Gulabi Goat
Goats are the most domesticated animal in this world. Today we will be learning all about a beautiful goat called, Gulabi Goat. As the name indicates, the skin colour of this goat is Pink(Called Gulabi In Hindi). It looks so beautiful that many people keep this goat as their pet animal.
The goat originated in Sindh province, Pakistan and now it is distributed to different parts of the world. Hundreds of people are in Pakistan and India involved in Gulabi Goat Farming. It is exported to countries like the USA, Dubai, Malaysia and other foreign countries from Pakistan. The uniqueness about this Goat are its long ears, Pink coloured skin, Large body size, Hanging Skin below chin. It is known as the world’s most expensive breed of goat. They are also known as Pateri Goats.
The Gulabi Goat breed is the result of crossing four different breeds of goat namely, Beetal, Rajhanpuri, Pateri, and Kamori. The first two breeds are primary and later two breeds are secondary while producing Gulabi Goat. Read about another beautiful himalayan goat, Pashmina Goat.
Types Of Gulabi Goat
1. Kapli Breed
It has a plain white colour. There is no spot of any other colours in the body.
2. Ring Breed
This type contains Grey Spots on white body.
Breed Characters
- Main identification character is its pink colour skin, Pink Muzzle, long pendulous ears and round face. The outer body hairs are white, So – This goat might not seem that pink by just looking. To see pink skin, you need to go through their white body hairs. Average ear length is 26 inches.
- Goats are both horned and hornless. Hornles Gulabi Goats have much longer ears. The horns of the goat are pointed upwards and have pinkish white colour.
- Another identification of this goat is hanging skin below the chin which is rarely seen on other breeds.
- The goat can also be identified by observing its tail. The hairs on the tail are white and it’s underlying skin is pink which isn’t found in any other breed.
- Gulabi Goats have roman noses. The mouth a bit looks like the mouth of another unique breed, Damascus Goat.
- The body size is large. Buck goats are very large in size.
- Thick hairs grow from the hind part covering udder from behind.
- The average body weight of Buck is (65-85) kg while that of doe is (45-60) kg.
Breeding
Gulabi Goats are prolific breeders. bucks are larger than they are. One buck can breed with 25-30 does. Buck becomes ready for breeding at the age of (9-12) months. The buck goat which will be used for breeding purposes in future needs special attention. Owners should give top priority for their diet and nutrition. They should be taken for exercise so that they don’t become lethargic. Keep in mind that the breeding goat will have more effect on the quality of kids. Female goats can give birth to (1-4) kids per parturition and ready for breeding at the age of 18 months. Doe comes into estrus every 8 months.
Moreover, Artificial insemination can also be done for breeding purposes. There are also no difficulties and problems in natural breeding as the conception rate of Gulabi Goat is 90%.
Management System
They are similar to other goats. So – Management practices are also similar.
These goats are reared under a well made goat shelter with good space (20 Sq.Ft) as they are quite large goats. The floor should be elevated, dry and there should be the provision of drainage. Water stagnation can cause hoof rot. The building should contain walls, roof. Fans should be provided during summer as they are more vulnerable to sunburn (Due To Pinkish Skin) and heaters should be used during winter. This is done to protect the goats from any kind of stress.
Pregnant goats should be kept separately. They should be provided with soft bedding. Time to time checkup with a vet doctor is necessary. The kids are generally kept separately providing them decent space. Quarantine pen should be made so that whenever new goats are bought, they can be isolated and there will not be the chance of diseases.
Other management practices like Dehoeffing, Tethering, Tagging (Identification Of Animals), Deworming, Vaccination and Grooming are also equally important for the optimum return.
For feeding :- Pellets, Chana, Channa ko atta, Channa ko chilka, Jantar, Ghee, Green Grass, hay
Gulabi Goat Baby
The kids of Gulabi Goat are cute and beautiful. They are high in demand, So – They cost high in the market. The baby goats also have long ears and average weight of (3-5) kg. Kids of young mother goats are small and have less weight and kids of older mother goats are large and have more weight. The body weight of kids increases by 55g/day for male and 45g/day for male leading to the weight of 20 kg in a year.
Usually kids are culled or separated from their mother and are fed using artificial feeders. Buffalo milk can be given to them. (2-3) litre milk per baby goat per feeding time. Mustard oil is also given. The kids are placed at separate housing.
Price
The market price of this goat is very high. People have an interest in rearing this goat as it is beautiful. They actually love to rear this goat. So – They offer high prices.
The price also depends on the quality of Goats, What percentage of purity they have, their weight, age and gender. However, The average price for a goat is $800. This can go much higher from place to place.
Uses/Purpose
Gulabi Goats are dual purpose goats reared for both milk and meat. They give a good amount of milk. Some people milk them twice a day. The milk production is 3 liters per day. The milk is nutritious and tasty which contains 3% fat. They are more preferred for meat production. Due to their large body size, Lots of meat can be produced from a single goat.
Some people just rear them to admire their beauty and treat them as a pet. As they are friendly goats, Many people in the United States keep them as pets.
Final Verdict
Gulabi Goat is a unique and beautiful among other breeds which makes it appealing and people are loving this breed. The popularity of this goat breed is increasing day by day.