Raising Cattle, Goats and Sheep: A Beginner's Guide

Quick answer

Raising cattle, goats or sheep well comes down to a handful of things: healthy stock from someone you trust, a dry shelter with good airflow, secure fencing, clean water at all times, a diet built mostly on good forage, and a vaccination and parasite plan worked out with a local vet. Start small. A few goats or sheep will teach you the basics with far less at stake than a herd of cattle. Keep simple records from the first day.

Decide on your goal first

What you want the animals for decides the breed, the feed, the housing and the budget.

Goats browse on shrubs and leaves. Sheep graze grass. Cattle need large volumes of forage. Choose the species that fits the land and fodder you actually have, not the one you like the look of. If goats appeal, read our goat farming for beginners plan.

Buying healthy animals

Most beginners lose money by buying sick animals in the first place. Before you pay, check that the animal:

• Is alert, curious and stands with its head up
• Has bright, clear eyes and no discharge from eyes or nose
• Breathes quietly and evenly at rest
• Walks without limping; hooves are not overgrown or smelly
• Has a clean rear end with firm droppings (pellets in goats and sheep)
• Is in good body condition, not bony along the spine and hips
• Has a pink inner eyelid, not white (pale can indicate anaemia, often from worms)
• For dairy animals: a soft, even udder with no lumps, heat or abnormal milk

Ask the seller about vaccination and deworming history, age (the teeth give a rough idea) and any previous births. Then keep the new animals apart from your existing stock for at least 2–3 weeks and watch them for disease.

Housing and fencing

Animals need cover from heat, rain, wind and predators. Good airflow matters more than solid walls, though.

• Space (rough guide): about 1.5–2 m² (16–22 sq ft) of covered shed per adult goat or sheep, and roughly 3.5–5 m² (38–54 sq ft) per adult cow, plus an open area or yard for exercise.
• Floor: dry, non-slip and sloped so it drains. Raised slatted floors suit goats well.
• Ventilation: high openings let hot air out. If you can smell ammonia, change the bedding.
• Shade: a must in hot climates, whether from trees, an insulated roof or shade cloth.
• Fencing: goats climb and escape, so use tight mesh at least 1.2 m (4 ft) high. Cattle need strong posts with rails or wire.
• Separate pens for sick animals, newborns and new arrivals.

Feed and water

Cattle, goats and sheep are ruminants. Their rumen runs on fibre, so forage has to make up most of what they eat.

Forage means fresh green fodder, grazing or browse, along with dry roughage such as hay or straw. Concentrates (grains, oilseed cakes or ready-made feed) add energy and protein for animals that are milking, pregnant or being fattened. Bring them in gradually.

Put out a mineral and salt lick made for the species. Sheep react badly to too much copper, so don't give them goat or cattle minerals unless the label says they are safe for sheep. Water should be clean, cool and always there, and the troughs need scrubbing regularly.

Avoid sudden diet changes, above all sudden access to a lot of grain or lush legumes. This is a classic cause of bloat and acidosis, and both can kill fast.

Health basics: a simple plan

Sit down with a local vet and build a yearly calendar that covers:

1. Vaccinations against the major diseases in your region (for example foot-and-mouth disease, haemorrhagic septicaemia, enterotoxaemia, PPR in goats and sheep, and lumpy skin disease in cattle, depending on location). Your vet will tell you which apply and when.
2. Parasite control for internal worms and for external parasites such as ticks and mites. Use faecal tests where you can, and follow the label and your vet to avoid resistance.
3. Hoof care: trim overgrown hooves and keep floors dry to prevent foot rot.
4. Records: births, treatments, vaccinations, weights and milk yields.

Never give a medicine unless you know the right product, the dose and the milk or meat withdrawal period. Follow your vet's instructions.

Daily checklist

• Count every animal and watch them move and eat.
• Check water troughs are full and clean.
• Look at droppings and appetite.
• Check udders of milking animals.
• Clean dung from sheds and refresh bedding as needed.
• Look for signs of heat (breeding season) or approaching birth.

When to see a vet

Call a vet straight away if you see:

• A swollen left side, distress and difficulty breathing. This may be bloat, which is an emergency
• High fever, drooling, blisters on the mouth or feet, or sudden lameness in several animals (possible foot-and-mouth disease)
• Lumps across the skin in cattle
• Severe or bloody diarrhoea, or diarrhoea in newborns
• An animal that stops eating or chewing cud, or keeps to itself
• Very pale inner eyelids or swelling under the jaw (often worms)
• A difficult birth: more than about 30–60 minutes of hard straining with no progress
• Sudden deaths. Keep other animals away from the carcass and report it

Disease moves through a herd quickly, so isolate sick animals early.

In Pakistan

Popular breeds include Sahiwal and Cholistani cattle, Nili-Ravi buffalo, and Beetal, Teddy and Kamori goats. Summer heat is the biggest stress. Give shade, ventilation and extra water, and feed in the cooler hours. Many families buy animals ahead of Eid al-Adha. Buying early gives you time to check health properly, but budget for several weeks of feed. Government livestock departments and local vets often run vaccination campaigns, so ask what is on offer in your district.

When you are ready to buy, you can browse verified livestock listings on Paalo.