A kid at birth is usually small and weak, possibly weighing from four to
six pounds. For the first few days of life he grows slowly, but as the
organs adapt themselves to the new life, the kid becomes strong and
grows rapidly. When the kid is born he is covered with a coarse hair,
and it is not until he is from three to five weeks old that the fine
mohair fibers appear growing between the coarser hairs. The kid
continues to grow gradually, and at three or four months he weighs from
twenty to forty pounds. The mohair may now be from two to four inches
long. At a year old the Angora goat will weigh from fifty to eighty
pounds, and the mohair may be as long as twelve inches, or sometimes
longer.
WEANING.
When does are bred once a year the kid should be weaned before the doe
is rebred. This allows the doe time to recuperate before her maternal
powers are again brought into active service. Then, too, a doe nursing a
kid through the winter, enters the spring with a depleted system and
produces a poor quality and small quantity of mohair. The kids should be
weaned when they are about five months old, as this allows the mother at
least two months rest before she is rebred.
MARKING.
There are various reasons for marking goats, and the methods employed
vary as widely as the reasons therefor. The object in view is to put
some mark of identification either permanent or temporary upon the
animal. The ears may be cropped in certain ways, a brand may be placed
upon the nose, or tags or buttons placed in the ears, or characters
tattooed into the ears. Probably the most permanent mark is the tattoo,
and if it be placed on the inner hairless surface of the ear, it is as
lasting as the tattoo so often seen in a man's arm.
[Illustration]
DISEASES.
Some of the older breeders supposed that the Angora was not subject to
any disease, but as goats have been introduced into new territory, they
have become affected by some of the same troubles which bother sheep,
but usually to a less degree. Some of the worst sheep diseases, such as
scab, do not bother goats, but the goat has some special complaints
which do not affect sheep. Very few carcasses are condemned by the
government meat inspectors at the large packing centers. Tuberculosis is
almost unknown.
LICE.
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