© 2023 JOY Goat Development Programme

Kabulya Commercial Goat

For people who want to make a business selling goats’ milk

The target

The major breeds of dairy goats were developed in Europe, where conditions are very different from Uganda. As a result, they rarely manage to produce as much milk in Uganda as in their home environment. We need to select breeding stock that can perform as well in Uganda as the Toggenburg and Saanen goats do in Europe.

With such a high target of milk production, we need to start with a substantial amount of European Dairy ancestry. Typically, we use 75% dairy crosses as the starting point. We then select the best-performing goats to breed from, so that generation by generation we approach the target.

Although milk production is the major selection criterion, there will inevitably be unconscious selection for disease resistance - an unhealthy goat cannot produce a lot of milk, so merely by selecting the highest producers, we must also be selecting for good disease resistance. The Kabulya breeding system encourages steady incorporation of local blood into the breeding population, which also contributes to improving tolerance to local conditions and diseases.

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Potential partners

We are looking for the following types of partner:

• Groups of rural smallholders with access to markets for goat milk
  The Kabulya Commercial Goat needs to be zero-grazed. (At least in the early stages of breed development.) This does not suit many rural smallholders. However there are areas such parts of Mount Elgon where zero-grazing of 75% crosses was introduced by Farm-Africa. Similarly in Greater Masaka there are some groups of smallholders who have been trained by JOY Goat Development Programme. Such groups could do very well with the new breed. But generally, only where there is a good market for the milk will it be worthwhile for people to put the effort into zero-grazing. Otherwise the Kabulya Smallholders’ Goat may be more appropriate.
• Urban and peri-urban goatkeepers
  In many urban areas there are local rules requiring livestock to be confined. In such cases, it is a small step to switch to zero grazing. Also, there is generally a good market for the milk in towns. So we expect urban and peri-urban goatkeepers to favour the high-productivity Kabulya Commercial Goat.
• CBOs and NGOs
  Especially in places outside our core areas, it is helpful if there is an organisation in place who can oversee the programme. In particular, it is often necessary to follow up the farmers closely as they switch from traditional management practices to zero-grazing.
• Medium- to large-scale farmers practicing zero-grazing
  There are already some farmers who are milking 10 or more dairy goats, and keeping them zero-grazed. And there are others considering it. These are generally living in towns, or very near, so that they have ready access to the urban market. Such people have a strong interest in maximising the productivity of their goats, and so participation in the Kabulya breeding programme would be a good opportunity to improve their stock. Our Where we are active page gives guidelines on how big the enterprise needs to be in order to participate in partnership.
• Medium- to large-scale ranchers
  It is generally advisable to zero-graze the foundation stock for the Kabulya Commercial Goat. But if a rancher can prevent contact between his goats and other livestock, and if they practice very good disease control, it would be possible to start with stock of 62% to 75% dairy ancestry under free-grazing conditions.

Getting started

The starting point for developing the Kabulya Commercial Goat is normally 75% dairy crosses. However, in cases where better disease resistance is needed it would be possible to start with 62% crosses. As good quality KCG stock becomes available, it would be possible to start with local goats and breed for 2 or 3 generations from KCG males in order to generate the required foundation stock to start your own breeding programme.

Choosing the most appropriate breeding plan is part of the advice that we are able to give to our partners.

If you are interested in joining us, please let us know.