FACTS ABOUT GOATS 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. 1 18. Normally goats have two teats and cows have four. 19. Goats prefer browse over grass and grass to clover. 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. They are raised for wool, milk, and meat in the U.S. Goats are also used to make gelatin, the manure is used for fertilizer, they are used for research models in biological studies, they are used to pull carts and for pack animals. 2 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. 3 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. Most medications that are currently used on goats were developed for use in other livestock species (i.e., cattle and swine). 51. Bucks can be quite aggressive to their handlers during the breeding season. 52. Depending on the breed, adult female goats can weigh between 22 to 300 pounds and adult males between 27 to 350 pounds of body weight. 53. A large group of goats is called a herd. 54. A hermaphrodite is a goat that exhibits both male and female sexually characteristics and organs. 55. Azalea bushes are poisonous to goats. 56. Vomiting in goats is almost always due to poisonous plants. 57. Goats can become lame after an injection has hit the sciatic nerve. This nerve runs from the hips down to the leg. 58. Blood in the milk or “pink” milk may be a sign of udder trauma and not mastitis. 61. Before coins were used for money, goats were traded for silver because they were so valuable. 4 62. The pharaoh Cephranes thought, so much of his goats that he had 2,234 buried with him. 63. Goats are very social creatures. 64. Wattles are those little tufts of hair that covers the skin that dangles from the throat of some goats. Wattles serve no function and are thought to be remnants of gill slits that mammals shared somewhere back down the evolutionary tree. 65. A ruminant is any hoofed animal that digests its food in two steps. First by eating the raw materials and regurgitating a semi-digested form known as “cud” then eating the cud. Ruminants include goats, sheep, cattle, deer, camels, llamas, giraffes, bison, buffalos etc. 66. Goat’s milk is easily digestible and less allergenic than cow’s milk. 67. Goat’s milk is higher in calcium, vitamin A and niacin than cow’s milk. 68. Goat meat is lower in fat and cholesterol compared to beef, pork, mutton and poultry. 69. 12,000 year old paintings of goats have been found on the walls of caves in Europe. 70. Goats are one the cleanliest animals and is much more selective feeders than cows, sheep, pigs, swine and even dogs. 71. Dairy goats have little subcutaneous fat. 72. Goats do not like eating food that has been soiled, contaminated or has been on the ground. 73. Mahatma Gandhi consumed goat milk everyday for more than 30 years. 74. Carl Sandburg loved his goats so much that when Life Magazine (1938 issue) asked him to pose for a picture with his favorite dog he insisted the picture be taken with his goats. 5 75. Goat’s milk is naturally homogenized and it can be digested in less than 20 minutes where as cow’s milk can take almost all day. 76. Meat goat production is the fastest growing livestock industry in the U.S. today (2005). 77. The top ten states with the largest population of meat goats are Texas (1,010,000), Tennessee (98,000), Georgia (77,000), Oklahoma (65,000), Kentucky (63,500), North Carolina (52,200), California (50,000), South Carolina (41,000), Alabama (37,800) and Florida (36,000;NASS, 2005). 78. The top ten states with the largest dairy herds are Texas (30,000), California (30,000), Wisconsin (28,000), Iowa (13,000), New York (13,000), Philadelphia (13,000), Ohio (9,500), Oklahoma (9,000), Indiana (8,800) and Missouri (8,600; NASS,2005). 79. Ethnic consumers are the backbone of the meat goat industry in the U.S. Demand for goat meat will continue to increase as the population in the U.S. becomes more ethnically diverse by consumers who traditionally eat goat meat. 80. At this time, the marketing infrastructure of the goat industry in the U.S. is relatively disorganized. Nationwide there are no mechanisms in place by which the animal is moved from the farm, to the processor and the product is accessible to the consumer. 81. To check for dehydration, pull the skin that is over the shoulder area. If the skin snaps back quickly the animal is adequately hydrated. If the skin does not snap back quickly and remains erect the animals is dehydrated. 82. Goats are herbivores (plant-eaters) that spend most of their day grazing. 83. Goats are usually between 17 to 42 inches tall from the shoulders. 84. Approximately 1.5 million pounds of goat meat is imported into the U.S. every week from Australia and New Zealand because domestic production and processing systems in this country can not keep pace with demand. 6 85. Goats are able to consume 3 to 5% of their body weight in dry matter (perhaps more if the forage is highly digestible). To consume this amount of forages, goats must be pastured in an area with a large quantity of available vegetative forage. Goats will eat less when they are moved to poor quality pastures. 86. In the biblical town of Jericho, people kept goats as long as 6,000 to 7,000 years before Christ. 87. Healthy kids can stand within minutes after birth and are able to move with the herd almost immediately. 88. In many parts of the world, goats are economically valuable for a variety of purposes such as skins for leather and the pelts are used for making rugs and robes. 89. The early explorers used goat skins for water and wine bottles when they traveled. 90. During biblical times, goat skins were used for parchment for writing. 91. Does can produce 3 litters of kids every 2 years. 92. Older animals store more body fat if nutritional conditions are favorable. 93. Plant poisoning most often occurs in goats in the spring after the herd has been released into a new pasture. 94. Goats do not grow as fast as sheep nor can they utilize feed as efficiently. 95. Goats do not have tear ducts. 96. Some does and bucks that are naturally polled are also infertile. They are of no use to the owner, either as breeding stock or milk producers. 97. Goats and octopus’ pupils of their eyes are rectangular. 7 98. Boer goats are considered the leading meat breed in the U.S. today. Mature males can weigh between 260 to 380 pounds and the females may weigh between 210- 300 pounds. 99. The Tennessee Stiff-Leg also known as the wooden leg or fainting goat is native to the U.S. This breed suffers from a recessive trait called myotonia. When frightened this animal will experience extreme muscle stiffness causing extension of the neck and hind legs before it topples over onto the ground. 100. Colostrum is produced in the first milk of the doe and it contains high levels of immunoglobulins (antibodies), vitamin A, minerals, fat and energy. Newborn kids must ingest colostrum within the first 24 hours of life to help protect them against diseases. 101. The larger the scrotal circumference of the buck, the higher his libido and fertility. 102. Coffee was first discovered when goat herders noticed the animals acting very energetic after nibbling on coffee beans. 103. Abraham Lincoln’s sons had two goats that lived in the white house with them. 104. In earlier centuries, goats were often used to nurse babies. 105. China has the most goats (over 170 Million). 106. According to Roman history, on February 15th, young men would run around wearing only the skins of goats they sacrificed earlier and hit women with strips of goat skin, known as februa, to promote fertility. It is from these purification instruments that the month of February gets its name

Getting a buck: Often, people just starting out with goats think, "I should get a pair: a boy and girl". This is a natural way to think. But... bucks are totally different than does and are really not a good thing to get for someone first starting out (see below for more detailed information). We raised goats for about four years before we got our quality bucks. We started out with an inferior buck (please read Our First Goat), realized our mistake, got rid of him and then didn't get bucks again for 4 years. I speak from experience, it is much easier... and cheaper to take your does on "dates". Even if you think you are not interested in "papers" and "breeds", I always recommend that you try to "breed up". Use a good buck, with good genetics, that will improve your herd. During rut, our snow white buck, Galahad, becomes coated in sticky, smelly urine. To see Galahad when he isn't in rut and encrusted with urine, click here. Remember:"The buck is half your herd". A bad buck can ruin your herd just as fast as a good buck can improve it. Just because he has "the equipment" does not mean he should be used for breeding. When you are ready to get a buck, you must be fully prepared to spend in the neighborhood of $300 or more on a good buck with papers. We, and some other breeders may also, sell quality bucks without papers for a greatly reduced price. This means you still get the quality genetics, but you cannot register the babies. You may occasionally find a quality buck without papers from other souses, but you must be very careful to know what you are really getting. You want to make sure you see at least the buck's mother, and possibly the father, of any buck you decide on. Look at the mothers udder, because is she has a "bad" udder, those udder genes will be passed on through her son and you really do not want that. We made the mistake of using just any-ol'-buck our first year with goats and have regretted it even since. It took years (I mean years) to breed out the bad genes that buck passed to his offspring (children, grandchildren, great grandchildren). After years of trying to improve on this original breeding, we actually have none of this first buck's blood in our herd because we ended up selling all his progeny since they just were never "as good" as the other kids we got when we bred the same doe to good bucks. Some of his progeny just carried out-and-out flaws that we could never breed out. It is much cheaper to take your does on "dates". You can vastly improve your herd for a lot less money. Look for a quality buck from a reputable breeder. You could probably find a wonderful buck with a stud fee of about $25. Look around for a good buck and use him. You will be glad you did. If you have the money to invest (it really is an investment in the future of your herd) you could make great leaps forward in your herd. For example, you may be able to breed your doe to a "$1000 buck" for the stud fee of $50-$75. Can I keep a buck as a pet? We don't recommend keeping a bucks as a pet because of their bucky characteristics. Wethers make excellent pets, but in our own opinion, bucks do not. This is because wethers never develop "bucky" characteristics. Bucks are totally different animals than wethers and does. It may be hard for you to believe that your cute little buckling will change, but take my word for it, he will. If you decide to keep a buck as a pet, that is your decision, but please read the information supplied below first and be prepared. I provide this information because I truly CARE about bucks (as I care deeply for all animals). I know that in some cases of a buck being kept as a pet, he may eventually become unwanted because of his bucky characteristics, that his owner had no idea about. He may then be "discarded" and this poor, loving boy, gets taken to the auction and/or eventually getting "tied out" alone somewhere to live a lonely sad life. This is a scenario I would like to help avoid. This buck's normally white face has become stained by urine. The darker area is a sticky crust. Front legs encrusted with urine. This can lead to irritated skin and sores. Spraying urine on his face and legs. Taking a good whiff after peeing on his face. What are the "bucky" characteristics? Smell: As your buck grows he will develop a distinctive odor. Many people find it a bad smell, others don't find it that bad, they just find it strong. The odor will not be quite so bad the first year, and you may say, "This isn't so bad. My buck is not going to smell so much." But as he gets older, the smell will strengthen and eventually you may not want to touch your buck, because the smell will get on your hands and clothes (and everything else). A drawback to this is a friendly buck will want you to pet him and you will get the smell on you. We have gotten used to it, but you will definitely want to wash your hands and change clothes before going out in public after petting your buck. Does and wethers (neutered males) do not develop a smell like bucks do. It is bucks and their smell that have given all goats a "bad rap" for smelling. If you keep your buck with your does (not recommended) the buck smell will get on the does, and if you milk the does, it can get in their milk. Urinating: As bucks mature and go into rut, the male equivalent of heat (in the Fall), they will start peeing on their front legs and faces. They have a kind of "spray attachment" on the penis and can really spray. He will spray his urine into his mouth and then curl up his lip to get a good whiff. His legs, face and beard will eventually be coated with a sticky layer of urine (irresistible to a doe). Once rut is over (in the Winter) he may, or may not, stop peeing on himself. One drawback to this urinating is that if you spend time around the buck when he is in this habit, you could possibly get sprayed on as well (time to change your clothes again). Aggression: As a buck matures, he will get more aggressive. This is natural. Even the sweetest, most well behaved buck may challenge you, as well as his companions, from time to time (usually during breeding season). The larger the buck grows, the more dangerous this can potentially be. You must always make sure that your buck knows that you are boss as early as possible. A wether will not typically develop the aggression of a buck. Note that not all bucks become dangerously aggressive. We have only had one dangerous buck. Mostly our boys are just extremely stinky sweethearts, who would not think of hurting us (on purpose) but we still treat them with caution and respect during rut. Other habits: As he goes into rut, your buck will want to make sure all his equipment is in proper working order, so he will be ready at a moment's notice to breed a doe. He will get erections quite often. He will check himself with his mouth (yes, he will be able to reach). A buck will practice his sexual technique on his male companions. He may also try to practice on you if you are not careful. He may not intend to hurt you, but you should be very careful when you are around a buck in rut. Please also read about buck behavior here. In their defense... If you have the space, are physically capable of handling them, and do not mind "their funky ways" bucks can be quite amusing. We love our bucks very much. They are great, friendly and funny, but we also have 20 does to be serviced, so keeping bucks (we have three) makes financial sense for us.

Buck Behavior:

Bucks have their own special way of getting the ladies in the mood. Along with their smell and peeing habits (discussed above) they also have some certain behaviors that may seem odd, especially if you have never seen it before. These mannerisms are most often exhibited toward the doe in heat, but because breeding and dominance can be so closely related, you will also see does and wethers, as well as bucks asserting their dominance over each other (or you) by exhibiting these traits. Also, does in heat will exhibit these traits and we call this "acting bucky". These mannerisms are totally normal and the buck may try them on you as well as a doe. When a buck is "in the mood" he doesn't always care what sex or species he tries to breed. If a buck exhibits these traits at you, he may have a crush on you and you should be careful that he doesn't try to mount you when you aren't looking. Tongue flapping- The buck will lower his head and flap his tongue at the side of the doe (or you). Leg pawing - The buck paws at the side of the doe with a straightened leg. This is usually done at the same time as tongue flapping. Blubbering- This is done toward the doe (or you); it can can be done in conjunction with leg pawing and tongue flapping.

"Should I keep him a buck or wether him" and "Should I buy that buck" Q&A:

When do a really need to get a buck? We recommend, for most cases, that you hold off on getting your own buck until you have at least 6 does (depending on your particular situation, of course). Generally, this is really the only time a buck really approaches paying for himself. Remember, most of the year, he is doing nothing but eating and taking up space, but you still must properly feed him, house him and take care of all his health needs. This can add up to a lot of time and money. For the first couple of our goats keeping years we would drive as far as two hours, one way, over the mountains, to breed our does. This was more cost effective at the time than actually having our own buck. But, as our herd grew, it because obvious when it was time for us to get our own bucks (we started with two). Just because he has a penis is not a good enough reason to keep/buy a buck. As stated above: "The buck is half your herd". You are basing the future of your herd on this animal. You need to consider, will he improve your herd or will he have a negative effect. Just making more kids is not enough. If you are going to keep goats... any kind of goats, with papers or no papers, there is no reason why you shouldn't try to improve them. To improve your herd, you need a quality buck. Where will you keep your buck? IMPORTANT: We very strongly recommend that bucks be housed separate from your does. This is the only way you can have control over your breeding. If you "run" the buck with the does, you will have no idea when your does are going to kid. Due to this, you will not be prepared for kidding and you run the risk of loosing the kids, because you were not their the assist if needed. When you house the buck away from the does, you must provide a companion for him, this can be either another buck or a wether. Goats are herd animals and it is cruel to keep one alone. Keeping a lone buck can also lead to "cranky buck syndrome". Do you want papers? Many people do not care whether their buck is registered or not. This is a personal choice. The first year we kept a buck, we did not worry about a buck having papers, and we have regretted it ever since. Keep in mind, it takes just as much time and money to raise a registered goat as a non-registered goat, the big difference is the price you will get for them when you go to sell them. You just cannot ask for, and expect to get, top dollar for a goat without papers. Please read the information presented HERE. Should you get more than one? It sound extravagant, but to avoid Inbreeding, if you are going to keep one buck, you should conceder getting two bucks (since the one will need company anyway). This way you are not forced to keep breeding the same buck to all your does every year. How to choose a buck to breed your does to: Please read the information presented HERE.

Breeding:

What age can a buck breed? Believe it or not, a little buck can, and will, breed a female at 2 months of age, this includes his mother and 2 month old sister! If you plan to use a buckling for breeding, we recommend that you weight until he is at least 7 months old to make sure he is fertile and healthy enough to accomplish his task. At what age should I remove the buckling from the does? You should remove bucks from all does at two months of age (unless you want everyone to get pregnant in a totally disorganized manner). Husbandry Husbandry, or animal care and use, varies by region and culture. The particular housing used for goats depends not only on the intended use of the goat, but also on the region of the world where they are raised. Historically, domestic goats were generally kept in herds that wandered on hills or other grazing areas, often tended by goatherds who were frequently children or adolescents, similar to the more widely known shepherd. These methods of herding are still used today. In some parts of the world, especially Europe and North America, distinct breeds of goats are kept for dairy (milk) and for meat production. Excess male kids of dairy breeds are typically slaughtered for meat. Both does and bucks of meat breeds may be slaughtered for meat, as well as older animals of any breed. The meat of older bucks (more than one year old) is generally considered not desirable for meat for human consumption. Castration at a young age prevents the development of typical buck odor. For smallholder farmers in many countries, such as this woman from Burkina Faso, goats are important livestock. Dairy goats are generally pastured in summer and may be stabled during the winter. As dairy does are milked daily, they are generally kept close to the milking shed. Their grazing is typically supplemented with hay and concentrates. Stabled goats may be kept in stalls similar to horses, or in larger group pens. In the US system, does are generally rebred annually. In some European commercial dairy systems, the does are bred only twice, and are milked continuously for several years after the second kidding. Meat goats are more frequently pastured year-round, and may be kept many miles from barns. Angora and other fiber breeds are also kept on pasture or range. Range-kept and pastured goats may be supplemented with hay or concentrates, most frequently during the winter or dry seasons.

Surplus killing is a common behavior exhibited by predators, including humans, in which they kill more prey than they can immediately eat and then cache or abandon the remainder. For example, researchers in Canada's Northwest Territories once found the bodies of 34 neonatal caribou calves that had been killed by wolves and scattered, some half-eaten and some completely untouched, over three square kilometres.^[1] In Australia, over several days a single fox once killed eleven wallabies and 74 penguins, eating almost none. Up to 19 spotted hyenas once killed 82 Thomson's gazelle and badly injured 27, eating just 16%.^[2]

Surplus killing has been observed among zooplankton, damselfly naiads, predaceous mites, weasels, honey badgers, wolves, orcas, red foxes, leopards, lions, spotted hyenas, spiders, brown and black and polar bears,coyotes, lynx, mink, raccoons, dogs and house cats.

In surplus killing, predators eat only the most-preferred animals and animal parts. Bears engaging in surplus killing of salmon are likelier to eat unspawned fish because of their higher muscle quality, and high-energy parts such as brains and eggs.^[2]

Surplus killing can deplete the overall food supply, waste predator energy and risk them being injured. Nonetheless, researchers say animals surplus kill whenever they can, in order to procure food for offspring and others, to gain valuable killing experience, and to create the opportunity to eat the carcass later when they are hungry again.^[2][3]

There are many documented examples of animals caching surplus kills. For example, in late fall least weasels often surplus kill vole and then dig them up and eat them on winter days when it is too cold to hunt.^[2] Surplus killing by wolves has mainly been observed when snow is unusually deep in late winter or early spring, and the wolves have frequently cached their prey for eating days or weeks later. On February 7, 1991, in Denali National Park, six wolves killed at least 17 caribou and left many untouched. By February 12, 30–95% of each carcass had been eaten or cached, and by April 16, several had been dug up and fed upon again.^[4]

Surplus killing is also known as "excessive killing" and "henhouse syndrome".^[2][5] The term was invented by Dutch biologist Hans Kruuk after studying spotted hyenas in Africa^[6] and red foxes in England.

Cattle are considered sacred in world religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism and others. Earlier religions in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Israel and Ancient Rome held similar beliefs.

Due to the multiple benefits from cattle, there are varying beliefs about cattle in societies and religions. In some regions, especially Nepal and some states in India, the slaughter of cattle is prohibited and their meat may be taboo.

In Hinduism[edit]

Origins[edit]

Bull bas relief in Mamallapuram

Well-loved cow, Delhi

The cow has been a symbol of wealth since ancient days. However, they were neither inviolable nor revered in the same way they are today.^[1][2]

The cow was possibly revered because Hindus relied heavily on it for dairy products and for tilling the fields, and on cow dung as a source of fuel and fertilizer. Thus, the cow’s status as a 'caretaker' led to identifying it as an almost maternal figure (hence the termgau mata). In the olden days cattle being limited to select few fortunate folks, the cows enjoyed the status that gold or money enjoys today. In addition, it has been suggested by author and orator Terence McKenna that religious reverence for the cow is a result of early humankind's association of psilocybin mushroom with it, this association having developed as a result of the discovery of said mushrooms in the animal's excrement.^[3]

Hinduism is based on the concept of omnipresence of the Divine and the presence of a soul in all creatures, including bovines. Thus, by that definition, killing any animal would be a sin: One would be obstructing the natural cycle of birth and death of that creature, and the creature would have to be reborn in that same form because of its unnatural death. Krishna, one of the incarnations of god in Hindu mythology (Avatar), tended cows. The cow and bull represent the symbol of Dharma. Reverence for cows and bulls is in the major texts of the Vedic religion.^[4]

In South India and some parts of Sri Lanka, a cattle festival is celebrated. It is called as Mattu Pongal.

Sanskrit term[edit]

The most common word for cow is go, cognate with the English cow and Latin bos, all from Proto-Indo-European language (PIE) cognates *gwous. The Sanskrit word for cattle is paśu, from PIE *peḱu-. Other terms are dhenu cow and uks ox.

Milk cows are also called aghnya "that which may not be slaughtered".^[5] Depending on the interpretation of terminology used for a cow, the cow may have been protected.

The cow in the Hindu scriptures[edit]

Rig Veda