Damascus goat: description and characteristics of the breed, the subtleties of the content

Among domestic goats there are breeds about which they say that it is better to see them once than to hear about them a hundred times. The Damascus or Syrian goat, also known as Shami, Baladi, Halep, Chami or Aleppo, belongs to such extraordinary animals. No wonder this particular breed is often mentioned in ancient Arabic tales and treatises. In modern goat breeding, Shami is bred for milk, meat, wool.

Fame of the breed

The breed is of Middle Eastern origin. Officially, Syria is considered her homeland. The name of the capital of this state,Damascus, and was reflected in the name of the breed. In the homeland of Damascus goats they say that they are divinely beautiful. Local animal lovers consider shami to be as valuable as Arabian horses. The most shocking thing is that sometimes angelically cute kids grow up, frankly, into individuals that are more like monsters. And in 2008, one of the representatives of the breed received the title of the most beautiful animal at an exhibition in the capital of Saudi Arabia.

Damascus goats can safely be attributed to the heavyweights in the world of small cattle. Adult goats very often have a height at the withers of up to 0.9-1.03 meters and a weight of up to 100-130 kilograms. And, although the largest goat in the world weighed 180 kilograms and was of the Saanen breed, Shami males can be considered representatives of heavy breeds.

Description and characteristics

When a Damascus goat is born, her appearance is so beautiful that it rarely leaves anyone indifferent. A small hook-nosed head and long, twisted ears make the young of this breed cute.

Adult animals are characterized by rather long limbs, a high neck and a small head with a hook-nosed muzzle.

Sometimes as it grows, the lower jaw protrudes forward, although this is not provided for by the modern standard. The breed is sexually dimorphic. Males are significantly larger than females. The average weight is 90-100 kilograms, and the height is 80-90 centimeters. The weight of females, on average, is 70-80 kilograms, height - 60 centimeters.

The horns of females are not long, bent back and slightly to the sides, the horns of goats are slightly thicker and longer. Breeders have achieved the appearance of polled animals. The ears are long, at least 30 centimeters long. They smoothly descend from the head along the neck. In the homeland of animals, they are very often stopped in early childhood, especially for those animals that will participate in breeding shows.

Important! A distinctive feature of purebred Shamis is a milky white iris.

Wool is quite long, dense. It is painted in red-brown color of different shades. Although there are animals of white, silver-white, fawn and gray color.

Pros and cons of shami

The advantage of the breed lies in its versatility. Most often it is bred for milk and meat. Milk has a pleasant taste, almost no specific aftertaste, fatty and suitable for cheese production. The average daily milk yield is 5 liters, although there are goats that give up to 8 liters of milk.

The advantages of the breed include good meat productivity. Combed wool can be used in the production of cashmere, and various products are sewn from leather. The advantages of the breed include:

shape and size of an udder suitable for mechanical milking;
peaceful character;
precocity and fertility.

There are significant disadvantages when breeding shami:

shortage of breeding animals;
high cost;
lack of breeding experience.

The subtleties of keeping and caring for Damascus goats

This breed of goat is well adapted to both hot and cold climates. Shami will require a barn to maintain. The room should be spacious, dry, equipped with ventilation, but without drafts. These animals easily get along with other breeds, but the area per head of this breed must be at least 5 square meters.

In the warm season, grazing is needed. Dry meadows and slopes are suitable for the breed, not even with the richest vegetation. At this time of the year, it is important to provide water and mineral supplements. The coat requires either brushing or clipping.

Diet and breeding

The balanced diet of Damascus goats is a guarantee of high productivity. The diet of animals must include:

hay;
straw;
juicy food;
branch hay;
grain;
premixes;
mineral supplements and table s alt.

To breeding allowed females who have reached the age of 10 months, weighing at least 42 kilograms. One case per year is allowed. Males are suitable for mating from the age of nine months. Shami goats are also knitted with local goats to obtain dairy livestock.

Succulence lasts 155 days. Females bring 2-3 kids, although there are cases when there are 4 kids in the litter. It is customary to remove the young from under the mother a week after birth and feed them with milk by hand until the age of 45 days.

Frequent diseases

Despite their immunity, Shamis can suffer from contagious and non-contagious diseases of small ruminants. These goats can suffer:

helminthic infestations;
intestinal infections;
mastitis;
hoof diseases.

Proper maintenance, regular milking, timely vaccination will protect goats from various pathologies.

How to choose a good goat when buying

From the beginning of the century, a boom in Damascus goats began in the world. Along with it, the number of unscrupulous sellers selling culled or non-pedigreed animals has also grown. Today these goats are the most expensive in the world. The price is calculated in a hundred or even thousands of dollars.

Russian goat breeders who deal with this breed sell little kids for no less than 100,000 rubles and adult goats for no less than 130,000 rubles. Do not chase cheapness and buy animals many times cheaper than the price mentioned.

When buying breeding stock, it is advisable to choose Cypriot, Iranian, Israeli and other highly productive pedigree lines. It is important that the acquired animal meets the standard, has the correct bite and appearance corresponding to the breed. It is preferable to make a purchase in a breeding farm specializing in this breed.