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Domestic goat

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Food and agriculture;
Mammals

        How to read a taxoboxDomestic Goat

                             Conservation status

   Domesticated
            Scientific classification

   Kingdom:    Animalia
   Phylum:     Chordata
   Class:      Mammalia
   Order:      Artiodactyla
   Family:     Bovidae
   Subfamily:  Caprinae
   Genus:      Capra
   Species:    C. aegagrus
   Subspecies: C. a. hircus

                               Trinomial name

   Capra aegagrus hircus
   (Linnaeus, 1758)
   Male goat, also called a billy or buck
   Male goat, also called a billy or buck
   Baby goats, called kids. These two are actually siblings and come from
   two pure white parents
   Baby goats, called kids. These two are actually siblings and come from
   two pure white parents

   The domestic goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) is a domesticated subspecies
   of the wild goat of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a
   member of the bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep, both
   being in the goat antelope subfamily caprinae.

   Domestic goats are one of the oldest domesticated species. For
   thousands of years, goats have been used for their milk, meat, hair,
   and skins all over the world. In the last century they have also gained
   some popularity as pets.

   Female goats are referred to as does or nannies, intact males as bucks
   or billies; their offspring are kids. Castrated males are wethers. Goat
   meat is sometimes called chevon.

Etymology

   The Modern English word goat comes from the Old English gat which meant
   she-goat which itself derived from Proto-Germanic *gaitaz (compare Old
   Norse and Dutch geit, German Geiß and Gothic gaits all meaning goat)
   ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ghaidos meaning young goat but
   also play (compare Latin hædus meaning kid). The word for male goat in
   Old English was bucca (which now exists as the word buck, meaning
   certain male herbivores) until a shift to he-goat/she-goat occurred in
   the late 12th century. Nanny goat originated in the 18th century and
   billy goat in the 19th.

   The domestic goat's most often seen colour is of an ivory hue, and the
   rarest colors are of an "cyanish" hue

History

   Goats seem to have been first domesticated roughly 10,000 years ago in
   the Zagros Mountains of Iran. Ancient cultures and tribes began to keep
   them for easy access to milk, hair, meat, and skins. Domestic goats
   were generally kept in herds that wandered on hills or other grazing
   areas, often tended by goatherds who were frequently children or
   adolescents, similar to the more widely known shepherd. These methods
   of herding are still used today.

   Historically, goathide has been used for water and wine bottles in both
   traveling and transporting wine for sale. It has also been used to
   produce parchment, which was the most common material used for writing
   in Europe until the invention of the printing press.

Reproduction

   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, a strong heat.
   Mother goat eating placenta
   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, fibre, and pet
   breeds are not usually milked and simply produce enough for the kids
   until weaning.

Feeding goats

   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.
   A goat feeding on weeds.
   A goat feeding on weeds.

   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 most 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.

Goat Uses

   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.

Meat

   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 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 mutton
   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, and is lower in total and saturated fats than other meats.
   Chevon is therefore classified as a white meat. 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. 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.

   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.

   One of the most popular goats grown for meat is the South African Boer,
   introduced into the United States in the early 1990s. The New Zealand
   Kiko is also considered a meat breed, as is the Myotonic or "fainting"
   goat, a breed originally identified in Tennessee.

Milk and cheese

   Some goats are bred for dairy purposes. The milk can be drunk fresh; it
   is commonly processed into cheese, and small commerical operations
   offer goat butter and ice cream. Contrary to popular belief, goats'
   milk is not naturally bad tasting. 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 more easily digested by humans than cows' milk. It
   contains less lactose, so is less likely to trigger lactose
   intolerance. The milk is naturally homogenized since it lacks the
   protein agglutinin. The curd is much smaller and more digestible. For
   these reasons, goats' milk is recommended for infants and people who
   have difficulty with cows' milk.

   Goat cheese is commonly known as chèvre, after the French word for
   "goat". Some varieties include Rocamadour and feta.

Fibre

   Some goats are bred for the fibre from their coats. Most goats have
   softer insulating hairs nearer the skin, and longer guard hairs on the
   surface. The desirable fibre for the textile industry is the former,
   and it goes by several names (mohair, fleece, goat wool, cashmere,
   etc., explained below). The coarse guard hairs are worthless as they
   cannot be spun or dyed. The proportion and texture varies between
   breeds, and has been a target of selective breeding for millennia.

   The Cashmere goat produces a fibre, cashmere wool, which is one of the
   best in the world. It is very fine and soft. Most goats produce
   cashmere fibre 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 fibre once a year and it takes about a week
   to comb out by hand, yielding only about 4 ounces.

   The fibre is made into products such as sweaters and doll's hair. 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
   fibre 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 for
   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.

Skin

   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 still the preferred material
   for internal human sutures. The horn of the goat, which signifies
   wellbeing ( Cornucopia) is also used to make spoons etc.

Beast of burden

   Rarely, goats will be used as light pack animals (in a similar manner
   to Llamas) or even to draw carts. Usually goats used for such purposes
   will be wethers.

   See the article on Ches McCartney, "America's Goatman"

Goat breeds

   Goat breeds fall into four categories, though there is some overlap
   among them; meaning that some are dual purpose.

Feral

     * Auckland Island Goat (extinct)
     * San Clemente Island goats

Dairy

     * Alpine: French Alpine, British Alpine, American Alpine *
     * Anglo-Nubian This is the Nubian of the UK and Australia.
     * Golden Guernsey
     * La Mancha *
     * Nigerian Dwarf *
     * Nubian *
     * Oberhasli *
     * Rove
     * Saanen *
     * Sable Saanen *
     * Stiefelgeiss
     * Toggenburg *
     * Kinder
     * Canarian goats: Majorera (Island of Fuerteventura), Palmera (Island
       of La Palma), etc.

   * implies official recognition by the American Dairy Goat Association

Fibre

     * Angora
     * Australian Cashmere Goat
     * Cashmere
     * Pygora
     * Nigora

Meat

     * Boer
     * Kiko
     * Rove
     * Spanish
     * Stiefelgeiss
     * Fainting
     * Pygmy
     * GeneMaster
     * Kalahari Red
     * Savanna

Pet

     * Pygmy
     * Nigerian Dwarf
     * Australian Miniature Goat

Skin

     * Black Bengal

Wild

     * Cretan kri-kri (Capra aegagrus creticus)
     * Ibex, including the Alpine Ibex, Nubian Ibex and Spanish Ibex
     * Chamois
     * Markhor
     * West Caucasian Tur
     * East Caucasian Tur

Showing

   A goat with unusual horns
   A goat with unusual horns

   Goat breeders' clubs frequently hold shows, where goats are judged on
   traits relating to conformation, udder quality, evidence of high
   production/ longevity, build/muscling (meat goats and pet goats) and
   fiber production/fiber (fibre goats). People who show their goats
   usually keep registered stock and the offspring of award winning
   animals command a higher price. Registered goats, in general, are
   usually higher priced if for no other reason than that records have
   been kept proving their ancestry and the production and other data of
   their sires, dams, and other ancestors. A registered doe is usually
   less of a gamble than buying a doe at random (as at an auction or sale
   barn) because of these records and the reputation of the breeder.

   Children's clubs such as 4-H also allow goats to be shown. Children's
   shows often include a showmanship class, where the cleanliness and
   presentation of both the animal and the exhibitor as well as the
   handler's ability and skill in handling the goat are scored. In a
   showmanship class, conformation is irrelevant since this is not what is
   being judged.

   Various Dairy Goat Scorecards (milking does) — are systems used for
   judging shows in the U.S. The American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA)
   scorecard for an adult doe is as follows:

   General Appearance: 35 points (the doe should be strong in the feet,
   legs, and back, while showing good breed character and appropriate
   stature for her age and breed.)

   Dairy Character: 20 points (the doe should be lean and angular, have
   ribs which are flexible but strong, and have smooth, pliable skin.
   These characteristics have been proven to result in high milk
   production.)

   Body Capacity: 10 points (the doe should be large and strong with a
   wide, deep barrel).

   Mammary System: 35 points (udder should be productive and very well
   attached so as to be held up high away from possible injury, teats
   should be of a good size and shape for easy milking).

   In all the perfect dairy goat would score all 100 points, and this is
   the standard by which the goats are judged. Young stock and bucks are
   judged by different scorecards which place more emphasis on the other
   three categories; general appearance, body capacity, and dairy
   character.
     * The American Goat Society (AGS) has a similar, but not identical
       scorecard that is used in their shows. The miniature dairy goats
       may be judged by either of the two scorecards.

   The Angora Goat scorecard used by the Colored Angora Goat Breeder's
   Association or CAGBA (which covers the white and the colored goats) is
   as follows:

   Fleece- 70 points

   Completeness of cover and Uniformity: 8 points (Fineness, length, type
   of lock and covering, adequate covering of mohair over the entire body,
   neither too much nor too little on the face).

   Luster and Handle of Fleece: 8 points (Good, bright type of mohair,
   silky feeling)

   Density and Yield: 8 points (Number of fibers per unit area, determined
   by the amount of skin exposed when the fleece is parted).

   Fineness: 14 points (Finer mohair generally is more desirable,
   uniformity over entire fleece).

   Character and Style: 6 points (Equivalent to one inch per month or
   more, uniform over entire body).

   Freedom from Kemp: 10 points (Kemp fibers are large, opaque, "hairy"
   fibers most commonly found at the withers, along the spine and around
   the tail and britch.

   Body- 50 points

   Size and weight for age: 8 points (Minimum weight for yearling bucks-80
   lbs, yearling does-60 lbs).

   Constitution and Vigor: 8 points (Width and depth of chest, fullness of
   heartgirth and spring of ribs).

   Conformation: 11 points (Width and depth of body, straightness of back,
   width of loin, straightness of legs).

   Amount of bone: 8 points (Indicated by the size of the bone below the
   knees and hocks. Should be clean and in proportion to the size of the
   animal. Strength of feet and legs).

   Angora Breed Type: 15 points (Indicated by head, horns, ears and
   topknot. Horns should be wide set and should spiral out and back.
   Wattles highly discouraged).

   Physical Disqualifications- Disqualify the animal Deformed mouth,
   broken down pasturns, deformed feet, crooked legs, abnormalities of
   testicles, missing testicles, more than 3 inch split in scrotum, close
   set distorted horns, or roached back.

   The perfect Angora goat would score a 120 on the total points. For more
   information visit the CAGBA site: * The Colored Angora Goat Breeder's
   Association.

Anatomy

   Goats are ruminants. They have four stomachs consisting of the rumen,
   the reticulum, the omasum, and the abomasum.

   Goats have horizontal slit-shaped pupils. The narrower the pupil, the
   more accurate the depth perception of peripheral vision is, so
   narrowing it in one direction would increase depth perception in that
   plane . Animals with pupils like goats and sheep may have evolved
   horizontal pupils because better vision in the vertical plane may be
   beneficial in mountainous environments. .

   Some breeds of sheep and goats appear superficially similar, but goat
   tails point up, whereas sheep tails hang down (and hence may be
   docked).

Gallery

   A Nigerian Dwarf Goat

   A Rove

   An Alpine goat

   This doe is likely of the Spanish type or a Nubian cross. Note the
   pendulous ears

   Domestic Goats high up in the hills

   A young Nubian kid goat

   Goat in the mountains above Gorges du Verdon, Provence, South-France

   Goats on An Teallach, Scotland

   Friendly goat on a Texas ranch.

   Acting the goat. Boer goat on trailer in Free State.

   An Irish goat

Bible

   The Scapegoat by William Holman Hunt (1854).
   The Scapegoat by William Holman Hunt (1854).

   Goats are mentioned many times in the Bible. A goat was a considered a
   clean animal by Jewish dietary laws and was slaughtered for an honored
   guest. It was also acceptable for some kinds of sacrifices. Goat hair
   curtains were used in the tent that contained the tabernacle (Exodus
   25.4). On Yom Kippur, the festival of the Day of Atonement, two goats
   were chosen and lots were drawn for them. One was sacrificed and the
   other allowed to escape into the wilderness, symbolically carrying with
   it the sins of the community. From this comes the word " scapegoat". A
   leader or king was sometimes compared to a male goat leading the flock.
   In the New Testament Jesus likened true followers of himself to sheep
   and false followers to goats.

Popular culture

     * Three Billy Goats Gruff is a popular fairy tale originating from
       Scandinavia.
     * Frank the Goat is the mascot of LiveJournal.
     * Giles Goat-Boy is a 1966 novel by John Barth, dealing with a
       half-man half-goat George Giles, who believes himself to be the
       Savior.
     * "Grim and Frostbitten Moongoats of the North" is a song by the mock
       black metal band Impaled Northern Moonforest
     * 'Goat' is an album by the metal band Nunslaughter
     * "The Goat" is a spoken-word audio skit on the Adam Sandler album
       What the Hell Happened to Me?; he followed it up with "The Goat
       Song" on the album What's Your Name?
     * The phrase "get(s) [someone's] goat" means to be annoyed. For
       example, "Rush hour traffic really gets my goat." See , .
     * The Norwegian municipality of Vinje has a billy-goat in its
       coat-of-arms.
     * In American vernacular, a sports "goat" is an individual team
       member who contributes to losses by consistent poor play. Example:
       Charlie Brown of the Peanuts comic strip.
     * In the Phillip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,
       bounty hunter Rick Deckard buys a female Nubian goat after retiring
       the first three andys on his list. Later on in the novel, Rachel
       Rosen takes revenge upon Deckard by pushing his goat off the
       ceiling and thus killing it.
     * The Italian resort island of Capri is named after the goats that
       used to be numerous there.

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