Qingliu Yellow Goat

Qingliu Yellow Goat

Qingliu Yellow Goat is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Qingliu Yellow Goat is a breed developed through the introduction of the Nanjiang Yellow Goat from southern Sichuan and subsequent local selection and breeding in Qingliu County. The meat of Qingliu Yellow Goat has become one of the main types of meat commonly consumed by the public. The Nanjiang Yellow Goat originates from Nanjiang County in Sichuan Province. It is the first new meat-type goat breed in China, artificially selected and cultivated by Chinese animal husbandry scientists using modern principles of livestock genetics and breeding and a method of complex crossbreeding among multiple breeds. In 1995 and 1996, it successively passed on-site identification, review, and recognition by the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources Committee. The Nanjiang Yellow Goat is currently the best-performing new meat-type goat breed in China. It was officially named by the Ministry of Agriculture, which also issued the "New Livestock and Poultry Breed Certificate."

　　I. Appearance Characteristics

　　The coat is yellow with a distinct black dorsal stripe along the spine. The hair is short, tight to the skin, and glossy, with some underfur on the inner side. The goats may or may not have horns. They have large, slightly drooping ears, a tall and robust build, deep and broad chests, good neck and shoulder junctions, straight backs and waists, thick and long limbs, and a well-proportioned structure. The rams have relatively darker facial hair, with black and longer hair on the chest, neck, shoulders, belly, and thighs. Their heads appear slightly coarse. The ewes have delicate and refined facial features.

　　II. Production Performance

　　They have a tall and robust build and grow quickly. Adult Nanjiang Yellow Goats can reach a maximum weight of 80 kg for rams and 65 kg for ewes. Castrated adult males can exceed 100 kg.

　　1. High fertility and early sexual maturity. Nanjiang Yellow Goats begin showing sexual behavior at two months of age, exhibit initial estrus at three months, and can be bred at four months. The optimal initial breeding age is 8–12 months for ewes and 12–18 months for rams. Multiparous ewe flocks average 1.82 lambings per year, with an average lambing rate of 205.42% per pregnancy and a group breeding survival rate of 90.18%.

　　2. Excellent meat production performance, low cholesterol, high protein content, and good taste. The carcass weight of castrated Nanjiang Yellow Goats at 6, 8, 10, and 12 months is 8.83 kg, 10.78 kg, 11.38 kg, and 15.55 kg, respectively; the dressing percentages are 43.98%, 47.63%, 47.70%, and 52.71%; for adult castrated males, it is 55.65%. Additionally, they can be slaughtered and utilized early (during the lactation stage), with the optimal slaughtering period being 8–10 months. The meat is tender, nutritious, contains all 17 essential amino acids required by the human body, is free of a strong gamey smell, and these are unique meat production traits of the Nanjiang Yellow Goat. It fully meets Halal quality standards.

　　3. High-quality hide with excellent texture. The hides of Nanjiang Yellow Goats are fine, solid, uniformly thick, highly resistant to tension, highly elastic, and have great extensibility. The main leather performance indicators all meet the "Goat Hide Standards for Premium Grain Leather" issued by the Ministry of Light Industry.

　　III. Breed Characteristics

　　1. Large body size and weight. Adult Nanjiang Yellow Goat rams weigh 66.87 kg, with outstanding individuals reaching 106.5 kg, while ewes weigh 46.46 kg, with outstanding individuals reaching 78 kg. Body length, height, and chest circumference for rams are 79.82 cm, 76.75 cm, and 93.13 cm, respectively, and for ewes, 71.71 cm, 67.2 cm, and 83.05 cm. They also have a robust physique, with bodies resembling a cylindrical shape and well-proportioned structures.

　　2. Fast growth and development. Under conventional forest and grassland grazing conditions in Qingliu, Qingliu Yellow Goat lambs of both sexes reach daily weight gains of 176.17 g and 161.17 g (or 161.33 g) within two months (during the lactation period). At six months, they can achieve 73%–77% and 75%–80% of the body dimensions of adult goats, respectively, and 56.24% and 67% of adult weight at 12 months. Although the early weight gain speed of Qingliu Yellow Goat is not very ideal, growth speed significantly increases under “grazing + supplemental feeding,” especially during the lamb lactation period and the weaning transition period with enhanced supplemental feeding. In fast-growing line flocks, two-month-old ram lambs can weigh 16.5 kg and 35.5 kg at six months, while ewe lambs weigh 12.85 kg and 28 kg. During the lactation period (two months), the daily weight gain of ram and ewe lambs can reach 228 g and 172.5 g, respectively—29.42% and 6.92% higher than those of same-age lambs in free-range flock conditions.

　　3. Good meat production performance. Under conditions of year-round grazing and fattening through grazing or supplemental feeding in autumn, 12-month-old Qingliu Yellow Goat rams (castrated) have a carcass weight of 15.55 kg and a dressing percentage of 49.71%, while adults reach 29.78 kg and 55.65%. There is no significant difference in slaughter indicators across different months for one-year-old goats, and they have the characteristic of early utilization (before six months). At two months old, the carcass can weigh 6 kg. When entering a complementary fattening trial starting from the lactation period (two months old) and slaughtered at 3–4 months (i.e., 100 days old), the carcass weight can reach 10 kg. This indicates that the Nanjiang Yellow Goat is suitable for the production of fattened goat kids.

　　4. High fertility. Qingliu Yellow Goats mature sexually early, can breed and conceive in all seasons, and are highly prolific. The high-fertility stabilized line has an average litter size of 220.34%, with multiparous ewe flocks reaching 232.81%, a lambing interval of only 190.96 days, an average of 1.91 lambings per year, a reproductive live lambing rate of 97.54%, and a weaning survival rate of 94.90%.

　　5. Strong adaptability. Qingliu Yellow Goats were developed under year-round grazing conditions in the Daba Mountain area and are characterized by strong foraging ability, good herding behavior, tolerance to extensive management, and ease of handling. On good natural shrub-grasslands, grazing about 10 kg per day and supplementing with 8–10 grams of salt or similar feed materials (without concentrate feed) per goat is sufficient for good growth and normal reproduction. Under “grazing + supplemental feeding” conditions, growth speeds up and the turnover (slaughter) rate improves.

　　6. High-quality goat meat. Compared to other crossbred goat meats, the quality of Qingliu Yellow Goat meat can be summarized as “three highs, two lows, one fine, and one strong.” Tests show that for 4–8-month-old goat meat (by dry matter), it has high caloric value, high protein, and high levels of lysine and tryptophan among amino acids—22853.79 kj/kg, 896.96 g/kg, 7.57 g, and 17.18 g, respectively (compared to Boer × Yellow crossbred goat meat, these are 1.56%, 1.21%, 1.61%, and 21.39% higher); fat is 1.01%–1.34%, and cholesterol is 40.23 mg, which is 15.82% and 8.75% lower than that of Boer × Yellow crossbred goat meat; muscle fibers are fine, with diameters of only 33.9–34.10 micrometers. Coupled with the tenderness of Nanjiang Yellow Goat muscles, mild gamey flavor, and high glutamic acid content, it offers strong palatability.

　　The production area of Qingliu Yellow Goat is the current administrative region of Qingliu County, Fujian Province.