**5. Goat performance**

twins [11]. They are used as dual purpose breeds for milk and meat. Damascus goat has a large body size. It has a Roman‐shaped nose and is the most discriminating variable among different goat breeds of Jordan. Their ear type is pendent and has a high leg. They are reared around towns and countrysides of the northern part of Jordan and are kept under sedentary

They are also called by other names, namely Mountain Black goat or Balady (local). They are indigenous to Jordan and nearby countries. They are large dual‐purpose breed and play an important role in meat and milk production in Jordan. They are distributed throughout all regions of the Jordan especially in the country's mountainous areas. They are kept mainly in semiextensive and sedentary systems. Because of their ability to survive and reproduce under the prevailing arid and harsh environmental conditions, this breed was used to develop

They are indigenous to Syrian Badia desert. It is also known in Jordan as northern desert goat. They are light in size and mainly kept in northern‐eastern Badia of Jordan and reared under

**Figure 3** shows the relationship between goats breeds based on morphological‐structural variables (nose shape, ear shape, presence or absence of horns and wattles, color, body

highly productive crossbreeds especially with Damascus breed in Jordan.

**Figure 3.** Relationship between goat breeds based on morphostructural variables [8].

production system [10].

**4.3. Mountain goats**

372 Goat Science

**4.4. Desert goats**

extensive production system.

At birth, female kid's average weight is similar to male kid's average weight but male kids show higher weight gains during the suckling period. The body weight of males was signifi‐ cantly higher than those of females due to sexual dimorphism. The weight of adult goats has also been recorded by Al‐Khaza'leh et al. [13] who reported that the mean body weight of adult does was about 45 kg with little variation (′5.4). The author also reported that the mean body weights of growing kids (of 1–11 months age) was 24.4 ′ 5.7 ranging from 7.3 to 41.1 kg. Zaitoun et al. [14] reported a significant difference in mean body weight among the goat breeds, with the Damascus does being the heaviest, crossbred does having intermediate weights and Mountain Black does having lowest weights. The differences in body weight of goat breeds were also recorded due to a region and production system effects.

As indicated in **Table 4**, the fertility and productivity rate per flock were similar between production systems. The barren rate was (12%) which is higher than that (6.6%) reported in the same study area by Aldomy et al. [21]. The proportion of barren does increases with age, regardless of the breed. **Table 5** shows the overall data on the fertility of Damascus does using

**Variables CON (***n* **= 8) S (***n* **= 15) GP (***n* **= 15) GSP (***n* **= 15)**

(100%) 15a

′ 0.2 2.1a

′ 0.2 2.1a

′ 0.4 7.5a

147 ′ 3.6 152 ′ 2.3 153 ′ 2.3 149 ′ 2.4

(40%) 13/15<sup>a</sup>

(100%) 14a

′ 0.2 2.0a

′ 0.4 7.6a

′ 0.2 1.9ab ′ 0.2

(87%) 14/14<sup>a</sup>

(93%)

Goat Farming and Breeding in Jordan http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.69015 375

′ 0.2

′ 0.4

(100%)

different type of reproduction hormones [22].

Kidding (rate %) 6b

Kids/doe kidding (mean

Kids/exposed doe (mean

Litter birth weight (mean

Lambing date (mean ′

′ SEM)

′ SEM)

′ SEM)

SEM)

F2a (GSP).

**Treatment**

1.5b

Multiple births (no.) 4/6ab (67%) 6/15<sup>b</sup>

a,bValues within the same row with different superscripts differ (*p* < 0.05).

(75%) 15a

′ 2 1.5b

1.1 ′ 0.3 1.5bc

7.0ab ′ 0.7 5.9<sup>b</sup>

**6. Goat flock management, husbandry, and constraints**

**Table 6** shows the details of the events and dates for goat production in Jordan.

**Table 5.** Overall kidding data from mating during the induced and spontaneous cycles in Damascus does.

and occurrence of diseases can adversely affect the performance of animals.

Feed shortage, diseases, water shortage, high feed prices, rangeland shortage, poor veteri‐ nary service, poor breeding, and poor marketing are among the major constraints and chal‐ lenges limiting goat production in Jordan. A study by Al‐Khaza'leh et al. [23] showed that the most important problems confronting goat productivity in mountain zone of southern Jordan were feed shortage followed by disease, drinking water shortage and high feed prices while in the semidesert zone the top ranked constraint was high feed price followed by feed shortage, rangeland shortage, and water shortage. Al‐Assaf [24] reported that inad‐ equate feed and water supply, poor veterinarian services and weak management practices are the main challenges for goats in Jordan. Under the arid climatic conditions such as Jordan, it is obvious that the aforementioned constraints namely shortage of water, feed,

Treatment: No treatment (CON), progestagen sponges and equine chorionic gonadotropin (S), gonadotropin releasing hormone plus prostaglandin F2a (GP) or gonadotropin releasing hormone, and progestagen sponges and prostaglandin

Abu‐Zanat et al. [9] reported that the lactation period usually lasts for 120 days from April to September with an average milk yield of about 40 and 67 kg per doe post suckling period for nomadic and transhumant systems, respectively, compared to about 81 kg per lactating female in the sedentary system. In the middle and northern Badia region of Jordan that is characterized by low and erratic annual rainfall, goats are mostly important for milk during the dry season [15, 9]. In general, goats have a lactation period of 300 days and produce about 100 kg of milk under extensive condi‐ tions [16, 17].

Damascus goats exhibit a high level of prolificacy [18]. In Jordan, the average prolificacy rate of goats is slightly more than 1 kid/doe bred per breeding season [19]. The information on the reproductive performance of goat breeds under transhumant and sedentary systems is displayed in **Table 4** [20].


Source: [20].

LSM: least squares mean; SE: standard error of the mean.

LSMs in the same row with different superscript letters differ significantly at *p* < 0.05.

\* Fertility rate: number of does kidding at least once divided by the number of does in the flock during the year; productivity rate: number of kids born alive divided by the does kidding during the year; mortality rate: total deaths of goats in a 12‐month period divided by the total number of goats in the flock at the beginning of the year.

**Table 4.** Performance traits of goat breeds by production system in Jordan.

As indicated in **Table 4**, the fertility and productivity rate per flock were similar between production systems. The barren rate was (12%) which is higher than that (6.6%) reported in the same study area by Aldomy et al. [21]. The proportion of barren does increases with age, regardless of the breed. **Table 5** shows the overall data on the fertility of Damascus does using different type of reproduction hormones [22].


Treatment: No treatment (CON), progestagen sponges and equine chorionic gonadotropin (S), gonadotropin releasing hormone plus prostaglandin F2a (GP) or gonadotropin releasing hormone, and progestagen sponges and prostaglandin F2a (GSP).

a,bValues within the same row with different superscripts differ (*p* < 0.05).

weights and Mountain Black does having lowest weights. The differences in body weight of

Abu‐Zanat et al. [9] reported that the lactation period usually lasts for 120 days from April to September with an average milk yield of about 40 and 67 kg per doe post suckling period for nomadic and transhumant systems, respectively, compared to about 81 kg per lactating female in the sedentary system. In the middle and northern Badia region of Jordan that is characterized by low and erratic annual rainfall, goats are mostly important for milk during the dry season [15, 9]. In general, goats have a lactation period of 300 days and produce about 100 kg of milk under extensive condi‐

Damascus goats exhibit a high level of prolificacy [18]. In Jordan, the average prolificacy rate of goats is slightly more than 1 kid/doe bred per breeding season [19]. The information on the reproductive performance of goat breeds under transhumant and sedentary systems is

**Transhumant (n = 76) Sedentary (n = 38)**

**Variables** *n* **LSM SE** *n* **LSM SE** *p‐***Value**

Dhaiwi 22 4.7 0.6 7 3.3 1.0 0.230

Crossbred 71 41.6 5.3 35 33.6 7.5 0.384

Fertility rate (%) 76 88.4 1.6 38 86.7 2.2 0.531

Flock mortality (%) 76 17.2 1.6 38 20.1 2.2 0.284

Fertility rate: number of does kidding at least once divided by the number of does in the flock during the year; productivity rate: number of kids born alive divided by the does kidding during the year; mortality rate: total deaths of

goats in a 12‐month period divided by the total number of goats in the flock at the beginning of the year.

76 91.7<sup>a</sup> 9.0 38 60.3<sup>b</sup> 12.8 0.047

75 52.1a 5.3 34 32.1<sup>b</sup> 7.9 0.037

76 1.03 0.03 38 1.00 0.1 0.588

goat breeds were also recorded due to a region and production system effects.

tions [16, 17].

374 Goat Science

Number of goats

Mountain Black

**Number of goats by breed**

**Goat flock performance**\*

Productivity rate

Source: [20].

\*

displayed in **Table 4** [20].

**Production system**

LSM: least squares mean; SE: standard error of the mean.

LSMs in the same row with different superscript letters differ significantly at *p* < 0.05.

**Table 4.** Performance traits of goat breeds by production system in Jordan.

**Table 5.** Overall kidding data from mating during the induced and spontaneous cycles in Damascus does.
