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, is one of these extraordinary animals. It is not for nothing that this breed is often mentioned in ancient Arabic tales and treatises. In modern goat farming, Shami are bred to produce milk, meat, and wool.
Fame of the breed
The breed is of Middle Eastern origin. Officially, Syria is considered its homeland. The name of the capital of this state, the city.Damascus, and is reflected in the name of the breed. In the homeland of Damascus goats they say that they are divinely beautiful. Local animal lovers believe that Shamis are as valuable as Arabian horses. The most shocking thing is that sometimes angelically cute kids grow up, frankly speaking, into individuals 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 easily be considered one of the heavyweights in the world of small ruminants. 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, its appearance is so beautiful that it rarely leaves anyone indifferent. The small, hook-nosed head and long, curled 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 the lower jaw grows, it protrudes forward, although this is not provided for by the modern standard. The breed is sexually dimorphic. Males are much larger than females. The average weight is 90-100 kilograms, and height is 80-90 centimeters. The weight of females, on average, is 70-80 kilograms, height – 60 centimeters.
The horns of females are short, 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 in length. They smoothly descend from the head along the neck.In the homeland of animals, they are very often docked in early childhood, especially for those animals that will participate in breeding shows.
The coat is quite long and dense. It is painted red-brown in different shades. Although there are animals of white, silver-white, fawn and gray colors.
Pros and cons of shami
The advantage of the breed lies in its versatility. Most often it is bred for milk and meat. The milk has a pleasant taste, almost no specific taste, is fatty and is suitable for the production of cheese. The average daily milk yield is 5 liters, although there are goats that produce 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 the udder suitable for mechanical milking;
- peaceful nature;
- early maturity and fertility.
There are also significant disadvantages when breeding shami:
- shortage of breeding animals;
- high price;
- lack of experience in breeding.
Subtleties of keeping and caring for Damascus goats
This goat breed is well adapted to both hot and cold climates. To keep a shami you will definitely need a barn. 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, even not with the richest vegetation, are suitable for the breed.It is important to provide water and mineral supplements at this time of year. The coat requires either combing or trimming.
Diet and breeding
A balanced diet for Damascus goats is a guarantee of high productivity. The diet of animals must include:
- hay;
- straw;
- succulent feed;
- twig hay;
- corn;
- premixes;
- mineral supplements and table salt.
Females that have reached 10 months of age and weigh at least 42 kilograms are allowed for breeding. One mating per year is allowed. Males are suitable for mating from the age of nine months. Shami goats are also bred with local female goats to produce dairy stock.
Gestation lasts 155 days. Females bring 2-3 kids, although it is not uncommon for there to be 4 kids in a litter. It is customary to remove young animals from under their mother a week after birth and feed them with milk by hand until the age of 45 days.
Frequent illnesses
Despite their immunity, Shami can suffer from contagious and non-contagious diseases of small livestock. These goats may suffer from:
- 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
Since the beginning of the century, a boom in Damascus goats has begun in the world. Along with it, the number of unscrupulous sellers selling discarded or outbred animals has also grown. Today these goats are the most expensive in the world. The price is hundreds, or even thousands of dollars.
Russian goat breeders who deal with this breed sell small kids for no less than 100,000 rubles and adult sires for no less than 130,000 rubles. You should not chase cheapness and purchase animals at several times cheaper than the stated price.
When purchasing breeding stock, it is advisable to choose Cypriot, Iranian, Israeli and other highly productive breed lines. It is important that the acquired animal meets the standard, has the correct bite and appearance appropriate to the breed. It is preferable to make a purchase from a breeding farm that specializes in this breed.
