Kottayam Schoolboy turns goat farming into a lucrative business while balancing studies

Balancing academics with a commercial livestock enterprise might sound daunting for a teenager, but Jude Jacob Denny from South Pampady in Kottayam district makes it look effortless. Currently studying in Class 11, Jude manages a thriving herd of around 30 goats alongside his father, turning their backyard into a profitable agricultural venture. His daily routine revolves around the farm, starting early in the morning before school and resuming immediately after classes.

A family passion passed down
Jude's interest in animal husbandry was sparked by his father, Denny, who had been raising goats since his own youth. Though there was a temporary pause in their farming activities, Denny restarted the initiative after his marriage, gradually adding cows and goats to their homestead. Starting initially with the popular Malabari breed, the family has since expanded to accommodate multiple high-yielding breeds, including both horned and polled varieties. Denny notes that the venture has been consistently profitable without experiencing losses.

Playful companions around the homestead
What sets Jude's farm apart is the deep bond he shares with his animals. The goats are neither tethered in the yard nor confined restrictively inside their shed. Every goat has a distinct name and responds eagerly to Jude's voice. The young kids, in particular, wait patiently for Jude to return from school so they can scamper around the yard with him, even joining in when he kicks a football around the compound.

Smart economics of goat farming
Compared to cattle farming, goat rearing carries significantly lower financial risks if managed prudently. According to Denny, success lies in understanding market demand and maintaining tight control over operational expenses. Rather than selling full-grown adult goats, the family primarily sells goat kids, generating lakhs in annual income while retaining female goats to sustain and grow their breeding stock.

High demand for organic goat manure
Surprisingly, one of the most lucrative aspects of the farm is not the animals themselves, but organic goat manure. With rising demand from organic vegetable growers and commercial farmers, dried goat manure commands a premium price. Denny explains that drying the manure under a simple tarpaulin sheet solves the common moisture problem. Buyers frequently arrive in large lorries to purchase manure in bulk, allowing the farm to sell over 700 tins of dried fertiliser annually after meeting their own garden needs.

Cost-effective shed design and maintenance
Denny advises prospective farmers against spending heavily on expensive iron structures or unnecessary rubber mats, which he views as redundant overheads. Instead, he advocates using affordable natural materials like palmyra wood slats. The farm shed is raised 1.5 metres off the ground with an open-sided layout under a basic roof sheet, ensuring optimum ventilation and sunlight without exposing goats to excessive heat. To keep flies and mosquitoes at bay, lime powder is sprinkled around the perimeter once a month.

Low-cost natural feed strategy
Feeding costs are kept low by utilising locally available green fodder and farm by-products. The goats are fed tamarind seeds, wheat, coconut cake, jackfruit leaves, wild grass, banana leaves, and pineapple leaves, alongside domestic rice gruel water. Denny emphasises that homesteads with adequate land can easily replicate this model, achieving high profitability without relying heavily on expensive commercial feed mixtures.