Goats - Lithuanian Local

   Lithuanian local milky goats could have descended from Siberian mountain goat, and later – Russian milky goats spread from Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Ivanov, Yaroslavl, and other regions.
   Lithuanian local goats weigh 35-45 kg, their body is covered with long coarse hair, often they have a beard and ‘earrings’, and bigger or smaller horn. Possible colours are black, white, grey, brownish, and motley. Goats give forth 2-3 kids, produce 1-3 kg milk, are hardy and not demanding, and adjust themselves easily to keeping conditions. Such goats can still be found in more remote homesteads.
   Since 1990 the number of goats in Lithuania has been increasing; at the same time, import of goats and improvement of local ones has started. This is threatening the existence of the local breed. Today improved local goats, raised in five thoroughbred herds, are prevailing. The goat productivity has been controlled since 1992 by the state enterprises ‘Cattle Productivity Control’ and ‘Milk Testing’. In 2002 the number of controlled goats amounted to 510 local ones.
   The unified marking of goats, started in 2001, has not yet been completed. No herd books are available, but later they will be handled by the recognized goat breeding institution, Lithuanian Goat Breeders Association. Thoroughbred goat herds have breeding plans.
   The current status of local herds can be considered arguably stable, oriented to milk capacity increasing. The Lithuanian Goat Breeders Association in co-operation with scientific researchers is preparing breed conservation and development plan.