“Caprine” is a term used to describe anything goat-like, or relating to a goat. The domestic goat, Capra hircus, is farmed like cattle for their meat and milk, but also for their skin, which is known as leather. In this article, we will break down the terminology in the goat industry that may not be common knowledge.

Physiological Terms

Kids: Goats of both sexes that are younger than a year old.
Doeling: A young, sexually immature female goat.
Buckling: A young, sexually immature male goat.
Doe: An adult female goat.
Billy: An adult male goat used for breeding.
Buck: An older adult male that has not been castrated, also used for breeding.
Whether: A castrated male goat.
Yearling: Both male and female goats that are between one and two years of age.

Breeding Terms

Synchronisation: The act of getting all females in the herd to come into heat at the same time.
Sire: A goat’s father.
Dam: A goat’s mother.
Fecundity: The efficiency of producing more than one live young at a time, as twins or triplets.
Kidding: The act of a doe giving birth to kids.
Lactation: The period of time in which a doe produces milk.
Gestation: The period of pregnancy that starts at the conception and ends with the birth of the young. In goats this is 142 – 152 days.
Flushing: The act of increasing a doe’s nutrition before mating in order to improve her rate of conception.
Estrus: A period in which the female is receptive to the male goat, also known as being in “heat”.
Estrus cycle: The period of time from the beginning of one estrus to the beginning of the next. In goats, this is usually 16 – 17 days.
Colostrum: Thick milk that a doe produces after giving birth. Colostrum is very high in antibodies and is vital to the survival of the young.
Anestrus period: Non-breeding season in which the female does not display signs of heat.
Artificial insemination: The act of placing semen of a chosen goat into the reproductive tract of the female goat through means of an instrument.

General Industry Terms

Debudding: The act of removing the goat’s horns.
Rennin: An enzyme from the stomach of a goat that is used to curdle milk, often used to produce cheese.
Crossbreed: An animal whose parents are of two different breeds or pedigrees.
Butting: A manner of fighting in which the goat strikes its opponent with the head and horns.
Blind teat: A goat’s teat that does not produce any milk.
Caprine: Of or relating to goats.
Cleats: Two halves of a goat’s hooves.
Closed herd: A flock that has no new animals introduced to it.
Dry period: A period of time in which the doe does not produce any milk.
Wattle: A fleshy part of the skin that hangs on or near the throat of a goat, the function of which is not known.