FACTS ABOUT GOATS (First Part)

1. Goats were the first animals domesticated by man in 10,000 B.C

2. The phrase Judas goat is a tern that has been used to describe a goat that is trained to herd other animals to slaughter while its own life is spared.

3. Most goats can be found in Asia and the Mid-East.

4. Goats were the first animals to be used for milk by humans.

5. There are over 210 breeds of goats in the world.

6. There are approximately 450 million goats around the world.

7. Goats were first brought to America by Columbus in 1493.

8. Goats were regularly imported into America in the early 1900’s.

9. The female goat is called a “doe” or “nanny.”

10. The male goat is called a “buck” or “billy.”

11. A castrated male goat is called a “wether.”

12. A baby goat is called a “kid.”

13. The act of giving birth is called “kidding.”

14. The doe can have 1 to 6 kids per litter, however, 4 to 6 kids are rare.

15. Goats do not have teeth in their upper front jaw.

16. Goats have 24 molars and 8 incisors.

17. Both male and female goats can have beards.

18. Coffee was first discovered when goat herders noticed the animals acting very energetic after nibbling on coffee beans.

19. Abraham Lincoln’s sons had two goats that lived in the white house with them.

20. Goats do not eat tin cans, clothing or garbage, but are selective eaters when provided with a well-balanced diet.

21. Male goats go through a period called a “rut” when they are ready to mate. This period coincides with the start of the breeding season.

22. The “rut” is characterized by a decrease in appetite, obsessive interest in the does, fighting between bucks and most notable is a strong foul-smelly musky odor.

23. Lactating does that are kept in a pen with a musky buck may produce milk that taste “goaty” and can be offensive to humans.

24. Goats can be born with or without horns (polled).

25. Goats and sheep are seasonal breeders.

26. Yearlings does should be bred when they have reached 80 pounds of body weight or when they have reached 60-75% of the adult weight for their breed. They must also be in good body condition and health.

27. Chevon is the French word for goat. These are animals that are slaughtered near or shortly after weaning.

28. Goats are hollow-horned, bearded, ruminant mammals of the genus Capra and the species Hircus.

29. Goats are bovines and are closely related to cows and antelopes.

30. The natural life expectancy for goats is around 8 to 12 years and in some cases, goats can live over 15 years.

31. Worldwide, more people eat and drink milk from goats than any other animal.

32. The age of puberty for female goats is between 7-10 months and 4-8 months in male goats.

33. The breeding age for male goats is between 8-10 months

34. A mature, healthy male buck can breed 20 to 40 does.

35. The length of gestation (pregnancy) in does is between 146 to 155 days.

36. The traditional breeding season for goats in the U.S. is between late August and the early part of January, however some goats can breed out-of-season.

37. Goats do no like to get wet and prefer to seek shelter when it is raining.

38. Goats are more susceptible to parasites and other infectious diseases when they are mismanaged.

39. Cabrito is the Spanish word for little goat (slaughtered one week or shortly after birth).

40. Goats deposits less fat externally and more fat internally (around the organs) compared to sheep and cattle.

41. Estrus (heat) is the period in which does are receptive to mating.

42. The estrous cycle is between 18-22 days in does.

43. The duration of estrus is 12-36 hours.

44. Signs, of heat include tail wagging, mucous discharge, swollen vulva, bleating, mounting or being mounted by other goats etc.

45. The normal body temperature for goats is between 101.7 to 104.5 degrees.

46. The heart rate of goats is between 70 to 135 beats per minute.

47. The normal respiration rate for goats is 12 to 15 breaths per minute.

48. Goats are quite agile creatures and in some cases they can jump over 5 feet.

49. Goats have a four chamber stomach that contains fermenting bacteria and protozoan that aid in breaking down their food.

50. China has the most goats (over 170 Million).

 

collected from: http://www.jrcnboergoats.com/index.html