Goats

To ensure their survival , humans had to diversify their diets when choosing a sedentary life. Livestock is one of the most important, and one of the oldest is the goat . We will talk about this group of pets today.

Goat characteristics

The goats are one of the groups of creatures with higher levels of geographic expansion. They have an excellent ability to adapt to various environments and habitats, some of them very hostile to other mammals .

It is a ruminant animal. This means that their feeding follows two stages. At first, they eat the food. In the second, return it to his mouth to remasticarlo and salivarlo again.

It is also an artiodactyl animal. This means that each of its limbs or appendages leads to two fingers on which the body rests alternately.

It usually has curved horns. These are, perhaps, a result of evolution that has guaranteed their survival.

Its exploitation is mainly oriented to the acquisition of its meats and milk, which are quite in demand in a large part of the world population. However, his hair and leather are also in demand .

It is a species with a slim body and short stature. It is especially jumping and climbing areas that are especially steep and difficult to access for land animals.

It is common in some countries for the male to be referred to as a “goat” , while the younger offspring are often referred to as ” cabrito” or “chivo” .

Source

Its etymological roots can be found in the Latin caprinus , which can mean “relative to a goat, pluso irregular, which jumps like a goat . ” One can detect its roots in Greek and other Indo-European languages , but all, in some way, refer us to the figure of goats and rams. This may be because the livestock goat was quite common in Mediterranean areas of Europe during antiquity .

Evolution

It is said that its evolution, of an uncertain nature, could be traced back more than 10,000 years in the past. It is believed that it was one of the first animals domesticated by man, most likely due to its versatility and ability to adapt to a large number of environments. Some of the first domesticated specimens were the capra aegagrus and the capra ibex. This is known thanks to the discoveries of archaeological remains in western Asia that bear witness to this fact.

Types of goats

As in many other species that are the object of livestock, goats can be divided according to their utilities for man. For this reason, we say that the known types of goats are:

Dairy breeds

Which are noted for their high milk production and the optimal temperament they have for this task.

Meat breeds

They are the races whose bodily conditions allow them to provide the human with the necessary meat for consumption. They are breeds with a good amount of body mass, enough to be attractive for consumption.

Dual purpose breeds

They are all breeds whose amount of meat is as large as the amount of milk it is capable of producing. They are called “dual purpose” because they can meet both demands (for milk and meat).

Fiber breeds

They refer to the races in demand for their hair. The hair of some goats is in great demand for its silky and soft characteristics.

Species

Some of the breeds that we can find among goats are:

• Saanen.
• The stain.
• Toggenburg.
• Boer.
• Spanish goat.
• Angio-nibian.
• Angora.

Habitat

As such, they are one of the most versatile groups of animals in nature. They can find habitat in places where other ruminants cannot, such as cattle . For this reason, goats can be found in mountainous areas with difficult access, as well as in others much closer to ground level. The normal thing is to locate them in cold areas, where they seem to feel more comfortable and at ease. So generally , they avoid bogs.

Feeding

They are herbivorous animals . The common thing is that their diet is based on everything that they can graze. Some goats in mountainous areas benefit from the grass and shrubs they find, as well as the bramble , hawthorn, and other grasses that can be found in much more barren terrain.

Reproduction of goats

They are viviparous animals, so the young spend about several months in gestation. In general , male goats and females are of reproductive age from two years of age. It is usually recommended that this be given after the age of three, at which point they will be more suitable for this task. It is known that, at six years of age, the males are weaker, and their young will become somewhat more defective.

Livestock

Goat farming is very old . It is possibly one of the first that have been seen in archaeological studies, in the sense of its antiquity. C rianza goat has been somewhat neglected until recently. It is sought that these are in the most optimal climatic conditions, so that their milk, meat and hair production is adequate . It is, you can get products such as milk or goat cheese, or mutton.

Diseases

Some of the diseases that we could name for this population of animals are:

• Womb prolapse.
• Mastitis.
• Pizota.
• Rennet parasites.
• Brucellosis.
• Tuberculosis.

Importance

It is not just an animal whose destiny has been focused on livestock and its exploitation. Its representation in culture has been a constant in much of Western culture. Above everything related to pastoral life, we can find goat animals in religious, literary, cinematographic representations, etc. They are also a source of highly demanded products in society , such as some types of cheese and milk.

Examples of goats

Some of the companies dedicated to the production of Spanish goat farming are:

• Season tickets gonzalez moya sl
• Assets carvajal agricola sl
• Adclen 2016 sl
• Agrodoñana integral sl