Goats - farm animals of domestic goat (Capra hircus) species, small ruminants - are widespread throughout the world and are used in almost any natural and climatic conditions, even those where other productive animals cannot live. Different breeds of goats are adapted to different livestock systems - from small herds of 3-5 heads on meager grazing to large intensive livestock farms, from year-round grazing to fully stable housing, with many intermediate variations between them. Goats are a source of several types of products, of which the main ones are milk, meat and wool. Among the goat breeds there are highly productive specialized, dual-triple-use and universal breeds. External differences between breeds are represented by many major and minor traits that vary in a very wide range. Goat breeds (especially dairy goats) are some of the oldest defined animal breeds for which breed standards and production records have been kept. Selective breeding of goats generally focuses on improving production of fiber, meat, dairy products or goatskin. Breeds are generally classified based on their primary use, though there are several breeds which are considered dual- or multi-purpose.
Name | Image | Other names | Origin | Purpose | References | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abaza | Abkhasian, Abkhazskaya | Turkey | milk, meat | |||
Abergelle | [1] | |||||
Afar | Abyssinian short-eared, Adal, Danakil | |||||
Agew | Ethiopia | |||||
Agrupación de las Mesetas | Spain | |||||
Albatinah | Aamil | Oman | ||||
Algarvia | Portugal | |||||
Aljabal Alakhdar | Oman | |||||
Alpine | Alpine polychrome, American Alpine, French Alpine | French Alps | milk | |||
Altai Mountain | Altai Republic | fiber | ||||
Adi Keçi | Turkey | fiber, milk | ||||
Andaman local | ||||||
Anglo-Nubian | Nubian | Great Britain | meat, milk | |||
Angora | Central Anatolia Region | fiber | ||||
Appenzell | Chèvre d’Appenzell, Appenzellerziege | Switzerland | milk | |||
Aradi | Aardi, A'ardiyah | [1] | ||||
Arapawa | Arapawa Island Goat | Arapaoa Island | meat, milk | |||
Argentata dell'Etna | Sicily | milk | ||||
Arsi-Bale | Ethiopia | |||||
Asmari | Gujeri | Afghanistan | pack, meat, milk, fiber | |||
Aspromonte | ||||||
Assam Hill | India | [2] | ||||
Aswad | Saudi Arabia | [1] | ||||
Attappady black | India | [3] | ||||
Attaouia | Morocco | [1] | ||||
Auckland Island | Auckland Island | meat | [4] | |||
Australian brown | Australia | [5] | ||||
Australian Cashmere | Australia | fiber | ||||
Australian Heritage Angora | Australia | [6] | ||||
Australian Melaan | Australia | [7] | ||||
Australian Miniature | Australia | Pet, milk | [8] | |||
Azpi Gorri | ||||||
Azul | NE Brazil | [1] | ||||
Bagot | England | |||||
Banatian White | Banat | |||||
Barbari | India, Pakistan | meat | [ citation needed ] | |||
Beetal | Punjab region | meat, milk | ||||
Belgian Fawn | Belgium | milk | ||||
Benadir | Southern Somalia | meat, milk | ||||
Bhuj | Northeastern Brazil | meat, milk | ||||
Bilberry | Waterford | |||||
Bionda dell'Adamello | Lombardy | milk | ||||
Black Bengal | India, Bangladesh | meat, goatskin | ||||
Boer | Africander, Afrikaner | South Africa | meat | |||
British Alpine | England | milk | ||||
Brown Shorthair | Czech Republic | milk | ||||
Canary Island | Agrupación caprina canaria | Canary Islands | milk | |||
Canindé | Northeastern Brazil | meat | ||||
Carpathian | Southeast Europe | meat, milk | ||||
Chyangra | Nepal (High mountains) Himalayas | Wool, meat | ||||
Chamba | Himalaya | |||||
Chamois Coloured | Chamoisée | Switzerland | meat, milk | |||
Changthangi | Bamar, Pashmina | Tibet, Southwest China, Myanmar | fiber, meat, milk | |||
Chappar | Sindh | meat | ||||
Charnequeira | Portugal | meat, milk | ||||
Chengde Polled | Northern Hebei | fiber, meat | ||||
Chengdu Brown | Sichuan | meat, milk | ||||
Chigu | India | fiber, meat | ||||
Chué | Northeastern Brazil | meat | ||||
Corsican | Corsica | milk | ||||
Dera Din Panah | Pakistan | milk | ||||
Damani | Pakistan | milk | ||||
Damascus | Aleppo, Baladi, Chami, Damascene, Halep, Shami | Syria | milk | |||
Danish Landrace | Denmark | milk | ||||
Don | Don River | milk, goatskin, fiber | ||||
Drežnica | Slovenia | milk, meat | [9] | |||
Duan | Guangxi | meat | ||||
Dutch Landrace | Netherlands | milk | ||||
Dutch Toggenburg | Netherlands | milk | ||||
Erzgebirge | Saxony | milk | ||||
Fainting | Myotonic | United States | meat | |||
Flemish | Belgium | milk, meat | Vlaamse geit | Steunpunt Levend Erfgoed (sle.be) | |||
Frisa Valtellinese | Italy | meat | ||||
Finnish Landrace | Finland | milk | ||||
Garganica | Agrigentina | Gargano | milk, goatskin | |||
Girgentana | Northern Afghanistan, Balochistan, and Kashmir | milk | ||||
Göingeget | Sweden | |||||
Golden Guernsey | Guernsey | milk | ||||
Grisons Striped | Switzerland | milk | ||||
Guddi | Himalayas | [10] | ||||
Hailun | Heilongjiang | milk | ||||
Haimen | Zhejiang | meat | ||||
Hasi | Northeastern Albania | meat, milk | ||||
Hejazi | Arabian Peninsula | meat | ||||
Hexi Cashmere | Northern Gansu | fiber | ||||
Hongtong | Hongdong County | milk | ||||
Huaipi | Henan | meat | ||||
Huaitoutala | Qinghai | Animal fiber | ||||
Hungarian Improved | Hungary | milk | ||||
Icelandic | Settlement | Iceland | fiber, meat | |||
Irish | Ireland | meat, milk | ||||
Jamnapari | Jamunapari | India | milk | [ citation needed ] | ||
Jining Grey | Shandong | fiber, goatskin | ||||
Jonica | Province of Taranto | milk | ||||
Kaachan | Pakistan | Milk+meat | ||||
Kaghani | Hazara | meat | ||||
Kalahari Red | South Africa | meat | ||||
Kalbian | Australia | meat | ||||
Kamori | Sindh | milk | ||||
Kempic | Kempense | Belgium | milk | Kempense geit | Steunpunt Levend Erfgoed (sle.be) | ||
Kinder | United States | meat, milk | ||||
Kiko | New Zealand | meat | ||||
Korean Black | Korea | meat | ||||
Kri-kri | Cretan, Agrimi, or Cretan Ibex | Eastern Mediterranean | meat | |||
American Lamancha | Lamancha | United States | meat, milk | |||
Laoshan | Shandong | milk | ||||
Majorera | Fuerteventura | Canary Islands | milk | |||
Malabari | Tellicherry goat | Malabar region | Meat, milk | [11] | ||
Maltese | Malta | milk | ||||
Massif Central | France | milk, Meat | ||||
Markhoz | Maraz | Kurdistan | Mohair, milk | |||
Messinese | Nebrodi | Province of Messina | milk | [12] | ||
Mini Oberhasli | Oberian, Miniature Oberhasli | Pacific Northwest US | milk | |||
Mountain | Moxotó | Northeastern Brazil | meat | |||
Murcia-Granada | Murciano Granadina | Southeastern Spain | milk | |||
Murciana | Murcian, Murcien, Murciene, Royal Murciana | Murcia | meat, milk | |||
Nachi | Punjab region | meat | ||||
Nigerian Dwarf | West Africa | milk | ||||
Nigora | United States | fiber, milk | [13] | |||
Nera Verzasca | Switzerland | meat, milk | ||||
Norwegian | Norway | meat, milk | ||||
Oberhasli | Swiss Alpine | Oberhasli | milk | |||
Orobica | Bergamo Alps | milk | ||||
Peacock | Switzerland | milk | ||||
Pinzgauer | Austria | meat | ||||
Philippine | Philippines | meat | ||||
Poitou | Western France | milk | ||||
Pridonskaya | Russia | milk, Meat, Wool | [14] | |||
Pygmy | African pygmy, American pygmy | Cameroon | meat, milk, Pet | |||
Pygora | Oregon City | fiber | ||||
Pyrenean | France and Spain | meat, milk | ||||
Qinshan | Jining | goatskin | ||||
Red Boer | South Africa | meat, Pet | ||||
Red Mediterranean | Syria | milk | [15] | |||
Sokoto Red | Maradi Red, Red Sokoto | Nigeria and Niger Republic | Meat, Skin, milk | [16] [17] | ||
Repartida | Northeastern Brazil | meat | ||||
Rove | France | meat | ||||
Russian White | Russia | milk | ||||
Saanen | Saanen | milk | ||||
Sable Saanen | United States | milk | ||||
Sahelian | Sahel | Sahel Belt of West Africa | Meat | [18] | ||
Valdostana | Italy | meat, milk | ||||
Sahelian | West Africa | Goatskin, meat, milk | ||||
San Clemente Island | San Clemente Island | |||||
Sarda | Sardinia | milk | ||||
Short-eared Somali | Abgal | |||||
Sirohi | Ajmeri, Devgarhi,Parvatsari | Sirohi Ajmer, Nagaur, Tonk, Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Chitorgarh, Udaipur, Rajasamand, Bhilwara, Jaipur and other districts of Rajasthan (India) | Meat and milk | |||
Swedish Landrace | Northern Sweden | milk | ||||
Somali | Somalia, Djibouti and northeastern Kenya | milk, meat, goatskin | ||||
Spanish | Brush, scrub | Spain | meat | |||
Stiefelgeiss | St. Gallen | meat | ||||
Surati | Maharashtra | |||||
Syrian Jabali | Syrian Mountain | |||||
Tauernscheck | Austria | milk | ||||
Thuringian | Thuringia | milk | ||||
Toggenburg | Toggenburg | milk | ||||
Uzbek Black | Uzbekistan | fiber | ||||
Valais Blackneck | Southern Switzerland | meat, milk | ||||
Vatani | Afghan native black | |||||
Verata | Vera | meat, milk | ||||
West African Dwarf | African dwarf | West and Central Africa | ||||
White Shorthaired | Czech Republic | milk | ||||
Xinjiang | Xinjiang | fiber, meat, milk | [19] [20] | |||
Xuhai | Jiangsu | meat | ||||
Yemen Mountain | Yemen | |||||
Zalawadi | Tara bakari | Gujarat | fiber, meat, milk | |||
Zhiwulin Black | Shaanxi | fiber, meat | [21] [20] | |||
Zhongwei | Chung-wei, Chaungway, Chzhun'veiskaya | China | fiber, Pelt |
The American Pygmy is an American breed of achondroplastic (dwarf) goat. It is small, compact and stockily built. Like the Nigerian Dwarf, it derives from the West African Dwarf group of breeds of West Africa. Between 1930 and 1960, animals of this type were imported to the United States for use either as zoo animals or for research; some were later kept and bred as companion animals and established as a breed in 1975.
The Nigerian Dwarf is a Nigerian breed of dwarf goat. Like the American Pygmy Goat, it derives from the West African Dwarf group of breeds of West Africa.
The Oberhasli is a modern American breed of dairy goat. It derives from the subtype of Chamois Colored Goat from the Oberhasli district of the Bernese Oberland in central Switzerland. All purebred members of the breed descend from five Chamois Colored Goats imported to the United States in 1936. A breeder's association was formed in 1977, and a herdbook established in the following year. Until then, goats of this type had been known as Swiss Alpine, and interbred with Alpine goats of other types.
The Nigora is an American breed of small or medium-sized dual-purpose goat, raised both for its milk and for its fiber. It is the result of cross-breeding Nigerian Dwarf bucks with does of mohair breeds such as the Angora.
Morocco leather is a vegetable-tanned leather known for its softness, pliability, and ability to take color. It has been widely used in the manufacture of gloves and the uppers of ladies' shoes and men's low cut shoes, but is commonly associated with wallets, linings for fine luggage, and bookbindings.
The Changthangi or Changpa is a breed of cashmere goat native to the high plateaus of Ladakh in northern India. It is closely associated with the nomadic Changpa people of the Changthang plateau. It may also be known as the Ladakh Pashmina or Kashmiri.
The Damascus goat, also known as Aleppo, Halep, Baladi, Damascene, Shami, or Chami, is a breed of goat. It originated in Syria and was imported by the Antoniades family and the British into Cyprus, where it has been selectively bred. It is a good producer of both milk and meat, so has been given a high priority by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The goat or domestic goat is a species of domesticated goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the bezoar ibex of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the family Bovidae, meaning it is closely related to the sheep. There are over 300 distinct breeds of goat. It is one of the oldest domesticated species of animal - according to archaeological evidence its earliest domestication occurred in Iran at 10,000 calibrated calendar years ago.
The Beetal goat is a breed from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan is used for milk and meat production. It is similar to the Jamnapari goat and the Malabari goat.
The Finnish Landrace, also called the Finngoat, is a landrace-derived breed of goat originating in western Finland. The breed can come in a variety of colors but is usually grey, pied, or white, and both horned and polled individuals occur. Finnish Landrace goats are typically used for milking, as there is not a strong tradition of goat meat in Finnish cuisine, unlike in southern Europe. Finngoats are the only breed of goat native to Finland, and originate from native goats crossed with other European imports, especially from Switzerland.
The Zhongwei (Chung-wei) is a breed of goat from the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Gansu Province of China. It lives on arid desert steppes, and is adapted to a diet of salty and sandy plants and shrubs. It is used primarily for the production of kid pelts, and secondarily for cashmere fiber. The breed has low genetic variability, likely due to the historic selection of pelt production traits. It is closely related to the Funiu White, Hexi Cashmere, Luliang Black, and Taihang breeds.
The Xinjiang goat breed from the mountains of Xinjiang in China is used for the production of milk, cashmere, and meat.
Ruda is a breed of sheep found mostly in Albania and Croatia. In 2009, Ruda sheep is the most endangered breed of sheep in the Republic of Croatia. The Ruda sheep originated from the Romanian Tsigai, a fine fleeced sheep in the Balkans. The Ruda may be related to the Romanian Tsigai. This breed is primarily raised for wool.
The West African Dwarf or Djallonké is an African breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep. It is the dominant breed of West and Central Africa. This breed is primarily raised for meat. The Cameroon or Cameroon Dwarf is a breed within this group.
The Rideau Arcott is a breed of domestic sheep native to Canada, one of only a few livestock breeds native to the country.
The Huacaya alpaca is a breed of alpaca that has a unique appearance and fiber quality. This breed is the most popular alpaca breed with population numbers reaching 2.8 million in Peru alone. They share biological components with other species in the Camelidae family. Their digestive tract, nutrition requirements, and herd behavior mirror that of all camelids. They also survive amidst similar predation, poison, and disease threats that endanger all camelids alike.
Goat farming involves the raising and breeding of domestic goats as a branch of animal husbandry. People farm goats principally for their meat, milk, fibre and skins.
Malabari goats are bred in Malabar district of Kerala, and are sometimes called Tellicherry goats. They are bred mostly for meat, but it also produces milk. Females weigh an average of 30.68kg while males weigh 41.20kg, and their coats are white, black, or piebald. Although they are similar to the Beetal goat, Malabari goats weigh less, have shorter ears and legs, and have larger testicles. There was an effort to crossbreed the Malabari goats with Boer goats, but this practice is controversial.
The sea goat or goat fish is a legendary aquatic animal described as a creature that is half-goat and half-fish.
Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is a Gram-positive bacterium known to infect ruminants, horses, and rarely people. It is a facultative anaerobic organism that is catalase-positive and capable of beta-hemolysis. In small ruminants, C. pseudotuberculosis causes a disease called caseous lymphadenitis, which is characterized by pyogranulomatous abscess formation. In general, the bacterium causes lesions of the skin, lymph nodes, and internal organs. A disease known as ulcerative lymphagenitis can also result from infection with C. pseudotuberculosis in the distal limbs of horses. This bacterium uses the virulence factors phospholipase D and mycolic acid to damage eukaryotic cell walls and resist phagocytic lysosomal degradation, respectively. Infection with this bacterium is often confirmed by bacterial culture of the purulent exudate. Once the diagnosis has been made, treatment of the infection can begin, but this is difficult due to the nature of the organism and the lesions it forms. Specifically, C. pseudotuberculosis is intrinsically resistant to streptomycin, with varying resistance to penicillin and neomycin depending on the strain. It has been shown to be susceptible to ampicillin, gentamicin, tetracycline, lincomycin, and chloramphenicol. Vaccines have also been produced to develop acquired immunity to this infection.