GOATS: (Click on any of the pictures to see a larger image)
Goats are an ancient part of the British farming scene not considered seriously by modern agriculture today, although in many parts of the world goats digest herbs and shrubs not palatable to other farm animals and are a vital source of meat, milk, fibre and natural fertiliser. They are good foragers and produce milk which, unlike cows' milk, may be frozen and is easily digestible by children who suffer from eczema and other skin complaints. Some breeds also produce the fashionable fibres of mohair and cashmere.
Our goats are housed during the winter and have their kids in spring, although goats will breed throughout the year.
Above: Meeting the Goats (NB: Sorry, no larger image available)
Not Classified as a Rare Breed
English Billy, 'Brummel'
Our ancient ancestors greatly valued their hardy little goats for the production of milk, meat and hide. The Romans improved their production by introducing stocknfrom other parts of the Roman Empire, and subsequent generations continued the process, until the 'English type' was diluted and all but disappeared. The feral herds still found in some remote corners of Scotland and Wales may be all that remains of the breed. However, there are no traceable records to link the 'English' alive today with their historic ancestors, and fotr this reason they cannot be clasified as an endangered breed.
Modern day English goats do resemble the old English type, and ours have been popular 'set dressing' for many period films including; Robin Hood, Merlin and Middlemarch.
1973 - CRITICALLY RARE (less than 50 nannies)
1993 - CRITICALLY RARE (less than 100 nannies)
Bagot billy, 'Aries'
The Bagot is a feral parkland breed whose ancestors, it is believed, were brought back from the crusades by Richard the Lion Heart in the 12th century. They were then given to Sir Richard Bagot by King Richard II, in the 1390's as a thank-you for a good days hunting. They then remained in Bagot Park, near Blithfield in Staffordshire for over 500 years.
In 1953 the Park was flooded to form a reservoir to provide water for the city of Birmingham, and the goats were removed. A small group were saved by Lady Nancy Bagot and the well known naturalist and journalist Phil Drabble, best known for his series 'One Man and his Dog', who happened to live alongside the Park. A trio were given to the Cotswold Farm Park to found our herd in 1970 by Lady Nancy Bagot.
1973 - CRITICALLY RARE (less than 100 nannies)
1993 - AT RISK (less than 500 nannies)
Golden Guernsey creshe
This is one of the three golden breeds of Guernsey. The golden coloured Guernsey Cows are now famous throughout the world for their rich creamy milk, the golden donkeys are extinct and the Golden Guernsey Goats are a very rare breed.
The goats came close to extinction during the Second World War when Guernsey was occupied by German Forces, and many were slaughtered for food. A small group was rescued by the late Miss Miriam Milbourne who it os said collected them togetrher and hid them from the occupying forces in the cellar of her house. Numbers have been gradually increasing on both the islands, and here on the mainland where small scale goat keepin is becoming more popular.
1970's - First imported into this country
1993 - Becoming more common. (Not classified as rare because they are not native to Britain.)
Angora Goats are often mistaken for sheep because of their woolly appearance. When you can't tell the sheep from the goats by their coat, you can look at their tails. Sheep generally carry their tails hanging down, and don't tend to wiggle them very often while goats have vert mobile tails which they often hold erect.
Angora goats bear the fine and highly prized mohair fleece which is shorn twice a year. The breed was originally developed in Near Asia and was imported into Britain in the 1970's from New Zealand, Australia and the United States of America. They are usually pure white, with coloured angora products made entirely by the use of dyes. There are a small number of coloured family lines and we have specialised in these at the Cotswold Farm Park and prize their beautiful naturally coloured fleeces.
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