Table of Contents
Advertisement
14 4-H Market Goat Project
in the South, wild Spanish goats are being cross
bred with larger dairy and angora goats to
produce a meatier animal.
Tennessee Meat Goat: These goats were devel
oped from fainting goats (when startled their
muscles lock up suddenly, and they fall over and
lie stiff for a few seconds). A fainting goat aver
ages between 17 and 25 inches in height, and
weighs between 50 and 165 pounds. These goats
come in a variety of colors and have very long
ears that stand out to the side of the head. The
constant stiffening and relaxing of the muscles
may result in heavy rear leg muscling, tender
meat, and a high meat-to-bone ratio. They are
very calm animals and make excellent pets. They
are herding animals, so they should be kept with
at least two or three of their own kind.
Kiko: The Kiko is a meat breed that originated
from large dairy males crossed with New
Zealand based stock, which were then back
crossed to dairy males. They were selected
for twinning, growth rate, and constitution.
D
AIRY BREEDS
Alpine: This breed produces a large amount of
milk and usually has big kids at birth. Alpines
tend to get lean and leggy as they continue grow
ing. They have short, erect ears and can show a
number of color patterns.
LaMancha: This U.S. breed's most obvious trait
are the tiny ear flaps that almost make them look
like they don't have any ears at all. This medium-
sized, good-tempered breed can be any color and
has moderate muscling. The LaMancha is becom
ing a very popular breed to cross with a meat
breed to produce a well-balanced, heavily
muscled market goat.
Oberhasli: This small- to medium-sized breed is
generally the lightest muscled of all dairy breeds.
Oberhaslis have red bodies with black markings.
Saanen: This large-bodied white goat produces
large amounts of milk and has moderate
muscling.
Boer
Tennessee meat goat
Toggenburg: This heavy milking breed is
medium-sized, sturdy, and vigorous. They have
short, erect ears, a dished face, and a gray/white
color pattern.
O
THER
Cashmere and angora goats were developed for
fiber production. In the South, where there is a
strong demand for goat meat, they are also being
used for meat. However, these animals are
lighter-muscled and have a lower dressing per
centage than most other breeds.
Advertisement
Table of Contents
