Goats

Basic Information Scientific Classification Goat Breeds Reproduction Feeding and Nutrition Dairy Goat Production Handbook References and Further Reading   See also Digestive Systems and Digestion of Feeds Dietary Requirements

Goat is the common name for any of eight species of cloven-hoofed, horned mammals closely related to the sheep. The two differ in that the goat's tail is shorter and the hollow horns are long and directed upward, backward, and outward, while those of the sheep are spirally twisted. The male goats have beards, unlike sheep. Male goats also have a characteristic strong odour that is produced particularly during the rutting season. The female goat, or doe, which has smaller horns than the male, is often called a nanny goat. The young are called kids. The male goat is called buck, or, colloquially, billy goat.

The goat, along with sheep, were among the earliest domesticated animals. Goat remains have been found at early archaeological sites in western Asia which suggests that the domestication of goats was originally between 6000 and 7000 B.C.

Unlike sheep, their ancestry is fairly clear. The major contributor of modern goats is the Bezoar goat (Capra aegagrus) which is distributed from the mountains of Asia Minor across the Middle East to Sind. Also unlike sheep, goats easily revert to feral or wild condition given a chance, and populations of feral goats occur in many parts of the world. In the UK, feral goats are now being used as one of a variety of ways to manage vegetation and maintain habitats by browsing and grazing.

The goat is used for meat, as a milk producer, and as a beast of burden. Many parts of the animal are economically valuable for a variety of purposes, such as the skins for leather and the pelts for rugs and robes. One variety of domestic goat, particularly important for its commercial value, is the Angora. The most valuable Angora are covered, except for the face and the legs below the knees, with long, fine, silky hair called mohair. The qualities of mohair have made it a valuable product. The Kashmir goat, a small animal native to the Jammu and Kashmir region of India and Pakistan, is the source of fine wool cashmere.

Goat's milk compares favourably in nutritive value with cow's milk. It contains smaller fat globules and as a consequence it is easier for some people to digest and does not require homogenisation. It is used extensively in making cheeses. Goat milk is also used to feed many other animals.

The goat's tail is short, bare underneath and usually carried upright. Major scent glands are located around the horn base. They function in stimulating oestrus in male and female goats, improving conception. The goat odour is, however, a detriment to goat keeping and milk consumption if not properly controlled.

Goats belong to the family Bovidae. Together with the Ibex they make up the genus Capra. The domestic goats (Capra hircus) evolved from the Bezoar goat (Capra aegagrus), except for the Angora, Cashmere and Damascus types which evolved from the Markhor (Capra falconeri).

	Domesticated goats	Capra hircus	now occur more or less globally
	Bezoar goat	Capra aegagrus	found in the Near East and Asia
	Ibex	Capra ibex	Alps, Siberia and Nubia
	Markhor	Capra falconeri	Central Asia
	Spanish Ibex	Capra pyrenaica	Spain
	Dagestan Tur	Capra cylindricornis	from the Caucasus mountains

Breeds are different types of livestock which man has produced, either directly by selective breeding for particular characteristics (e.g. for milk, meat, working animals or for general purpose) or indirectly by introducing them to new environments to which they have subsequently adapted. In the latter case it is most likely that there has also been some degree of direct selection, even if only for those individuals that appeared to survive better than others, were easier to handle, or that best fitted the herders' or socio-cultural requirements.

There are several different ways to categorize sheep breeds. Although there may be considerable overlaps between categories, these include:

Commercial or Productive use:
		There are four categories: meat, wool or hair, dairy and multi-purpose. Some goat breeds are dual-purpose (e.g. meat and wool). However, a majority of the current commercial breeds have been developed with one primary product in mind, e.g. dairy.
	Meat Breeds	Goat meat is produced from many goat breeds, including milk goats. Dairy goats must kid in order to give milk.  Surplus goat kids are slaughtered and sold for meat. However, there are some breeds that have been selected specifically for meat production characteristics. Spanish and South African goats are best known for meat producing ability (e.g. the South African Boer Goat), whilst Indian and Nubian derived goat breeds are dual-purpose meat and milk producers.
	Dairy breeds	All does that have produced kids should give milk, but some breeds give more than others, and selection processes have resulted in a number of breeds that are kept largely for milk produciton. Swiss goat breeds are the world's leaders in milk production. Goat milk casein and goat milk fat are more easily digested than that from cow milk. Goat milk is valued for the elderly, sick, babies, children with cow milk allergies, patients with ulcers, and even preferred for raising orphan foals or puppies. Fat globules in goat milk are smaller than in cow milk and remain dispersed longer. Goat milk is higher in vitamin A, niacin, choline and inositol than cow milk, but it is lower in vitamin B6, B12, C and carotenoids.
	Fibre breeds	The Turkish Angora, Asian Cashmere and the Russian Don goats are kept for mohair and cashmere wool production. Goats which produce fibre, e.g. Angora, are generally not as suitable for meat production. This is because they are small-framed and produce smaller litters than other goats.

Goats may also be differentiated on morphological characteristics, such as hair or horn type.

	Horn types	Goats may have horns of the scimitar or corkscrew types, or be genetically hornless. They may also be dehorned as kids.
	Hair types	Can be short haired, long haired, have curled hair, are silky or coarse wooled.
	Ears	Swiss and other European breeds have erect ears, while pendulous, drooping, large ears characterize Indian and Nubian goats.

Pashmina Goats, India, can produce high quality wool

There are over 640 known breeds of goat, some of these now either extinct, or endangered (see Table 1 in the discussion on Domestic Animal Diversity). The web site maintained by the Breeds of Livestock Project at Oklahoma State University currently provides descriptions of 102 varieties of goats.

Goat Breeds in use in Kenya

Meat Goats breeds

Dairy Goats Breeds

The dairy goat breeds in the country include: Toggenburg; Alpine; Saanen; Anglo-Nubian and crosses and upgrades of these four breeds with local breeds.

The number of pure-bred dairy goats in Kenya is very small. The majority of the dairy goats are crossbreeds and upgrades.

The Toggenburg is the most popular dairy breed. It has performed well in terms of adaptability and milk yield. The Alpine has recently been introduced in some parts of Central Kenya, to help upgrade the local goats to dairy goats. The performance of the upgraded goats is being monitored. Although the Saanen is potentially a high milk yielder, its adaptability has been a problem. The Anglo-Nubian has also shown poor adaptability to local conditions.

More on Goat Breeds

For more on different types and breeds of goats see the following reference material:

As with sheep, many breeds of goats are seasonal breeders (see the discussion of seasonality and influence of photoperiod on breeding in sheep). In northern temperate zones, goats breed normally from August to February. Nearer to the equator, goats come into oestrus throughout the year.

For more on the reproduction of goats, see the section on "Reproductive Management of the Meat Goat", in the Meat Goat Produciton and Marketing Handbook.

Goats are able to survive on browse in situations where other livestock, cattle in particular and also sheep, cannot. Because of this ability to survive under harsh conditions, goats have been kept by man in numbers that are greater than some environments can sustain.

See the section on Tree Fodder

The resulting over-grazing has destroyed many tree and woodland areas which was then blamed on the goats rather than man. This perception of goats as having a negative impact on the environment has caused widespread ecological and political concerns related to erosion and desertification. However, goats are also valued for precisely the same reasons - for example, browsing by goats can help to reduce bush encroachment in grazing areas dominated by cattle and sheep.