Goat

Domestic goat (Capra hircus aegagrus )

The domestic goat (Capra hircus aegagrus ) is for the dog and together with the sheep probably the first farmed pet. Goats belong to the genus of goats in the family Bovidae.

Designation

The female is also next to goat goat ( cf. nl. / Norw. / Dän. Geit ), bitch, Hippe or doe named, called the male animal goat of the castrated male monk and the goat boy Ziegenkitz, lamb or goat goats.

In the Upper German dialects Gaiß / Goiß / Goaß are generally for the female goat ( cf. Engl. Goat, schwed. get) and billy goat for the male. By Luther's Bible translation goat has prevailed in the high-level language.

Domestication

The domestic goat is descended from the Bezoar goat. The domestication probably occurred before the 11th millennium BC in the Near East, probably in the southern Levant (today Israel and Jordan ) or in the Zagros Mountains (now in Iran ). Usually it is assumed that occur with the domestication quickly morphological changes in the skeleton, particularly the shape of the horn pin, also a decrease in size. Also, the gender and age ratio in animal bones from archaeological sites is used to distinguish domesticated and hunted populations.

Localities, which are evidence of early domestication of the goat are:

• Darius Ganj, Iraq, 9000-7500 BC Here the age composition was cited as evidence of domestication (there were preferred killed young male animals), also the animals were on average smaller than today's wildlife.
• Ali Kosh, Iraq, 7500-5500 BC Here the preponderance of young animals is cited as evidence of domestication, along with changes in the cross-section of the horn pin. In prehistoric Central Europe, the goat is rare.

Economic Importance

Goats provide meat, leather, milk ( more than sheep) and sometimes wool. They eat when all plant species occur, 60% leaves and trees, 20% herbs and only 20% grass. They are very frugal, as they have a very effective digestive system. They are also known as the cow of the little man, because they are easier to feed and keep, if you have little space and food. They were and are today, especially in mountainous landscapes held (eg Alps, Norway) and, because of their climbing skills also are held there, where the keeping of cattle is no longer possible.

Goats can destroy the vegetation of whole landscapes and so contributing to desertification, as they erode almost all plants.

Be used economically:

• Goat milk
• Goat meat
• Goatskin ( Chevreau leather ) and kid skin (especially for gloves ) and goat skins (especially Zickelfelle )
• Goat hair ( angora goat, cashmere goat)

Agricultural importance of the domestic goat was in ancient Rome; it still is today in Asia Minor, Central Asia and Mongolia.

The use of the goat as a draft animal until the beginning of the 20th century also widespread in Europe. The amazingly powerful, frugal and robust goats were harnessed to carriages and coaches and, if not larger animals were available, also used for plowing. In mountainous terrain goats were used as beasts of burden.

In Germany goats are also used in landscaping. Here they are particularly suitable for containment of bush encroachment on steep slopes, where a manual wood removal would be labor intensive and therefore expensive. In North Rhine -Westphalia are used by the Highways Agency in the framework of model experiments goats also for the maintenance of slopes along highways. They are characterized by their ability to stand on its hind legs, peel and larger trees in the situation and let them die so. This is often desirable in the suppression of neophytes, such as the locust. In the eroded areas is by relocation of the animals usually an increase or rare habitat types typically observed.

In the Alpine region goats (now nurmehr rare) droves kept together with sheep transhumance. Sheep and goats are not competitors for food, because the sheep keep mainly to the existing grass is always sufficient.

For horses that are kept alone in the barn or in the pasture, it often leads one or more goats to prevent aggression or depression in the herd animal horse. A goat in such a function is called Beistellziege - formerly comprised the even the proverbial term scapegoat, which is a male Beistellziege that pulls the diseases in the barn on after popular belief.

Dissemination

Domestic goats are used today worldwide except in extremely cold regions. In addition, domestic goats were exposed as food for passing ships on many islands where they turned feral. They had, for example on the Galápagos Islands, a devastating effect on the native flora and fauna. It has therefore been eradicated goats on many islands aware. Feral goats in large numbers is also available in Australia.

Caprine breeds

There are a large number of regional breeds of domestic goats. Depending on the breeding goal and Hauptverwertungsart they are divided into meat goats, dairy goats and goat fur. These include, among others:

• Anglo - Nubian goat
• Angora goat
• Appenzell Goat
• Bagot Goat
• Colorful German Edelziege
• Colorful Dutch goat
• Boer goat ( a goat meat )
• Grisons rays goat
• Erzgebirg
• Called Galla goat, also Somali goat
• Gemsfarbige Mountain Goat
• Girgentana goat
• Grey Mountain goat (Capra Grigia )
• Cashmere goat
• Nera Verzasca
• East African dwarf goat
• Peacock goat
• Poitevine
• Rove goat
• Saanen goat
• Shami
• Serpentina
• Boots Geiss
• Tauern check Goat
• Thuringian Forest Goat
• Toggenburgerziege
• Walliser Black-necked goat ( see also Copper neck goat)
• White German Edelziege
• West African dwarf goat

See also: List of goat breeds

Diseases of the domestic goat

The ovine and caprine brucellosis is a venereal disease of sheep and goats caused by the bacterium Brucella melitensis in the genus Brucella.

Cultural History

In most Indo-European cultures the goat was often used as a symbol of fertility and in this context, as the embodiment of a fertility deity. One example is the Scandinavian custom of Julbocks.

As a congregation figure and heraldic animal is the goat, both the male and the female, found in heraldry.