 |
|
|
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE AND
HABITAT
The majority of the world supply of
cashmere has come from Afghanistan, Iran, Outer Mongolia, India, and China. In
recent years, when these countries' political disarray disrupted cashmere
supplies, manufacturers began looking for more stable sources.
New Zealand and Australia have been producing
cashmere for more than a decade. Breeding selection began even some years
earlier with captured feral (wild) goats.
Some U.S. growers have imported goats from
Australia or New Zealand as a herd of as breeding stock to improve selected
native goats. This might produce greater return more quickly than would native
stock alone.
Goats are browsing animals can be pastured with
sheep and cattle, since each species prefers different plans. Goats prefer
brush, tree leaves and rough plants. They are used for pasture improvement and
in reforestation areas. Ranchers in the high plains find them most useful in
controlling leafy spurge. Goats will also destroy multiflora roses and red
cedars.
|
| |
|
|
DESCRIPTION
Cashmere goats are a type, not a
breed. Most goat breeds, except Angora, can produce this down in varied
quantities and may be called cashmere goats. There is no such thing as a
"purebread" cashmere goat. The fleece consists of the very fine, crimpy down
and the usually longer, outside, coarse, straight guard hairs. A goat that does
not display both types of fiber should be avoided. Cashmere fibers must be
separated, either by combing out the down or by using a commercial dehairer on
sheared fibers. The longest, finest down is used in knitted garments and the
shorter down in woven fabrics. The separated guard hairs go into rugs or hair
canvas used in tailored garments.
Cashmere goats are easy to raise. They are healthy animals and
take only minimal care. They are not jumpers like many other goat breeds and
standard woven wire sheep fencing will contain them. Minimal shelter is all
that is required to house them due to the insulative properties of their dual
coats, which is shed for the summer.
They are sheared once
a year and a full grown adult buck will yield as much as 2.5 pounds of fleece.
The fleece consists of two kinds of fiber, cashmere and guard hair. Average
cashmere percentages are in the 20% range. The fleece can be sold to wholesale
buyers or it can be dehaired and sold at retail prices to hand
|
 |
VITAL STATISTICS:
Both sheep and goats are ruminants, along with cows and
llamas. The general health of all these animals is, by and large, dependent
upon their digestive tract. This means they have a complex stomach which is
divided into four compartments: the rumen, the reticulum, the omasum and the
abomasum. Non-ruminants, such as pigs, horses and man, have a single stomach,
equivalent to the abomasum.
The first ruminant stomach
is the rumen. Here, ingested food is soaked by stomach acids and subjected to
digestion by microorganisms before passing through to the the next stomach. It
is from here that food not thoroughly masticated can be regurgitated to be
rechewed. This is often called "chewing cud". Cows do this very often as they
are inefficient grazers, but goats do it less often as their lips are capable
of selecting the very tenderest plant tips and the back teeth are jaggedly
sharp for maximum mastication.
The
rumen is a large organ and it occupies most of the left half of the abdominal
cavity. Animals with rumen problems often look lopsided to the left due to
bloating of the rumen. The rumen is normally filled with coarse fibrous
materials.
The second stomach is the
reticulum. It is characterized by a honeycombed appearance on the inside. These
many ridges present a large surface area through which to absorb ingested
nutrients. It lies next to the heart. Occasionally, especially in cattle,
ingested wire can puncture the nearby heart causing reticulum pericarditis, or
"hardware disease". Goats, of course, would
not be inclined to ingest a large piece of wire so this condition is almost
unknown.
The third stomach, the omasum, is oval in shape and lies primarily
on the right side opposite the 9th and 10th ribs, although it has no contact
with the abdominal wall. It is normally filled with fluid to a capacity of
300ml, or about 10 ounces.
The
abomasum, or true stomach is the glandular portion of the ruminant digestive
tract. It corresponds to the glandular regions of the simple stomach of
non-ruminants. The rumen, reticulum and omasum are the primary organs of the
digestive system, being the main sites for for digestion and absorption of
water, electrolytes and volatile fatty acids. The function of these stomachs is
closely interrelated and problems with one usually involves the others.
|
|
| |
|
|
DIET
Most of the information we have on goat nutrition
comes from dairy and Angora goats. Goats are browsers and as such have the
ability to select higher quality diets than other free-ranging herbivores
grazing the same pasture areas.
Daily nutrient intake
of goats is a direct function of their dry matter intake. Meat-type goats will
consume 3 to 3.5 percent of their bodyweight, while lactating does will consume
4 to 5 percent of their body weight in dry matter feed daily
Goats with the highest nutrient requirements are
lactating does, pregnant does and growing kids. Goats on summer pasture
frequently meet or exceed these requirements. However, as pastures cure and
mature in the late summer and fall, nutrient content of the grazable forage
frequently drops to 6 to 10 percent crude protein, and by spring it may be as
low as 2 to 3 percent crude protein. The other nutrients of energy, vitamins
and minerals decrease in a comparable manner. Thus the need for supplementation
or a planned feeding program.
A doe (40 kg doe) is expected to maintain her
bodyweight, grow 200 grams of cashmere as well as gestate a fetus. This can be
obtained by eating 2 kilos of irrigated grass hay. However, this amount of
grass hay only supplies 160 grams of the necessary protein requirement of 235
grams protein (63 grams plus 82 grams plus 90 grams). Clearly, she needs to
have some supplemental protein.
|
| |
|
|
LIFE CYCLE/SOCIAL
BEHAVIOR
During the first week of life, the kids are not
able to cover long distances but are really very quick if necessary. They are
also practically odorless and will tend to remain perfectly motionless if
threatened. This makes them invisible to predators. If the doe runs or wanders
away from her kids, she will eventually return to them, if not prevented by the
herder, or get close enough so her calls will attract their attention. Every
doe knows the voice of her kids and visa versa. Some does will return to the
kids only once or twice a day, preferring to stash them in a safe, warm place.
Others prefer to stay with their kids even if it means segregating themselves
from the herd. As the kids get older, large groups of them will band together
and remain in an entertaining area to play with one or two does remaining
nearby as baby sitters.
Kids born in March will be ready for weaning in
June. By this time they should be eating grass on their own. Kids should be
penned up away from the does or removed to another area for at least two weeks.
Wet does can be milked at this time. When the female kids are reintroduced to
the doe herd, they will seek out their dam.
This is a lifetime attachment most often and the does and their
adult daughters will even cycle together. The does need the summertime to
recover from the stresses of winter, parturition and combing. Does with a
greater percentage of body fat going into the breeding season will conceive
twins more readily and will have a greater chance of carrying those kids to
term.
Kids will double their weight during the summer. Kid does chosen
to remain in the herd should not be bred their first year to allow their bodies
to mature and grow to their full genetic potential. Maiden does that are bred
too young have a greater chance of aborting especially if their fat reserves
are low. Even if she delivers a kid, it is likely to be underweight and she may
abandon it. It's just not worth it. Milking does after the kids are weaned
slows their rate of gain. Milk is 80% water and up to 6% fat; the same fat that
the doe would have stored for her own use had it not been harvested. If the doe
herd has more wet does, then each doe will not have to be milked for so long in
order to satisfy the basic needs of the herder family. Then each doe can dried
up sooner and be able to start tending to her own needs. This will result in a
better conditioned doe, more kids and more milk the next year.
Sheep fence can be constructed around yard areas but it can cause
problems in open areas as the undehorned goats will insist on grazing that
greener grass on the other side. Animals so trapped are susceptible to
predation and may die from exposure. Typically, it has 4 or 6" squares and it
is this close vertical and horizontal spacing that prevents horned goats from
escaping once they have pushed their heads through the square. When
constructing a fence, it is best to place the brace posts outside the fence if
possible. Goats are adept at walking up the diagonal bracing and jumping out.
Remember that goats will challenge a fence first at the bottom third, trying to
escape. it is also important to make sure the bottom of the fence is close to
the ground when traversing valleys, irrigation ditches or depressions.
Goats should be given adequate nutrition both before and after
shearing. Goats have neither the layer of body fat nor lanolin- laden wool that
sheep have. So, goats sometimes need shelter from cold rains and chilling
winds. If shelter has not been provided, goats may even die. Depending on
weather variations, goats may need shelter for 4 to 6 weeks after
shearing.
Types of small-mesh fencing may be used to contain the goats.
Horns caught in the fence or the crotch of a tree become life-threatening, not
only because of predators but also because of other goats. While most goats are
not aggressive toward humans, they are not always kind to other goats who
cannot defend themselves. They can quickly do serious or lethal damage with
their horns. A goat raiser soon discovers that horns are useful - as handles! A
goat without horns is hard to control; some shearing stands even depend on
horns when securing the goat for shearing. Unlike Angora goats, cashmere
animals are sheared standing. Care should be taken not to damage a young goat's
horns by rough handling. A frightened or startled goat is apt to jump or flail
around and handlers should always use caution to prevent injury from the horns
- especially to eyes. For safety, both for other animals and the handler, sharp
points of horns may be clipped off using a bolt cutter or similar device.
|
| |
|
|
REPRODUCTION
Bucks used for breeding programs should
have the ability to sire high producing progeny but also should have the
physical characteristics that make them valuable and viable overall. Breeders
are recognizing that the true worth of a good goat is not based on production
alone, but on lifetime production at a relatively low feed cost with few health
problems and while producing a large number of good offspring. These
characteristics can be identified and measured. Invariably, superior animals
have physical properties that a trained classifier will observe and point out
in a program designed to develop durable, useful, long-lived goats.
JOINING - Joining is the mating of one animal to
another. Normally, the buck/doe ratio should be between 1:25 and 1:50. A buck
should not be expected to breed more than 50 does in a six-week period. Keeping
the ratios low will allow the buck to do his work quickly, resulting in a
kidding season that is compressed into a 6-week period, five months later. This
will also shorten the combing season. Beginning in late August to early
September, does with sufficient stored body fat will cycle every 18 to 21 days
and will remain receptive to the buck for 2 to 3 days. Goats are seasonally
poly-estrus, meaning they will cycle regularly for six months. If they remain
unbred by the end of that time period, usually in late January, they will stop
cycling until the following August.
If during the summer the does are not exposed to bucks
at all, meaning the bucks are out of earshot and more importantly, the does are
not able to smell them, the sudden introduction of bucks to a group of does
that have not yet begun to cycle will stimulate them to naturally synchronize
themselves. Then they will all cycle within three days. Keeping the bucks apart
from the does for the first two days will stimulate the bucks to greater semen
production. Does bred to bucks that are not allowed to "warm-up" will have
lower fertility rates and may not be successfully bred the first cycle due to
the presence of immature sperm.
Gestation for goats is 150 days.
Does bred on the 18th of October will kid on March 17th. For the first two
trimesters, meaning the first 100 days, the fetus or fetuses within the doe
will not put much of a nutritional strain upon her. They remain small and
relatively undemanding. It is during the last trimester or the last 50 days
that they begin to grow and develop. Most importantly, it is during this time
that they begin to develop their hair follicles, the small openings in the skin
through which will grow guard hair and down. If a doe is nutritionally deprived
during this time, the fetus will not develop as many individual down hair
follicles as it otherwise might resulting in less dense fleece.
If additional feed is available, the last 30 days of gestation is
the time to provide it to the does. During the last 30 days, the doe's
resources will be taxed to the maximum as she carries one or two growing
fetuses and begins to produce the life-giving milk. Now is the time to give the
does vaccinations against Clostridium perfringes Types C & D and Tetanus,
if the vaccine is available. This allows the does' immune system to produce
antibodies against these diseases in time to provide the newborn kids with
extra antibodies through the colostrum.
PARTURITION - As the time for kidding
approaches, does will become swollen and slow. The maturing kids are using her
remaining energy reserves and she needs as much care as possible. Most
important is plenty of drinking water as that is the major component of the
amniotic fluid and of milk. Goats in general are very water conservative, able
to go up to three days without water. But during these last few days, water
intake by the pregnant does is very important. The last trimester is not the
time to perform any management activities such as foot trimming or moving over
long distances.
Does about
to go into labor will normally seek a secluded spot. If possible, freshening
does should not be allowed to go out with the herd and should be kept close to
the barn or camp. They should be left alone during this time and allowed to
birth their kids without interruption. Labor is characterized by heavy
breathing, bearing down and the occasional bleat. The doe will most often lie
down. Straining for more than 20 minutes may indicate that there is an abnormal
presentation that may require the intervention of the herder.
Normally,
goats are able to birth their kids without intervention and this is a trait
that we must strive to preserve during our intensive breeding and selection
program. Does requiring intervention during kidding should not be part of an
elite herd. Birthing usually begins with the tips of one or two front feet
peaking through the vulva. The hooves are covered in a waxy/rubbery shoe that
protects the birth canal wall. A tiny muzzle and head should closely follow the
feet. Once the head is out, the rest of the body should follow easily. Usually
the impact of the kid upon the ground breaks the amniotic sac, clearing the
nostrils for their first breath. If not, the doe is usually right there to
clean the newborn, although her methods are somewhat random and she may not
begin at the nose.
If there are
twins, the second will closely follow the first. Once the placenta is
passed, there will be no more kids born. The does will eagerly lick newborn
kids and she may even eat the hormone-rich placenta and amniotic sac. The
stimulus of her licking not only dries the kids, but also stimulates them to
try to stand. Once upright, they will instinctively seek the teat, although
they may begin the hunt at the does' brisket. During this time period, it is
very important to leave the doe and kids alone.
They should not be disturbed until
the kids have had a chance to fill their bellies with colostrum. Colostrum is
THE KEY to kid survival for it contains antibodies against the diseases most
likely to kill the kid during the first 30 days of life. Kids are not born with
antibodies and must get them through the colostrum. Colostrum is the thick,
yellowish milk that the doe produces the first few days after delivery. It is
rich not only in antibodies but also in fats and protein that will give the kid
a head start in life. The most important thing to remember is that there is a
short period of time during which the kid must eat the colostrum or else it
will do no good. This is because the antibody molecules are very large
physically and they must pass through the kid's gut wall during the first 6 to
8 hours of life. After the first 8 hours and definitely after the first 12
hours of life, the large antibodies become physically unable to pass through
the shrinking apertures in the kid's gut wall and they will exit ineffectually
or be broken down by the activating gut acids instead of being absorbed into
the bloodstream. Separation of the kid from its dam during these first 6 to 8
hours is to be avoided at all costs.
If a doe looks as if she might kid
that day, do not let her go out with the rest of the herd. Keep her nearby and
keep an eye on her. If a kid does not get colostrum from its mother, milk from
a doe that has very recently kidded should be manually fed to the newborn via a
bottle and the kid returned to the natural mother as soon as possible. Bonding
between the kid and its mother will occur during these first critical hours.
Reasons to intervene in this bonding and feeding cycle include inclement
weather and life-threatening situations such as predator approach or
relocation. But kids and dams should be reunited as soon as possible after
separation.
The gestation period for goats is usually 150 days, but it can
vary several days each way. The fist kids can be expected 156 days after the
buck goat is turned in the does. Kids are usually "dropped", as the term goes,
from late February through April or early May.
Twins may account for 10 percent of births, most commonly in older
does, with a much lower percentage being triplets. With proper management it is
possible to get three kid crops within a 2- year period. Does may be bred to
kid when they ar ea year old if they have sufficient growth. Since male kids
usually reach sexual maturity at 4 months of age, they should be removed from
the herd to prevent accidental breeding.
|
|
| |
|
|
INTERESTING
FACTS
Cashmere the fiber of kings, produced from the lowly Cashmere
goat. This fiber is so luxurious that the Arc of the Covenant of the old
testament was lined and curtained with it. Sixty percent of the worlds supply
of cashmere is produced in China and the remainder from Turkey, Afghanistan,
Iraq, Iran, Kashmere, Australia and New Zealand. It is a new industry for the
United States. The first Cashmere goats were imported from Australia and New
Zealand in the late 1980's. Since then several Cashmere breeders and growers
have been producing breeding stock to launch this new industry in the US.
spinners.
Demand for cashmere, the fine underdown
from cashmere goats that has long been preferred by royalty, has always
exceeded supply. Garments made of cashmere are prized for their unique feel.
Cashmere is very soft, warm and long wearing. It feels much softer to the skin
than wool, and while not as strong, cashmere outwears wool!
|
|
