Introduction:

Goat farming has been an age-old practice in our country. People of the Indus Valley civilization (3300–1300 BC) were familiar with goats in addition to other domestic and wild animals of today. In Rigveda, goats were mentioned and kept by Aryans for milk. In the Arthashastra, the goat has been described as an important animal for milk. This sector plays an important role in the socio-economic development of rural households and is rightly referred as Poor man’s Cow owing to its multi-dimensional use as meat, milch and wool/fiber animal. However, more than 90% of goats that are found in developing countries including India remain the primary commodity for meat. Goat rearing in the country is mostly restricted to marginal and small farmers (Figure 1)

The goat is a considerably hardy animal that can even survive on multiple unwanted shrubs and trees in even difficult environments, and unproductive lands where no other food crop can be grown. Many breeds of goats have the po