Small East African Goat
Capra aegagrus hircus
The indigenous goat of East African smallholder and pastoral systems, small-framed with short fine hair, small horns and forward-pointing ears, occurring in white, black, roan and speckled-brown coat colors. Adult males weigh about 25-30 kg and females 21-23 kg, with kids weighing only 1.2-1.8 kg at birth.
Species
Caprine
Family
Bovidae
Climate requirements
Well adapted to Kenya's varied agro-ecological zones, from semi-arid lowlands to mixed-farming midlands, tolerating heat, feed scarcity and rough terrain better than most exotic or improved breeds.
Husbandry guide
Traditionally kept under low-input extensive or free-range browsing systems with minimal supplementary feeding, often communally grazed and penned overnight in simple bomas. Growth is slow, with animals reaching sexual maturity around four months at 14-16 kg and mature weight of about 25 kg, and milk yields are modest, mainly for household use rather than sale. The breed shows strong natural tolerance to heartwater, worms and mange, reducing veterinary input needs, though basic deworming and vaccination against PPR still improve survival. Multiple kiddings per year are possible given a short reproductive cycle, helping offset low individual output with numbers.
Economic importance
Making up roughly 95% of East Africa's goat population, this breed is the backbone of resource-poor rural households' livelihoods, providing meat, milk, manure and a readily liquidated cash asset with low investment risk.