What Are the Largest of the Spanish Goats?

Goats are categorized by the region of origin. Of the Spanish breeds the Spanish meat goat is the largest and meatiest of the goat varieties that originated in Europe and specifically in Spain. There are other local breeds with Spanish origins found around the United States. These include wood or briar goats in the the Carolinas and Florida and the scrub goats of Pennsylvania. The Spanish goat has no formal breed organization, and pedigrees are not kept, leading to some crossbreeding in many herds.

  1. Size

    • The Spanish goat reaches sizes of about 250 lbs. for bucks and 150 lbs. for does. This is somewhat smaller than the South African Boer goat, whose bucks can reach 300 lbs. It is larger than some of the other common goats such as the Tennessee fainting goat, which tops out at about 200 lbs.

    Appearance

    • The Spanish meat goat can be almost any color, ranging from white to black and brown, including spotted animals. The goats have two horns more predominant in bucks than in does. The goats have small udders and ears that hang down.

    Uses

    • Though the goats are predominantly used for meat production, the Spanish goat has other uses. In many cases it has been used to graze off undesirable vegetation in pastures. Ranchers put goats on pasture after cattle have been removed to eat the weeds the cattle won't eat. This prevents seed reproduction of the weeds.

    History

    • The Spanish goat breeds were brought to the Americas in the 1500s with the early Spanish explorers. The goats were farm livestock with little record keeping or pedigree information maintained. Some farmers crossed other breeds into their herds. This includes Boer goats to increase size and Nubian goats to increase milk production. The goats survived in the harsh environments of Mexico and the American Southwest, resulting in a hardy and tough animal.