Goat Farming in Saudi Arabia: Breeds, Housing, Feed and Sales
Goat farming in Saudi Arabia step by step: Ardi or Shami, heat-proof housing, alfalfa and Rhodes hay, kidding, health and selling, for a steady goat business.
Goat farming in Saudi Arabia works when you decide your goal first — meat, milk or breeding stock — and match the breed to it: the Ardi for hardiness and meat, the Shami (Damascus) for milk and high-value animals, or a planned cross. Then provide shade, airflow and water for the summer, a ration built on alfalfa and Rhodes grass hay with measured barley, a vaccination plan set by your vet, and a record for every head.
Goats have always been part of the herd in the Kingdom, from Bedouin flocks browsing wadis to small pens around cities and commercial dairy units. They behave, eat and need housing differently from sheep, and farmers who manage them like sheep often lose money without knowing why. This guide walks through the main decisions in order and links to deeper articles where you need them.
Start with your goal and your breed
Before buying your first doe, ask where your income will come from. The answer decides the breed, the housing and the ration.
- Meat: selling kids and bucks for slaughter, aqiqah and family occasions. The Ardi or an Ardi cross is usually the safer choice: it copes with heat and grazing and needs less feed.
- Milk: selling milk or milk products. The Shami leads here with higher yields and a longer lactation, provided it gets regular feeding and good housing.
- Breeding and show animals: needs an eye for pure Ardi or Shami type, more capital, and documented pedigrees, because that is where the value lies.
- Mixed: a core of breeding does plus fattening of your own males. A common pattern on family farms.
Other goats are found in the Kingdom too, such as Hijazi goats in the west and imported breeds like the Boer on some commercial farms, but Ardi, Shami and their crosses are the most widespread. For a side-by-side comparison, see Gulf goat breeds: Ardi vs Shami.
Housing for the heat: where goats differ from sheep
Goats handle heat reasonably well, but they dislike damp ground and wet bedding, and they climb, jump and test every weak fence. Design for that:
- Shade for every animal at midday, with a high roof for airflow and open sides.
- Dry, well-drained floors. Raised platforms or benches give goats a dry place to rest.
- Higher, stronger fencing than for sheep, with no gaps where a kid can push its head through and get stuck.
- Raised feeders. Goats refuse feed they have trampled or soiled, so floor feeding turns into waste.
- A separate buck pen so you control when mating happens, plus an isolation pen for new and sick animals.
Summer is the main stress on livestock in most of the Kingdom, so shade and water come before anything else. Much of our sheep pen design guide applies to goats as well.
Feeding: alfalfa, Rhodes hay and barley in measure
Goats are natural browsers that prefer leaves and shrubs to short grass, and they pick through feed, leaving what they do not like. On Saudi farms the ration is usually built from:
| Ingredient | Role | Practical note |
|---|---|---|
| Alfalfa (barseem) | Protein and calcium, key for milkers and kids | Quality varies a lot between loads |
| Rhodes grass hay | Main fibre for a healthy rumen | Usually cheaper than alfalfa and complements it |
| Barley | Energy for fattening, late pregnancy and lactation | Sudden increases cause acidosis and enterotoxemia |
| Concentrate pellets | Balanced energy and protein | Read the label and ask for the protein level |
| Minerals and salt | Fill gaps in the ration | Use licks or mixes made for goats |
| Clean water | Basis of intake and milk | Several drinking points, in the shade |
The key rule: change the ration gradually over several days, and feed lactating and late-pregnant does better than dry ones. Do not rely on grazing alone in summer; in most regions range only carries animals well after a good rainy season.
Mating, kidding and young stock
- Goat gestation is about 150 days, ranging roughly from 145 to 155. Work out due dates from the mating date with our gestation calculator.
- Move does close to term into the kidding pen and check them daily.
- Make sure each kid gets colostrum within the first hours and that the navel is clean and dry.
- Shami does twin fairly often, so watch the weaker twin so it is not pushed off the teat.
- Wean when the kid eats solid feed well and reaches a suitable weight, not at one fixed age for all.
- Separate young bucks from females early to avoid unplanned matings.
Health: prevention before treatment
The main problems goat keepers face in the Kingdom include PPR (peste des petits ruminants), one of the most serious goat diseases, enterotoxemia, internal and external parasites, pneumonia in kids and mastitis in milking does. Some diseases, such as brucellosis, can pass to people through unpasteurised milk.
- Vaccinate according to your local vet and the MEWA schedule, not market advice.
- Quarantine every new animal before it joins the herd, and watch for coughing, diarrhoea, lameness and loss of appetite.
- Call the vet immediately for sudden deaths or symptoms spreading through several animals.
Record every vaccination and treatment with its date so you know when the next one your vet planned is due.
Selling and records: how you know it pays
Demand for goats rises in Ramadan, around the Eids, for aqiqah and family occasions. Ramadan 1448 starts around 8 February 2027 and Eid al-Adha 1448 falls around 16 May 2027 (final dates depend on the official announcement). Plan matings about five months before the season plus the time a kid needs to reach sale weight. There is no price list here, because prices move with season, breed, age and region; what matters is knowing your own cost per head before you negotiate.
At a minimum, record for each animal: number and tag colour, breed, sex, birth date, dam and sire, weights, vaccinations and treatments, kiddings and twins, and milk if you run a dairy herd. In Throf you keep all of this per head, kids and young bucks are classified automatically by age and sex, mating, pregnancy and kidding are tracked as stages with vaccination reminders, and expenses, sales, net profit and cost per head sit on one dashboard. Dairy farms should also read dairy goat milk records, and the goat farm management page shows the full setup.
FAQ
Is goat farming profitable in Saudi Arabia?
It can be, when the breed fits your goal and market, feed cost is under control and you sell into the seasons. Profit is the gap between your cost per head and the sale price, so record expenses from day one.
Which is better for beginners, Ardi or Shami goats?
The Ardi is usually easier for beginners because it tolerates heat and grazing and needs less feed. The Shami suits farmers who want milk and can provide good housing and regular feeding.
How long is a goat pregnant?
About 150 days, roughly 145 to 155, with little difference between Ardi and Shami.
What do farm goats eat in Saudi Arabia?
Most rations combine alfalfa and Rhodes grass hay with a measured amount of barley or concentrate, plus minerals and clean water, changed gradually rather than suddenly.
General guidance only — it does not replace your veterinarian or the competent authority in your country.
