What breeds of black goats are there? An overview of common excellent breeds
The black goat has a medium build, a well-proportioned body, and is slightly rectangular in shape. The head is triangular, the bridge of the nose is straight, and the two ears tilt forward and stand upright. The vast majority of both rams and ewes have horns and beards. The ram's horns are thick and large, sickle-shaped, and twist slightly backward and outward; the ewe's horns are smaller, mostly curving backward and upward while twisting outward. The coat has a good luster and is mostly black, with a few being white, yellow, or variegated. The inner layer of the coat grows short, sparse downy hair.
What breeds of black goats are there? The main breeds of black goats include Leizhou goat, Sichuan Jintang black goat, Hunan Cangshan black goat, Yunnan Yunling black goat, and Guizhou black goat. Below, the editor will introduce these different breeds of black goats in detail for everyone!
Leizhou goat
The Leizhou goat is a local goat breed in Guangdong Province, China, famous for its meat and hide, and it is named after its origin in the Leizhou Peninsula area. The Leizhou goat is one of the goat breed resource populations with a relatively large number in Guangdong Province. There is scattered raising throughout the province, and it has also been introduced in Vietnam, Guangxi, and other places. Xuwen County on the Leizhou Peninsula is the central production area.
The Leizhou Peninsula is located at the southernmost tip of the mainland of Guangdong Province, China, at an altitude of 26.4 m. It belongs to a gently sloping platform area with level terrain. The peninsula lies within the tropical zone, with an average annual temperature of about 23.2°C; rainfall is abundant, with an annual rainfall of 1400 mm, and the most rain falls in August—September; humidity is high, with an average annual relative humidity of 84%, reaching its highest in March at 92.9%; light and heat resources are abundant. The peninsula has luxuriant pasture grass, with dark green shrub forests everywhere. Most of it is hilly terrain, with many large stretches of grassy slopes, making it extremely suitable for raising goats. In addition, the local people have long had the custom of raising goats and are rich in experience, making this one of the famous goat bases in Guangdong Province.
Appearance characteristics of the Leizhou goat: the coat color is mostly black, while the horns and hooves are brownish black, and a small number are mottled or brown. Aside from the yellow coat, mottled goats are mostly black or black-yellow on the back, tail, and front ends of the limbs, and some have alternating black and white vertical stripes on the face, or white on the abdomen and rear parts of the limbs.
The Leizhou goat has a straight face and a slightly protruding forehead. Both rams and ewes have horns. The ram's horns are thick and large, with the tips curving backward and spreading to both sides. The ears are medium-sized, standing upright and spreading to both sides, and there is a beard under the jaw. The ram has a thick neck, while the ewe has a slender, long neck. The front of the neck, where it connects to the head, is narrow, and where the back of the neck connects to the chest it gradually enlarges. The back and loins are straight, and the udder is well developed, mostly spherical.
Based on body type, people in the production area divide the Leizhou goat into two types: the long-legged type and the short-legged type. The short-legged type mostly gives birth to twins; the long-legged type mostly gives birth to singles. People prefer the short-legged type.
For the body weight of the Leizhou goat, adult rams average 54.1 kg, ewes average 47.7 kg, and wethers average 50.8 kg.
The production performance of the Leizhou goat is as follows: the dressing percentage is 50—60%, the meat is delicious, with fine, tender fibers, evenly distributed fat, and little mutton odor. Leizhou goat hide has the characteristics of dense texture, lightness, good elasticity, and large size. After tanning, it can be dyed in various colors. It reaches sexual maturity early, at 4 months of age, and can be first mated at 11—12 months of age, with a kidding rate of 150—200%. It has the characteristics of strong reproductive ability, strong adaptability, tolerance of roughage, and resistance to damp heat.
Sichuan Jintang black goat
1. Reproductive performance: The Jintang black goat reaches sexual maturity early, with first estrus at about 3 months of age. Rams begin mating and breeding at 8-10 months of age, and ewes at 6-7 months of age. Ewes generally produce 1.7 litters per year, with a kidding rate of 193% for the first litter and 246% for litters 2-4. Birth weight and two-month weight: male kids 2.35 kg and 12.5 kg, female kids 2.22 kg and 12.3 kg.
2. Growth and development: body weight and body height at 6 months of age, rams 25.5 kg and 58.2 cm, ewes 23.8 kg and 55.1 cm; body weight and body height at 12 months of age, rams 37.2 kg and 65.8 cm, ewes 34.9 kg and 60.7 cm; adult body weight and body height, rams 74.6 kg and 76.7 cm, with the highest body weight reaching 125 kg, ewes 56.2 kg and 68.5 cm, with the highest body weight reaching 80.5 kg.