Goats - farm animals of domestic goat (Capra hircus) species, small ruminants - are widespread throughout the world and are used in almost any natural and climatic conditions, even those where other productive animals cannot live. Different breeds of goats are adapted to different livestock systems - from small herds of 3-5 heads on meager grazing to large intensive livestock farms, from year-round grazing to fully stable housing, with many intermediate variations between them. Goats are a source of several types of products, of which the main ones are milk, meat and wool. Among the goat breeds there are highly productive specialized, dual-triple-use and universal breeds. External differences between breeds are represented by many major and minor traits that vary in a very wide range. Goat breeds (especially dairy goats) are some of the oldest defined animal breeds for which breed standards and production records have been kept. Selective breeding of goats generally focuses on improving production of fiber, meat, dairy products or goatskin. Breeds are generally classified based on their primary use, though there are several breeds which are considered dual- or multi-purpose.

List NameImageOther namesOriginPurposeReferencesAbazaAbkhasian, AbkhazskayaTurkeymilk, meatAbergelleEthiopiamilk, meatAfarAbyssinian short-eared, Adal, DanakilEthiopia (Afar region)AgewEthiopiamilk, meatAgrupación de las MesetasSpainAlbatinahAamilOmanAlgarviaPortugalAljabal AlakhdarOman Alpine Alpine polychrome, American Alpine, French Alpine French Alps milk Altai Mountain Altai Republic fiber Adi Keçi Turkey fiber, milk Andaman local Anglo-Nubian Nubian Great Britain meat, milk Angora Central Anatolia Region fiber Appenzell Chèvre d’Appenzell, Appenzellerziege Switzerland milk AradiAardi, A'ardiyah Arapawa Arapawa Island Goat Arapaoa Island meat, milk Argentata dell'Etna Sicily milk Arsi-Bale Ethiopia Asmari GujeriAfghanistanpack, meat, milk, fiberAspromonteAssam Hill India Aswad Saudi Arabia Attappady blackIndiaAttaouiaMorocco Auckland Island Auckland Island meatAustralian brownAustralia Australian Cashmere Australia fiber Australian Heritage AngoraAustralia Australian MelaanAustralia Australian Miniature Australia Pet, milk Azpi Gorri Azul NE Brazil Bagot England Banatian White Banat Barbari India, Pakistan meat Beetal Punjab region meat, milk Belgian Fawn Belgium milk Benadir Southern Somalia meat, milk Bhuj Northeastern Brazil meat, milk Bilberry Waterford Bionda dell'Adamello Lombardy milk Black Bengal India, Bangladesh meat, goatskin Boer Africander, Afrikaner South Africa meat British Alpine England milk Brown Shorthair Czech Republic milk Canary Island Agrupación caprina canaria Canary Islands milk Canindé Northeastern Brazil meat Carpathian Southeast Europe meat, milk Chyangra Nepal (High mountains) Himalayas Wool, meat Chamba Himalayacashmere wool, meat Chamois Coloured Chamoisée Switzerland meat, milk Changthangi Bamar, Pashmina Tibet, Southwest China, Myanmar fiber, meat, milk Chappar Sindh meat Charnequeira Portugal meat, milk Chengde Polled Northern Hebei fiber, meat Chengdu Brown Sichuan meat, milk Chigu India fiber, meat Chué Northeastern Brazil meat Corsican Corsica milk Dera Din Panah Pakistan milk Damani Pakistan milk Damascus Aleppo, Baladi, Chami, Damascene, Halep, Shami Syria milk Danish Landrace Denmark milk Don Don River milk, goatskin, fiber DrežnicaSloveniamilk, meat Duan Guangxi meat Dutch Landrace Netherlands milk Dutch Toggenburg Netherlands milk Erzgebirge Saxony milk Fainting Myotonic United States meat FlemishBelgiummilk, meatVlaamse geit | Steunpunt Levend Erfgoed (sle.be) Frisa Valtellinese Italy meat Finnish Landrace Finland milk Garganica Agrigentina Gargano milk, goatskin Girgentana Northern Afghanistan, Balochistan, and Kashmir milk Göingeget Sweden Golden Guernsey Guernsey milk Grisons Striped Switzerland milk Guddi Himalayas Hailun Heilongjiang milk Haimen Zhejiang meat Hasi Northeastern Albania meat, milk Hejazi Arabian Peninsula meat Hexi Cashmere Northern Gansu fiber Hongtong Hongdong County milk Huaipi Henan meat Huaitoutala Qinghai Animal fiber Hungarian Improved Hungary milk Icelandic Settlement Iceland fiber, meat Irish Ireland meat, milk Jamnapari Jamunapari India milk Jining Grey Shandong fiber, goatskin Jonica Province of Taranto milk KaachanPakistanMilk+meat Kaghani Hazara meat Kalahari Red South Africa meat Kalbian Australia meat Kamori Sindh milk KempicKempenseBelgiummilkKempense geit | Steunpunt Levend Erfgoed (sle.be) Kinder United States meat, milk Kiko New Zealand meat Korean Black Korea meat Kri-kri Cretan, Agrimi, or Cretan Ibex Eastern Mediterranean meat American Lamancha Lamancha United States meat, milk Laoshan Shandong milk Majorera Fuerteventura Canary Islands milk MalabariTellicherry goatMalabar regionMeat, milk Maltese Malta milk Massif Central France milk, Meat Markhoz MarazKurdistanMohair, milk Messinese Nebrodi Province of Messina milk Mini Oberhasli Oberian, Miniature Oberhasli Pacific Northwest US milk Moxotó Northeastern Brazil meat Murcia-Granada Murciano Granadina Southeastern Spain milk Murciana Murcian, Murcien, Murciene, Royal Murciana Murcia meat, milk Nachi Punjab region meat Nigerian Dwarf West Africa milk Nigora United States fiber, milk Nera Verzasca Switzerland meat, milk Norwegian Norway meat, milk Oberhasli Swiss Alpine Oberhasli milk Orobica Bergamo Alps milk Peacock Switzerland milk Pinzgauer Austria meat Philippine Philippines meat Poitou Western France milk Pridonskaya Russia milk, Meat, Wool Pygmy African pygmy, American pygmy Cameroon meat, milk, Pet Pygora Oregon City fiber Pyrenean France and Spain meat, milk Qinshan Jining goatskin Red Mediterranean Syria milkSokoto Red Maradi Red, Red SokotoNigeria and Niger RepublicMeat, Skin, milk Repartida Northeastern Brazil meat Rove France meat Russian White Russia milk Saanen Saanen milk Sable Saanen United States milk SahelianSahelSahel Belt of West AfricaMeat Valdostana Italy meat, milk Sahelian West Africa Goatskin, meat, milk San Clemente Island San Clemente Island Sarda Sardinia milk Short-eared SomaliAbgal Sirohi Ajmeri, Devgarhi, Parvatsari Sirohi Ajmer, Nagaur, Tonk, Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Chitorgarh, Udaipur, Rajasamand, Bhilwara, Jaipur and other districts of Rajasthan (India) Meat and milk Swedish Landrace Northern Sweden milk Somali Somalia, Djibouti and northeastern Kenya milk, meat, goatskin Spanish Brush, scrub United States meat Stiefelgeiss St. Gallen meat Surati Maharashtra Syrian JabaliSyrian Mountain Tauernscheck Austria milk Thuringian Thuringia milk Toggenburg Toggenburg milk Uzbek Black Uzbekistan fiber Valais Blackneck Southern Switzerland meat, milk VataniAfghan native black Verata La Vera, Spain meat, milk West African Dwarf African dwarf West and Central Africa White Shorthaired Czech Republic milk Xinjiang Xinjiang fiber, meat, milk Breed data sheet: Xinjiang/China. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed June 2014.Porter, Valerie (ed.), Ian Lauder Mason (2002). Mason's world dictionary of livestock breeds, types, and varieties 5th edition. Wallingford: CABI . p. 160. Xuhai Jiangsu meat Yemen Mountain Yemen Zalawadi Tara bakari Gujarat fiber, meat, milk Zhiwulin Black Shaanxi fiber, meat Breed data sheet: Ziwuling Black/China. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed June 2014. Zhongwei Chung-wei, Chaungway, Chzhun'veiskaya China fiber, Pelt

References

Bibliography

Introduction to Common Goat Breeds Mother Earth News Raising Goats for Dummies (Wiley, 2010)