Goat and Sheep are commonly confused as one or the other or even being tow of the same. What is surprising to most, is to find that sheep are more commonly used and more people rely on sheep than goats. Or to find out that clothing textiles such as cashmere, comes from goats.
Goat History
The goat, along with sheep, were among the earliest domesticated animals. Unlike sheep, goats easily revert to feral or wild conditions given the chance. The only domestic species which will return to a wild state as rapidly as a goat is the domestic cat.
Angora
Mohair, a silk-like fabric made from the hair of this goat,was used during the time of Moses. The average goat in the United States shears approximately 5.3 pounds of mohair per shearing and are usually shaved twice a year. Today, mohair is used for teddy bears, scarves, carpets, etcetera .
Cashmere Goats
The cashmere or down goat is the source of the wool that becomes cashmere fiber for clothing and other textile articles.
Produce a double fleece consistency of a fine/soft undercoat or under down of hair.
Sheep History
Sheep are a source of fiber and meat. People used wool as much as 20,000 years ago. With the development of synthetic fibers in the 20th century, the sheep industry has declined. In 1996, the sheep and lamb population had declined to 8.4 million. In 2001, 66,000 sheep producers in the United States were raising 6.9 million sheep and lambs. 1,000 distinct breeds of sheep, with 50 breeds in North America are known today. In the United States, four breeds account for more than two thirds of the sheep population. Sheep milk is .60/lbs fat, which is three times as much as cows milk.
Sheep in Today’s Industry
The average weight of a market/meat lamb is 134 pounds. In 2003 over three million sheep were processed. In the United States, sheep provide food, fiber, grazing and companions. The United States uses sheep grazing for fire control.
Sheep Ecology
Sheep work like inch-wide, self-propelled lawn mowers, clipping the incisive weeds that are rapidly engulfing millions of acres. The result is a controlled vegetation without herbicides
Goat and Sheep have become a very interesting topic for many people who worry about making the environment they live in more green. Thanks to the makers of the Maryland Small Ruminant Page, www.sheepandgoat.com, all of the information about goat and sheep are at hand for anyone to look at.