In some climates goats,
like humans, are able to breed at any time of the year. In northern climates
and among the Swiss breeds, the breeding season commences as the day length shortens,
and ends in early spring. Does of any breed come into heat every 21 days for
2–48 hours. A doe in heat typically flags her tail often, stays near the buck
if one is present, becomes more vocal, and may also show a decrease in appetite
and milk production for the duration of the heat.
Bucks (intact males) of
Swiss and northern breeds come into rut in the fall as with the doe's heat
cycles. Rut is characterized by a decrease in appetite, obsessive interest in
the does, fighting between bucks, display behavior, and, most notably, a
strong, musky odor. This odor is singular to bucks in rut and is caused not
only by the glands on their heads but by their habit of urinating on their
beards and front legs — the doe does not have it unless a buck has rubbed his
scent onto her or she is in actuality a hermaphrodite — and is instrumental in
bringing the does into a strong heat.
Mother goat
eating placenta
In addition to live
breeding, artificial insemination has gained popularity among goat breeders, as
it allows for rapid improvement because of breeder access to a wide variety of bloodlines.
Gestation length is
approximately 150 days. Twins are the usual result, with single and triplet
births also common. Less frequent are litters of quadruplet, quintuplet, and
even sextuplet kids. Birthing, known as kidding, generally occurs
uneventfully with few complications. The mother often eats the placenta, which,
with its oxytocin, gives her much needed nutrients, helps staunch her bleeding,
and is believed by some to reduce the lure of the birth scent to predators.
Freshening (coming into milk production)
occurs at kidding. Milk production varies with the breed, age, quality, and
diet of the doe; dairy goats generally produce between 660 to 1,800 L (1,500
and 4,000 lb) of milk per 305 day lactation. On average, a good quality dairy
doe will give at least 6 lb (2.7 L) of milk per day while she is in milk,
although a first time milker may produce less, or as much as 16 lb (7.3 L)
or more of milk in exceptional cases. Meat, fiber, and pet breeds are not
usually milked and simply produce enough for the kids until weaning.
Goats are reputed to be
willing to eat almost anything. Many farmers use inexpensive (i.e. not
purebred) goats for brush control, leading to the use of the term "brush
goats." (Brush goats are not a variety of goat, but rather a function they
perform.) Because they prefer weeds (e.g. multiflora rose, thorns, small trees)
to clover and grass, they are often used to keep fields clear for other
animals. The digestive systems of a goat allow nearly any organic substance to
be broken down and used as nutrients.
Contrary to this
reputation, they are quite fastidious in their habits, preferring to browse on
the tips of woody shrubs and trees, as well as the occasional broad leaved
plant. It can fairly be said that goats will eat almost anything in the
botanical world. Their plant diet is extremely varied and includes some species
which are toxic or detrimental to cattle and sheep. This makes them valuable
for controlling noxious weeds and clearing brush and undergrowth. They will
seldom eat soiled food or water unless facing starvation. This is one of the
reasons why goat rearing is almost often free ranging since stall-fed goat
rearing involves extensive upkeep and is seldom commercially viable.
Goats do not actually
consume garbage, tin cans, or clothing, although they will occasionally eat
items made primarily of plant material, which can include wood. Their
reputation for doing so is most likely due to their intensely inquisitive and
intelligent nature: they will explore anything new or unfamiliar in their
surroundings. They do so primarily with their prehensile upper lip and tongue. This
is why they investigate clothes and sometimes washing powder boxes by nibbling
at them.
The digestive physiology of
a very young kid is essentially the same as that of a monogastric animal. Milk
digestion begins in the abomasum, the milk having bypassed the rumen via
closure of the reticular/esophageal groove during suckling. At birth the rumen
is undeveloped, and as the kid begins to consume solid feed, the rumen
increases in size and in its capacity to absorb nutrients.
Goats will consume, on
average, 4.5 pounds of dry matter per 100 lbs of body weight per day.[citation
needed]
A goat is said to be truly
useful both when alive and dead, providing meat and milk while the skin
provides hide. A charity is involved in providing goats to impoverished people
in Africa. The main reason cited was that goats are easier to manage than cattle
and have multiple uses.
The taste of goat meat,
called chevon (which, like many meat names, is from the French word for
the animal, in this case chèvre), is similar to that of lamb meat. However,
some feel that it is has a similar taste to veal or venison, depending on the
age and condition of the goat. It can be prepared in a variety of ways
including stewed, baked, grilled, barbecued, minced, canned, or made into sausage.
Goat jerky is also another popular variety. In India, the rice-preparation of Biryani
uses goat meat as its primary ingredients to produce a rich taste.
Nutritionally, it is
healthier than mutton as it is lower in fat and cholesterol, and comparable to chicken.
It also has more minerals than chicken,[4] and is lower
in total and saturated fats than other meats.[5] Chevon
is therefore classified as a white meat.[6] One reason
for the leanness is that goats do not accumulate fat deposits or
"marbling" in their muscles; chevon must ideally be cooked longer and
at lower temperatures than other red meats.[7] It is
popular in the Middle East, South Asia, Africa, northeastern Brazil, the West
Indies, and Belize. Chevon, as yet, is not popular in most western nations,
though it is among the fastest growing sectors of the livestock industry in the
US, mainly due to immigrants.[8]
Other parts of the goat
including organs are also equally edible. Special delicacies include the brain
and liver. The head and legs of the goat are smoked and used to prepare unique spicy
dishes and soup.
Goats' milk is more easily
digested by humans than cows' milk and is recommended for infants and people
who have difficulty with cows' milk. The curd is much smaller and more
digestible. Moreover it is naturally homogenized since it lacks the protein agglutinin.
Furthermore, goats' milk contains less lactose, which means it will usually not
trigger lactose intolerance in humans.
Contrary to popular belief,
goats' milk is not naturally bad tasting.[citation needed]
When handled properly, from clean and healthy goats, in a sanitary manner, and
cooled quickly, the flavor is unremarkable and inoffensive. Also, it is
necessary to separate the strong smelling buck from the dairy does, as his
scent will rub off on them and will taint the milk.
Goats' milk is also used to
make popular cheeses such as Rocamadour and feta, although it can be used to
make other types of cheese.
Cashmere goats produce a
fiber, Cashmere wool, which is one of the best in the world. Cashmere fiber is
very fine and soft, and grows beneath the guard hairs. Ideally there is a
proportionally smaller amount of guard hair (which is undesirable and cannot be
spun or dyed) to the cashmere fiber. Most goats produce cashmere fiber to some
degree, however the Cashmere goat has been specially bred to produce a much
higher amount of it with fewer guard hairs.
The Angora breed produces
long, curling, lustrous locks of mohair. The entire body of the goat is covered
with mohair and there are no guard hairs. The locks constantly grow and can be
four inches or more in length. Goats do not have to be slaughtered to harvest
the wool, which is instead sheared (cut from the body) in the case of Angora
goats, or combed, in the case of Cashmere goats. However, the Angora goat
usually gets shorn twice a year with an average yield of about 10 pounds while
the Cashmere goat grows its fiber once a year and it takes about a week to comb
out by hand, yielding only about 4 ounces.
The fiber is made into
products such as sweaters and dolls hair with the mohair. Both cashmere and
mohair are warmer per ounce than wool and are not scratchy or itchy or as allergenic
as wool sometimes is. Both fibers command a higher price than wool,
compensating for the fact that there is less fiber per goat than there would be
wool per sheep.
In South Asia, Cashmere is
called pashmina (Persian pashmina = fine wool) and these goats
are called pashmina goats (often mistaken as sheep). Since these goats
actually belong to the upper Kashmir and Laddakh region, their wool came to be known
as cashmere in the West. The pashmina shawls of Kashmir with their
intricate embroidery are very famous.
Goat skin is still used
today to make gloves, boots, and other products that require a soft hide. Kid
gloves, popular in Victorian times, are still made today. The Black Bengal
breed, native to Bangladesh, provides high-quality skin. The skin also used in Indonesia
as rugs and native instrumental drum skin named bedug.
Other parts of the goat are
also equally useful. For instance, the intestine is used to make catgut, which
is stil the preferred material for internal human sutures. The horn of the
goat, which signifies wellbeing (Cornucopia) in also used to make spoons etc.[9]
Goat breeds fall into four
categories, though there is some overlap among them; meaning that some are dual
purpose.
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Domestic_goat&action=history
http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html