Sheep and Goats... Touching you daily

There are over 7,000 sheep and lamb operations in Texas and over 68,000 in the United States.

They produce over 194 million popounds of lamb and mutton (meat) per year worth nearly $175 million.

Goat Production

• 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

• Texas $3.5 million
• United States $3.9 million

The value of Wool production

• 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

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 in to 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

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

• 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.

Sheep History

• 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!

• From Hide & Wool

  Baseballs Tennis Balls Drum Heads Luggage Footwear Clothing Yarns Artists Brushes Fabrics Pelt Products

  Rouge Base Insulation Rug Pads Asphalt Binder Ointment Base Lanolin Felt Carpet Upholstery Hide Glue Paint & Plaster Binder

• From Fats

  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 Plastic Surgery	Emery Boards & Cloth
  Tape	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

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

• 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

• 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.

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 and is also very low in fat and cholesterol.