Learn about the comparison between goat and sheep.
Comparison # Goat
1. Taxonomy:
Goats (Capra Hircus) has 60 chromosomes
2. Morphology:
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A goat’s tail goes up (unless it is sick, frightened, or in distress). Most goats have hair coats that do not require shearing or combing. The goat does not have cut lip. Most goats naturally have horns, which are more narrow, upright, and less curved than sheep horns. Some goats have beards.
Male goats have glands beneath their tail. They develop a distinct odour as they grow in sexual maturity. The odour is very strong during the mating season.
3. Reproduction:
The estrous (heat) cycle of the doe (female goat) averages 21 days. Goats are much easier to artificially inseminate (AI) than sheep because the does show distinct signs of estrous which make it easy to determine the time of insemination. Male goats have an offensive odour during the mating season.
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Though it varies by breed, goats tend to be less seasonal and more prolific than sheep.
4. Foraging Behaviour:
Goats are natural browsers, preferring to eat leaves, twigs, vines, and shrubs. They are very agile and will stand on their hind legs to reach vegetation. Goats like to eat the tops of plants. Goats require a more nutritious diet.
5. Behaviour:
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Goats are naturally curious and independent. Goats will seek shelter more readily than sheep. In a fight, a goat (buck) will rear up on his hind legs and come down forcibly to butt heads.
6. Nutrition:
Goats have higher maintenance requirements because they are not able to digest the cellulose of plant cell walls. Grain-feeding is less likely to be profitable in goat production. Goats deposit fat around their internal organs before depositing external fat over their back, ribs, and loin. Goats require more copper in their diet than sheep and are not very sensitive to copper toxicity.
7. Social Dominance:
Due to their more aggressive behaviour, adult goats will usually dominate sheep, especially if the goats have horns.
8. Commercial Aspects:
Goat farming is 10 times more profitable than sheep farming. Goat gives birth 4 kids in a year. Goat matures in 300 days. They are highly resistant to diseases as compared to sheep. Goat meat has very high demand. Marketing of goats is very easy as compared to sheep. Goats require less fodder as compared to sheep.
In the end, the profit obtained by selling goats is much higher than that obtained by selling wool and sheep.
Comparison # Sheep
1. Taxonomy:
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Sheep (Ovis aries) have 54 chromosomes
2. Morphology:
Sheep tails hang down and are often docked (shortened) for health and sanitary reasons. Most sheep grow wool coats that need to be sheared at least annually. Sheep have an upper lip that is divided by a distinct philtrum (groove).
Sheep have face or tear glands beneath their eyes and foot or scent glands between the toes. Many breeds of sheep are naturally hornless (polled). Some sheep have manes. Sheep tend to curl their horns in loops on the sides of their heads. Sexually mature rams have much less of an odour, if they have an odour at all.
3. Reproduction:
The estrous (heat) cycle of the ewe averages 17 days. Sheep have a more complicated cervix which makes passage of an insemination device very difficult. Sheep show few visible signs of estrous as compared to goats. Male sheep or rams do not have an offensive odor during the mating season. Sheep are comparatively less prolific than goat.
4. Foraging Behaviour:
Sheep are grazers, preferring to eat short, tender grasses and clover. Their dietary preference is forbs and they like to graze close to the soil surface.
5. Behaviour:
Sheep tend to be more distant and aloof. Sheep have a stronger flocking instinct and become very agitated if they are separated from the rest of the flock. It is easier to keep sheep inside a fence than goats. In a fight, a ram will back up and charge to butt heads.This fighting behaviour favours the ram.
6. Nutrition:
Sheep tend to grow much faster than goats, no matter what the diet is. They convert feed more efficiently. Sheep deposit external fat before depositing internal fat. Some of the wool breeds deposit fat around their organs similarly to goats.
Sheep have a narrow tolerance for excess copper in their diet, though toxic levels depend upon the level of other minerals in their diets. For this reason, it is generally recommended that sheep not to be fed grain and mineral mixer that have been formulated for other livestock, as these feeds likely have copper added to them. It is not advisable to use copper as a deworming agent for sheep.
7. Social Dominance:
However, when young bucks and rams are maintained together, rams will dominate because the ram will pre-emptively strike the buck in the abdomen while the buck is still in the act of rearing up.
8. Commercial Aspects:
Sheep gives birth to 1 kid in a year. Maturity period of sheep is 390 days. In India, sheep meat has comparatively less demand. Sheep requires much fodder than goat for feeding. The only plus point with sheeps is that, they produce 2-3 times more wool in a year than the goats.