Raising Goats Terminology

Goat terminology is used to refer to different characteristics pertaining to various aspects of raising goats. There is a word for everything from gender, to age and appearance. Learn the words below and their definitions so that you will understand what in the world the other goat owners are talking about!

Some terminology is the same as pertains to deer, since goats are related to deer, if you know anything about deer, maybe you will recognize some of the words below.

Doe or nanny is a female goat.

A buck or a billy refers to a male.

When a male has been castrated or neutered, it is referred to as a wether.

A young goat under one year old is called a kid.

A group of goats is called a herd.

Wattles are like little bags that sometimes hang under a goat's chin on it's neck.

Caprine is commonly used to refer to goats in general, and is derived from the scientific name capra aegagrus hircus.

Musk is the strong odor given off by males during the rut, which is the breeding season.

Brush goat is any cross-breed, this word is the equivalent to 'mutt' in the dog world.

The hair used in the production of textiles and yarn is called cashmere, and it also refers to the breed commonly used to obtain it.

Goat meat is generally called chevon which is from the French word chèvre; if it is the meat of a young kid it is referred to using the Spanish word cabrito.

This is by no means the extent of goat terminology, but these are some of the most commonly used in the industry. Hopefully this information has helped you become more familiar with raising goats, and you will soon become an experienced owner.

[To become a goat expert yourself, click here to download the Beginners Guide to Raising Goats]

Raising Goats on Squidoo

Here is a good Squidoo Lens that has similar info on raising goats as is provided here... Enjoy!

Raising goats on Squidoo

Raising Goats for Profit - 5 Steps

Raising goats for profit is one of the most up and coming businesses of today. Everywhere you look there seems to be an increasing demand for many goat-related products. Apart from the meat itself, there is goat's milk which can be consumed as-is, or used in the production everything from artisan cheeses and yogurts to soaps and lotions! The goat fiber, also known as mohair or cashmere, is a very profitable renewable crop. To someone looking for a profitable business venture with a very low initial investment, raising goats for profit is one of the best options available.

Step 1: Decide which type of production goat you are interested in: meat, fiber, dairy, or pet goats. Once you decide on the type of product you want to create a supply for, the next step is to decide on a breed that best suits your needs.

Step 2: Evaluate the goat breed best suited to your operation. While there are dozens of different breeds suitable for each production type, here is a list of a few of the most common breeds in each category:
Meat goats: Boer, Spanish and Kiko goat.
Dairy goats: Alpine, Nubian, LaMancha, Nigerian Darwf (or Nigerian goat ), Toggenburg and Oberhasli.
Fiber goats: Angora, Cashmere and Nigora goats.
Pets: The Australian Miniature, the Nigerian goat and the Pygmy.

Step 3: Educate yourself. This is the most important and most affordable step, yet surprisingly, so many people leave it out or only learn part of what they need to know. There are complete courses available that teach you everything you need to know about raising goats. Knowledge is power.

Step 4: Find a local veterinarian that includes goats in his practice. While goats are typically healthy and low maintenance, it is always good to have a vet on call for emergencies.

Step 5: Begin building housing for your goats. Housing is to provide shelter from outdoor weather and protection from predators, wild or otherwise. Another function of housing can be to hold feed and other supplies as well as a head chute for milking and/or administering medicines and other maintenance tasks.

I hope you have learned more about raising goats from this short article. To learn more, I highly recommend the very affordable complete learning course, The Boer Goat Profits Guide.

Raising Goats Past and Present

The history of raising goats goes back almost 10,000 years to Africa and the Middle East. Their use has remained relatively the same throughout the centuries, people around the world raise goats for their meat, milk, hair, and usefulness as pack animals due to being agile and sure-footed.

Goat meat and milk are consumed virtually the world over, being a daily food staple especially in the Middle Eastern countries. The milk is made into cheeses and other food items, the skins used as material for clothing, housing and containment for liquids such as water or wine.

Goats also make great pets, which early goat keepers learned quickly since spending a large part of each day with their herd. The herdsman would take his goats each day to an area that supplied plenty of fresh grass for grazing and clean water, keeping watch over them against any predator animal that may lurk. Each evening the herdsman gathers his goats to the barn and locks them in for safety.

Modern times have left this ritual of raising goats relatively unchanged, for the most part. Fences and automatic pasturing and watering systems for those who can afford it take the place of the daily duties of the goatherd, but many duties still must be done manually, such as giving medicine shots for illness and keeping the correct nutritional foods available.

In the years past there were only a few different goat breeds in the world. Today there are many different breeds of goats through cross breeding and careful improvement. While there are many goat breeds available, only a handful are popular due to various reasons. The breeds include the Boer, Alpine, Toggenburg, Pygmy, Spanish, Nubian, Fainting Goat, LaMancha, Angora, Cashmere and most recently, the Kiko goat which comes from New Zealand.

While there are various reasons for raising goats, the opportunity for pleasure and profit remain the same throughout, whether the goats are for companion, dairy, meat or fiber.

Raising Goats for Mohair

Certain types of goats produce long hair that can be shorn, like a sheep of its wool, and made into clothing. There are two types of goat which are popular with knitters and weavers; the Cashmere, which appropriately produces Cashmere, and the Angora, which produces Mohair.

Cashmere and Mohair are both excellent animal fibers; however I will focus here on Mohair, and the Angora goat. Mohair is used in sweaters, coats, scarves, floor rugs and carpets, as well as many other items. A full-grown Angora goat can produce up to 15.4 pounds (7 kilograms) of Mohair each year. However as the goats age, their hair thickens and thus making it less valuable.

Mohair is not the Angora’s only claim to fame however. Raising Angora goats for showing is also quite popular since they require very little special attention and are smaller than most sheep and other goats at maturity of 2 years.

When determining the value of an Angora’s coat, one must consider both the age and size of the goat, and of course the condition of the hair. Things to look for in an Angora goat include good size (bigger means more hair) and conformation, also check Mohair production records from the first two shearings, targeting a minimum of 12 pounds produced for bucks, 10 pounds for does.

Most Angora goat owners will shear their goat’s hair twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. Simple wool shears will suffice for the job.

One of the largest producers of Mohair is the United States, with over 2.4 million pounds produced in 2002. Interestingly, this number is reduced more than half from 1997 which saw production of over 5 million pounds of Mohair.

Raising Goats with a Minimal Amount of Chemical Products

Many people who raise goats also prefer to raise them as naturally as possible and avoid chemical products. You may choose to do this with your goats as well.

Why go natural? If you are sensitive to chemicals you may wish to avoid them, and treat your goats the way you would yourself; for a more natural milk, if you are raising goats for their milk; and especially if you are raising meat goats, many prefer to avoid chemicals for the better quality and taste of the meat. It is also better for the environment to avoid using chemicals when raising goats.
Ultimately it is up to you; there are advantages and disadvantages to both ways.

Here are some tips on raising goats without chemicals:

• There are many online stores that specialize in goat supplements and natural herbal wormers.
• Garlic is a natural wormer and many goats actually like the taste.
  
• Supplementing with a fresh carrot daily provides more one-on-one time with your goat(s) and is beneficial to overall health.

Raising Goats Includes Trimming Hooves

This is a great video showing very clearly how to correctly trim a goat's hooves. This is one of the tasks that need to be kept up with. If you look in the video the goat's hooves are very overgrown. If you keep up with the trimming, then it shouldnt get this bad, especially if the goats have some rocks to climb on (they LOVE that).