Shami: A Goat Being “Remade” into a Cow (9 photos)

As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For example, do you think these goats in the photo are beautiful? And in the Middle East, beauty contests are held especially for such animals! The price for the winners can exceed 6 thousand dollars! But what for such money? To scare the neighbors at night?





This unusual breed of ungulates, depending on the region of cultivation, is called shami, aleppo, damascene, or damask goat. But no matter what you call it, the essence is the same - the face of the goats. It may look strange to us, but in the breed's homeland: Syria, Lebanon and Cyprus, these horned ones are considered divinely beautiful and are valued as highly as elite racehorses in Saudi Arabia.



The more convex the goat's skull, the more forward the lower jaw, the smaller its nose - the more beautiful the shami are considered. Of course, they also look at the length of the legs, height, weight and overall build. The ideal Damascus goat should be about 80 centimeters at the withers and weigh 60-70 kilograms. Compared to regular goats, Damascene goats will be slightly taller and larger, but will still give the impression of being light and graceful animals.





This is no longer a goat, but a pony with horns!

The breeders of the Middle East worked hard on the selection of goatbuldogs. Initially, ungulates were not an object of admiration - they were bred for tasty milk, meat, wool and skin. In the local climate, it cannot be otherwise. There is little food, it is hot, dry, and it is simply not possible to keep two different herds for milk and meat. So the breeders have developed a super-universal breed "for everything".



Long ears are also required by the standard: they help the goats cool down.

Shami kids gain 150-300 grams of weight per day from the first days of life and grow very quickly. The goats are distinguished by their fertility: in one litter, Damascene usually gives birth to 2-4 kids - ordinary goats give birth to half as many kids.



These kids are so cool that they have been raising their noses since birth.

In addition, short-faced goats are distinguished by a long lactation period, high milk yields and fat content of milk. They say that the most purebred shams give about 1000 liters of milk per season. If we compare in proportions, then a goat replaces a cow: village cows, which are five times larger, give 4000-5000 liters of milk per lactation.



This is not a double-barreled bagpipe! This is an udder!

Also, breeders of the breed note the endurance of Damascus goats. They say that they will survive both heat and severe frost. They can live on pasture and behave as adequately as possible. There is exactly half the truth here. Shami were bred in a hot, dry climate, so in the vast expanses of our vast country, the goats will be comfortable until autumn. Then, please build a warm barn, otherwise the goat-bulldogs will freeze.



Love is blind, you can fall in love with a Damascus goat!

Don't count on food either. Yes, Damascus goats will survive on a meager diet, but then you'll have to forget about high milk yields. The only thing that breeders are honest about is their character: the animals are very peaceful, they don't try to escape, they don't stand on their horns, and they don't get stuck wherever they can or can't.



By the way, the shami's face is not always scary, there are also cute options.

Today, this terribly beautiful breed of goats is bred not only for food, but also just to be. It was in recent years that ungulates have developed a muzzle twisted into a ram's horn. It does not provide any functionality, on the contrary: goats with a severely deformed skull have a harder time chewing and drinking. Beauty is a terrible force.



Here is one of the most valuable specimens - with white fur and blue, almost white eyes.

But lovers are ready to pay big money for high-bred short-faced goats, so that they can admire them for hours and show off to their guests. Actually, in our country, the owners of shami will not go unnoticed either.