Kashmir Goat

Cashmere Goat, also known as Kashmiri Goat is a breed of domestic goat values for its wool, used for the manufacture of shawls. It varies in colours and structure but most highly esteemed Kashmiri Goats have large ears, slender limbs, curves spreading horns not spirally twisted, and a long straight silky white coat. The Cashmere Goat is not any specific breed of Goat. Instead, it is a type of goat that produces cashmere wool. The word “Cashmere” is derived from the old spelling of Kashmir State.

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What Kind of Goat is a Cashmere Goat?

A Cashmere goat is a type of goat that produces cashmere shawls, the goat fine, soft, downy, winter undercoat, grown to its maximum length by mid-winter and shed in early spring. Any goat, excluding Angora Goat, can grow Cashmere, but those we call a “Cashmere Goat”, have been selectively bred to grow in significant amounts. The three factors that determine the quality of the Cashmere fleece is its length, degree of crimping, and diameter.

Cashmere Goat Characteristics

• The most important characteristic of Cashmere Goat is its fiber. Cashmere, the soft fiber that comes from Cashmere Goat is used to make jackets and sweaters. Cashmere undercoat fiber is soft and very fine and guard hairs on the outside are long and coarse. A Cashmere goat coat that does not meet the three factors i.e length, degree of crimping, and diameter is not considered as Cashmere fiber.

• There are no height and weight restrictions as Cashmere goat is not a breed of Goat. The Spanish goats and Pygmies as Cashmere fiber are used by some producers for their source of income. This justifies that size and weight of the Cashmere goat may be diverse.

• Cashmere goats gave birth to one and three kids and are excellent mothers. Their gestation period is 5 months.

• Cashmere goats are hardy animals as their coats keep them warm in cold areas. Cashmere goats that have been hybrid with Spanish goats accommodate well in the United States.

• As Cashmere goats are not a breed, but a type of goat their temperature may vary with species. Pygmies used in Cashmere fiber production are more friendly and domesticated in comparison to Spanish goats that are difficult to manage. 

Where Do Cashmere Goats Come From?

The Cashmere goat originated from the Himalayas regions of Kashmir thus getting the name Cashmere. China is the largest producer of Kashmere contributing to about 60% of production while 40% of the production is produced by Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, and Afghanistan.

The Cashmere Industry in the United States is on the decline stage as producers are turning to other goat breeds for survival.

How Much Cashmere Does Per Cashmere Goat Produce?

The amount of fleece on a fiber goat depends on the factors like the Cashmere goat size, the length of the fiber, fitness, and amount of fiber’s coverage in the goat's body. Cashmere goats are capable of producing about 4 ounces of cashmere per year.

Cashmere Goat Color

Cashmere goats come in many colours and combinations of colours, but solid-coloured goats are mostly preferred. The Cashmere down is either white, brown, or grey solid colours. The less desirable down with mixed colour goat is either classified as white with colour or with mixed colours.

 How Cashmere Goats Are Raised?

Cashmere goats are easy to raise. They are healthy animals and demand only minimal care.  They are not jumpers like many other dog breeds and standard woven wire sheep fencing will contain them. The minimum shelter is all required to home them due to the insulating properties of their dual coats, which are shed during the summer.  

The Cashmere goats are shed once a year and a full-grown adult buck will produce as much as 2.5 pounds of fleece. The two kinds of fibers that fleece consists of are cashmere and guard hair. The fleece can be sold to wholesalers buyers or it can be shaved and sold at retail price to hand spinners. 

Cashmere Goat Habitat/Living Condition

Although Cashmere goats are relatively healthy, they look for a draft-free shelter where they can escape extreme weather. Predators are a problem in some areas, but the solution to this problem can vary. For example, many people use dogs to safeguard their flocks, while others rely on heavy-duty fencing.

Although a solid goat fence is important, it doesn’t have to be too heightened as these goats are not capable of jumping fences. Cattle panels are a good option to safeguard goats from predators using fencing.

Cashmere Goat Feeding Habits

Most Cashmere goats are just fine with fresh plants. They usually graze to meet their nutritional needs and to stay busy. These goats are natural browsers, so they perform their best in an intensive or rotational grazing system. They’re pretty low maintenance in this regard. Along with the fresh plants, they will also demand quality hay, freshwater, and minerals.  

When these goats get pregnant, the does (female goat) will demand grain to maintain body condition. Grains should not be given to all goats, though, as most grains are a bit higher in fat than the average goat needs. Does demand additional food before breeding and while nursing. More protein is also required for them during these times. The dose that is of less weight may be more likely to abort. Stress, disease, moving long distances, and cold weather can also lead to immediate abortions.

Cashmere goats do not retain any natural layer of body fat. Therefore, they need to be well-nourished before and after shearing to ensure they can stay warm. Goats more often look for their shelters during these times, as they are not very good at keeping themselves warm.

Types of Cashmere Goat Breed

Zhongwei Cashmere Goat

The Zhongwei Cashmere Goat is produced only in the arid desert steppes of some countries in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Gansu Province. They live chiefly, if not lonely, on salty or sandy plants or shrubs. These goats also produce cashmere. The male produces approximately 140 gm of cashmere whereas females produce 120 gms of cashmere. The percentage of Cashmere in both sexes is 25% of the total fleece. The length of the cashmere fibre is approximately 7.0 cm and 12.5 microns. 

The sexual maturity of the Zhongwei Cashmere Goat reaches five to six months and are generally mated at 18 years of age. The kidding % is 104-106%.

Zaala Jinst White Cashmere Goat 

The Zaala Jinst White Cashmere Goat is a white-coloured, cashmere -meat breed and was approved as a breed in 2000. These breeds are raised in the Gobi desert at the Chinese border. 

The average cashmere production of Zaala Jinst White Cashmere Goat is 380 grams, the adult female is 290 gm with 16.0-16.5 microns. These goats are heavier than other types of goats, around 55 kg when they are adults. 

Color, length, and fitness are the special characteristics of cashmere. The quality of the Cashmere depends on the seasons and the weather. White cashmere of the Zaala Jinst goat is warmer than other types of cashmere because of the goat’s adaptation to the harsh Mongolian climate. Despite this, the resulting cashmere products are known to be very soft, light, and delicate.

Hexi Cashmere Goat

The Hexi Cashmere goat is primarily used for production purposes. They are mostly found in China, the largest producer of cashmere. These goats are usually white, but they are brown, black, or pied. The Hexi Cashmere Goat can be found in Gansu, Qinghai, and Ningxia province. A common adult doe produces 184 grams of cashmere down at 15.7 micrometres (µm) diameter.

Changthangi Cashmere Goat

The Changthangi Cashmere Goat is a breed of the domesticated cashmere goat and is mostly reared and found in India. The breed got its name from a region known as Changthan in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The goats have contributed to the economy to a great extent and are also easy to keep as they are reared under an open grazing system.

These goats are found throughout the plateaus in Tibet and the neighbouring areas including Ladakh in Jammu & Kashmir, India. They are also found in small numbers in some parts of the Indian states of Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Nagaland. These goats immigrated to the higher hillock of about 12,000 to 19,000 ft during summer and reached back to the valleys in winter.

This breed is primarily raised for the production of super-fine cashmere wool at present in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. This breed of goats is nurtured by a tribe of nomadic people known as ‘Changpa’.

Presently, these goats are rarely slaughtered for meat, as they have revitalized the poor economy of the regions of Changthang, Leh, and Ladakh. This goat grows a warm, thick undercoat, from which the Kashmir Pashmina wool is extracted, which is considered as the finest of its kind.

Wuzhumuqin

This is the newer breed of the Kashmiri goat that was recognized in 1994. This breed was developed in the 1980s and a\had hundreds of herds by 1994. Most of these breeds of goats are white in colour.

Lulang Black Goat

The Lulang Black Goat is a dual-purpose goat that produces very few fibers. As the name suggests, these types of goats are usually darker in colour.

Lichen Daqing Goat

The Lichen Daqing Goat is another dual-purpose goat that originates from China. Its fur is brown, but the exact colour can sometimes be changed. The average yield is 115 gms.

Facts

• Cashmere is one of the rarest materials that derives its name from a goat that lives in a specific region - Kashmir in India/ Pakistan.

• In order to produce an average-sized sweater, you will require wool from typically 3-5 goats.

• Cashmere is obtained from the Goat which originated from India, China, and Mongolia

• The cashmere goat derived their name from its origin in the Himalayas region of Kashmir.

• The cashmere goat’s reproductive health is very high, and their gestation period is approximately 150 days long. Herd owners need to remember that these goats will not produce triplets, but will produce twins.

• The original breed of the Cashmere producing goat is the Paschima goat. This breed is located in the Kashmir region, in the countries of Tibet, Ladakh, Nepal, China, and Myanmar.

• A cashmere goat can produce 100 gms of usable fiber in just one single year. The male goat produces a greater quantity of fabric in comparison to the female goat. To make one sweater, you need cashmere fleece from about 4 goats.