SOME WELL KNOWN BREEDS

Also Known by: Africander, Afrikaner, South African common goat

The Boer is an improved indigenous breed with some infusion of European, Angora and Indian goat breeding many years ago. Several researchers agree that the indigenous populations were probably from the Namaqua Hottentots and from southward migrating Bantu tribes. The name is derived from the Dutch word "boer" meaning farmer and was probably used to distinguish the native goats from the Angora goats which were imported into South Africa during the 19th century. The present day Boer goat appeared in the early 1900's when ranchers in the Easter Cape Province started selecting for a meat type goat.

The South African registry was established in 1959. Since 1970 the Boer goat has been incorporated into the National Mutton Sheep and Goat Performance Testing Scheme making it the first goat breed involved in meat production performance testing.

The Boer goat is primarily a meat goat with several adaptations to the region in which it was developed. It is a horned breed with lop ears and showing a variety of color patterns. The Boer goat is being used very effectively in South Africa in combination with cattle due to its browsing ability and limited impact on the grass cover. Producing weaning rates in excess of 160% the Boer goat doe is a low maintenance animal that has sufficient milk to rear a kid that is early maturing. The mature Boer Goat ram weighs between 110-135 kg (~240-300 lbs) and ewes between 90 and 100 kg (~200-225 lbs).

Performance records for this breed indicate exceptional individuals are capable of average daily gains over 0.44 lb/day (200 g/day) in feedlot. More standard performance would be 0.3-0.4 lbs/day (150-170 g/day). The ovulation rate for Boer goats ranges from 1 to 4 eggs/doe with an average of 1.7. A kidding rate of 200% is common for this breed. Puberty is reached early, ususally about 6 months for the males and 10-12 months for the females. The Boer goat also has an extended breeding season making possible 3 kiddings every 2 years.

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Goats were a common sight on early European sailing ships. They were desirable because of their relatively small size. They are agile, friendly and capable of eating a much less desirable, and more available, diet than other sources of milk and meat.

When Coronado, DeSoto and other Spanish explorers came to America they brought goats as a meat source. Some of these goats either escaped or were released when alternate meat sources were discovered.

That would have placed the first goats in Oklahoma and Texas in the early 1540s. Pockets of wild goats, descended from these animals, developed for over 400 years before developing this livestock became profitable.

The trend for smaller, more agile goats was dominant in the wild. Small udders were essential. Large udders would be cut up by cactus, thorns, rocks and any number of other obstacles.

These feral goats became known as "Spanish" or "brush goat". Although not of a specific breed ancestry they have developed through natural selection. The term has also become used to describe any goat of unknown ancestry. Most are wild or at least semi-wild. Size varies greatly due to climate, terrain and available breeding stock. Body shape, ear shape, horns, hair and color are not consistent.

Traditionally, in the United States goats have not been considered as a meat source. Ethnic groups have increased in the last few years from areas where goats are a staple in their diet. These recent groups have had the money and influence to attract the owners of wild goats. These owners have begun to change their strategy regarding their goats. Management tactics have been implemented to increase the size and meat characteristics of their animals. New and larger breeding animals, such as the Boer goat, have been imported.

The fat content of the meat is considerably less than beef. America is in need of a healthy red meat source. Producers, consumers and investors are looking at the changes in the animals and the market. The meat goat is capable of becoming the fastest growing livestock animal in quite some time.

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The appropriately named Kiko goat was purpose-bred in New Zealand for meat production – the Maori word “kiko” meaning flesh or meat. The developers of the breed were Garrick and Anne Batten of Nelson in the northern South Island, and they developed the Kiko from feral goats that had been liberated or had escaped over the last hundred years or so of European settlement. These feral goats could be found in many places throughout the country, and although they were hardy, they were relatively small and produced little meat or milk.

The Kiko breed was established by crossbreeding selected feral does with Anglo-Nubian, Toggenburg and Saanen bucks, with further cross-breeding in the second and third generations. After four generations of selective breeding – selection being on the grounds of survivability and growth rate in a hill country environment – a dramatic improvement in liveweight and animal performance was achieved. By 1986 the Kiko breed was established and the herd was closed to further cross-breeding.

Within New Zealand, control of the breed has remained with the original developers. However, Kikos were exported to the United States in the 1990s, and there are now a number of enthusiastic breeders of Kikos in that country.

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Myotonic goats are also called Wooden Leg goats, "stiff leg" or Tennessee fainting goats. These are one of the few goats that are indigenous to the U.S. There are two strains of this animal. Most of those found in Tennessee and the eastern U.S. are smaller. Most Texas herds tend to be somewhat larger, probably due to selective breeding for the meat market. In fact, some ranchers have renamed them Tennessee Meat Goats.

They also have a market as pets because they are unique. Myotonic means when they are frightened or excited they "lock up" and often fall over (faint) and lie very stiff for a few seconds. It is an over-simplification, but the chemicals which are rushed to humans' muscles and joints to prepare them for "fight or flight" are withheld in the Myotonic under exciting or frightful circumstances.

No one really knows their origin. There are two theories. One of the possibilities is that a private herd sold to a Tennessee farmer around 1880 was the beginning of the breed. A man named John Tinsley arrived in Marshall County, Tennessee, with four goats, a buck and three does, which he had brought from Nova Scotia. When he moved on a year later, he left his goats behind. It is believed that all the Fainting goats in the U.S. can trace their origins back to these four.

The other is that there was a spontaneous mutation of a herd in Tennessee about 1885 which resulted in the recessive gene.
 

Myotonic goats which have been selected for meat production are heavy rumped, deep chested animals. Most are black and white but multi colors are not uncommon. They breed seasonally, are easy kidders and have good milk production. Many breeders have noted the breed has the capability to produce two kiddings a year. They are good mothers so in most cases a bonding pen is not needed. Since they are not good climbers and jumpers they are somewhat easier to keep than other goats.

The American Livestock Breed Conservancy has placed this breed of goat on their "rare" list, with an estimated world population of under 10,000. They have now been discovered as excellent crossbreed stock for the Boer goat, a meat goat which was imported from South Africa. The "fainting" gene is recessive, therefore it is usually not expressed in crossbred animals.

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The Nigerian Dwarf is a miniature goat of West African Origin. It's conformation is similar to that of the larger dairy goat breeds. The parts of the body are in balanced proportion. The nose is straight. The ears are upright. The coat is soft with short to medium hair. Any color or combination of colors is acceptable, though silver agouti (roan) is considered a moderate fault.

 

 

Ideal weight is suggested to be about 75 pounds based on HES evaluation information.

Animals are disqualified from the show ring for being over-sized for the breed standard, curly coat, roman nose, and pendulous ears or evidence of myotonia. (This is associated with fainting goats.)

The most commonly asked question about Dwarf goats is: What is the difference between these and Pygmy goats? Although they have similar origins, they are separate and distinct breeds. Pygmies are bred to be "cobby" and heavy boned. (The best pygmies look like beer kegs with legs.) Dwarves are bred to have the length of body and structure, in proportion, of a dairy goat.

Dwarf goats come in many colors. Main color families are black, chocolate and gold. Random white markings are common, as are spots and other color combinations such as red, white, gold and black.

Color is one of the BIG factors that makes breeding Dwarves so popular. You never can be sure what color the babies will be until they are born; even then you can't be sure because many times their color will change.
 

Dwarf goats are gentle and loveable. Even breeding bucks are handled easily. They make wonderful pets and great animal projects for young children in 4-H.

Breeders of other types of goats find that their Dwarves blend in with the rest of their herd well and do not need special quarters, just adequate fencing to contain them because of their small size.

Dwarf goats breed year round. Many breeders breed their does three times in two years, giving the doe a 6 month plus break. This is of course a personal choice for each breeder.

New born kids average about 2 lbs. at birth but grow quickly. They reach sexual maturity at a young age so be sure and separate the bucks and does. Those little guys have been know to breed and be fertile as young as 7 weeks of age.

Does can be bred at 7 to 8 months of age if they have reached good size. Some breeders prefer to wait until they are at lest 1 year or older.

Dwarf does can have several kids at a time, 3 and 4 being common and sometime even 5. Dwarfs are generally good mothers and able to take care of their babies should you leave them to do the raising of the kids. They can also provide a surprising amount of milk for their size. They can give three to four pounds per day of 6 to 10% butterfat.
 

Bucks are able to be used for service as young as 3 months of age and easily by the time they are 7 or 8 months old. Dwarf bucks are vigorous breeders but are gentle enough to be used for hand breeding or pasture breeding. Both methods are used successfully.

Dwarf goats are registerable in 3 registries. American Goat Society (AGS), International Dairy Goat Registry (IDGR), and Canadian Goat Society (CGS). Dwarf shows are growing in popularity and becoming more and more available. Most are sanctioned by AGS.

While the Nigerian Dwarf's numbers are still very small (only 3500 animals are registered in the USA with AGS) they have a very bright and profitable future ahead.
 

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Anglo-Nubians were developed in England by crossing British goats with bucks of African and Indian origin.

The Anglo Nubian is an all-purpose goat, useful for meat, milk and hide production. It is not a heavy milk producer but has a high average butter fat content (between four and five percent). The Anglo Nubian breeding season is much longer than that of the Swiss breeds so it is possible to produce milk year round.

As it is the best suited of the dairy goat breeds to hot conditions, the Anglo Nubian has been used in grading-up programs in many tropical countries to increase the milk and meat production of local breeds.

The Anglo-Nubian is a relatively large, proud, and graceful dairy goat. The Anglo-Nubian goat is named for Nubia, in northeastern Africa. The originally goats imported from Africa, Arabia and India were long-legged, hardy goats that had some characteristics desired by goat breeders in England. English breeders crossed these imported bucks on the common short-haired does of England prior to 1895 to develop the Anglo-Nubian goat. In the United States the breed is usually spoken of as the Nubian.

The Anglo-Nubian is regarded as an "aristocratic" appearing goat and has very long, pendulous ears that hang close to the head. The Anglo-Nubian carries a decidedly Roman nose and is always short-haired.

Any solid or parti-colored coat is permitted in the Anglo-Nubian, but black, red or tan are the most common colors, any of which may be carried on combination with white. Usually there is shorter hair on the Anglo-Nubian males, particularly along the back and on the thigh, than is commonly found on the Swiss breeds.

The udder of the Anglo-Nubian is capacious but is sometimes more pendulous than that of the Swiss breeds. A mature doe should stand at least 30 inches at the withers and weigh 135 pounds or over, while the males should stand at least 35 inches at the withers and weigh at least 175 pounds. The Anglo-Nubian usually gives less milk than the Swiss breeds, but produces a milk of higher butterfat content.

The head is the distinctive breed characteristic, with the facial profile between the eyes and the muzzle being strongly convex. The ears are long (extending at least one inch beyond the muzzle when held flat along the face), wide and pendulous. They lie close to the head at the temple and flare slightly out and well forward at the rounded tip, forming a "bell" shape. The ears are not thick, with the cartilage well defined. The hair is short, fine and glossy.

Any color or colors, solid or patterned, is acceptable.

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