Goats are meat, dairy and down. Depending on what they want to get from them, choose the appropriate variety. What kind of meat goats are there? What are the characteristics and features of each?
General information
The main task of farmers is to increase the volume of meat produced to meet the needs of the population. The annual norm of meat per person is 85 kilograms, of which 43 are beef.
Meat goats are relatively recently isolated in the field of animal husbandry, the formation of which began in America in the nineties of the last century. Meat is produced not only by meat breeds, but also by dairy.
Goats began to be bred on an industrial scale due to the high nutritional qualities of meat. The meat breed of goats steadily tolerates extreme environmental conditions with a minimum supply of feed. It is rarely affected by pathogenic microbes. A feature of these animals is the need for constant movement.
Beneficial features
The meat breed of goats is characterized by valuable nutritional qualities of the product. Dietary meat is equal in terms of amino acid composition to game. It has a lot of vitamins, low fat and low cholesterol. For this reason, doctors recommend eating goat meat. Many do not like its aroma reminiscent of lamb or venison. Yet their meat is in great demand among the population. It is always bought and a lot. Goat meat is great, it is not inferior to pork and beef. Animal skins are strong, they are used for the manufacture of products for various purposes.
Boer goats
This is a meat breed, distinguished by its purpose. Boer goats belong to it. There is little milk from them due to poorly developed dairy signs; it is barely enough to feed the kids. Homeland is South Africa. Breeding dates back to the beginning of the last century. Today it is common on many continents.
Boer goats are famous for their large size and quality meat. Females can weigh 100 kilograms or more, and males 130-160. Goats are adapted to winter cold, but still prefer a warm, dry climate. The meat breed of goats has good immunity, the offspring produces throughout the year. But born in the winter, the first months of kids are best raised in a heated room.
Goats of this breed are distinguished by a white body color and brown - heads. But individual specimens are found completely white or brown, or even spotty. The ears of the goats are wide and large in length, they always lie along the sides of the head.
Animals are characterized by rapid growth, by the age of seven months you can get up to 35 kilograms of meat. Goats are obedient. Females are multiple, beautiful mothers. They carry babies for five months, and they give birth to kids for three months.
They feed on tree leaves, grass, bark and shrubs. These animals have a good appetite, they need more food and water than goats of other breeds. This is due to their excessive mobility.
Nubian goats
It is believed that the very first man tamed this breed. Nubian goats live next door to humans for seven and a half centuries. They have the same name with the desert in the Republic of Namibia.
The appearance of representatives of this breed of animals is considered bizarre because of the large bell-shaped ears, which are always down, and the long nipples on the udder of the female. Although the Nubian goats seem graceful: the legs are flexible, the neck is long, the body is slim.
The breed is distinguished by its coat color, which can be brown, black, bay or white, and sometimes spotty. Goats have an increased temperament. They are characterized by restlessness, exactingness, perseverance.
Animals respond to human care and enjoy contact with them, although they are aggressive towards other individuals of the herd: they begin to bully and butt, feeling confident in their abilities. When caring for animals, you need to be strict with them, otherwise they will become naughty, and it will be difficult to cope with them. It is better if there are no goats of other breeds in the herd.
The meat breed of goats is becoming increasingly popular. Today, its representatives are often acquired by breeders. This is due to high profits. One person can help one hundred twenty and more than a thousand rubles. The tender consistency of meat is quickly bought, and milk with a high fat content is suitable for making delicious cheese.
Greek goats
This breed owes its origin to wild, mountain goats, whose habitat is Greece . Currently animals are common in the mountains of Crete. Greek goats come in different colors: black, brown, gray, white. They differ in the average size of a long body. Goats have an elongated head, a straight profile of the muzzle, large, hanging ears, a long neck and a wide chest. The udder of the females is well formed. Thin legs with strong, hard hooves are tall. The back is covered with short hair, which is slightly longer along the hips and sides.
Goats are unpretentious to food. They prefer free pastures with dense grass and shrubs, although they are well adapted for grazing in highlands with a rocky surface. Goats with pleasure chew on the bark of pine trees, branches of bushes, grass, but ordinary garlic is a treat for them.
The downside to breeding Greek goats is their ability to exterminate the plantings of various plants. Everywhere you can see trees with peeled bark, which subsequently die. The shoots do not have time to grow, they are dug up and eaten by animals.
Kiko goats
An interesting name of the breed in translation from the language of the Maori tribe means "meat". At the end of the last century, meat goats were brought from Europe to New Zealand. They were crossed with wild animals of this species. So they got a new breed of Kiko goats.
Mostly animals are brown or white. But there are black and colored individuals. Goats have a large physique. The head is medium in size and rests on a long neck. Horns in males are long and massive, there are straight or curling, and in females - only straight and small. The goats are endowed with a thick, long beard. This breed has large hanging ears . The back and chest are wide. Legs are strong, with well-developed hooves. The length of the coat varies with the season. In summer it is shorter, and in winter - longer.
The weight of an adult goat ranges from sixty to seventy kilograms. The female in one lamb brings three small goats. Despite this, they are distinguished by good health. This breed is prone to rapid weight gain. There is little milk, but it is enough to feed offspring. Females have a developed sense of motherhood. They have been caring for their babies for a long time.
The disadvantage of this breed of goats is the steep disposition of males. Because of this feature, young kids are not allowed to play with them. Kiko goats feel comfortable in a harsh climate, as they have high immunity and the absence of leg diseases. Animals are unpretentious to food. They even find it in a pasture with rare plantings. Today they are bred in New Zealand, America and Australia. Goats are adapted for living in regions with a dry climate, and in the mountains.
Benefits
Meat goats have many advantages, here are some of them:
- The meat has high quality characteristics.
- The resulting profit justifies all the costs.
- Animals are unpretentious to food.
- Easily tolerate new conditions of detention.
- They are distinguished by good fertility and care for offspring.
- They have high immunity, due to which they are resistant to diseases.
disadvantages
Meat goats have the following disadvantages:
- They have the ability to destroy plantings: grass, shrubs, tree bark. It makes no sense to plant any crops in the radius of their habitat.
- Hoof care is needed, otherwise they will grow.
- Meat of higher quality can be obtained without crossing breeds of even meat.