28 December 2007

Are you interested in breeding goats ???

Goat are easy animals for almost anyone to raise. They require little time to maintain and take care of. They are fun to raise and are also very profitable.
Goats are the oldest domesticated livestock. Ancient burial sites in Asia contain the mummified remains of goats. Why? Goats not only provide the things necessary to Man's survival... meat, milk, hides, fiber and companionship, but also those things necessary in the afterlife. Believe it or not, goats helped Man discover coffee. Undigested coffee beans concealed within goat droppings must have gotten thrown on the fire and the rest is Starbucks History.

- Australian Boer Goat
The Boer Goat originated in South Africa in the early 1900's when some farmers began selecting their goats for meat qualities. It is the only goat breed that has been specifically bred for meat and is recognized as the World's premiere meat goat.
Boer Goat genetics were imported into Australia in the late 1980's and were released from Quarantine in the mid 90's. Since this time the popularity of the Boer goat has gone from strength to strength with numbers rapidly increasing.
Boer goat bucks are being used to crossbreed with Australian bush does producing a much faster growing carcase, which reaches slaughter weight in significantly faster time and has a higher dressing out percentage. The Boer goat has also performed extremely well in trials and carcase competitions proving it to be the superior meat goat breed.

A Boer is a large, double muscled animal . They can consistently produce more muscling in less time than any other breed of goat, and will pass this capability to their kids. Boers are easy to raise, have mild temperaments, are affectionate, require no milking, no special care, no shearing, and no fancy fences. Boers and Boer crosses also have huge rumen capacity. The Boer goats were developed to clear land that was too difficult to be cleared by humans. They spend a lot more time grazing than other types of goats do. One reason for this, is that they are out grazing in the heat of the day when dairy goats are wilting in the shade. They are also out grazing when the snow is blowing across the pasture...."



Kalahari Red's
Are a distinct and separate breed of Goat (as verified by DNA testing for SA Stud Book). They are not related to the Boer Goat (don't believe anyone that tells you so) and have additional advantages to the original boer goat breed - they can enhance the tenderness of the meat, the hardiness of the animal and the camouflage and hence the survival of their kids.
Their excellent mobility allows them to walk far in search of food and water. They feed on a vast variety of plants and are resistant to disease and parasites. Kalahari Reds are less susceptible to diseases and need to be inoculated and dosed far less than other breeds, which makes them easy to care for and less labour intensive. The limited use of vaccines makes the production of organically produced meat possible. A further bonus is lean meat with an excellent taste and texture. COLOURKalahari Reds can be used to give indigenous goats a uniform, solid red colour, with all the unique advantages that this brings. Their earthy colour provides a good camouflage that protects them from predators. White kids would be seen easily by foxes, pigs and eagles. They are fully pigmented and, therefore, able to endure heat and strong sunshine. Their dark coats and long ears provide good heat resistance and will, therefore, feed for longer during the heat of the day, which ultimately means higher weight gains.
SIZEThe commercial goat farmer can cross-breed Kalahari Reds to improve the carcass mass of indigenous goats. This means more meat per hectare.
They are tall and long, which gives them excellent mobility. As they are taller than most other goats they can take advantage of more feed. Their carcass size is similar to the SA Boer goat. The average weight of a buck is as much as 115kg, while does reach 75kg. Kids grow fast. In Australia, young kids show weight gains of 1.5kg per week, with some even exceeding 400g per day.


The Toggenburg
A Swiss dairy goat from Toggenburg Valley of Switzerland at Obertoggenburg. They are also credited as being the oldest known dairy goat breed.
This breed is medium size, sturdy, vigorous, and alert in appearance. Slightly smaller than the other Alpine breeds, the does weight at least 120lb/55kg.
The hair is short or medium in length, soft, fine, and lying flat. Its color is solid varying from light fawn to dark chocolate with no preference for any shade. Distinct white markings are as follows: white ears with dark spot in middle; two white stripes down the face from above each eye to the muzzle; hind legs white from hocks to hooves; forelegs white from knees downward with a dark lien (band) below knee acceptable; a white triangle on either side of the tail; white spot may be present at root of wattles or in that area if no wattles are present. Varying degrees of cream markings instead of pure white acceptable, but not desirable. The ears are erect and carried forward. Facial lines may be dished or straight, never roman.
Toggenburgs perform best in cooler conditions. They are noted for their excellent udder development and high milk production, and have an average fat test of 3.7 percent.

- The Saanen
A dairy goat originated in Switzerland, in the Saanen Valley. Saanen does are heavy milk producers and usually yield 3-4 percent milk fat. It is medium to large in size (weighing approximately 145 lbs/65kg) with rugged bone and plenty of vigor.
Does should be feminine, and not coarse. Saanens are white or light cream in color, with white preferred. Spots on the skin are not discriminated against. Small spots of color on the hair are allowable, but not desirable. The hair should be short and fine, although a fringe over the spine and thighs is often present. Ears should be erect and alertly carried, preferably pointing forward. The face should be straight or dished. A tendency toward a roman nose is discriminated against.
The breed is sensitive to excessive sunlight and performs best in cooler conditions. The provision of shade is essential and tan skin is preferable.



- The Angora
Angora goat originated in the district of Angora in Asia Minor. The Angora dates back prior to early biblical history. Mention is made of the use of mohair at the time of Moses, which would fix the record of the Angora some time between 1571 and 1451 B.C., according to the Angora Goat Mohair Industry publication from USDA (Miscellaneous Bulletin 50, 1929). Mohair became a valuable product in commerce early in the nineteenth century. In order to increase the supply of mohair available for export to the European countries, the Turks crossed the Angora goat with common stock to increase the poundage of salable hair. Probably there was no effort to keep the original Angora separate, and the general increase in size and vigor of the goats in the Angora area was, no doubt, partially the result of this infusion of other blood.
Angora stock was distributed to different countries, and a pair of Angoras was imported to Europe by Charles V about 1554. In 1765 an importation was made by the Spanish government and twenty years later a considerable number were imported into France. None of these importations were successful in establishing mohair production. On the other hand, Angoras were taken to South Africa in 1838, and from this importation and later importations mohair production was established in that country. The Union of South Africa is one of the three leading mohair-producing sections in the world and is exceeded in production only by the United States and Turkey.


-Kiko
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.



- Feral goat
The populations started with the abandonment of goat flocks in unprofitable or drought times and through the gradual build-up of escapees from shepherded goat flocks. Over the years feral herds have developed and multiplied in areas which have offered some natural defense against predators. These goats have effectively adjusted to the environment to the degree that there is no longer any strong resemblance to the original breeds.
Research indicates that these animals possess strong fiber and milk producing qualities. When domesticated and carefully selected, they provide an excellent base for the development of cashmere, mohair, leather and meat production programs. This domesticated animal is now being referred to as the Australian goat. An increasing number of producers are running them in conjunction with sheep, as a means of controlling weed and scrub growth.
These enterprises can now provide significant numbers of goats that are even in age, size and weight. Does from these flocks are suitable for breeding Cashmeres, cross-breeding with Angoras for fiber production and as recipients in fertilized ovum transplant programs.
Entrepreneurs are also utilizing the Australian goat for the overseas export of meat and skin.




- Janapari
Jamnapari is originated from the frontier of India and Pakistan, it has been imported from India to Indonesia since 1953. After years of breeding, Jamnapari has become the highest quality breed in Indonesia.

Jamnapari is famous for its large and graceful body. It has long ears and thick fur on rumps. Male Jamnapari is weighted up to 120 kg while the female is up to 90 kg. Though they are large in size, they are mild in nature. They like idling around the barn, looking for water and food.




No comments:

Post a Comment