Not a single breed but any goat producing commercial cashmere — the fine, soft, downy winter undercoat beneath a coarse guard-hair outer coat. Hardy cold-climate foragers selected for down fineness and yield.
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From the minimum an animal needs to be kept humanely, up to the ideal setup. Bigger is almost always better — minimums are floors, not targets.
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Minimum
Pair + clean paddock + shed
0.25 ac paddock for 2 head + dry shed + climb area
Fiber goats are herd animals — keep at least 2. Paddock with browse, climbing, and a dry, clean 3-sided shed (fleece quality drops fast in muddy or burdock-heavy paddocks). Tight 5 ft fencing and predator-proof perimeter.
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Recommended
Rotated browse + clean shelter
≈ 0.5 ac per goat, rotated + clean barn for fleece
Rotate paddocks across varied browse. Keep shelter clean to protect fleece from VM (vegetable matter), provide free-choice minerals (copper + selenium where deficient), clean water, and an LGD or strong perimeter.
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Ideal
Managed fiber herd
Managed rotation, barn, shearing schedule
Pasture and browse with clean shelter for fleece quality, twice-yearly shearing schedule (typically spring and fall), hoof trimming every 6–8 weeks, and parasite monitoring. Cashmere goats produce the soft undercoat (cashmere) combed or shorn in spring — clean dry shelter and good fence/forage management matter for fiber quality.
Life & growth stages
How this animal changes through its life — each stage often has its own care, diet and space needs.
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Newborn
Newborn mammals are nursed on their mother's milk. Many are born helpless — blind, deaf, and sparsely furred (altricial, as in dogs, cats, and rodents) — while others stand and follow within hours (precocial, as in hoofed livestock).
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Juvenile
After weaning, juveniles grow quickly and become increasingly active, playful, and independent. Adult coat, proportions, and (in many species) the permanent teeth come in as they approach full size.
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Adult
Adults reach full body size and sexual maturity, with the species' mature coat and build. Sexual dimorphism — differences in size, mane, horns, or markings — is pronounced in some mammals and subtle in others.
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Senior
Senior animals show aging signs such as graying fur, reduced activity, and a greater need for veterinary monitoring of joints, teeth, and organ function. Lifespan and the onset of old age vary widely by species and size.
Color & pattern variants
Natural variants occur in the wild; selectively bred (man-made) variants were developed in captivity.
Hardy and cold-tolerant — they actually grow their valuable down in response to short winter days and cold — so pasture/range with a basic windbreak and dry shelter suffices in most climates. Provide secure fencing, dry standing ground and ample browse. Unlike Angoras they keep a protective double coat, so they handle harsh weather far better.
Diet
Excellent foragers on browse, brush and grass/legume hay with little grain; good nutrition over winter supports down growth and body condition. Free-choice water, loose goat mineral (copper, selenium) and salt. Maintain steady condition through the fiber-growing season rather than fattening on grain.
Behavior & temperament
Generally hardy, independent and adaptable, with temperament varying by foundation breed. The purpose is fiber: cashmere is harvested once a year as the down sheds in late winter/spring, collected by combing or by shearing and then de-hairing to separate down from guard hair. Yields are small (often only a few ounces of finished cashmere per goat), so they are usually kept in larger herds or as dual fiber/meat animals.
Health
Robust and well adapted to cold; double coat protects against weather (a welfare advantage over single-coated Angoras). Standard caprine concerns apply — internal parasites (FAMACHA monitoring), coccidiosis in kids, hoof care, and copper/selenium deficiency in deficient soils. Because 'cashmere goat' spans many populations, conformation and hardiness vary with the underlying stock.
Tips, DIY & hacks
Comb out the shedding down in late winter as it loosens, or shear and de-hair; timing matters because the down sheds naturally in spring and can be lost. Don't blanket or over-shelter — cold and short days are what stimulate the prized down. Select breeding stock for fine micron count and high down-to-guard-hair ratio. Keep in a herd; combine fiber with meat or brush-clearing for practicality given the small fiber yield.