Goats Flashcards
herd
group pf goats
doe
female goat
doeling
young female goat
buck
intact male goat
wether
castrated male goat
kid
baby goat
kidding
goat giving birth
multipurpose
milk, meat, hair, skins, land management
dairy goats can also be meat goats
What is the fastest growing livestock industry in the US?
the goat industry
Meat Breeds
-Spanish Goat
-Boer
-Kiko
-Savanna(h)
-Myotonic
-Texmaster
Dairy Breeds
-Saanen
-Alpine
-Nubian
-Toggenburg
-LaMancha
-Oberhasli
———————
-Sable
-Nigerian Dwarf
Other Breeds
-Pygmy
-Kinder Goat
Sexual Maturity
4-5 months
Physiological Maturity
doe - 7-10 months
buck - 12 months
Gestation
(145-155 days) avg 150 days
What determines breeding season??
kidding season!!
Goats are seasonal breeders
short day - photoperiod
–> serotonin –> melatonin –> GnRH
estrus
12-30 hours
estrous
17-24 days (avg 21 days)
fetal cortisol
a stress hormone from the fetus that tells the mother it is time to give birth
kidding pen
heat lamps, creep area, temporary housing
Most common amount of offspring?
Twins!! (but can have upwards of 4)
reproduction lifespan
4-5 paraties is avg.
6-8 paraties on the upper end
Browsing
Goats (and deer) browse!
-eat leaves, twigs, bark, high growing vegetation