Goat Production

1. TECHNOAGRI
PRECISION
RESEARCH
ADVISORY COMPANY
+263782108484|angellight.sunrise@gmail.com
LECTURE ONE
GOAT MANAGEMENT
BREEDS AVAILABLE IN ZIMBABWE
Fayol (BSc. Hons Animal Production and Technology)

2. Introduction
• Breeds available in Zimbabwe
• Small and Large Sector Production systems
• Genetic Improvement and breeding systems
• Pure Breeding, Cross Breeding
Terms use to describe Goats breeds at different age
and sex
• Buck – mature male goat
• Doe – mature female
• Kid – young one

3. Breeds
• A breed is a group of animals within a species having a
common and identifying characters that distinguish
them as belonging to a breeding group and or a group of
animals within species that has a common origin and
similar physical characteristics which are easily
distinguished.
• Local breeds of goats have developed more through
genetic segregation and natural selection than through
deliberate intervention by man
• There is risks of losing local genetics through
uncontrolled breeding and indiscriminate crossbreeding
(sometimes with intended aim of improvement)

4. Breeds

5. Description of Goat Breeds
• Classification is done according to different
parameters, the major parameters commonly in use
include
• Origin
• Body Size
• Coat Type
• Function
• Color Pattern
• Other classification includes
• Height of withers
• Ear shape and length

6. Origin
• Most of the breeds in Zimbabwe are local breeds and
some originate from within African continent, Asia and
European Continents from a number of countries.
• The goats can either be indigenous (Local Breeds)
• Mashona
• Matable
• Or imported (exotic breeds
• Boer from South Africa
• Saaenen
• Toggenburg
• Angora

7. Body Size
• The size of the breed largely depend on the nutrition
status as much as the genotype and natural
selection, nonetheless classifications done from
dwarf to large breeds
Breed body size Length (Head to tail
base)
Average Weight in Kgs
Large Breeds Over 65 cm >35
Medium Breeds 50 – 65 cm 21 – 35
Dwarf Breeds <50 cm >20

8. Coat Type
• Goats in Zimbabwe have short thing coat adapted
for keeping the goat cool by reflecting radiation
• Hairy goats such as the Angora goat are tagged to
be South African offspring's
• This breed produces the highest fiber in the world

9. Function
• Rarely classified by fiber or skin
• Production of meat and milk
• Boer goat classified for meat production
• Saanen and Toggenburg classified under milk
breeds
• The majority of the goats are non-decripts.

10. Color Pattern
• Prominent goat color in Zimbabwe range from the
typical pure Black Mashona breed, brown tinged
crosses, through various degrees of patchy colors
which are usually reflective of varying grades of
crosses, to purely white Saanens

11. Dairy Goats
• These have high milk production capacity
• They are further subdivide into
• Temperate
• Exotic
• Indigenous

12. Temperate Breeds
• SAANEN
• this is a large white colored goat that originated from
Switerland
• It has upright ears that point forwad
• Its milk production yield averages 3 – 3.5 liters per day
• Has a butterfat percentage of 3.5 – 4
• British Alpine
• Originated from Britain

13. TOGGENBURG
• It originated from Switerlan
• It is brown in color with two white stripes running
from the eyes to the nose
• Utilize forage on local grass and shrubs
• Milk production slightly lower when compared to
Saanen
• It yield an average of 2.5 – 3 kg per day of milk
• Has butterfat of 3.3%

14. Tropical Dairy Goats
• Anglo – Nubian
• This breed is mainly roan white in color
• It has long legs, an flopping ears and is pooled
• The adult female weighs 60 – 70 kg
• Produces 1 – 2 liters of milk per day
• Jamnapari
• This is a crossbreed between Indian Jamnapari and the
Egyptian Nubian
• It originated from India
• Its color ranges from fawn, white to black
• It has large ears that flop
• The breed is horned
• Milk produced ranges between 1.0 to 1.5 liters per day
• Adult female weighs 45 – 60 kg

15. Meat Goats
• These breeds of goats that have high quality
carcasses, thus are popular for meat production.
They include
• Galla: Adapt to hot conditions. It has a white
colored body that has very good meat quality
• Boer: It was developed in South Africa. Has gained
popularity due to its ability to have twins and
triplets with rapid growth and weight gain. It is
white in color with a brown head and long eared

16. Hair Goats
• The only breed in this category is the angora Goat
that is reared for its hair referred to as mohair
• It originated from Angora in Asia
• The breed is not very popular due to its
vulnerability to internal parasites
• It is white in color

17. Indigenous Breeds
1. Small Eastern Mashonaland Breed
2. Matabele Goat Breed

18. Small East African Goat
Management.
• Location
• Mashonaland North
• Midlands
• Zambezi Valley (Northern Parts of
Zimbabwe
• Average Doe live mass - 25kg
• Average Buck Weight - 35kg
• Twinning percentage - 20%
• Kid weight at 12 months: 17-18kg
• Coat Color
• Multi-coloured (white, black, brown,
beige, tan and can have a combination
of colors
• Ears
• Large and dropping
• Body Frame
• Small – Medium
• Sexual Maturity
• 7 months though relatively slow
growth
• Dress out Percentage
• 48% equivalent to 12 – 14.5kg

19. Mashona Goat
• Small but not dwarf.
• Short-haired, small light
horns, short horizontal ears.
• Variable coat colour
(black/tan, red & white,
grey).
• Adult female 27-30kg live-
weight.
• Height at withers 57cm.
• They breed at anytime of
the year.
• Twinning rate is 10%

20. Small East African Goat
Management.

21. Matabele Goat
• Location
• Matabeleland, Masvingo
• Average Doe live mass
• 30 - 35kg
• Average Buck Weight
• 45-50kg
• Twinning percentage - 50%
• Kid weight at 12 months: 25kg
• Coat Color
• Variety with strains
• West acre/Nyandemi farms strains: black,
white, brown and combinations
• Blue Goat: Blue-grey, Iminwe, Black,
Brown/Tan/beige
• Ears
• Vary with strains including
• Blue Goat: long lateral, dropping
• West acre/Nyandeni Farm strain: Large,
dropping
• Iminwe: Long, droping
• Body Frame
• Medium – large
• Sexual Maturity
• 18 months of age
• Dress out Percentage
• 48% equivalent to 12 – 14.5kg
• Gestation Period
• 145 – 154 days

22. Matebele
• Indigenous breed
• White, brown, black
spotted or pied in colour.
• Have long and lopped
ears with turned up ends.
• Horns, when present, are
short & erect.
• Height at withers is 70cm
in males & 65cm in
females.
• Live weight is 40-65kg in
adult males & 30-45kg in
females

23. Exotic Breeds
1. Boer Goat
2. Angor Goat
3. Toggenburg

24. BOER GOAT BREED
• Location
• South Africa
• Average Doe live mass
• 50kg (can grow up to 60kg)
• High Reproductive Rate
• Average Buck Weight
• 65kg (can grow up to 70kg)
• Castrates can attain weight of 100 kg
without splintery freedom
• Kidding Rate
• 1.5 (3 times in 2 years)
• 50% Twins
• 7% triplets
• Ears
• Large, dropping
• Body Frame
• Large (almost twice the weight of
Matabele goats)
• Mean Daily Milk
• 1.2 – 1.8kg/day
• Average Milk Yield
• Over 160kg/lactation
• Utility
• Meat (mostly used for meat)
• Milk
• Skin

25. BOER GOAT BREED

26. Boer Goat
• Exotic breed
• Three strains;
• Medium size, short glossy
coat.
• Long haired, late
maturing, multi-coloured,
dairy conformation
• Brown head & neck, white
body & legs, prominent
horns, broad & drooping
ears, body of good meat
conformation.

27. TOGGENBURG
Origin Switzerland
Body Frame Large, long thin neck and erect
Colour Fawn or chocolate
Legs are white from the knees and hocks
downwards
Ears Forward-pointing, dark ears with white edges
Both sexes polled and tassels are common and
males have longer hair than the females
Have been introduced in the tropics
Milk Yield 3 litres/day (1kg/day)
Average Weight 65 – 75 cm
Adult male weight 65kg
Adult Female Weight 50Kg

28. TOGGENBURG
• Swiss dairy goat from
Toggenburg Valley of
Switzerland at Obertoggenburg.
• excellent udder development
and high milk production,
and have an average fat test
of 3.7 percent.
• Medium size, sturdy, vigorous,
and alert in appearance.
• does weight at least 55kg.
• hair is short or medium in length,
soft, fine, and lying flat.
• Distinct white markings
• Perform best in cooler conditions.

29. ALPINES
• French Breed
• Size and production
traits
• No distinct color
• Short hairs
• Pronounced beard in
males
• Height at withers –
females 76cm, males 86
– 100cm
• Weight – females 60 kg,
males 77kg

30. ANGORA GOAT
Coat White with fleece of long white lustrous
ringlets
Ears Large, drooping
Body Frame Medium
Utility Mohair production
Adaptability Hot, dry subtropical climates, intolerant to
high rainfall
Height 54cm
Ears Lop eared, with short homonymous twisted
horns in both sexes
Breeding Annual breeders, occasional twins
Milk yield 20 – 25kg/Lactation
Average carcass weight 13kg
Average fleece weight Doubled to 3kg through selective breeding

31. ANGORA
• Angora, Asia Minor
• Mohair production
• ~2.4kg/shearing (twice per
yr)
• Fibre length 12-15cm
• Small foraging animal
• Males – 80 – 100kg
• Females – 30 – 45kg
• 60 – 70% reproductive rate
• Internal parasites
• Thinner fleshed carcas and
low dressing out%

32. Saanen
• Dairy breed from Switzerland,
in the Saanen Valley.
• heavy milk producers
• 6-7 litre/day
• usually yield 3-4% milk
fat.
• Medium to large in size
(65kg).
• Colour, white/light cream
• Hair short and fine
• Ears erect and alert, pointing
forward
• Straight face
• Sensitive to excessive sunlight

33. Name Origin Purpose
Alpine French Alps Milk
American Lamancha Oregon Milk
Anglo-Nubian Great Britain Milk
Angora Central Anatolia Region Fiber
Australian Cashmere Australia Fiber
Boer South Africa Meat, Reproduction
Dutch Landrace Netherlands Milk
Finnish Landrace Finland Milk
Irish Ireland Meat, Milk
Kalahari Red South Africa Meat
Nigerian Dwarf West Africa Milk
Oberhasli Oberhasli Milk
Pygmy Cameroon Meat, Milk, Pet
Saanen Saanen Milk
Somali
Somalia, Djibouti and northeastern
Kenya
Milk, Meat, Skin
Toggenburg Toggenburg Milk
Valais Blackneck Southern Switzerland Meat, Milk

34. Contact Details
Mobile Number :+263782108484
Email:
angellight.sunrise@gmail.com
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