Goat BreedsYOUTH ACADEMY OF LIVESTOCK LEARNING

Boer• The Boer is an improved indigenous breed with some infusion of

European, Angora and Indian goat breeding many years ago. They were imported into South Africa during the 19th century.

• The South African registry was established in 1959. • This breed is primarily a meat goat with several adaptations to the

region in which it was developed. It is a horned breed with lop ears and showing a variety of color patterns.

• Producing weaning rates in excess of 160% the Boer goat doe is a low maintenance animal that has sufficient milk to rear a kid that is early maturing. A kidding rate of 200% is common for this breed. Puberty is reached early, usually about 6 months for the males and 10-12 months for the females. The Boer goat also has an extended breeding season making possible 3 kids every 2 years.

• The mature Boer Goat ram weighs between 110-135 kg (~240-300 lbs) and ewes between 90 and 100 kg (~200-225 lbs).

• Performance records for this breed indicate exceptional individuals are capable of average daily gains over 0.44 lb/day (200 g/day) in feedlot. More standard performance would be 0.3-0.4 lbs/day (150-170 g/day).

Resource: http://afs.okstate.edu/breeds/goats/boer/index.html

Pygmy• The Pygmy Goat was originally called the Cameroon Dwarf Goat.

It is the breed that actually came from the former French Cameroon area. They were exported from Africa to zoos in Sweden and Germany where they were on display as exotic animals.

• The breed has full coat of straight, medium-long hair which varies in density with seasons and climates. On females, beards may be non-existent, sparse, or trimmed. On adult males, abundant hair growth is desirable; the beard should be full, long and flowing, the copious mane draping cape-like across the shoulders.

• All body colors are acceptable, the predominate coloration is a grizzled (agouti) pattern produced by the intermingling of light and dark hairs, of any color.

• Breed-specific markings are required: muzzle, forehead, eyes, and ears are accented in tones lighter than the dark portion of the body in goats of all colors, except goats that are solid black. Front and rear hoofs and cannons are darker than main body coat, as are the crown, dorsal stripe, and martingale; except in goats that are solid black. On all caramel goats, light vertical stripes on front sides of darker socks are required.

Resource: http://afs.okstate.edu/breeds/goats/pygmy/index.html

Anglo-Nubian• This breeds was developed in England by crossing British goats with bucks

of African and Indian origin.• They are an all-purpose goat, useful for meat, milk and hide production. It is

not a heavy milk producer but has a high average butter fat content (between four and five percent). Their breeding season is much longer than that of the Swiss breeds so it is possible to produce milk year round.

• It is the best suited of the dairy goat breeds to hot conditions, the Anglo Nubian has been used in grading-up programs in many tropical countries to increase the milk and meat production of local breeds.

• The Anglo-Nubian is regarded as an "aristocratic" appearing goat and has very long, pendulous ears that hang close to the head and flare slightly out and well forward at the rounded tip, forming a "bell" shape.

• The facial profile between the eyes and the muzzle being strongly convex. They have a decidedly Roman nose and are always short-haired.

• Any solid or parti-colored coat is permitted in the Anglo-Nubian, but black, red or tan are the most common colors, any of which may be carried on combination with white. Any color or colors, solid or patterned, is acceptable. Usually there is shorter hair on the Anglo-Nubian males, particularly along the back and on the thigh, than is commonly found on the Swiss breeds.

• The udder of the Anglo-Nubian is capacious but is sometimes more pendulous than that of the Swiss breeds. A mature doe should stand at least 30 inches at the withers and weigh 135 pounds or over, while the males should stand at least 35 inches at the withers and weigh at least 175 pounds. The Anglo-Nubian usually gives less milk than the Swiss breeds, but produces a milk of higher butterfat content.

Resource: http://afs.okstate.edu/breeds/goats/anglonubian/index.html

Kiko• Kiko goats were purposely bread for meat in New

Zealand. The word ”kiko” means flesh or meat. • 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 live weight and animal performance was achieved. By 1986 the Kiko breed was established and the herd was closed to further cross-breeding.

• Kikos were exported to the United States in the 1990s.

Resource: http://afs.okstate.edu/breeds/goats/kiko/index.html

Nigerian Dwarf• The Nigerian Dwarf is a miniature goat of West African Origin. • It's conformation is similar to that of the larger dairy goat breeds.

The parts of the body are in balanced proportion. The nose is straight. The ears are upright. The coat is soft with short to medium hair.

• Any color or combination of colors is acceptable, though silver agouti (roan) is considered a moderate fault.

• Ideal weight is suggested to be about 75 pounds. Animals are disqualified from the show ring for being over-sized for the breed standard, curly coat, roman nose, and pendulous ears or evidence of myatonia.

• New born kids average about 2 lbs. at birth but grow quickly. They reach sexual maturity at a young age. Dwarf does can have several kids at a time, 3 and 4 being common and sometime even 5. Dwarfs are generally good mothers and able to take care of their babies. They can also provide a surprising amount of milk for their size. They can give three to four pounds per day of 6 to 10% butterfat.

Resource: http://afs.okstate.edu/breeds/goats/nigeriandwarf/index.html

Height of the Nigerian Dwarf Goat Ideal Maximum

Does 17” to 19” 22.6”Bucks 19” to 20” 23.6”

Lamancha• The LaMancha goat originated in Oregon.• The breed has excellent dairy temperament and is an all-around

sturdy animal that can withstand a great deal of hardship and still produce. Through official testing this breed has established itself in milk production with high butterfat.

• The LaMancha face is straight with the ears being the distinctive breed characteristic. There are two types of LaMancha ears. In does one type of ear has no advantage over the other.

• The "gopher ear" is described as follows: an approximate maximum length of one inch but preferably non-existent and with very little or no cartilage. The end of the ear must be turned up or down. This is the only type of ear which will make buck eligible for registration.

• The "elf ear" is described as follows: an approximate maximum length of two inches is allowed, the end of the ear must be turned up or turned down and cartilage shaping the small ear is allowed.

• Any color or combination of colors is acceptable with no preferences. The hair is short, fine and glossy.

Resource: http://afs.okstate.edu/breeds/goats/lamancha/index.html

Contact the following Agents with any questions!

Ashley McCarter, Laurens County 4-H Agentasmccar@clemson.edu

Meghan Barkley, Beaufort County 4-H Agentmebarkl@clemson.edu

The breeds listed here are the common breeds to our area of the county. A more extensive list of breeds can be found here: http://afs.okstate.edu/breeds/goatsThis will be a source used for the Clemson University Youth Academy of Livestock Learning knowledge tests.