Дамасских коз Шами, встречающихся в основном в Сирии, также называют Балади и Алеппо. И знаете как ещё их называют? Божественно красивыми. Это очень древняя порода Ближнего Востока. Описание таких коз есть в классической арабской литературе, религиозных текстах и фольклоре. Все источники отмечают их характерную внешность, замечательный характер и благородство. Современная порода коз Шами (Cyprus Shami), это отличная молочная порода коз, выносливая, легко адаптирующаяся к любому климату и местности. Прекрасно сочетается в кроссах на молочное или молочно-мясное направление. Козы породы Шами, в основном рогатые, ведется селекция на комолость. Уши длинные, висячие, узкие длиной 27-32 см. Горбоносый профиль.
Размеры коз породы Шами, составляют в холке у козлов 78-103 см, у коз 74-84 см. Живой вес козлов 70-130 кг, коз 60-90 кг. При рождении весят 3,5-5,5 кг. В возрасте 4 месяца козлики Шами весят 33-36 кг, козочки Шами 30-34 кг. Среднесуточный привес 200-300 г.
Окоты у коз породы Шами, происходят один раз в год, в основном 2-3 козленка, бывает до 4-х козлят, плодовитость 180-250%. Козлят после 2 дней под козой, забирают и выкармливают до 45 дн-го возраста молоком, а коз раздаивают. Порода прекрасно приспособлена под автоматическое доение. Молочность коз породы Шами за 240-305 дней лактации 640-1100 л жирностью 3,8-4,5%, белка 3,7-4,4%. В среднем 3,5-5 л в день, рекорд 9 л.
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Козлы породы Шами, могут использоваться
уже в 9-ти месячном возрасте и интенсивно до 2-х летнего возраста.
Первая охота наступает у коз в возрасте 220-270 дней, к этому возрасту
козочки весят 42-54 кг. Козы могут легко приносить потомство до 6-го
возраста. После окота течка наступает через 45 дней.
К достоинствам коз породы Шами, можно отнести следующее – эти козы,
универсальны, исторически обеспечивали население молоком, мясом, шерстью
и прекрасной кожей. При хорошем кормлении и содержании они способны
производить большие объемы молока, Многоплодны, могут приносить по 3-4
козленка. Отмечается также их тихое достойное поведение и нежное
отношение к окружающим. Это завоевывает сердца людей и объясняет причину
популярности.
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Сегодня Шами часто держат как
экзотическое домашнее животное, но традиционно ей отводилась роль
маленькой продовольственной фабрики для производства молока и молочных
продуктов. Молоко использовалось также для выкармливания младенцев, как
диетическое питание больных и пожилых людей, а также для лечения кожных
заболеваний.
Множество превосходных характеристик коз породы Шами делают ее
интересной для усовершенствования других козьих пород. В частности, они
использовались для выведения англо-нубийской породы и, по всей
видимости, передали потомкам длину ушей и горбоносую форму морды. Более
короткая шерсть нубийцев – результат пересечения Шами с британскими
короткошерстными породами.
В настоящее время козы Шами – крупные, стройные, грациозные животные. Отличительные черты: длинные ноги, длинная шея, длинные уши и маленькая голова. Самая отличительная характеристика породы – голова, с очень горбоносой мордой. Прикус должен быть правильным. Перекус менее приемлем. Глаза очень светлые. Предпочтительна радужная оболочка молочного цвета, около зрачка белая. Но глаза другого цвета также приемлемы.
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Окрасы шерсти разнообразны. Истинная Шами – красиво одета в длинное «двойное пальто», защищающее ее и от холода, и от жары. Она способна выживать в неблагоприятных климатических условиях и на скудном рационе. Современная Шами сочетает в себе и оригинальную древнюю красоту, и улучшенные молочные качества – высокие удои, хорошо прикрепленное широкое вымя, удобные для доения соски. Однако при выборе животного чаще всего обращают внимание на форму головы. Коза с хорошей головой ценится выше, даже если дает меньше молока.
В настоящее время интерес к этой породе заметно возрос. Селекционеры-козоводы Ближнего Востока – Кипра, Израиля, Палестины, близко сотрудничают для сохранения Шами.
Shami Goats
Introduction
The Shami goat is native to the Middle
East. Large herds of Shami goats have been historically found in Syria,
Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian territories. Many
decades ago, when the British collected Shami goats in the vicinity of
Damascus and exported them in great number to Cyprus, they began
referring to the breed as the Damascus goat.
It is difficult to pinpoint an exact geographical source for the breed,
but both large and small herds of Shami goats have been found in the
Middle East throughout the centuries. In addition, detailed descriptions
of the Shami appear in classic Arabic literature, religious texts, and
folklore; these sources all refer to the goat’s special character,
striking characteristics, conformation, and nobility.
Over the last few years a true reawakening has occurred regarding the
demand for the Shami goat in our region and prices have risen to
extraordinary sums -and this for good reason.
Breed Characteristics and History
The Shami is a multi-purpose goat
historically providing its owner with milk, meat, hair and fine leather.
If she receives proper care and quality feed the doe is able to produce
large quantities of milk, and many are particularly noted for their
ability to kid triplets or even quadruplets. Additionally, the typical
Shami is characterized by an especially noble conformation and bearing
that conquers the heart of all that see her. And finally, her quiet and
gentle nature is another important reason that her owner and his family
may choose to keep her.
Shami Excellent Bite - Click for larger image! Shami milk has proven to
be markedly rich in protein and fat, its quality and composition
changing according to the food the doe receives. The ability to produce
milk under the radically, rapidly changing weather conditions between
cold to hot and the relatively high amounts of milk solids found in her
milk has made the Shami the preferred goat breed of the Middle East.
Today the Shami is often kept as an exotic pet because of her intrinsic
beauty and ability to adapt to human lifestyles, but traditionally her
role has been that of a small food factory - her easily digestible milk
used as a food for the raising of infants, to meet the dietary needs of
elderly or sensitive persons who have problems digesting normal food,
and as a proven home remedy for curing blisters, mouth sores, and more.
The milk is typically cultured to produce labaneh, leben, yogurt, and
other fresh cheeses for home use, and often these products are marketed
locally to supplement family income.
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Most recently new commercial dairies specializing in the production of
gourmet and ripened cheeses have been established in Israel using milk
produced from Shamis, hybrids, and Nubian goats.
The Shami’s many excellent characteristics make her a successful
progenitor for the development and improvement of other caprine breeds -
in particular, to improve size, meat, milk production, and body shape.
Young Shami Crossbreeds - Click for larger image! The various outcrosses
that have been introduced over long periods into the original Shami goat
population have given our modern Shami a correspondingly broader genetic
base. Even so, the modern Shami retains its ability to pass on its
excellent characteristics to goats of other purebred and cross breeds.
While in the distant past the major colors were reddish brown, brown and
black, nowadays one may find Shami goats in many different colors. Today
one commonly finds grey in many different shades, derivatives of white
and beige, and various mixes of white and darker colors. The subject of
color is one of style and personal preference, and it seems that every
few years the fashion changes and a different color is in vogue.
Additional traits of the Shami goat include long legs, long lines in
both neck and body, a small Roman-nosed (convex) head, and long ears
that hang down from the upper part of the skull; all these contributing
to a unique appearance of nobility and pride.
Shami coat in winter - Click for larger image! The true Shami is
beautifully clad in a longhaired double coat, offering protection from
the rain and the cold on the one hand, and from the harsh ultra-violet
rays of the sun, on the other. She is typically able to survive and
thrive on scarce pasture and little feed.
The height of the Shami doe taken from the shoulder in a straight line
to the ground measures about 75 cm or more, her weight ranges from
between 60 - 80 kg according to her size, the way she was raised, and
her body condition. Bucks are typically much larger and heavier than
does.
Without a doubt the most striking characteristic of the breed is its
specially shaped head - which is clearly convex on the bridge of the
nose; the very expressive eyes, and the long ears carried close to the
head and gracefully falling downward.
In the past, the Shami goat was used to create the Nubian, Indian, and
other goat breeds - in particular, it was used to establish the
Anglo-Nubian, and in all likelihood is the source of the breed’s long
ears and Roman nose. The Nubian’s shorter coat resulted from crossing
Shami goats with British shorthaired breeds.
Modern Breed Standard & Notes on Selection
Below is a description of the ideal Shami
goat that we use as our breed standard:
Shami Color Variety - Click for larger image! General Appearance - A
goat possessing a particularly aristocratic bearing, arresting beauty,
great nobility, and charisma coupled with a strong body structure, long
legs and height. Although many of these traits cannot be strictly
measured by measuring tape, they are, nonetheless, strikingly obvious to
even the most casual observer, and impossible to ignore.
Body Condition and Color - Body condition should be muscular and full,
not too thin and not too fat. All colors are acceptable, the shade and
markings according to the preference of the breeder and market demands.
Coat - Double and long (as necessary), lustrous and in good condition,
free of foreign debris, parasites, etc.
Shami Doe Head - Click for larger image! The Head - The most
recognizable characteristic of the breed. Convex (extreme Roman-nosed)
in front, with upper and lower jaws meeting squarely and correctly.
Goats with long, protruding lower jaws find it more difficult to nurse
and graze; animals displaying this characteristic are less acceptable.
Very long ears are placed at the upper part of the skull and fall
downward at the sides of the head. The head size should be in correct
proportion to the body and attached to a long, highly carried neck. Too
large of a head lessens the nobility of the Shami.
Eyes - Full of expression and with tight eyelid to protect the eye from
dust and debris. The preferred iris color is milk white with a black
pupil in the center of the eye, but brown, pinky brown, and black are
also acceptable. (Today, at the writing of this standard, the majority
of our breeders prefer the white color).
The Neck must be long and attach cleanly into high Withers which flow
smoothly into the back.
The Back must be straight and strong, neither convex nor concave.
The Loins are the portion of the spine not supported by ribs and should
give the appearance of great strength. These attach to a wide, generous
croup.
The Croup continues the topline, and should have a gently sloping
appearance, to allow for easy kidding. Too steep a slope is undesirable.
Normally the Tail is carried gaily, vertically to the ground.
The Limbs should appear powerful with strong bone and well developed
musculature apparent from both front and behind. They should be straight
and parallel, showing especially great width from behind to allow the
development of a well-attached udder capable of great milk production.
From the front the build should also appear wide, with straight,
parallel legs that offer both stability and room to encompass a
well-developed chest, with plenty of space for heart and lungs.
Distinguishing male from female - Sexual differences between doe and
buck should be immediately obvious.
Shami Doe Front Right and Mixed - Click for larger image! The Female (doe)
- should appear finer than the male (buck), with the long and fine neck
indicative of good dairy character. Both fore and hind legs should
appear strong, but correspondingly finer and more delicate than the
male’s.
The doe must have a well-developed digestive system with a large rumen
allowing for large food capacity and good ability to utilize feed for
maximum milk production. A heavy, meaty doe will utilize her food for
meat production rather than milk production.
In order to produce a modern doe which both represents the original
ancient beauty and the ultilitarian advantages of the Shami, we must pay
great attention to the development of a well-attached, wide udder,
velvety smooth on the outside and spongy and soft from within. We select
for teats that point downward and not to the sides, since both hand and
machine milking are done in a downward direction - proper teat placement
means that no milk is left in the lower portion of the udder. When the
teats are pointing sideways, one must push with the hands each and every
milking in order to get the last Ѕ liter of milk.
In our country, until recently, the selection of does based on proper
teat placement and structure has been largely ignored - the area given
most attention has remained the head. Even today a doe with a nice head
will sell for more money than a good dairy goat with a less typical head
- even if she gives less milk.
Recording daily milk yields and keeping individual production records is
a very new phenomenon in our local goat industry. In contrast to our
well-established dairy cattle industry where we can most precisely rank
dairy bull performance, our dairy goat industry is in its infancy. Most
bucks used to date have not sired enough daughters to allow us to
accurately measure their breeding value.
Shami Buck - Click for larger image! The buck’s power, strength and size
should be immediately apparent. The head should be very typical, with a
strikingly convex foreface and an especially expressive eye (white color
preferred). The ears must be very long and made of soft flexible skin,
carried close to the head, and fall downward.
The buck’s neck often appears somewhat shorter than that of the doe, but
this is an optical illusion - it is its comparative massiveness and
thickness that make it appear so. As a rule, bucks with long necks pass
on better dairy character to their offspring.
Overall, the buck’s body structure should show more massive muscling
than that of the doe.
One must look for large, well-developed testicles with a squarer build
and largest development at the bottom. All four limbs should appear
broad and powerful with strong hooves, preferably dark in color.
Shami Bucks - Click for larger image! The most important distinguishing
factor and mark of excellence of both buck and doe is their ability to
pass on his or her good traits to their offspring. When making breeding
choices, one must always be certain that the buck and doe do not share
identical faults so as to not strengthen these faults in future
generations.
Today, the Ministry of Agriculture of Cyprus is involved in an ongoing
project dedicated to the improvement of their local Shami goat, and
occasionally they publish their results. Some excellent Cypriate stock
was imported into Israel a few decades ago and has greatly influenced
our local animals. In Cyprus selection is being done primarily on the
basis of health profiles and milk yields, with less emphasis placed on
preserving the typical Shami head or other distinguishing physical
traits of the breed.
Here in Israel we are convinced that the correct approach is to actively
select both for distinct Shami physical type and beauty and for the
utilitarian characteristics of the dairy goat. Using this method we hope
to produce the most excellent and beautiful Shami goats in the world.
Additional Notes for the Breeder
* The Shami breeder must be particularly
attentive to physical faults in the head that affect the health profile
and proper functioning of the animal. For example, a Roman nose so
extreme that it restricts the nostrils and impairs proper breathing is
actually a deformity. An overly protruding lower jaw that makes nursing
or feeding difficult is a definite fault.
**Breeding bucks should be selected from mothers known for their good
dairy characteristics, high milk yields, and excellent daughters - they
themselves should display the typical Shami head, proper conformation,
beauty, and nobility.
When a particularly beautiful buck is identified, he should be tried on
a limited number of dissimilar does. The more daughters a buck sires
from dissimilar does, the greater our ability to assess whether he is
consistently transmitting specific desirable traits.
Kids must be judged according to their quality in relationship to the
quality of their dams and the other does in the herd. Once the female
kids are grown and producing milk, we can decide whether or not to
continue breeding with a particular buck, based on his daughters’
quality and performance relative to the other does in the herd.
*** In modern dairying, speed of milk flow during milking is a key
factor to consider in doe selection decisions. In large milking herds
the amount of time it takes for a doe to let down her milk is critical,
as time saved in the milking shed can be used for taking care of the
many other chores necessary to proper herd management. In a herd of 100
does, if each doe takes one minute more for milk letdown than average,
the extra time spent in the milking shed will be formidable.