Key Facts
Diet:
Grasses, foliage, hay, grain such as oats, bran, and barley.
Life Span:
12 - 18 years
Distribution:
Cameroon Valley of West Africa.
The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae.
There are over three hundred distinct breeds of goat. They are one of the oldest domesticated species and have been used for their milk, meat, hair, and skins over much of the world. Female goats are referred to as does or nannies, intact males as bucks or billies; their offspring are kids. Note that many goat breeders prefer the terms “buck” and “doe” to “billy” and “nanny”. Castrated males are wethers.
The domesticated subspecies of goat has diverged from the wild goat species of goat from south west Asia and eastern Europe. Amazingly there are close to one billion live goats around the world according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.
