GOATS

Introduction:

The goat is a small ruminant mammal very important in growth.

economic of the society. From it, meat, milk, skin, hair, manure is obtained.
work. They are very prolific animals that reproduce throughout all seasons.
of the year.

The goat is one of the most widely distributed domestic animals.

geographical, due to its extraordinary ability to adapt to different
climatic conditions, vegetation, and management. Thus, goat farming can be
aimed at the production of milk and meat, only meat or milk, also skin.

History:

The production conditions of most breeders are described.

goats in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Based on research conducted by the
Caprine Project, the main results obtained since 1994 are reported
up to date on the productive and reproductive fitness of Creole goats in
herds of small-scale producers and in semi-extensive management in the
herd of the Faculty of Agricultural and Livestock Sciences of UMSS. It
they describe the advantages of Criolla goats for raising in areas
disadvantaged. Proposals are being developed to increase productivity of the
Creole goats in the subsistence-oriented production system.

The vast majority of goats in Bolivia are the so-called Criollas, descendants
of the first goats introduced by the Spaniards during the Colonial period.
Livestock censuses do not distinguish between breeds, so there is no information.
official about the goat breeds in the country. According to the authors' estimation, the
Creole goats should account for more than 95% of the goats in Bolivia. They are
animals very well adapted to environmental and breeding conditions
prevailing. It is likely that there are different breeds of native goats.
Given the difference in eco-regions and varied production conditions, but not
investigations were carried out in this regard

The taxonomic classification of goat livestock is:

Kingdom animal
Type vertebrates
Class mammals
Order even-toed ungulates
Family bovids
Gender goats
Species domestic goat

According to age and body structure, goats are divided into

next way:

MALES AND FEMALES Kid They are called this until

Kid what do they have

Cabriton approximately one year

Little goat of age or 25 Kg

FEMALES Goats Females with 1 or more

births

MACHOS Carneros Breeding males

 Differences between sheep and goats

GOATS SHEEP
Odorous glands presence absence
Interdigital glands Absence Presence
Suborbital glands Absence Presence
and lacrimal fossa
Chin Presence Absence
Horns Oval section and smooth Triangular section and
concave
Nipple or earrings Presence, above all in Absence
dairy breeds
Soda Cut and lifted Long and fall
Lips Developed, very Less developed
mobiles, ease for the
apprehension
Hooves Hollow and fluffy, The same characters
plantar pad but less pronounced
thick
Eating habits Selection in grazing Select, but less
Digestive efficiency Make the most of it Less utilization
coarse and with foods of coarse foods and
fiber with fiber
Skin Hair cover Wool cover
upbringing

Production

The production aims to provide:

Seeded milk: mainly to be transformed into cheese, but its

fresh consumption remains high in the west ofAsiaor inNorth Africa.
The list of goat's milk cheeses is a measure of the diversity of the
productions.

Meat: The meat ofkidit is highly consumed inHoly Weekin the areas of
production of goat cheese, and a small tradition of producing meat of
smoked goat

Leather: It has been used and continues to be used in the south and the east ofMediterranean.

Hair: It comes from two breeds selected for the softness of their hair. The fabric
resultant is calledmohair

Quality of the animal:

The goat is a very efficient animal:

It adapts to all thetopographiesdue to its lightness and balance.

It is resistant to the cold nights of the mountain and to the heat of summer.

It is a great transformer of grass into milk: a goatalpinaof 60 kg

produce about 850 liters per year or 14.1 liters of milk per kg per year.

It digests all kinds of vegetables, cleans and exploits poor land.

His qualities make him a recommended animal forthe countries in

development, on the condition of controlling its population.

Races

There are a large number of goat breeds, the most well-known among them are: Alpine,
rada lamachaSaanenangora, cashmere, pygmy goat, Anglo-Nubian, Boer,
among others. Among the Spanish breeds, the Murciano-Granadina stands out,
Málaga, La Florida, and La Canaria, as dairy breeds. They are also very
interesting as a genetic reserve of endangered breeds, such as
Andalusian mountain and the white Celtiberian.
Reproduction

Are these animals suitable for the generation from two to seven?
years, but the most suitable age is three years. This has been observed by the
robustness and development of the kids. At six years old, the male is usually already
to feel rushed and weak from which the offspring partake and it is necessary not to
fall into this inconvenience, just as in the case of precocity, for although
the goat can give birth at eight months and the billy goat is found in
according to the year, the fruits of this generation would be as defective as the
that have occurred when they already find themselves without strength and in a hurry.

The breeding season is from September to October and November; in some

climates are usually in May and in the middle of winter.

While the goats are pregnant, they must be cared for with the utmost attention and
request, ensuring that they do not lack water continuously and providing them with food
better, days before and after giving birth. The delivery is laborious and therefore they need
that they be helped to make it easier. The kid must suckle from one month to six.
weeks and as you get used to taking another food, like
tender grass orhenofrom the best, the milk is gradually taken away until
used to eating well, it is taken away from him all at once.

At six or seven months, the kids usually come into heat, and for this reason and to ensure that ...
they are less seated, they are castrated from a young age; for example, those who are born in
September can be castrated in March, those from December in April or May, and the
from March to the end of September.

Diseases

Of all the animals, the goat is the least exposed to diseases.

However, these can be classified as follows:
The internal ones

From the head, it is vertigo ordrowsinessthe lethargy, theapoplexy. and thetremor.

From the trunk, it isfever, thetos, thecornering, thehydropsy, the swelling of the
matrix, urinating blood orhematuria, thediarrhea, theconstipation, thetin can,
theSaint Anthony's firethe sacred and putrid diseases.

The externals

From the head are the fractures of the horns, the nail,paper, thegag,
theaphthaeand the external diseases of the eyes.
From the trunksarnathe fracture of the ribs, the relaxation of the kidneys,
theulcersin thevulva, etc.

Of the extremities, they are thetumorson the knees and on thecullens, the
relaxations anddislocations, thefracturesanimal bites
poisonous, the pear, etc.

MARKS, SIGNS AND STAMPS

Law No. 80 of January 5, 1961, Supreme Decree No. 29251 of 29

August 2007

This practical manual on Brands, Signs, and Stamps aims to comment on

describe as clearly as possible the rules governing the use of trademarks,
signs and stamps according to Law No. 80 of January 5, 1961, the Decree
Supreme No. 29251 of August 29, 2007, and other regulations of the same or lesser rank
range that are related to this theme or livestock practice. All these
trademark rules aim primarily to effectively protect the
legitimate interests of the property rights holders over the livestock;
in addition to being used as a tool in the traceability of the
animals in motion for sanitary purposes and others for individual identification of
the animals for management purposes. Bolivia has a livestock population
very broad, composed mainly of eight species: Cattle, Horses,
Donkeys and their hybrids (Mules), South American Camelids, sheep,
goats, pigs, and buffalo. Out of these eight species, generally only
in cattle, buffalo, equines, and donkeys (and their hybrids) the use of
marks as a means of proving property rights of animals. The four
remaining species are not marked. On the other hand, it is noted that, because of the
breeding system, due to the small number of animals they possess
producer or by usages and customs, in some regions of the country, mainly
in the Bolivian highlands and valleys; even in these four species of animals
adults, Cattle, Buffalo, Equines and Donkeys and their hybrids (Mules) are not
the brands. When it comes to cattle under the extensive breeding system, the
the largest livestock regions of Bolivia are located in the departments of
Santa 6 Roberto Aguilera Guzmán Cruz and Beni, followed by Tarija and Pando. This
extensive system allows animals to graze freely in the fields,
great distances from the central point of administration such as houses
of housing and pens, which makes them more susceptible to loss and many
sometimes to theft classified in the penal code as 'cattle theft'; therefore it is made
essential the use of brands, sign and stamp to identify them and prove the
property rights over these animals. Cattle ranching in recent years
times has undergone many changes in its management and a large part of them are
related to the use of brands, signs, stamps, numbers, letters, and others
stamped signs on earrings, like tattoos, electronic devices and others, that
Although they are not included in the old but still valid 'Law No. 80', they have been
mentioned in its regulations. A clear example of this assertion is the
posterior creation of high genetic value or pedigree livestock associations,
like ASOCEBU, ASOCRIOLLO, etc. that use Alpha registration codes.
numeric iconic (Letters, Numbers and icons or symbols) and also they make it
on the right leg of the animal; given that in Bolivia, by law, livestock must
mark on your left side. Distinctions such as PO which means Pure of
Origin, TE of Embryo Transfer or initials of some father bulls in
their offspring are also used in these pedigree animals. Another clear example,
it is the use of cuts or notches in the ears of animals (signals) that are
are currently used in many livestock farms to identify the month of birth
of the animals subjected to controlled mating (3 to 4 months) and not as a signal
what tests the right of property of animals as indicated by the aforementioned
Law.

Goat breeding in Bolivia: a contribution to family sustenance of

small producers
The mesothermal dry valleys located between 1,000 and 3,000 meters
above sea level constitute the habitat of goats in Bolivia.
The annual precipitation in these regions is highly variable, with adverse effects
for agriculture. Goat breeders are small producers who in their
the vast majority own one to two hectares of arable land and mixed herds
of goats and sheep with an average of 30 to 40 heads. The management of the herd is
task almost exclusively of women and children.
The main objective of goat raising is the production of manure, a product
essential for the agriculture of the small producer (Stemmer and Valle Zárate, 2000).
The criteria for the retention or discarding of an animal are not based on its
eventual usefulness for obtaining meat or milk because the product of
the most important is manure.
Goat farming, an irrational activity?
Many times professionals in livestock sciences believe that small
producers manage their animals irrationally; that with the use of the
modern technology could improve their standard of living. This, according to our point
From a viewpoint, it demonstrates a lack of understanding of the reasons behind the small ones.
producers, of their philosophy different from market orientation and management
of a greater number of functions in animal breeding.
Monetary and non-monetary contributions of goat farming. Goats in a rustic unroofed pen / Photo: authors

In the research we conducted, with the collaboration of a doctoral student

(Turgut Altug), in the province of Mizque in the department of Cochabamba, between
January 1999 and March 2000, the socioeconomic environment was analyzed.
goat raising by 42 small producers (Altug, 2002). The goats were
managed along with the sheep, in mixed herds. At night they stayed
in a rustic corral without a roof, made of stones, branches, thorns, or adobe. In the
day, they grazed according to the season of the year, in communal meadows, mountains or
land in fallow. During the rainy season and until the harvest, grazing
It was carried out in native prairies under the supervision of women or children.
In the dry season, after the harvest, the herds grazed freely.
During the 15 months that the study lasted, the goats did not receive any food.
supplementary.

According to 97 percent of the 42 surveyed breeding families, the most

The most important aspect of goat farming is the manure; milk and meat are in second place.
and third place in importance. Manure is primarily used to fertilize the
potato and corn crops. The milk is transformed into cheese, which are
consumed by the family; only a few farms sell cheese. It is made
the sale or barter of animals "in the flesh", exchanging them for sheep or clothing.

The cultural role that goats have in the lives of families is manifested in
its use: families give them as gifts during the umarutuku ceremony (tradition in the
the guests cut the hair of a one-year-old child and, according to the
amount of hair trimmed, the guest gives something to the child, which could be money
or a goat or sheep), and they often sacrifice some animals for the festivities.
special cases or in the event of the death of a family member. In others
events, goats are also used as gifts.
A shepherdess herding her goats / Photo: authors

In the provinces of Carrasco and Mizque of the Department of Cochabamba,

he investigated the production system of nine goat-keeping families that had,
a total of 581 heads of goats (Ayala et al., 2004); this data served
to calculate the costs and benefits that can be obtained from a herd
average of 35 adult goats.
In six of the nine families, the financial investment in goat raising is
limited the purchase of common salt or iodized salt, for which between 12 and 30 was spent
Bolivians per year (one USD is equivalent to eight BOB). The remaining three families,
In addition to buying salt, they also invested in dewormers and others.
medications, between 35 and 70 BOB per year.

No other monetary expenses occur. For a flock of 35 goats, it was calculated a

annual monetary cost of 76.50 BOB.
The income was calculated taking into account self-consumption and sales of
meat, live animals, the produced cheeses, manure and hides
(see table 1).
Table 1.
Estimated income from a herd of 35 goats over a year Source: Ayala
et al., 2004.
item quantity unit income total income relationship
unitary (BOB) percentage
(BOB)
meat 70 Kg 6.00 420.00 32
live capon 1 head 100.00 100.00 8
kids 7 heads 25.00 175.00 14
quesillo 180 pieces 1.50 270.00 21
manure 2.555 Kg 0.12 306.60 24
leather 5 pieces 3.00 15.00 1
total 1,286.60 100
Discard goats for self-consumption
Based on the average milk production per herd of three liters per day (1 lt = 1
quesillo
The 50 kg bag costs on average 6 BOB, so the price per kg is estimated to be
manure at approximately 0.12 BOB.
The greatest income comes from meat production plus the sale of animals.
in feet (54 percent), followed by the production of manure and cheese.
monetary benefit is 1,286.60 BOB per year and the profit is 1,210.10 BOB per
year. In this way, families obtain a substantial income from breeding
goats without the need for high monetary investments. This is a great advantage.
in a subsistence-oriented production system.
In the breeding of goats by small producers in Brazil, Primov (1984)
he also found that low production costs mean that prices
Received from goat products have higher profit margins.
This author concludes that an increase in production costs and,
consequently, a low profit margin would result in a deterioration of the
comparative advantages of goat breeding for small producers. One
a similar situation occurs in Bolivia; it is very likely that goat breeders do not
adopt no new techniques that incur greater costs in
production.

Conclusions

The raising of goats in Bolivia, far from being irrational, plays an important role.
in the economy of small producers, who live in conditions
difficult ecological and socioeconomic challenges. Goats contribute to the provision of
fertilizer for crops, food for the family, monetary income from sales
of products and multiple cultural roles, thereby facilitating the
sustenance of a large sector of the rural population of Bolivia.
The research work on this topic continues to contribute to the greater
knowledge of the Creole goat and its production systems in Bolivia. The
The results of this work will help improve productive aspects, management, and
sustainable use of the genetic resource of the Creole goat.

Angelika Stemmer and Anne Valle Zárate

Angelika Stemmer
Faculty of Agricultural and Livestock Sciences, Universidad Mayor de San Simón
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Email:caprino@[Link]

Anne Valle Zárate

Institute of Animal Production in the Tropics and Subtropics, University
Hohenheim, Germany
Email:valle@[Link]
References
Altug, 2002. Characterization of Creole goats in their production environment in the inter-Andean valleys of Bolivia. Doctoral thesis (in
German language), University of Hohenheim, Germany.

- Ayala, J. L., A. Stemmer, R. García, R. Ergueta, A. Valle Zárate and J. San Román, 2004. "Goat production systems in Mizque and
Carrasco, Cochabamba department, in Proceedings of the XV National Meeting of ABOPA, volume 1 (Animal Production), pp. 209-214. Oruro,

November 24 to 26, 2004, CIF and ABOPA, Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Primov, G., 1984. Goat production within the farming system of smallholders of Northern Bahia, Brazil. Department of Rural Sociology,
University of Missouri, Columbia, USA.

Stemmer, A. and A. Valle Zárate, 2000. "The role of women in goat keeping in Bolivia", Proc. 7th Int. Conference on Goats, Vol.2, pp. 707-708.
Tours, France.