Texas has over 1.2 million goats which includes:
- 240,000 Angora goats that produce over 1.6 million pounds of mohair per year
- 1 million meat goats
- 30,000 milk goats

While milk goats are raised throughout the United States, most of the fiber (mohair) and meat goats can be found in Texas.

Texas is #1 in number of goats and mohair production, beating out Arizona, New Mexico and California.

Top Counties – All Goats (5 year average)
1. Edwards – 80,200
2. Sutton – 73,000
3. Val Verde – 55,200
4. Mills – 50,000
5. Kimble – 47,200
6. Crockett – 43,600
7. Schleicher – 40,000
8. Gillespie – 38,600
9. Uvalde – 36,400
10. Tom Green – 34,400

 

The value of Mohair Production PDF

• Texas – $3.5 million
• United States – $3.9 million

 

The value of Wool production PDF

• Texas – $4.9 million
• United States – $26.2 million

 

United States goat inventory by type (3-year average)

• Angora – 260,000 head
• Milk – 290,000 head
• Meat – 2,300,000 head

 

Ruminants PDF

Sheep and Goats are called ruminants because they are hooved, cud-chewing animals that lack upper incisor teeth and have a four-compartment stomach. These compartments are the rumen, the reticulum, the omasum, and the abomasum.

• When grazing – plant material is chewed a little before being swallowed. Part-digested food is stored in the rumen where it is broken down into cud by bacterial action.

• When ruminating – cud is regurgitated and chewed again while the ruminant is lying down. The food swallowed for the second time bypasses the rumen. The food is finally processed by acids and digestive enzymes in the other stomach chambers

Other ruminants include cattle, buffalo, deer, elk and giraffes.

 

Predators PDF

Predators are animals such as coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats, dogs and other types of meat-eating animals that hunt for food.

Texas – Cost of Sheep & Lamb Losses
- Coyotes - $2,800,000
- Bobcats - $818,000
- Dogs - $705,000
- Other - $442,000
- Eagles - $320,000

United States – Cost of Sheep & Lamb Losses
- Coyotes - $11,100,000
- Dogs - $2,400,000
- Other - $1,300,000
- Mountain Lions, cougars, etc. - $1,000,000
- Bobcats - $910,000

Preventative Measures – ranchers often use guardian animals such as dogs, donkeys and llamas to protect their herds from predators.

 

Grazing for Hire PDF

• In Texas, landowners are using sheep and goats to control unwanted vegetation and brush, such as broadleaf weeds and cedar.
• This helps the environment by controlling wildfires, improving grass pastures, and adding fertility to the soil.
Goats can be pastured with sheep and cattle because each species prefers different plants. Goats prefer brush, tree leaves, and rough browse plants, while cattle and sheep prefer grass. PDF

 

Sheep History PDF

• Since biblical times, sheep have provided three basic human needs: food, clothing, and shelter.
• This enabled early civilizations to explore and inhabit colder regions of the world.

 

See how many of these things you and your family use!
PDF 1 PDF 2 PDF 3

From Hide & Wool

	Baseballs	Rouge Base
	Tennis Balls	Insulation
	Drum Heads	Rug Pads
	Luggage	Asphalt Binder
	Footwear	Ointment Base
	Clothing	Lanolin
	Yarns	Felt Carpet
	Artists Brushes	Upholstery
	Fabrics	Hide Glue
	Pelt Products	Paint & Plaster Binder

	Medicines	Candles	Creams & Lotions
	Chewing Gum	Shaving Cream	Tires
	Crayons	Shampoo	Paraffin
	Cosmetics	Conditioner	Chicken Feed
	Dog Food	Explosives	Antifreeze
	Oleo Margarine	Paints	Floor Wax
	Ceramics	Rennet for Cheese	Tallow
	Hand Soap	Industrial Oils	Chemicals
	Dish Soap	Stearic Acid	Rubber Products
	Biodegradable	Mink Oil	Insecticides
	Detergent	Shoe Cream	Herbicides

From Bones, Horns & Hooves

	Marshmallows	Gelatin	Bone China
	Pet Foods	Rose Food	Wallpaper & Wallpaper Paste
	Bandage Strips	Plano Keys	Steel Ball Bearing
	Buttons	Bone Charcoal Pencils	Fertilizer
	Ice Cream	Abrasives	Neatsfood Oil
	Combs & Toothbrushes	Bone Jewelry	Plywood & Paneling
	Dog Biscuits	Bone Meal	Photographic Film
	Phonographic Records	Horn & Bone Handles	Cellophane Wrap
	Dice	Collagen & Bone for	Emery Boards & Cloth
	Tape	Plastic Surgery	Collagen Cold Cream
	Syringes

From Meats Bar-B-Que Ribs Pot Roast Round Steaks Lamb Chops Leg of Lamb Ground Lamb Rack of Lamb Lamb-B-Que

From Manure Nitrogen Fertilizer Potash Phosphorous Minor Minerals

From Intestines Instrument Strings Surgical Supplies Tennis Racquet Strings Sausage Casings

 

Goat Breeds PDF

In the United States, there are three primary breed types and over 60 recognized domestic breeds of goats in the world!
• Angora – Fiber
• Nubian – Milk
• Boer - Meat

 

Goat History PDF

• Domestic goats were among the first domesticated animals. About 10,000 – 11,000 years ago they were kept for milk, meat, clothing and shelter by Neolithic farmers in the Near East.
• Early explorers kept goats on ships to provide milk and meat on long voyages.
• Today they can be found in all climates and regions still providing our basic needs and beyond.

 

Separating the Sheep from the Goats PDF

• Two distinct species and genus
- Sheep have 54 chromosomes
- Goats have 60 chromosomes

• Look at their tails
- Sheep tails hand down
- Goat tails point up

• What do they eat
- Sheep are grazers, preferring to eat short, tender grass and clover. They like weeds and can graze very close to the soil surface.
- Goats are browsers, preferring to eat leaves, twigs, vines and woody shrubs. They will stand on their hind legs to eat vegetation.

• Watch their behavior
- Sheep have a strong flock mentality that provides the best defense against predators.
- Goats are very curious and independent. They are adaptable and can be raised successfully in any part of the U.S.

• Called by different names
- Female Sheep: Ewes
- Young Sheep: Lambs
- Male Sheep: Rams
- Female Goats: Does
- Young Goats: Kids
- Male Goats: Bucks

• What do they say?
- Sheep say BAA!
- Goats say MAA!

Some of the best wool in the world is grown on farms and ranches in Texas and then loomed into fabrics of the finest quality. PDF

There are two kinds of goats raised for fiber. PDF
- The Angora goat (mohair) and the Cashmere goat (cashmere). While all goats have hair, the hair from these two breeds is particularly soft, warm, luxurious and woven into fine apparel.
- Goat meat is termed either cabrito or chevon, depending on the goat’s age at harvest.
- The meat is unique in flavor and palatability. It is leaner than many other red meats and usually less tender  and is also very low in fat and cholesterol.

 

From Fleece to Fabric PDF

SHEARING
Shearing typically occurs in the spring after the weather has warmed and lambs are on the ground.

SCOURING
The fleece is washed in big tubs to remove dirt, grease and grass.

CARDING
Carding is combing the wool to straighten the fibers.

SPINNING
The wool is spun into yarn.  Coarser wool is spun into woolen yarn. Finer wool is spun into worsted yarn.
- WOOLEN:  Woolen yarn is usually used in carpets and thick sweaters.
- WORSTED: Worsted yarn is usually used to make lightweight fabrics for suits and dresses.
- KNITTING/WEAVING: The yarn is knit or woven into fabric.

 

Sheep and Wool Production PDF

Texas maintains over 1 million sheep and lambs producing over 5.5 million pounds of wool per year.

TOP 5 STATES (5 year average)

	State	# head	Wool Produced (lbs.)
	Texas	1,086,000	5,520,000
	California	697,000	3,500,000
	Wyoming	454,000	3,624,000
	South Dakota	382,000	2,667,400
	Colorado	373,000	2,656,000

TOP 10 COUNTIES (5 year average)

	Counties	# head	Wool Produced (lbs.)
	Crockett	112,600	675,000
	Val Verde	98,000	603,600
	Tom Green	78,000	287,000
	Pecos	67,400	335,960
	Schleicher	53,400	329,000
	Concho	51,400	275,600
	Gillespie	45,600	223,000
	Edwards	35,100	195,200
	Menard	34,600	187,400
	Sterling	31,200	164,600

United States
• Sheep and lambs – 6.3 million head
• Wool Produced – 38 million pounds

 

Goat Facts PDF 1 PDF 2 PDF 3

There are two kinds of goats raised for fiber. The Angora goat (mohair) and the Cashmere goat (cashmere). While all goats have hair, the hair from these two breeds is particularly soft, warm, luxurious and woven into fine apparel.

• Goat meat is termed either cabrito or chevon, depending on the goat’s age at harvest. The meat is unique in flavor and palatability. It is leaner than many other red meats and usually less tender, it is also very low in fat and cholesterol.
• Goat’s milk is nutritious, easy to digest and used to make many different kinds of cheese.
• Goat meat is the most highly consumed meat in the world; and more goat’s milk is consumer worldwide than cow’s milk!

 

Wool Facts PDF 1 PDF 2

1. Lamb is the meat of a sheep under one year of age. Mutton is the meat of a sheep over one year of age.
2. Wool is the hair, or fleece, of a sheep.
3. Wool is a natural, renewable product that grows from the follicles of the sheep’s skin.
4. Wool is strong, durable, elastic, warm, absorbent and flame resistant.
5. Wool is categorized into four major types: long wool, fine wool, medium wool and carpet wool.
6. Most medium wool breeds have been selected for meat production rather than wool quality.

Because sheep and goats are adaptable to a wide range of climates and management systems, they can produce food and fiber by utilizing land that is otherwise unsuitable for other types of agriculture.
PDF

Sheep also provide alternatives to traditional waste-handling methods, such as:
• Used to graze the non-usable portions of vegetable plants after harvest, saving expense of plowing.
• Sheep manure is used to clean up contaminated soil caused by leaking underground storage tanks. The microbes in the manure digest the petroleum product.
• Low grade wool is converted into absorbent brooms, pads, mats and other oil spill clean up items.
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