Goat Raising – Part 3 Spanish Goats Genetics To Improve Local Breeds

In a continuing program to improve the meat carrying capacity of the Philippine Native Goats, I and several friends will be bringing in breeding materials of the Spanish Goats from the U.S. next month.
The Spanish Goats which were brought by the Spaniards to the Americas centuries ago are largely feral goats known for their hardiness and their resilience in harsh conditions.
The Livestock Conservancy website has this historical information on the Spanish Goats in the Americas:
“They are basically meat goats and following their adoption as a domesticated breed, the Spanish Goats are now a prized goat family in the U.S.
“Beginning in the 1500s, the Spanish brought goats from Spain to the Caribbean Islands, then to the areas that would become the United States and Mexico. These foundation stocks were an undifferentiated Mediterranean type of goat that was once common in Spain but no longer exists, thus adding genetic and historic importance to the Spanish goat breeds that evolved in the western hemisphere.
“Goats flourished in the Americas. Valued as a ready source of milk, meat, and hides, they were taken everywhere the Spanish went and became an integral part of subsistence production across southern North, Central, and South America. The use of goats for meat was also important because it allowed cattle to be reserved for the draft power essential for crop production and transportation. Spanish goats were the only goats known across the southern US and in most other parts of the Americas for over 300 years.
“The breed has secured a production niche in Texas, and the largest number of Spanish goat herds are found there. However, even in Texas has been common for Spanish goats to be crossbred for meat production, especially with the Boer meat breed from South Africa. This cross shows superb hybrid vigor, but the overuse of crossbreeding threatens the survival of pure Spanish populations. Pure Spanish goats are also being crossbred to produce cashmere, a useful application but one that also removes animals from the purebred breeding population.
“Overall interest in Spanish goats has been increasing due to the growth of the goat meat industry and with increased recognition of the breed’s production qualities. Spanish goats are hardy and rugged, thriving on rough forage and in inhospitable environments, and does are also known to be long-lived and prolific.”
With the arrival of the first 12 heads composed of 4 Bucks and 8 Young Does, two Spanish Goats Multiplier Farms will be established in Isabela and South Cotabato.
These foundation stocks will be used in an experiment to upgrade the Philippine Native Goats.
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