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DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE LOTS OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF GOATS???
| Pygmy Goats | Cashmere Goats |
| Nigerian Dwarf Goats | Mountain Goats |
| Dairy Goats | Boer Goats |
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| Pygmy Goats are raised primarily for show. Like dairy goats, they are good companions, and they go to shows & fairs. The Pygmy goat originated in Africa. As its name implies, it's smaller than diary goats, but it produces a respectable amount of milk for its weight. Most people raise them for show and fun instead of meat or milk. Some children like to raise Pygmy goats because they are easy to raise and handle and they are affectionate, cute, loveable and playful. Pygmy goats are year-round breeders so kids may be available at any time of the year. A litter usually consists of 1-3 goats. |
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Nigerian Dwarf Goats
The Nigerian Dwarf is a miniature goat of West African Origin. The most commonly asked question about Dwarf goats is: What is the difference between these and Pygmy goats? Although they have similar origins, they are separate and distinct breeds. Pygmies are bred to be "cobby" and heavy boned. Dwarves are bred to have the length of body and structure, in proportion, of a dairy goat.
Dwarf goats come in many colours. Main colour families are black, chocolate and gold. Random white markings are common, as are spots and other colour combinations such as red, white, gold and black.
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Colour is one of the BIG factors that makes breeding Dwarves so popular. You never can be sure what colour the babies will be until they are born; even then you can't be sure because many times their colour will change. Dwarf goats are gentle and loveable. Even breeding bucks are handled easily. They make wonderful pets and great animal projects for young children. Breeders of other types of goats find that their Dwarves blend in with the rest of their herd well and do not need special quarters, just proper fencing to contain them because of their small size. |
Dairy Goats are raised for goat milk. They also make good companions and can be shown at fairs.
There are six types of dairy goats recognized by most Dairy Goat Associations. They are Nubians, LaManchas, Alpines, Oberhaslis, Togenburgs, and Saanens.
Cashmere goats are a type, not a breed. Most goat breeds can produce cashmere down (the wool of the goat) in varied quantities and may be called cashmere goats. There is no such thing as a "pure-bred" cashmere goat.
Demand for cashmere, the fine underdown from cashmere goats that has long been preferred by royalty, has always exceeded supply. Garments made of cashmere are prized for their unique feel. Cashmere is very soft, warm and long wearing. It feels much softer to the skin than wool, and while not as strong, cashmere outwears wool! The fleece consists of the very fine, crimpy down and the usually longer, outside, coarse, straight guard hairs. A goat that does not display both types of fibre should be avoided.
Prospective "cashmere-supplying goats" can be selected from either dairy goat or meat goat sources. Cashmere down growth begins on about the longest day of the year and stops about the shortest day. (Shortly after down growth stops it will be shed naturally if not combed or sheared.) Best time for goat selection is in the latter part of growth-stopping period; down quality can be easily assessed. The guard hair is parted to determine whether there is down underneath.
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Goats come in many colours and combinations of colours, but solid coloured goats are much preferred. Cashmere down is either white, brown, or grey in solid coloured goats. The less desirable down from mixed coloured goats is classed either as white with colour or mixed colour. |
The slender, black shiny horns rise in a smooth backward curve to a length of ten to twelve inches. The record length was from a female goat whose horns measured 12-4/8 inches!! Horns are not shed each year and develop annual growth rings which indicate the age of the animal.
Black hooves also give accent to the white coat and are equipped with cushioned skid-proof pads for grip and traction on steep rocky surfaces.
The female mountain goat or "nannie" is about 15 percent smaller than the male or "billy" but in appearance is much the same. Her horns are more slender than the male's and rise without curving for 2/3 their length, often curving abruptly backwards at the tips.
The breed comes from South Africa. They have a light coloured body and a distinctive red head.
Right now, these are most expensive goats with some paying over $50,000 for one Boer buck and over $10,000 for pure-bred does. There are also crossbreds with larger dairy goats. In the picture above, only the goat with the red head in the middle is a purebred and the remainder are crossbreeds.
In our experience, Boer goats with serious confirmation faults, such as extra teats, are considered more valueable than very high quality dairy goats. It's not clear how long the Boer goat "boom" will last, but as long as the demand is higher than the supply, these goats will attract investors.
In 1996, the boom phase of Boer Goat market is ending, breeders are starting to raise for quality goats, and the prices although high are not astronomical. http://www.boergoats.com is a very good source of information on raising Boer Goats.
