Goats

Goats - Breeds

Picture source: Gisler Boer Goats - Alberta Canada © 2001-2003 Gisler Boer Goats Alberta Canada

• Nubian Goats.
  These large brown Goats with long, pendulous ears and a roman nose are the most popular. They originated in the UK from the progeny of crossbreeding the British goat with the Indian or Egyptian descendants. Milk of the Nubian Goats is good for cheese making because of high butterfat content.
• Alpine Goats.
  Alpines are black and white or spotty with dashed or curved noses and upright ears. They originated in Switzerland.
• Saanens Goats.
  This breed is all white with forward-facing ears. They are the most friendly of all Goats. Saanens Goats originated in Switzerland.
• Toggenburgs.
  Toggs are chocolate, medium-sized Goats originating in Switzerland's Toggenburg Valley.
• La Mancha Goats.
  This breed is brown or spotty with short ears. It was developed in the USA from Spanish Goats.
• Oberhasli Goats.
  Oberhasli can be black, brown, or red with black facial stripes. These Goats also originated in Switzerland.

Picture source: Gisler Boer Goats - Alberta Canada © 2001-2003 Gisler Boer Goats Alberta Canada

• Pygmy Goats or Cameroon Dwarf Goats.
  This breed originated in French Cameroon area and, then spreading to all of northern Africa, it was exported to zoos all over the world as exotic. Pygmy Goats are kept only as pets and don't produce any milk of significant quality.
• Boer Goats.
  The Boer Goat was developed in South Africa as a meat breed. It's considered far superior to any other Goat breed for meat.
• Cashmere Goats.
  The Cashmere Goat was artificially bred in Australia and brought to the USA in the 1980s. Their cashmere fleece is very valuable.
• Angora Goats.
  The Angora Goat is valued for its mohair, which has a smooth surface, very thin scale and lacks the felting properties of wool. Angoras Goats are sheared twice a year and each gives about 5.3 pounds of mohair per shearing.