Today, there are a large number of goat breeds. However, there is one species that not everyone has met in life. This is an unusual damask breed of shami. Their habitat is very modest, but they are very popular among farmers. About what is so interesting shami will be discussed in this article.

Origin history

The birthplace of an unusual goat is Syria. Even in ancient manuscripts there were records of a strange goat, which has a very outstanding appearance and the highest productive indicators.

Did you know? A characteristic feature of shami is that in childhood these creatures have an incredibly attractive appearance (a small head with long curly ears), but with age, a damask goat with its head can scare even the most daring child.

However, this breed caused the greatest excitement after the beauty contest among goats, held in 2008. Then it was the shamy who received the title “The Most Beautiful Goat”.

General characteristics of the breed

Shami refers to dairy goats, which are able to survive in almost any climate. Detailed characteristics will be considered below.

Appearance

These damask goats have a rather original appearance. The distant relatives of modern Shami representatives were extremely horned, however, to date, breeders have successfully cope with the withdrawal of hornless females and males.

So, the look:

Head	Disproportionately large, hunchbacked in the nose
Eyes	Big, bright
Ears	Long (22–35 cm)
Neck	Long, massive
Torso	Voluminous, large, muscular
Legs	Massive, long
Tail	Medium-long, movable
Wool (color)	Thickly covers the body (white, brown, mixed)
Animal size	Large (0.7–1 m)

Productive qualities

Since sham is considered a dairy breed, it demonstrates incredible productivity in the dairy field. So, one goat per day can produce from 5 to 10 liters of skim milk (from 4.5%). During the lactation period (up to 250 days), this breed produces from 450 to 850 liters of milk of the highest quality.

The peculiarity of this species is that due to its massive size, some farmers boldly attribute sham to milk and meat breeds.

It is also worth noting that the reproductive period in both males and females begins relatively early (7–9 months) and lasts more than 2.5 years. And the offspring survival rates reach 100%.

Important! Mother’s kids can be picked up at a weekly age.

Advantages and disadvantages

The impressive size and high indicators of productive qualities are not the only advantages of the ancient breed.

She has many other privileges against her brothers, but she also has her drawbacks.

• Advantages:
• unpretentiousness in the maintenance and care;
• calm, friendly disposition;
• great for breeding work;
• able to adapt to any climate.

It will be useful for you to find out how many goats live at home.

• Disadvantages:
• a large number of representatives are still born with horns;
• representatives are very difficult to acquire;
• high price, which also depends more on appearance than on productivity.

How to choose a good goat when buying

The issue of choosing a good animal requires special attention.

There are features that you should focus on when choosing a good Shami goat:

• the head should be of the correct form with a characteristic hump on the nose;
• ears should be long, well-groomed;
• the coat should shine, be pleasant to the touch;
• healthy goats have clear, bright eyes;
• legs should be strong.

Home breeding

Despite the fact that shamis belong to very unpretentious animals, there are still certain requirements for breeding them at home. Given the size of the animal, it is worth immediately preparing a large "house". Dimensions will depend on the number of goat heads. So, for a herd of 5–7 goats, a house 7m long, 5 wide is required. Moreover, it is necessary to equip it so that each representative has a flooring and a stall.

Also learn how to build a goat shed with your own hands.

The temperature does not really matter, but the optimum range is +18 ... + 25 ° C, average humidity. The room should be well ventilated. The length of daylight should be at least 10 hours.

Feeding and drinking

Feeding the animal plays an important role in the production of milk, so you need to choose the right diet for the goat herd.

How to feed:

• hay;
• silage;
• crushed cereals;
• crushed beans;
• vegetables;
• greenery;
• branch feed;
• grass (in the summer grazing).

Prohibited Products:
• Red clover;
• green raw potatoes;
• rotten or missing products.

It is important to understand that meals are different in summer and winter, so you need to be prepared for this in advance.

Learn more about how to properly compose a winter diet for a goat.

In summer, animals do not require a special feeding regimen, since they spend most of the day grazing and themselves use all the necessary substances.

In the evening, it is advisable to equip the goats with hay or mowing grass for the night, as well as add a bit of roughage to each individual for greater saturation.

In winter, when there is no fresh grass, goats must be fed with hay prepared in advance (should be available around the clock), and rough and green feeds (200–250 g per individual) are also given in the morning and in the afternoon. A third meal should include sprouted grass, oats, and some fresh vegetables.

In winter, it is necessary to additionally give livestock fortified complexes, since winter vitamin deficiency occurs not only in people. It is necessary to drink goats with clean warm water, and change it regularly. At night, be sure to leave so much water that it is enough for all individuals.

Read also what you can call a goat.

Hair and hoof care

For a tidy appearance and for a state of health, it is necessary to properly care for wool and hooves:

• wool should be combed out every few days, and overgrown individuals must be cut;
• hooves need to be cleaned after each walk, as debris and dirt are an excellent medium for pathogenic bacteria.

How to milk

Milking is a whole ritual: for both the goat and the farmer, so you need to know some secrets of the right process: We recommend that you find out

How much does an average goat produce per day?

• the goat should have a specific place and time for milking;
• Before milking, you must properly prepare yourself and the animal: thoroughly wash your hands with warm water, and the goat udder;
• during milking the animal needs to be taken with food;
• positively silent conversation with them is beneficial for artiodactyls;
• udder nipples need to be massaged well to improve blood circulation;
• at the end of the process, wipe the udder dry, disinfect and lubricate with a special moisturizer.

Disease prevention

Disease prevention is an important process in the maintenance of animals, since it is precisely on preventive measures that the risk of diseases dangerous to the animal and human depends.

So, the general precautions that every farmer should know:

• to protect against parasites to which goats are prone, it is necessary to periodically do a sweep (give anthelmintic drugs);
• to prevent the disease of animals with intestinal infections, it is necessary to monitor the purity of the water, as well as to prevent the watering of goats in stagnant water bodies;
• to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria, it is necessary to change the litter daily, and once a week to carry out general cleaning of the room with disinfection;
• in order to avoid hoof diseases, once a month the animals need to make a bath with copper sulfate;
• for the prevention of mastitis (udder disease), it is necessary to carefully treat this organ before and after each milking;
• Do not forget about seasonal fortified supplements : this will improve immunity, and accordingly protect the animal from dangerous viruses.

Check out also goat breeds such as: Czech, Alpine, Cameroonian, Saanen and Nubian.

The Damascus breed of goats has gained the greatest popularity in the last decade due to its unusual appearance. However, in addition to appearance, this animal is able to provide the farmer with a huge amount of milk, while not requiring special care. But, the big disadvantage is the high price of such pleasure.