Yunling Goats

Yunling Goats

　　Yunling Goats, formerly known as Yunling Black Goats or simply Black Goats, were included in the *Yunnan Province Livestock and Poultry Breed Register* in 1987. They are a dual-purpose breed raised for both meat and hide.

　　Yunling Goats are the most numerous and widely distributed indigenous high-quality goat breed in Yunnan Province. They are mainly bred in the areas of the Yunling Mountain Range and its extensions, such as the Ailao Mountains, Wuliang Mountains, and the foothills of the Wumeng Mountains, hence the general name “Yunling Goats.”

　　Yunling Goats have a refined appearance, sleek black coats, and uniform coloring. They possess excellent economic traits and show strong early fattening ability. Their advantages include being highly adaptable to coarse feed, drought, and poor soil conditions; strong adaptability and disease resistance; and an ability to forage at high elevations. The meat is tender, high in protein, and delicious, making it a pollution-free green food product. Their hides are thick, tough, and fine-grained, making them premium material for making leather shoes and garments. However, due to a lack of systematic selective breeding and instances of inbreeding during certain periods, the breed has shown signs of degeneration, with individuals being smaller and varying greatly in size. They also exhibit slow growth rates, and ewes have relatively low kidding rates and milk production performance.