Verata Goat Breed – Everything You Need to Know

The Verata goat is ideal for small farms and is one of the two traditional goat breeds kept in the village from which it originated.

They are one of the most popular goats in some small farms for their meat and dairy as they are very versatile and can easily adapt to most any climates, environments and management systems.

They are also good breeders that can be bred throughout the year although most farmers opt to breed then twice a year during the spring and autumn seasons.

Verata Goat Quick Profile Overview

These little goats are strong hardy and versatile able to fit in well in any environment
Country of Origin:	Spain
Other Names:	None
Breed Size:	Small to medium
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Main Purpose:	Milk, Meat and pet
Can be used for	Breeding ,Meat ,Milk ,Pets
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Temperament:	Sweet, gentle, active and fun
Good with Kids?	They can be good around supervised kids
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Ideal Environment:	They adapt well to any environment but prefer more space to roam and forage freely
Ideal Climate:	All climates
Conservation Status:	Not Listed by the *ALC Common
Health Issues?	No known Health issues
Good Starter Goat?	They make an excellent starter goat for all sized farms
Goat Associations:	No known Goat Associations
Goat Clubs:	No known Goat Breeders clubs
Note: *ALC stands for American Livestock Conservancy

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

They have small compact bodies that tend to be on the lean-to medium size. Their legs are long and powerful giving them amazing agility. They are well behaved, friendly and usually really easy to handle.
Color(s):	Chestnut, grey but mostly black No color variations or differences between the male and female goats
Goat⇒	Doe	buck
Breed Weight:	70 kg	80 kg
Breed Height:	60 cm at withers	75 cm at withers
Hair:	Short, soft and glossy	Short, soft and glossy
Ears:	Tubular and erect to the side of their heads	Tubular and erect to the side of their heads
Horns:	Stand up straight from the head in a V-Shaped and they are spiral. They are of medium length	Stand up straight from the head in a V-Shaped and they are spiral. They are of medium length
Matures at age:	5 to 15 months	3 to 15 months
Puberty Age:	4 to 10 months	4 to 9 months
Breeding Age:	18 months	1 year
Breeding Traits:	1 Breeding cycle	Cover 20 to 30 does in 1 season

DOE BREEDING & MILKING INFORMATION

The does have a high fertility rate, and they are able to breed twice a year. Once in the Autumn months and again in Spring
Breeding Period/cycle:	Usually lasts 12 to 36 hours Ave. 21 days/18 to 24 days
Gestation Period:	Usually, around 148 to 155 day but most are 150 days
Kids:	3 births of 1 to 3 kids every 2 years
Good Mothers?	They will tend to the kids until they are weaned and able to look after themselves
Lactation Period:	Up to 175 days
Milk Quality:	They will produce around 150 liters of milk in a lactation period
Milking Level:	They are not too hard to milk
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GOOD TO KNOW

Some pointers to know about the Verata goat for some additional information
Where to buy them:	They are not found in America as such there are no suppliers of these goats
Agility:	They are quite agile and can jump high and leap quite a distance
Interact with other animals:	They are quite happy to interact and socialize with other farm livestock

GENERAL INFORMATION:

The Verata goat is very popular in the village it came from for its milk which is excellent for producing cheese.

Verata goats are smaller than some other goat and therefore can be found in some homes in the Vera in Caceres of Spain.

They are also very easy to care for and maintain as the breed takes well to stall feed and can be raised on various feed when grazing is scarce.

They are used for meat production as such any viable skins may possibly be used for the production of various leather products.

The kids mature and gain weight quite quickly and can usually be slaughtered around 45 days old.

HISTORY

The Verata goat originates from comarca of La Vera in the Province of Caceres in western central Spain.

The Verata goat was traditionally raised in the Sierra de Gredos until at the end of the twentieth century the breed was displaced from its origin and found its way to the comarca of Navalmoral de Mata to the South of Spain.

This breed was known to be really easy to handle and raise being able to adapt without a problem to many climates, environments and different management systems.

They are especially prone to love the more mountainous areas as they have powerful legs and incredible balance which helps them easily navigate this type of terrain.

They are also able to survive and sparse or poor feeds.