GoatLady
11/6/2015 11:48 EST
Hi everyone. New to this group and have enjoyed reading the old posts. My husband and I are considering retiring to Matalagapa or Estili areas. We are currently living on a farm in Missouri raising fiber goats. Are there goats commercially farmed in Nicaragua? Fiber goats would not do well in a tropical climate but dairy or meat goats would. I have seen videos of Caribbean Islands and goats are running wild. I would appreciate any input on this.
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dturoff
11/6/2015 12:58 EST
I'm a veterinarian who treats only horses (and donkeys and mules), and I've been going to Nicaragua several times per year for the last ten years to do volunteer work on Ometepe, around Granada, around Managua, around Leon, and a very remote place in the mountains east of Matagalpa (El Cua), and I've visited several other areas in the country.
In none of those places have I seen more than a very few goats. I really don't understand why, because goats would be very appropriate livestock there, and the amount of milk and meat produced by a goat is well scaled to the amount that can be used by one or two families with limited access to refrigeration.
Goats would thrive in most parts of Nicaragua; the main problem would be protecting them from dogs.
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GoatLady
11/6/2015 13:14 EST
Dogs are a problem everywhere with regards to goats. I have 2 Great Pyrs who do a wonderful job of keeping my goats safe. Goats are amazing and provide so many useful things. Soap, cheese, lotion and butter can be made from the milk. Goat meat is tasty and nutritious. Goats are cheap to keep and do a marvelous job of clearing brush and weeds from land. In Africa there is a program that gives a couple of goats to a family. It changes their lives and provides income to the family for life. This would be a good thing in Nicaragua too, I would think.
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dturoff
11/6/2015 14:53 EST
I completely agree with your entire post, except that I think if you have not seen for yourself, that you may underestimate the danger that Central American dogs may pose to goats; they are not like the pet stray dogs that typically cause problems in the US; they are hungry, and motivated. The Great Pyranees themselves might fall victim to them.
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elduendegrande
11/6/2015 15:32 EST
Goats could be a valuable addition to the environment destruction of Nic, especially in the arid west. In peasant hands, they could wipe out everything that the cattle didn't get!
If you are looking at a more controlled project like fenced pasture for milk or cheese, you might find a nitch but whether you will ever find ROI is a toughie.
La Garnacha in Esteli Dept. has a small cheese facility that uses goats. I think it was missionary started but has held on a long time.
I see few goats in the north, and a few sheep called peligue that look like goats but are not. Sheep are rare enough that they all tend to be called peligue in the local language.
Incidentally, the "tropics" is not uniform swamps and rain forest, In the mountains are oak/pine forests, etc. Dairy cattle are happy there, as are temperate crops like brocoli and cabbage.
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iguanalover
11/6/2015 15:40 EST
We live in Granada and have a goat herd in our neighborhood. I see them all the time in the arroyo munching and munching. They are loose. Sometimes we see a young man herding them but often they are on their own for the day. There are at least ten of them of all different colors. I don't know what kind they are but they are beautiful animals, very healthy with several new additions this summer. The kids are really sweet and running unprotected with the herd. I don't think the dogs bother them much or maybe the goats know how to take care of the dogs. At any rate, they are loose and look to be happy goats,
Good luck.
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Salsera
11/6/2015 15:48 EST
If you want to contribute to environmental protection and simultaneously generate some income, maybe plantation of precious wood trees (teak for example) or fruit trees might be interesting.
According to ProNicaragua, this investment is even subject to tax reduction, like for tourism.
Check out LIFE FORESTRY - a Swiss company who have tree plantations in Costa Rica; they sell stock actions, and their system seems to be quite elaborate.
Also everything that is "eco" or "bio" is interesting - in the market you can only buy fruit and veggies with many pesticides and fungicides.
This would be interesting, if you by some ground (unplanted) which is often sold at a quite interesting price. But check if the earth is good quality, for example volcanic.
Good luck!
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novato1953
11/6/2015 17:06 EST
This is a learning opportunity, really. There've been stories about chupacabras throughout Spanish America for generations. Get your goat ranch set up with lots of motion-triggered video cameras loaded with infra-red film. Put the rigs high off the ground where the slathering beasts can't get to them after they've finished with the goats. You could get millions of hits on YouTube if you get lucky, and help solve an old mystery.
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GoatLady
11/6/2015 17:39 EST
What I am hoping to do is have a good reason the bring some goats. They have gotten into my heart and taken hold. My husband thinks I am unhinged and possibly I am. I do know goats are found in many places around the world and adapt. There are many stories of goats bringing families out of poverty. I was not thinking about making money just possibly contribute something. The dogs sound like a problem but with electric fencing and LGDs, livestock guardian dogs, it may be possible to manage. Goats thrive in Turkey with LGDs for protection and the wild dog problem there is bad. Thanks for all your thoughts. We will be in Nicaragua in January so I hope to learn more then.
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naturechild
11/6/2015 17:50 EST
We had goats in Costa Rica and they did not eat brush nor did they clear land. Milk and cheese was good, but thieves will look for some good fat ones especially around the holidays.
Goats are not native to either Costa Rica or Nicaragua so have to be vaccinated.
Psst ...don't plant any trees near the goats.
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dturoff
11/6/2015 17:58 EST
If you do decide to bring goats there, contact me privately if you would like some help researching the entry process and import requirements; I've been dealing with the agriculture inspection agency people there for years (use to be called MAGFOR; now called IPSA).
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novato1953
11/8/2015 21:27 EST
That does cut to the heart of the matter. Though olive trees have been subject to regulation since Athens was the world's capital, still they thrive.
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vexillary
11/8/2015 22:46 EST
maps not handy, fingers too fat
take your choice. is there a suitable location in Nicaragua for goats?
.
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elduendegrande
11/8/2015 23:32 EST
Don't worry, Nic. is for dreamers. Come look around and if you fall in love with it all scrape up 50 or 100 k and come start your goat hobby farm.
You do goats, the next guy does neem trees, his BIL does bamboo, the guy down the road dreams of mushrooms. Cheese, rocket stoves, sand filters, aquaculture, reforestation, agroforestry, its been going on for 30 years and will never stop.
If you do start a goat project, I would suggest that you get the infrastructure in first, fences, sheds, irrigated pasture, security, etc. before you get your first goat
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bhagyam
3/4/2017 20:45 EST
Hi there..
I was reading about goats in Nicaragua and came across your post. I am a vet from India living in the USA for the past 35 years..in Minnesota/Wisconsin border area.
I will be hopefully moving to Nicaragua soon...not soon enough. I want to farm.. cattle, goats and chicken. I have a very close friend from India who teaches small ruminants classes at Oklahoma State..his specialty is goats!
My question to you is: Is it difficult to bring in heifers to Nicaragua.. for my own farm. regulation and taxes etc?? I do not mind paying for it, but is it possible to get them alive (survive quarantine?) Do you have any idea how to go about this issue? I do have a friend in a pastor who is encouraging me. I was in Therio, Path and Micro ...and want to do some fun things there.
Thanks for your input...
Regards
Ranjit
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iguanalover
3/5/2017 09:58 EST
Nicaragua is full of farm animals. come down and look around before you make any plans. Raising animals and breeding are big business here.
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