RED KALAHARI BREED

Origin of the breed

Indigenous goats arrived in South Africa and Namibia with those migrating tribes which traditionally kept goats. Early records describe lop-eared goats in the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape Provinces and in areas of Namibia. Some farmers in the Northern Cape Province and the namibian part of the Kalahari desert preferred red lop-eared goats and began selecting for a specific type – slightly smaller than the red and white improved Boer goat. 
The past 20 years has seen a concerted effort to establish and characterize this red goat – largely as a result of increased interest in hardy minimum care goats. When the Kalahri red goat was recognised as a landrace breed in 1998, a breeders’ organization was established.

General description

A medium to large framed lop-eared meat goat. The Kalahari red has a restful temperament and a smooth short hair coat that is very well pigmented. As a hardy well-adapted breed with good foraging abilities, this goat is a typical minimum-care maximum-profit breed.

   

Qualities:

• Excellent mothering ability – they bond well and protect their young at all costs.
• Ewes kid in the veld – less labour needed.
• High fertility and excellent conception rate.
• Multiple births – twins and triplets.
• Good milk production – sufficient for twins and triplets.
• Good growth and good weaning weights.
• Export quality carcass – good conformation and tender tasty meat.
• 100% pigmented – no albinism
• The red colour acts as a useful camouflage against predators.
• Tolerant of internal and external parasites
• Tolerant of temperature extremes
• Highly efficient foragers – can walk long distances and can be used to control bush and weeds.  

Normal production evironment

Arid to semi arid savannah  

Breed performance information

Averages	Male	Female
Mature weight	115kg	75kg
Birth weight	24.6kg	20.5kg

Age at first breeding : 6 months