Female goats are called ‘does’. Male goats are called ‘bucks’. Young goats are called ‘kids.
Goats are bovines, members of the family bovidae which includes deer, cows, sheep and antelope.
The domestic goat has cloven hooves, a long beard on its chin, a short and upward-turned tail and horns that grow upward from the head instead of twisting to the sides like those of sheep. Their hair is straight with a woolly undercoat during winter.
A goats size is approximately 70 – 120 centimetres (28 – 48 inches) in height.
Goats weigh 45 – 54 kilograms (100 – 120 pounds).
Goats reach sexual maturity at 4 – 18 months.
A female goats gestation period lasts approximately 150 days; usually resulting in 1 – 3 offspring.
The life span of a goat is about 15 years.
The age of a goat can be determined by its teeth.
A goat can jump 5 feet high.
Goats are ruminants which means they chew cud like cows and sheep.
Most goats live in herds of about 5 – 20 members.
Goats have an efficient four-chambered stomach that allows them to survive on sparse vegetation. Their digestive process also allows them to eat large quantities of food quickly. This reduces foraging time during which they are exposed to predators.
Goats are generally milked using milking machines like the ones used to milk cows.
The most common domestic breeds are the Angora, Cashmere, French-Alpine, Nubian, Saanen and Toggenburg.
Goat habitats are varied and include mountain steppe, grasslands, and desert. Goats can thrive just about anywhere except the Antarctica which is too cold.
Goat population is roughly 600 million maintained worldwide (not including feral populations).
Goats are browsing animals – their diet Includes fresh or dried grasses, foliage of trees, shrubs, bushes, and various other plants. If permitted to graze an area, they will almost strip the land completely causing irreversible damage.
Around the world, more people drink goat milk than cow milk.
Goats were the first animal to be domesticated, according to many historians.
Before coins were used for money, goats were traded for silver, because they were so valuable.
The goat is among the cleanest of animals, and is a much more selective feeder than cows, sheep, pigs, chickens and even dogs. Goats do eat many different species of plants, but do not want to eat food that has been contaminated or that has been on the floor or the ground.
Goats are fussy eaters that take a lot of time to search out the best snacks. Goats will often stand on their hind legs to reach the best part of foliage that may be out of reach of sheep.
Coffee was first discovered when goat herders noticed the goats acting very energetic after nibbling on the coffee beans.
Goat Milk is alkaline and cow milk is acid. Goat milk is lower in cholesterol and higher in calcium, phosphorus and vitamins A.
Goats milk is naturally homogenized and digests very easily. The fat globules are smaller and do not clump in masses like cows milk. Goats milk is digested in less than twenty minutes. Cows milk can take almost a day to be digested.
`Moroccan Tree Goats
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Craving 4 Calcium
