Goats: The Overview
The Angora and the American Cashmere are the only recognized fiber goats. In the Himalayan mountains, they have Kashmir and Cheghu goats. The Angora is one of the most abundant types of goats, and thanks to extensive research done for keeping them in Australia , much more is known about goat health and physiology. Cashmere is used to describe any goat with a good undercoat, but recently they were specially bred to the point of registering as their own breed.
Goat meat is more popular than most people realize. Over 85% of the world's population eats chevon. The breeds usually raised for meat (in addition to most males being culled) are the Spanish Goat, the Boer, and the Kiko. They are all generally large and muscular, with the Boer somewhat resembling a nubian.
Other popular goats (for pets, mostly) are African Pygmies, Nigerian Dwarfs, and Myotonic goats, all of which are smaller varieties. Dwarfs and pygmies are very similar, but dwarfs were bred as miniature dairy goats while pygmies are more miniature meat goats. Myotonic goats (including Tennessee Meat Goats) have an unusual genetic trait that causes their leg muscles to stiffen when they are startled and they often fall over. They are also called "fainting goats," "stiff" or "wooden-legged goats," or "fall-down goats."
Goats are agile climbers due in part to the hair which grows between their hooves and gives them traction on smooth surfaces. They have excellent balance because of their slanted hooves. When a goat jumps, it lands with its feet close together and all of the force of the landing is absorbed by the soft inner layers of the hoof. Goats can also change their body position as they fall, like a cat.
Having a ruminant digestive system allows goats to eat thick, rough vegetation. They chew their food and then their cud, and it passes through four stomach chambers (rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum) with several enzymes to help break down the cellulose. Having a tough mouth with a chewing pad on the top in place of teeth allows goats to eat things like thorns.
Goats are not grazing animals, and they do not come from grasslands--as do sheep. They evolved in woody areas and browse for food, preferring to pull down weeds and leaves than eat grass from the ground. Often they would live in rocky, hilly areas where there was little competition from other herbivores. In captivity, goats are usually
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