Balkan goat

Characteristics

The coat is medium-long or long, shiny, and varies in pigmentation: reddish, gray, black, chestnut, brown, patchy, or white. The head is medium-length with very mobile ears. Goats in higher terrains are mostly horned, while those in lower terrains may be polled. The horns are darkly pigmented, strong, rough, and lack luster; they grow from the top of the frontal bones, bend backward, run parallel at first, then separate, with tips moving apart with age, and in goats they twist slightly. The skeleton is narrow and shallow, the neck thin and long, and the ridge prominent with a more developed back part of the body. Legs and hooves are thin and strong. The udder is soft and elastic but poorly developed. Average lactation lasts about 210 days, with milk yield averaging 150 kg but varying widely from 80 to 250 kg. Milkiness is weaker than in noble or improved transitional breeds, yet within expected biological limits for local primitive breeds. Breeding typically begins at 16 to 20 months. Fertility ranges from 110 to 130%. Kids weigh 2.5 to 3.0 kg at birth and reach 15 to 18 kg by three months with supplementary feeding; they are marketed at 18 to 20 kg. Annual sack production is about 0.5 kg.