Goat breeds are divided into three main groups:
- down;
- dairy;
- woolly;
- meat.
Also in the regions of our country there are often coarse-grained breeds that give milk, meat, down, skins. The productivity of such breeds is small, however, they have adapted to local conditions.
Dairy breeds
Goats of milk breed are distinguished by high milk yields, but their wool is of poor quality. Skins are highly appreciated. The best dairy breeds are Megrelian, lactic, Russian, Gorky, Zaanen.
The Toggenburg goat breed is bred in Switzerland. Torso of brown color, along the muzzle there are two parallel bands. The udder is well developed. Dairy productivity of 400-1000 kg for the period of lactation. In milk about 4% fat.
The Nubian goat breed was bred in England in the late 19th century. She has a hooked nose, long, hanging broad ears, whose ends are bent, long and straight legs, udders with large nipples and saggy, color ranging from cream to brown, from white to black. On the day the goat gives about 4-5 liters of milk, however, its fat content is high about 8%.
Alpine goat was imported from the French Alps. The muzzle is straight, the ears are straight, standing, medium in size, the color is different. The breed is very prolific, in one litter several goats at once. They adapt well to new conditions. A year gives about 1200-1600 liters of milk, the fat content of which is 3.5%.
Goat breeds La Mancha were created in Oregon by Julia F Frei in the 1930s. Muzzle straight, humpbacked nose, almost any color, six shiny and short. The species of Lamancha can be identified by the ears, they are practically invisible, but they do exist. The fat content of milk is about 4%.
Goats of the Czech breed were bred from the German noble motley goat and registered in 1992. The yield is about 800-900 kg during the lactation period, the fat content of milk is 3.6%. A beautiful and elegant goat, suitable only for homestead farms.
The Pridonskaya goat breed is distributed around the Don River and its tributaries, is a downy rock. Goats have an average size, high performance of down, good physique, adaptability to the steppe arid climate. The yield of fluff from six is about 64%, and the bridles - 13%. For 5 months of lactation the milk yield is about 140 liters, fat content is 4.6%.
Meat
The Burian goat breed is bred in South Africa, the animals are hardy, resistant to disease and heat. It is characterized by rapid growth and delicious meat. The color is usually white with a brown head, the neck is dense, the chest is wide and deep, the physique is dense meat, the head is large, the ears are hanging, the horns are large. The milk yield is small and is intended only for kids, the daily weight gain of young animals is 500 grams. Adult goats weigh up to 150 kg, and goats - up to 100 kg.
The Zaanen breed appeared in the middle of the 19th century, their homeland is the valley of the Zane river in Switzerland. Usually white, the body is wide, dense, the head is dry, the ears are thin, the udder is large, the neck is dense. Lactation is long, for her period goats are given from 600 to 1200 kg, fat content up to 4.5%. Goats of Zaanen breed became popular in one of the autonomous republics of Russia, it turns out that apart from the ski resorts in Bashkiria there are wonderful animals of this breed.
Meat breeds of goats are grown exclusively for obtaining meat, they usually do not have a lot of milk, and it is enough only for raising kids. Meat of goats has high taste qualities and is not inferior to mutton. But more often there are meat and dairy, meat-wool breeds.
On household plots, usually keep dairy goats, less often downy breeds, of wool which make beautiful blankets . Goat Species:
- Russian;
- Gorky;
- the Don;
- Orenburg;
- mountain-Altai;
- Soviet wool;
- Angora;
- zaanensky;
- Megrelian.
The Russian goat breed is very common in our country. And not surprisingly, it is not whimsical, hardy, adapted to the climate of Russia. Usually has a white color, but there are black, red and gray. The coat is short, with 15% of fluff, and about 200 g of down are collected per year. Russian goats are short, with big breasts, a small head, elongated, ears are standing, there is a beard. The yield is about 350-800 liters, the fat content of milk is 4.5-5%.