Chongqing Black Goat

Chongqing Black Goat

　　Chongqing Black Goat is a typical high-quality local breed used for both meat and leather production, known for its glossy black coat. The goat’s entire body is covered in black, lustrous fur. Adult rams have coarser and longer hair, while ewes have finer and shorter hair. Between 30% and 40% of Chongqing Black Goats have a layer of short, fine undercoat. They usually shed their coats in spring, during which some hair tips may fork and appear brownish, and a small number of goats have brown spinal fur. Their skin is milky white.

　　 Chongqing Black Goats have a sturdy and compact build, medium-sized bodies, solid bones, strong and agile limbs. Their heads are triangular—wider at the top and narrower at the bottom—with straight nasal bridges, bright eyes, and ears that stand upward and extend horizontally. Rams have more robust and powerful heads, while ewes have more delicate facial features. Most rams and ewes have horns and beards. The ram’s horns are thick, slightly flat, and can reach up to 30 cm in length, curved sickle-like and slightly twisted backward and outward. Ewe horns are smaller, often standing upright and backward or curving downward and backward. Their necks are thicker, their trunk structure is compact, and the hindquarters are slightly higher than the forequarters. The back is straight, the chest is broad and deep, the hips are slightly sloped, and the ewe’s abdomen is large but not sagging. Their limbs are short, thick, and strong, with firm hooves that stand firmly on the ground, allowing them to move nimbly. Their tails are short and stand upright in an isosceles triangle shape. The udder is of medium size, located on both sides of the teats and slanting forward. Rams have well-developed, sturdy skeletal structures and thick, robust hind limb muscles.

　　 Chongqing Black Goats grow rapidly, reaching about 70% of adult size by one year of age. Adult rams can weigh over 40 kg, while adult ewes can exceed 35 kg.

　　 Chongqing Black Goats grow quickly in their early years and can be slaughtered between 6 to 8 months of age, with a dressing percentage as high as 46%. Not only is the meat tender and delicious, but it also offers high nourishing benefits.

　　 The hide of the Chongqing Black Goat is of good quality, tightly textured, elastic, and large in area. The fresh hide area of a 6–8 month old ram is 4,954.2±606.2 cm², and for an adult goat it is 6,054.2±583.7 cm². Lamb hides are graded between level 3 and level 2, adult hides between level 3 and level 1, and adult wether hides between level 3 and special grade.

　　 Chongqing Black Goats mature sexually early. Rams reach sexual maturity between 5 to 6 months of age, typically begin mating from August to October, and are generally productive for 2 to 3 years. Ewes begin estrus at 4 to 5 months of age and start mating after 2 to 3 estrus cycles. Estrus mainly occurs in spring and autumn. According to surveys, 30.96% of ewes come into estrus in spring, and 45.04% in autumn. The estrus cycle is 20.44–20.90 days, the estrus duration is 43–72 hours, and the gestation period is 150.8±1.19 days.

　　 Chongqing Black Goats give birth to two kids per year on average, mostly single births, with some twins, and occasionally triplets or quadruplets. The kidding rate for first-time mothers is 136.37%, for second-time mothers it’s 158.44%, and for third-time mothers it’s 194.37%.

　　 Newborn kids grow quickly and have high survival rates. Based on statistics from 225 kidding events, 440 kids were born, with 404 surviving after two months of weaning—a survival rate of 91.8%.

　　 Chongqing Black Goat is a high-quality local breed developed through long-term selective breeding. It grows rapidly, is highly disease-resistant, produces delicious meat, has a strong physique, high fertility, good quality hide, high meat yield, and is hardy and easy to manage. It thrives in both alpine regions and flat hilly areas, whether raised by grazing or tethered, delivering good economic returns. It is a truly outstanding local goat breed.