Comprehensive Goat and Sheep Breeds & Management Techniques

Toggenburg

Light-dark chocolate; 2 white face stripes; white legs & rump; wattles; record 7,965 lbs milk

Nubian

Most numerous US dairy goat; British × Egyptian × Indian; pendulous ears; roman nose; short-haired; polled; low milk volume high butterfat

French Alpine

Erect ears; no dewlap; hardy dairy breed

Saanen

Largest dairy breed; white/cream; bucks/does bearded; bucks have tufts; "Holsteins" of dairy goats; high volume low-fat milk

La Mancha

1957 SoCal; Spanish × Swiss; gopher ears 0-1 in; elf ears max 2 in

Oberhasli

Chamois bay/red; black dorsal stripe; black facial stripes; black muzzle; black belly/udder; black legs; high altitude goats

Angora

Mohair fleece; young fleece softer & more valuable; vulnerable after shearing

Cashmere Goats

Not a true breed; cashmere = soft winter undercoat fiber

Boer Goat

S. Africa; white body red head; ovulation 1-4 eggs; non-seasonal breeder; meat goat

Spanish Goat

Brought by explorers; became feral; used for brush control; small udders; variable body/horns; meat production

Pygmy Goat

Achondroplastic dwarf; resistant to tsetse fly; high butterfat; used in pets, 4-H, FFA

Milk comparison goats vs cows

7 goats equal milk of 1 cow; cow lactation measured 305 days 2× per day

Why goat milk stays emulsified

Smaller fat globules; stays suspended; easier casein digestion

Goat milk nutrients

High in Ca, P, Vit A, E, B-complex

Feeding goats

Prefer browse, forbs, forage; eat 5-7% BW; milk picks up feed odors

Goat gestation

144-155 days

Goat breeding season

Short-day breeders; melatonin stimulates GnRH; bright light suppresses melatonin

Goat estrous cycle

21 days

Pleiotropic effect in goats

Polled gene linked to hermaphroditism

Purposes of sheep industry

Meat milk wool brush/weed control

Sheep by-products

Hide wool lanolin dog food

Ewe wool production

8-10 lbs per year

Polypay

Rambouillet × Targhee × Polled Dorset × Finn; first synthetic breed; 250% lamb crop

Suffolk

Largest & most numerous; black head/legs; no wool on head; aggressive fast-growing

Southdown

One of oldest; foundation of medium wool breeds; get fat; famous for carcass quality

Hampshire

Black wool-less ears and nose; large meat breed

Dorset

Year-round breeders; #1 white-faced breed; 2nd largest; hothouse lambs; ewes 150 lbs rams 225 lbs

Cheviot

Polled; good milkers; helical crimp wool; resilient fiber

Rambouillet

Largest fine wool breed; foundation of western range flocks

Delaine Merino

Type C most practical; breed year-round

Karakul

One of oldest; lamb pelts; rare in U.S.

Sheep and larkspur

Causes nervousness weakness staggering twitching death

Flushing sheep

Extra grain 2-3 weeks pre-breeding; increases ovulation & twins; ½ lb grain/day

Sheep reproduction

Photoperiodic short-day seasonal polyestrous; puberty 5-7 months; lamb at 1 year

Bummer lamb

Orphan lamb

Ways to adopt a bummer

Scent masking; confine ewe; skinning dead lamb; rub ewe's milk on lamb

Problems with bottle feeding

Aspiration pneumonia; predators; weak bonding; time consuming

Crutching

Shearing around udder & legs for clean lambing and easier teat access

Ear tagging

USDA scrapie tag required for transport

Tail docking sheep

Prevents fly strike; elastrator <2 months or hot knife; short docking → rectal prolapse

Castration methods

Elastrator; burdizzo; surgical; give tetanus antitoxin

Top sheep predators

Coyotes and dogs; guards include dogs llamas donkeys

Cryptorchidism

One or both testicles retained

Entropion

Eyelid rolls inward

Rectal prolapse

Caused by short docking, coughing, diarrhea, obesity; common in black-faced sheep

Blackleg

Clostridial infection causing sudden death

Bloat

Gas buildup in rumen

Bluebag mastitis

Hard cold blue udder; severe infection; can become gangrenous

Caseous lymphadenitis

Abscessed lymph nodes; enters through wounds; very hardy

Pinkeye

Infectious keratoconjunctivitis

Pregnancy toxemia

Ketosis in late pregnancy

Shipping fever

Respiratory disease from stress + bacteria

Stiff lamb disease

Selenium/Vitamin E deficiency

Scrapie

Fatal prion disease; causes itching, incoordination, wasting; regulated by USDA