Goat breeds

Dairy breeds

alpine, Lamancha, nigerian dwarf, nubian, saanen

Meat breeds

Boer, kiko, myotonic, pygmy, savanna, spanish

other breeds

angora

Alpine, french alps, range from pure white to shades or combination of fawn/grey/brown/black/red, short hair, bucks have longer hair along spine and prominent beard, medium sized erect ears, can thrive in any climate, highest producing milkers, usually have large well shaped udders with good teat structure, high nutritional needs to meet high milk production

La Mancha, US, medium to large, tiny ears, any color or combination is acceptable, hair is short/fine/glossy, good milkers producing milk with high protein and butterfat content, long lactation - 2 yrs, easy going/ cooperative/good disposition, all around sturdy animal that withstand tough conditions and still produce

nigerian dwarf, West Africa, miniature goat, upright ears, short to medium hair, any color or color combo, often used for showing, produces about a quart of milk per goat each milking, bred to have the length of body and structure in proportion of a dairy goat

Nubian, Middle East, Large size, long floppy ears, roman nose, black/red/tan, short hair, dual purpose, thrive in hotter climates, high butterfat content, much longer breading season and can milk year round, not as much milk volume, udder is capacious but can be more pendulous than other dairy

Saanen, Switzerland, medium to large, short white or cream hair, spots on skin are ok but not on hair, upright ears, largest dairy breed, heavy milk producers and usually yield 3-4% butterfat, 2nd for milk production, easy goin, sensitive to sunlight and better in cooler conditions, shade is essential

Boer, South Africa, white body with brown or black head, horned, lop ears, most popular meat breed in US, first to be involved in meat production performance testing, economical and efficient meat goat, good browsers with little impact on grass cover, ADG over .44lb/d, early maturing, females can achieve 200% kidding rate, can have extended breeding season, most susceptible to internal parasites and foot rot

kiko, New Zealand, feral does x Nubian Bucks, usually white or cream, curly horns, easy to raise and reach market weight quickly, good foragers, often crossed with boer goats to combine meat production and mothering ability, better parasite resistance and less foot rot, wean more lbs per kid per doe than boer, boer goats are still preferred by most buyers

Myotonic, Tennessee, typically smaller than other meat breeds, wide variety of colors and coat length, classified as meat but kept as pets, docile, heavy rumped and deep chested, breed aseasonlly to produce kids year round, good mothers, fainting gene is recessive so crossbred with boer usually, myotonia congenita, freeze for 10-20 seconds and fall over

pygmy, Africa, same size as medium dog, full coat of mediium long hair, males have full long beards, predominantly gray with intermingled light/dark airs, lighter colered ears and darker legs, meat goats or kept as pet or show, docile, more sturdily built than dwarf goat,

Savanna, South Africa, smaller than other meat goats, white in color with few black pigments around ears/horns/hooves, white coat allele is dominant over others, large framed and well muscled, good reproductive traits fertility/ mothering/ milk/ twinning rate, good growth rate comparable to boer kids, parasite and foot rot resistant

spanish, spain, smaller than other meat goats, body shape/ ear shape/ horns/ hair/color are not consistent, meat goats are excellent foragers, like to climb, good mother, easy birthers, hardy and resistant to most parasites, adapt to low input production systems well, hard to contain

Angora, Turkey, smaller than other meat breeds, grow long luxurious mohair fiber, used for scarves/sweaters/ other, provide lots of meat in US market, produce good quality carcass, require lots of protection, not hardy, more likely to have singles, shear every 6 months