: 13%
Salt: 22%
(Seng sokerya and Rodriguez 2001)

Note that goats that have access to lots of diverse plants will likely meet their mineral requirement. But if your goats are penned, they will need minerals to perform better.

Initially, they grow fast until they reach 5 months old. Then it slows down until adult weight is reached. Growth rate varies from 20 to 200g per day depending on feed quality.

After a period of under feeding, they will grow faster than normal if feeding is improved. This is called compensatory growth.

Below is a feed formulae that can make goats to grow at a rate of 54g per day:
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70% Gliricidia sepium, 30% Cassava peel (dried under the sun to remove toxin) and salt lick.
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A 6 months old goat weighing 6.1kg was used in the experiment. When growing at this rate, the goat will gain 19.8kg in 1yr, ataining 25.9kg. When killed and deboned, we'll be left with 13.2kg meat, considering the fact that goats normally have 51% dressing percentage.
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Pictures of Gliricidia
   
Image source: http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropic...dia+sepium

   
Image source: https://www.feedipedia.org/node/552

The pic below is Leucaena leucocephala from wikipedia. It is another good legume tree for ruminants.
   

Experiment Source: https://books.google.com.ng/books?id=BAG...el&f=false

I just want to share my son's homework the other day. Their teacher asked them what they want to be when they grow old. He drew a farmer because he wanted to be one. When I asked him, he said it's because he loves plants and he wants to take care of them. He also wanted to help people by giving them food using the plants he grew. I just found it really cute. If you have any related stories, please feel free to share!

Hello all. Pls can I apply paraquat to weeds in a maize farm without bad results? What are the herbicides i can use in a maize farm?

Will it work? Considering the fact that cigarette contains nicotine, a pesticide.

Just like cucumber and pepper, should okra be prunned to increase yield and prevent them from reaching over 6ft tall?

I have been searching for safe insecticides and fungicides one can use during harvest time of vegetables. I don't want them to contaminate the produce due to their bad health effect. Pls anyone that knows should list them here.

Pls who know the maize variety that will do well during the dry season? In the south east to be specific. Thanks.

Good evens. all. Pls who knows plants that can survive whitefly infestation? That pest is a big problem in dry season when farming is more profitable.

Pls does anyone know where I can get whitefly sex pheromone? I want to use it to attract, trap and kill whiteflies. They said it is effective.

I have read about the good fungicidal activities of phosphoric acid. So I'm wondering if i can make it myself by combining bone ash (rich in phosphate) and acid. Are my getting it?

Watering plants with a solution of NPK in water is one of the fastest ways of supplying nutrients to young plants that have not develop enough roots. But what I will like to know is the quantity of NPK needed per liter of water. Too much fertilizer will kill the young plant. Pls can anyone help?

I once soak manure in water for 3 days and spray on some plants and those plants almost died. Was the concentration too much or what? Experience farmers pls come in.

I noticed that whiteflies are problematic especially during the dry season. What is the best way of controlling them?

When is the right time to start prunning pepper. Is it before or after transplanting?

Every maize farmer knows what fall armyworms can do. There are chemical control methods but due to their risks - cancer, organ damage, etc - organic control methods are welcomed if they are effective. Some sites recommended neem oil, nimbecidine or Mix 85g of crushed garlic with 50ml of vegetable oil and add 10ml of liquid soap. Mix 50ml of the garlic and vegetable oil emulsion with 1l of water, shake thoroughly before spraying.
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Problem is, I don't know how effective these will be and I don't have access to neem oil and nimbicidine. So I have only the 3rd optionto try out and tell you guys the result.
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If you know any effective organic control methods, pls share.

Pls Admn I want u to enlight me on when to start given my layers chicken with layer's feed after I have seen egg for like a week now . Thanks for always been there

pls can someone differentiates btw d uses white and red maize on concentrate. And secondly what is the diff btw concentrate of 30% and that of 40% . Thanls

This is one of the most common questions newcomers in poultry farming ask and it is a very important one. One thing you should know is that your birds must not be overcrowded to prevent the spread of diseases. In an overcrowded pen, droppings quickly pile up and stink, exposing the birds and farm workers to diseases. It can also result to problems like pecking and slow growth.

On the other hand, giving too much space for the birds doesn’t make economic sense because you’re wasting money. A pen that’ll house 150 birds should not be used to house 120 birds. The number of birds living in a given area is called the stocking density. So what is the optimum stocking density for birds?

Well, it depends on the type of bird (layers or broilers etc), age of the birds and climate (hot or cool periods, humidity). The advice here is suitable for those who use open-sided, deep-litter, naturally ventilated houses in tropical climates like Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya etc. Below are the steps to follow for finding broiler stocking density:

1.    Determine the final weight of your bird (that is, the weight they’ll attain before you sell them)

2.    If the final weight is below 3kg, use a stocking density of 20-25kg/m2. E.g. assuming you plan selling your broilers when they attain 2.5kg, you’ll need 8-10 birds per square meter (i.e. 20kg/m2 ÷ 2.5kg=8 birds per m2. 25kg/m2 ÷ 2.5=10 birds/m2). So if your pen measures 20m x 40m, the area is 20m x 40m = 800m2. So you can raise 6400-8000 broilers in the pen.

3.    At the hottest times of the year, or at final weight above 3kg, reduce stocking density to 16-18kg/m2. Here let’s say you’re raising Christmas or Easter broilers that will weigh 4.5kg. At this stocking density, you’ll need 3.5-4 birds per square meter (16 kg/m2 ÷ 4.5kg = 3.5 birds per m2 approximately. 18 kg/m2 ÷ 4.5kg = 4 birds/m2). An 800m2 pen will accommodate 2800-3200 broilers.

Keeping broilers beyond 7-8 weeks is expensive and often the difference between profit and loss. Exception is during festive periods when people prefer bigger broilers and are willing to pay high price for them.

For laying hens, you can use a stocking density of 13.6 birds per square meter.

Note that when the birds are still young, you don’t give them access to the whole pen. This will prevent the birds from running around which will waste energy that would have been directed towards growth or egg production. Feed cost can be enormous if you ignore this. So what you do is to restrict them to one part of the pen with plywood boards. Then, gradually expand the area as they grow.