Why the down produced by down-producing wool goats is hailed as soft gold

Cashmere is known as "soft gold", and its warmth retention and comfort are deeply loved by consumers.

The rearing method is free-range and housed; the mountain areas are shrubland and mountain meadow grassland, mainly with grasses of the Poaceae, Fabaceae and Asteraceae families. The plains are mainly with leaves and stems of corn, sorghum, soybean, peanut, apple, hawthorn and so on.

Down yield: Down growth begins in June, with September to November being the period of vigorous growth, tending to stop in February of the following year, and down shedding occurring successively in April. The general pattern of down shedding is: sheep in good body condition shed first, weak sheep shed later; adult sheep shed first, young breeding sheep shed later; ewes shed first, rams shed later. The usual down combing time is from early April to early May each year. One-year-old sheep produce an average of about 350 grams of down, adult ewes average about 500 grams, and rams average about 800-1000 grams.

Reproductive performance: The first estrus of cashmere goats occurs at 4-6 months of age, and the first mating can be carried out at 8 months of age. The suitable breeding age is 2-6 years for rams and 1-7 years for ewes. Estrus begins every year in May, with September to November being the peak estrus season. The average estrus cycle is 20 days, estrus duration is 1-2 days, and gestation period is 142-153 days. The lambing rate of adult ewes is 110%-120%. The survival rate of weaned lambs is over 95%.