British Primitive goat
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
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The British primitive goat is a
History
The British primitive goat encompasses what were previously considered four interbreeding landrace varieties:[4][5]
- English primitive, English landrace, or old English goat
- Irish primitive, Irish landrace, or old Irish goat
- Scottish primitive, Scottish landrace, old Scottish, or old Scotch goat
- Welsh primitive, Welsh landrace, or old Welsh goat
Their characteristics were similar enough to classify them together, though some sources have treated them separately, such as the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, which considers some of these strains extinct.[6]
The British primitive goat descends from goats introduced around 5,000 years ago, along with some sheep and cattle, to the
Until the late 18th century, there were at least one million British primitives in Scotland and Northern England, and half a million in Ireland.
In the United Kingdom
The primitive variety would have become
The independent British Feral Goat Research Group estimates that because of
Today, feral herds exist in
Despite some conservationist concerns with regard to uncontrolled goat grazing, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds itself maintains a small herd of the goats at Inversnaid, Scotland, and at least three other nature reserves, at Mull of Kintyre, Colonsay, and Grey Mare's Tail have herds as well.[3]
Cheviot goat
The population of the Cheviot Hills in Northumberland is referred to as the Cheviot goat, and is believed to have been feral since at least the Iron Age, possibly even the Neolithic.[2] It has come into some conflict with both wildlife conservationists and local farmers, and as of 2011[update] became the subject of a GPS radio-collar tracking programme, to identify the exact extent of its moorland range and foraging behavior, for future management efforts. The goats have no legal protection, and may be disposed of by landowners. "This poses a real threat to this small, genetically unique population", according to Richard Bevan, co-director of the project.[2]
In Ireland
The Old Irish goat is the original and only landrace breed of goat in Ireland.[8] Having arrived in the Mesolithic period, the breed adapted to landscape as a cold-weather goat and became an integral part of Ireland's living heritage. Being a low maintenance, small holder's goat, it supported entire village communities throughout Ireland's impoverished pastoral history and as such, is celebrated in Irish tradition, paintings, photography and literature[9] The Old Irish Goat is critically endangered [10][11] as a consequence of changes in agricultural practises, cross breeding with modern improved goats, casual hunting and indiscriminate culls.
The Old Irish landrace goat is present in the Burren mountains, although fewer than 10% of the remaining feral herd (an estimated 250) is believed to be purebred, due to crossbreeding with Anglo-Nubian and Swiss imports.[12][13][14] Recent DNA profiling has verified that this population is genetically distinct from other strains of goat.[15][16] The population, however, has not to date received official designation or protection.[15][14]
During the Great Famine, many were let loose and became feral because people could not feed them. After the famine years, many of the goats were captured and herded into mountains by the landlords.[citation needed]
There is an annual fair in
Characteristics
This section includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (June 2015) |
The typical British primitive is described[by whom?] as deep bodied, with a square frame and broad shoulders and back. Its legs are shorter than its body depth, and have been observed to be bony, short, and straight. The goat normally has a long body and a neck that is frequently thick and short, a rounded belly and loins that are broad and deep. The breast bone is always projected forward.
A British primitive's head tapers towards a fine muzzle, and contains a prominent frontal bone with a broad forehead. A concave face appears to be due to a dip or stop at the point where the forehead meets the face. The goat's ears are usually round, small, and upright. A buck's ears are smaller than those of a doe. Due to horn growth, the ears may be directed forwards. The beard of the British primitive is a key feature of the breed in both sexes and is always present.
These goats have observed to be relatively small, with bucks possessing an average height 24 to 27 inches (61 to 69 cm) at the withers, while does are 22 to 24 inches (56 to 61 cm). Bucks and does frequently weigh around 100–120 pounds (45–54 kg). Regional differences in size may occur.
British primitive goats are a long-haired variety. The buck's hair is normally uniform, whereas the doe's hair may vary between thick and dense. The goat's hair is never smooth or glossy. The buck's coat is long to very long, blending with the beard and creating a fringe. A doe's hair varies and can go from thick and dense to very thick, with occasional longer fringes of hair down the spine and around the flanks. During winter, the hair of the goat is much thicker and denser, due to the compact under-wool of cashmere. The cashmere often pushes the outer coat upwards and out, giving the goat a bulky look.
The horns of a British primitive normally form a "scimitar" or "dorcas" twist. The horns emerge high and parallel with the line of the forehead. The horns are thick at the base, and are often wide apart. A doe's horns range from scimitar to twisted, but are normally smaller and thinner. Individual of the breed are sometimes naturally polled (hornless), but it is not a very common characteristic.
Common colour patterns in British primitives include white, tan, wild patterning, badger-face, grey, light-belly, black, red cheek, mahogany, and face mask. Reverse stripes, belts, and spotting (pied) are also present in these goats.[18]
British primitive goats
Cross-breeding
Aside from feral populations cross-breeding on their own with imported goat breeds
, British primitives have been used inThe old English strain in particular is among the foundation stock of some modern standardised breeds. For example, the popular Anglo-Nubian goat originated in England in the 1920s–1930s, as a cross between old English milch goats.[6]
On farms it is very common to use artifice, such as
Artificial insemination or Intrauterine insemination is a
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Goat fetus.
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Goat uterus.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Butcher, Edmund (ed.). "Current Status". BritishFeralGoat.org.uk. British Feral Goat Research Group. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wainwright, Martin (20 October 2011). "Northumberland's Neolithic Goats". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d Holliday, Graham (January 2006). "Getting Your Goat". Scotland Magazine. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Scrivener, Richard (ed.). "British Primitive". RareBreedGoats.co.uk. Nether Wasdale, UK: Rare Breed Goats. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Butcher, Edmund (ed.). "British Feral Goat Research Group [homepage]". BritishFeralGoat.org.uk. British Feral Goat Research Group. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ^ a b c "Breeds reported by United Kingdom". Domestic Animal Diversity Information System. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2015. "English Goat" and "Nubian & Anglo-Nubian" entries. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ^ "Goats brought in to graze at Verne Common nature reserve on Portland". Dorset Echo. 12 August 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
- PMID 28250207.
- ^ "Breed Profile: Old Irish Goats". Countryside Network. 2018-03-15. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
- ^ Healy, Alison. "Warning that Old Irish Goat will become extinct without plan to save it". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
- ^ "Old Irish goats are on their last legs without State aid". FarmIreland.ie. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
- ^ Viney, Michael (12 February 2011). "A harsh, wet winter makes it no country for Old Irish goats". The Irish Times. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
- ^ "The Mayo News - The Mayo News". www.mayonews.ie. 15 February 2011. Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
- ^ a b "Mulranny Old Irish Goat - Irelands Eden". Irelands Eden. Archived from the original on 29 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
- ^ a b "The Old Irish Goat" (PDF). Irish Rare Breeds Conference. The Old Irish Goat Society. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
- ^ Hoe, Isla (1 March 2017). "Taxidermy Analysis by Trinity Researchers Reveals Genetic Diversity of British and Irish Goats". University Times. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
- ^ Hickey, Kate (7 August 2014). "The Pagan Origins of King of the Goats: Puck Fair". Irish Central. Retrieved 10 November 2014. Article is based on book The Puck Fair: Ireland's Oldest Celebration, by Jerry Mulvihill.
- ^ Werner, Raymond. "Breed Characteristics of the British Primitive Goat". Goat Research. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
- ^ FERREIRA, A. B. H. Novo Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa. 2ª edição. Rio de Janeiro. Nova Fronteira. 1986. p. 950.
Further reading
- "British Primitive Goats", The Great British Farm Project
- "Conservation/Heritage/Old Irish Goat." The Old Irish Goat Society