What you see in the first photo is not a genetic malfunction or a mutant. It is a rare breed of domestic goat called Damascus goat, also known as shami. Now this rare breed has become extremely valuable, and, according to experts, the cost of one such goat can reach $ 67,000. The fact is that in their homeland, in Syria, goats of this breed are called so - divinely beautiful.
Let's find out how it happened …
The breed first gained widespread attention in 2008, when one of the goats of this breed won the title of "Most Beautiful Goat" in a beauty contest in Saudi Arabia. Damascus goats are mostly used for milk production, but are also raised for meat and leather production.
The most shocking thing about this breed is the difference between their appearance when they are young and when they grow up. What at first seems like an incredibly cute goat with incredibly long ears, later turns into a real monster, capable of scaring many with its appearance.
The history of the breed is quite long, even in ancient manuscripts the unusually beautiful appearance of goats and their productive qualities are described. The locals even created a variety of tales, songs and sayings about goats. In fact, the breed is called Shami, the locals also use names such as Baladi or Aleppo. They really have a beautiful, noble appearance, have a balanced character and high productive qualities. They take root well in other countries with warmer or colder climates. It has excellent milk performance, so Shami is often used for crossing with other breeds to raise their milk production. Most representatives of the breed are horned, but today experts are working on creating a hornless variety. Another characteristic feature of thoroughbred goats is drooping ears,the length of which can reach 30 cm.
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The breed is of a heavy type, the maximum weight that Shami goats can gain is 130 kg with a height of 1 m, and goats weigh 80-90 kg with an increase of 75-85 cm at the withers. The kids are born quite large - 4-5 kg, and after 3-4 months their weight can reach 35 kg. In breast milk, kids can add up to 300 g daily.
Shami goats have a strong maternal instinct, so they take good care of their young. For one lambing goats can bring from one to four kids, but most often twins are born. The kids are together with their mother only for the first two days, and then they are selected and placed in a separate room, where they are artificially fed, and in the meantime, the goats begin to distribute. This process can be carried out manually, or you can use special equipment. The lactation period is 240-300 days, during which time the Shami goat can produce more than 1000 liters of milk with a fat content of 4-4.5%.
Shami ripen quickly and are ready to breed even before 1 year. Goats usually mature by 9 months, and goats by 8-9 months. Despite the fact that the females are still quite small (weigh about 45 kg), they can already fully hatch their first kids. 45 days after lambing, the goat is again ready to mate.
Shami is a breed that was in the soil many years ago, since it fully provided the population with milk, meat and skin. If the goat is fed plentifully and the conditions of detention are monitored, then milk yield will increase significantly. In our time, these goats have not lost their positive qualities, and with the participation of scientists, new, more perfect varieties of Shami began to be created.
A true purebred Shami has milky, almost white eyes and a beautiful long coat that resembles a coat. Thanks to the wool, the goat feels good in hot and cold weather. Unpretentious to food, Shami can feed on any terrain. More and more farmers are showing interest in this breed, so Shami has already gained recognition in many countries from other continents. Still, the largest centers for the cultivation of Shami are Cyprus, Palestine, Israel and Syria.
In many countries these goats are kept for their unique exotic appearance rather than for production. Although traditionally these animals were small food factories for the population of the Middle East, supplying them with milk and dairy products. Shami milk was often used to feed babies, and also as a dietary food for the elderly and sick people. It was also used as a folk remedy in the treatment of skin diseases.
The excellent qualities of this goat variety could not pass by the breeders. For example, animals of this breed were used in the process of breeding such a breed as the Anglo-Nubian, as evidenced by the length of its ears and the hook-nosed profile that they inherited from the ancestors of Shami.