2. General Information
The goat, along with sheep, were
among the earliest domesticated
animals
domestication of the goats to be
dated at between 6000 and 7000 B.C.
However, unlike sheep, their ancestry
is fairly clear.
Unlike sheep, goats easily revert to
feral or wild condition given a chance
5. Nubian (Zariaby in Aretria(
This is the most popular breed. This breed
is large, has long, wide, pendulous ears,
and a roman nose. Goats of this breed
usually are brown, but can be almost any
color.
The Nubian breed originated in the United
Kingdom from British and Near-East
descendants. Nubians have a high butterfat
content in their milk.
Nubian milk is therefore good for cheese
making
7. Anglo-Nubian
Other Names: Nubian (USA)
Anglo-Nubians were developed in England by crossing
British goats with bucks of African and Indian origin
The Anglo Nubian is an all-purpose goat, useful for
meat, milk and hide production
Anglo-Nubian goat is named for Nubia, in
northeastern Africa.
The Anglo-Nubian is regarded as an "aristocratic"
appearing goat and has very long, pendulous ears
that hang close to the head. The Anglo-Nubian carries
a decidedly Roman nose and is always short-haired
10. Alpine
The French-Alpine is a breed of goat that
originated in the Alps
it may range from pure white through
shades of fawn, gray, brown, black, red,
bluff, piebald, or various shadings
Both sexes are generally short haired, but
bucks usually have a roach of long hair
along the spine. The beard of males is also
quite pronounced.
The ears in the Alpine should be of medium
size, fine textured, and preferably erect
13. Damascus
The Damascus is a breed raised in the
region of Syria and Lebanon, primarily for
milk production. They are of the Nubian
type and are usually red or brown but can
also be seen in grey. The animals can be
either horned or polled and are long haired
Weight of Does = 50-60
Weight of Bucks = 60-90
15. Angora
The Angora goat originated in the district of Angora in
Asia Minor
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 most valuable characteristic of the Angora as
compared to other goats is the value of the mohair
that is clipped. The average goat in the U.S. shears
approximately 5.3 pounds of mohair per shearing and
are usually sheared twice a year.
The Angora is very picturesque animal in which both
sexes are horned
17. Somali
breed is used primarily for meat
production.
They are primarily found in white but
occational individuals will have
colored spots or patches.
The Somali has short hair and ears.
The males are horned and the
females are either horned or polled
18. Tips for Buying a Dairy Goat
Before buying a dairy goat:
Visit herds to see all the dairy goat breeds, then decide
which one is for you.
Consider what type of buying a kid, dry yearling, or milker.
Taste the milk produced at the herd you are considering
buying your goat from.
Prepare a safe, sheltered, ventilated pen, plus an exercise
yard and/or safe pasture.
Dog-proof fencing should be used to enclose the pasture
and poisonous plants (milkweed, sheep laurel, black cherry,
and nightshade) should be destroyed.
Ask for recent CAE testing results and a Caseous
Lymphadenitis vet check before purchasing your animal.
19. Diseases
CAE: (Caprine Arthritis Encephilitus)
A disease caused by a virus and
transmitted to kids through the mother's
milk that causes inflamed joints, lameness,
and death. Goats can be carriers of CAE
and not show signs of the disease. It can
be detected only with a blood test and
when buying goats it is wise to ask if they
have been tested for CAE.
20. CAE: (Caprine Arthritis Encephilitus)
In active cases you will note from
slight to severe swelling in the knees
and other joints. Goats may show
nervous signs such as twisting the
head from side to side or being
unable to stand. No treatment or
vaccine is currently available for CAE
Treatment is thus usually aimed at
the control of symptoms
21. ABCESSES: Caseous Lymphadenitis
CL is a bacterium that affects both
sheep and goats. Leave an abscess
alone until lit is ready to lance. CL
abscesses spread easily and you must
take care not to contaminate pens,
pastures or grounds. This disease is
extremely contagious to goats. A goat
that gets frequent, reoccurring
abscesses should be culled from your
herd.
22. Caseous Lymphadenitis
The animals can have internal
abscesses as well and the milk is not
safe for human consumption. A vet
check is needed to be sure an animal
does not have CL. There is no vaccine
approved for goats at this time
23. Pregnancy Toxemia
Pregnancy Toxemia (ketosis) is a potentially
fatal condition that can affect pregnant
does in their last five weeks of pregnancy,
or shortly after freshening. Ketosis, if
detected early, can be treated successfully,
but mortality is high if not detected early
Pregnancy toxemia (ketosis) is not a virus
or bacteria, but rather is a nutritional
deficiency
24. Pregnancy Toxemia
Symptoms include dullness or
depression, and not eating well.
Symptoms will progress to general
weakness, not walking, or walking
oddly.
These symptoms can rapidly
progress, and cause the doe to sit
down, and be unable to rise
25. Pregnancy Toxemia
Ketosis can be treated successfully if
detected early. Urine tests, such as Keto-
check, are generally accurate
Treatment usually consists of giving the doe
propylene glycol, which is non-toxic
Prevention is the best way to avoid the
condition This includes top dressing the
feed of does in late pregnancy with sugar
or molasses. Molasses can also be added to
the goats' water.
26. Selenium-Deficient Areas
Some areas of the country are
"selenium-deficient." Selenium is a
mineral found in the earth. Goats,
especially pregnant does and kids, in
selenium-deficient areas of the
country may require an injection by
their veterinarian to prevent the
occurrence of white muscle disease
28. Goat Meat
Goat meat is 50-60% lower in fat
than similarly prepared beef, but has
a similar protein content. USDA has
also reported that saturated fat in
cooked goat meat is 40% less than
that of chicken, even with the skin
removed. Goat Meat lower in
cholesterol
29. Meat of goat
Goat Beef
Protein (g( 23 23
Fat (g( 2.58 16
Calorie 122 245
Iron (g( 3.3 2.9
Cholesterol ++ +++
30. Care of Goats
• Goat-keeping is a 365-day a year job
• You should keep at least two goats. A single goat
will tend to be lonely and call for companionship.
• Goats should be kept in a suitable home that
offers the goats protection from drafts (strong
wind currents
• It is very important to ensure that dogs and
other wild animals cannot get into the goat pen
31. Care of Goats
During warm months, flies may bother
goats. Most fly traps are ecologically
acceptable
The goats' grain should be kept in rodent-
proof containers, such as in sealed garbage
bins or in clean metal drums
Goats can receive their water from clean
buckets, preferably raised off of the ground
a few inches. The bucket must be kept
clean, as goats will not drink dirty water, or
from a dirty bucket
32. Care of Goats
Goats should have baking soda and powdered
minerals available on a free-choice basis.
It can be hard to find hay that goats will love eating!
Generally, alfalfa, clover, or other mixes are suitable.
A new goat owner should locate a Veterinarian who
will treat goats
Goats also need to be treated regularly for Internal
Parasites (worms).
Also, goats generally need their hoofs trimmed once a
month. This is a relatively simple and quick procedure
33. Breeding
Goats will generally have a heat cycle
that lasts one or two days every 18 to
21 days
The heat cycle usually only occurs
from late-August until mid-March
The heat cycle is characterized by
uneasiness, riding other animals,
shaking the tail, bleating, etc.
34. Breeding
After breeding, the gestation period is
approximately 150 days for dairy
goats
Goats should not be bred until they
are at least 85 pounds, or about 10
months old
Earlier breeding can stunt the growth
of both the fetus and the pregnant
doe
35. العمر تقديرDentition
Goats have eight incisors (cutting or biting
teeth) on the lower front jaw. These are
sharp and small in animals less than one
year.
They meet a hard pad (dental pad) in the
upper jaw. At about one year, the center
teeth will drop out and they are replaced by
two permanent teeth.
36. العمر تقدير
Twenty-four molars (chewing or
grinding teeth) are found in the back,
six on each side of the upper and lower
jaws.
At about the age of two, two or more
large front teeth appear, one on each
side of the yearling teeth.
The three or four year old has 6
permanent teeth, two more than the
two year old.
37. العمر تقدير
At four or five years of age, the
animals have a complete set of eight
permanent teeth in front. After this
point, the age is judged by the amount
of wear on the front teeth. As the
animal ages, the teeth spread and drop
out. It becomes difficult for her to eat
properly, so care should be taken to
make sure she eats sufficient amounts
of food.
39. Health Management
الصحية الرعاية
Herd health management programs attempt to
organize all information applicable to goat herd health
into a simple, usable, and easily remembered format.
The goal of the program is to improve the herd's
productivity through general husbandry, nutrition
management, parasite control, vaccination, and
environmental management. Careful recordkeeping
must be done to monitor the program's progress.
40. Health Management
Regarding general husbandry, it is
important to feed goats the appropriate
rations and provide shelter against rain and
dampness.
The goat's hooves must be trimmed
regularly to prevent the overgrowth that
leads to foot rot and other foot problems.
Goats should be fenced out of wet, marshy
areas for proper foot care.
41. Health Management
Wethers being fed grain are subject to
urinary calculi, which are potentially fatal.
Feeding ammonium chloride along with
grain may help prevent formation of calculi.
A constant source of fresh water is
necessary for all goats.
All breeding-age animals must be tested for
brucellosis and tuberculosis annually.
42. Health Management
Each goat herd is unique and requires a program
to suit individual herd needs. This article
attempts to give some guidelines that can be
used to develop a herd health program.
What diseases are problems in young kids?
One of the most important things with
young kids is to be sure that it nurses the
doe in the first 12 hours after birth. Babies
need the "first milk" (colostrum) from their
mother in order to get antibodies that will
help the kid fight off diseases. After 12
hours, the kid begins to lose the ability to
absorb the antibodies.
43. Health Management
It is also good to dip the navel in a weak betadine or
iodine solution to protect the kid from bacteria that
can cause infection or death.
Diarrhea is a common problem in kids. You need to be
able to identify the cause of the diarrhea in order to
administer the proper treatment. If the diarrhea is
green, the kid has probably eaten a poisonous plant.
If the diarrhea is brown or yellow, the kid has scours.
If the diarrhea is black, the kid probably has
coccidiosis.
44. Health Management
Late Pregnancy and Dry Does
Does in late pregnancy should be allowed a 40- to 60-day
dry period to regain condition lost during lactation, to allow
the mammary glands to rest, and to prepare the doe for
kidding as well as the next lactation.
Does bred at 70 to 110 days should be examined for
pregnancy before drying off. At drying off, all udders should
be treated with dry-cow mastitis antibiotics.
This treatment is very important, because many udder
infections begin during the first several weeks of the dry
period. Teats should be dipped for at least five days after
drying off.
45. Health Management
The dry period is an ideal time to
deworm the goats. Internal parasites
increase activity during late
pregnancy and can be eliminated if
the does are dewormed during the
dry period. Goats should be
dewormed at breeding and two weeks
before kidding; goats should also be
examined for such external parasites
as lice and treated if any are found
46. Health Management
Late pregnancy is the recommended time
to give the yearly vaccination boosters that
are used in the herd. The vaccine will both
protect the doe and ensure high levels of
antibodies in the colostrum, which will
subsequently protect the newborn kid. I
recommend at least a five-way Clostridium
vaccine (C. perfringens types C and D, C.
chauvoei,, C. novye, C. septicum, and C.
sordellii) along with a tetanus booster three
weeks before kidding.
47. Health Management
The doe must be kept in proper body
condition (i.e., not too fat or too
thin). Over-conditioning predisposes
pregnant does to such metabolic
problems as pregnancy toxemia. This
disorder is often fatal to both the doe
and the unborn kid.
48. Health Management
Weaned Kids
Kids must be examined for intestinal parasites one
month after weaning.
Buck kids and doe kids must be separated by three
months of age. Polled kids should be rechecked for any
genital abnormalities.
Feet must be trimmed before kids are turned out.
Kids are susceptible to polioencephalomalacia, which is
caused by thiamine deficiency. Deficiency of this vitamin
should be a primary diagnostic differential for any kid
with neurological signs, such as blindness.
49. Health Management
Bucks
Bucks are given vaccines and parasite treatments at
the same time as other animals in the herd.
Bucks must be given plenty of exercise.
Feet must be trimmed at least four times yearly.
Before the breeding season, bucks must have
adequate body condition and should be examined for
genital abnormalities.