The Kinder is a breed of goat

Goat

The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...

, originating from a cross between a pygmy goat

Pygmy goat

A pygmy goat is a small breed of domestic goat. Although they produce a very large amount of milk for their size, and can be eaten, pygmy goats are not typically used for milk or meat, unlike larger dairy and meat goat breeds. Pygmy goats tend to be more robust and breed more continually throughout...

 and a Nubian goat

Anglo-Nubian

The Anglo-Nubian, or simply Nubian in the United States, is a breed of domestic goat.The breed was developed in Great Britain of native milking stock and goats from the Middle East and North Africa. Its distinguishing characteristics include large, pendulous ears and a "Roman" nose...

 in 1985 at Zederkamm Farm. As of 7 April 2009, there were about three thousand Kinder goats registered with the Kinder Goat Breeders Association.

History

The Kinder goat breed began in the late summer of 1985, when Zederkamm Farm's Nubian buck died, leaving two Nubian does without a mate. Since they also kept pygmy goats and did not want to take the does to another farm to be bred, they were bred with their pygmy buck. Left to his own devices, the buck accomplished the two successful breedings, making use of log sections and sloping land to reach the correct height. On 30 June and 4 July 1986, the first three Kinder does were born (Zederkamm Briar Rose, Zederkamm Liberty, and Zederkamm Tia). It was another year before the first Kinder buck was born (Zederkamm Napoleon).

Breed characteristics

Kinder does can weigh 135–150 lb (61.2–68 kg) or so, and bucks a little more - 135–150 lb (61.2–68 kg). The maximum height at the withers

Withers

The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of a four-legged animal. In many species it is the tallest point of the body, and in horses and dogs it is the standard place to measure the animal's height .-Horses:The withers in horses are formed by the dorsal spinal processes of roughly the...

of a Kinder is 26 inches (66 cm) for does and 28 inches (71.1 cm) for bucks.

Unlike many breeds, Kinder goats are aseasonal breeders, meaning they can be bred throughout the year; this trait is inherited from their pygmy ancestors. Also, they frequently have multiple births (triplets, quadruplets, and even quintuplets are common in Kinders. There have been 7 reported births of sextuplets).

Dairy

Their milk has a high butterfat content, sometimes having higher than 7 percent butterfat; it also has higher amounts of milk solids, yielding larger amounts of cheese.

Meat

In spite of their smaller size, Kinders are generally more muscular than a full-size dairy goat, often yielding dressing percentages over 60%.

External links

• The Kinder Goat Breeders Association