UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Washington, D. C. 



Contribution from the Forest Service 

 HENRY S. GRAVES, Forester 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



April 30, 1919 



PRODUCTION OF GOATS ON FAR WESTERN 



RANGES. 



By W. R. Chapline, Grazing Examiner. 



The goat range problem 



Range suitable for goats 



Management of the goat range 



Management of a range herd of goats. 

 Kidding 



CONTENTS. 



Page. | 



1 



2 



6 

 11 

 18 



Selection of goats for the range. 



Breeding 



Costs and receipts 



Summary 



Page. 

 26 

 30 

 31 

 32 



THE GOAT RANGE PROBLEM. 



On far western ranges goats are raised mainly for mohair and 

 meat and secondarily for milk and hides. On farms they are val- 

 uable also for clearing brush. The possibility of clearing brushy 

 areas by heavy stocking with goats and the excessive overgrazing 

 and injury to the range which has resulted on many goat ranges 

 from lack of proper management have created the impression that 

 goat grazing can not be conducted without unwarranted damage to 

 range and timber reproduction. Furthermore, a lack of proper se- 

 lection, care, and management of the range goats has resulted in a 

 low average production of mohair and meat and small profits. There 

 are individuals, however, who have improved their methods of man- 

 agement for the range and the goats so that they have eliminated 

 overgrazing and injury to the range and established a profitable 

 business. The adoption of similar improved methods more generally 

 by range goat growers would greatly decrease injury to the range 

 and to tree growth and watersheds where these are factors, and 

 would place the range goat industry upon a more stable and re- 

 munerative basis. 



The goat range problem to-day has three important phases: first, 

 determining the character of range suitable for goat grazing ; second, 

 developing methods of management of goat range which will insure 

 profitable production of goats without detriment to cattle and sheep 

 raising, timber reproduction, watershed protection, and other uses of 

 S4091°— 19 1 



