The Differences Between Male and Female Goats

Goats have been an increasingly popular choice to breed, due to their growing demand within the food industry. Considering the costs and revenue ratio, goat breeding has become a comparatively profitable business that takes minimum effort.

If you’re considering on starting a goat farm of your own, there are several things you have to prepare and have beforehand. Breeders should dedicate a sufficient amount of living space for their goats to live comfortably in. Breeders should also provide the right nutritional feed for their goats to it. Most importantly, especially if said breeders are aiming to raise numbers of their own, breeders must invest in goats with a good female to male ratio.

If you’re new to the livestock world, this might be trickier than you could anticipate. Though every goat is different, there are umbrella characteristics that differentiates between males and females. So, without further ado, here is a list of the differences between male and female goats.

1. Horns

One of the most noticeable difference from male and female goats from afar would be in the structure of their horns. By nature, both goats have horns, but a male goat would have bigger, longer, and thicker horns than their female counterpart. A male goat’s horn is also much more curved than their female counterpart. Though the sizes may vary by age, this is the general rule of thumb to differentiate the two.

2. Body Posture

From a distance, you could notice that a male goat tends to have a sturdier and bigger body posture than their female counterparts. Though this may differ according to the nutrition intake each individual goat receives, male goats have a sturdier and bigger body posture.

Therefore, breeders who are raising goats for their meats should not be disappointed if they were to sell their female goats to the market for their meats exclusively. Naturally, the quantity of their meat is far less than their male counterparts.

However, this does not mean that female goats have a dainty body structure. Goats, in general, are big boned and muscular – just as long as breeders feed them the proper intake of vitamins and nutrients. To keep the healthy posture, breeders would often prescribe their farm to tailored feed and extra supplements to optimise their health – thus keeps them muscular and prevents illnesses and diseases.

3. Their Vocal Chords

Similar to humans, male and female goats would reach a different vocal chords. Male goats would have a louder and deeper voice, as opposed to their female counterparts. Though this may differ for every goat, this is generally how it goes.

Breeders should note, though, that the intensity and power of a goat’s voice is also affected by their overall health. Goats with a better overall health would have more stamina and power in their voice than goats who are weak and ill.

4. Genitals

If you’re able to get a little closer, the most obvious differentiation between a male goat and a female goat is their genitals. As most animals would have, a male goat has a penis whilst a female goat has a vagina. Their genitals help the pair reproduce more offsprings that could expand their farms.

5. Breasts

Again, similar to humans, both male and female goats have breasts; the only difference both of them have is that female goats are able to lactate and produce milk. Unless there is a rare genetical mutation, male goats do not produce milk from their breasts and are much smaller in size.

A female goat’s breasts is also much more noticeable when she is nursing or is pregnant. This is due to her lactating and producing milk for her babies. The size of her breasts also depends on both genetics and the nutritional intake the female goat has. Therefore, in order to produce sufficient milk for their babies, female goats could be prescribed to extra supplements and nutritional feed during pregnancy.

Goats as Meals

To the carnivores out there, did you know that aside from chicken and beef, goat meat has become an increasingly popular choice for your meals? Not only are they rich in taste, but goat meat has several health benefits to them too.

Goat meat is especially helpful to help treat anemia due to their ability to boost red blood cell growth. In this case, knowing the gender of the source of meat does not matter – since they provide the same nutrients either ways.

However, females can provide one other form of consumption: which is goat milk. Though you may be more familiar with milk from their cow counterpart, goat milk actually holds up multiple health benefits as well. Amongst the many benefits listed includes the following:

• Source of energy
• Helps with muscle growth, as well as any protein-based growth
• Its high source of iron helps cures anemia by reproducing red blood cells
• Fulfils 26% (100g) of your daily iron intake, which helps maintain a healthy immune system
• Fulfils 54% (3mg) of your daily selenium intake
• Maintains health of neurotic system with vitamin B12

So there you have it, the differences between male and female goats! Note that although these are just textbook distinctions from the two, their size and the noticeable differences depends on the nutritional intake each individual goats have. It is important to know the difference between the two sexes because biologically, they would require different levels and types of vitamins to stay strong. Some may say that male goats would need more protein than their female counterpart, but further studies is needed.

In terms of consumption, male goat meat does not really differ from female goat meat. What matters most, however, is the quality and health of said meat. Before consuming goat meat, be sure that you know how they were raised and the breeders’ practices to be extra conscious of your health.