Dairy goat farming is becoming one of the promising venture in Kenya, following the animals’ instinct to adapt well in the tropics. Among many other products, this group of animals are known for their highly nutritious milk. The introduction of the exotic goat breeds in the country has been of great impact to the industry. There has been a lot of genetic improvements through cross-breeding programs.

Goat Breeds

• Indigenous / Local Goat Breeds – These are together with the common small East African goat and the Galla goat that are purposefully kept for meat
• Exotic Goat Breeds – This forms our focus in this article as discussed below:

Toggenburg

• Well adapted in the tropics
• This is the highest milk yielder of all the dairy goats
• Have white legs, white stripe from nose to the base of the horn
• White triangle at the back
• Mature males weigh 65kg and females 45kg
• Milk production is about 3 liters per day
• Can produce milk for a long time if not served
• Good for upgrading local breeds e.g, they were used to upgrade the galla goat. The resulting breed was called Togalla
• Do well in cold region

Saanen

• White to pale cream in color
• They have black spots on the nose, udder and the skin
• They are usually polled
• The ears are normally pointed facing forward
• Mature males weigh about 75kg as females weigh 50-65kg
• The breed is used to upgrade local goats
• The highest milk yield is 3.9k/day
• Butter fat content is around 4%

Problems associated with Saanen

• Sensitive to strong sunlight due to their white coat color. Therefore skin cancer is a common problem
• Sensitive to high temperatures
• Hermaphrodites (abnormal goats with both sexes) are very common

Alpines

Characteristic

• More adapted in the tropics better than the Saanen
• White front quarter and black hind
• Grayish front and black hind

• Black neck and white hind
• Female weigh 60kg and male 65kg
• Milk yield per day is 4.5kg
• Butter content is at 3.6%
• This goat breed(Germany alpine) has been extensively been used in the development of the Kenya alpine by crossbreeding with the Galla or Small East African goat

Others are:

Anglo Nubian

The goat has been extensively used in the upgrading program to develop the Dual Purpose Goat breed of Kenya