Yichang White Goat is a geographical indication certification trademark. Yichang White Goat is an agricultural product with geographical indication.

Yichang White Goat is the only goat breed in Hubei Province selected into the National Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources Protection List. Yichang white goats have been famous for thousands of years, are well-known at home and abroad, and sell well in Southeast Asia. They were selected into the "Chronicle of Chinese Sheep Breeds" and can be called the "nobles" among Chinese goats.

Yichang is the area with the highest concentration of white goats in China.

Yichang white goats are full of treasures. White goat meat is delicious, rich in protein, and low in fat and cholesterol. It is one of the important meat products for humans. Goat milk has a lower fat content than cow's milk and is easy to digest and absorb. Therefore, goat meat and milk are ideal foods for humans, especially middle-aged and elderly people, children, and patients with high blood pressure and heart disease. The ancients listed them as precious supplements. Goat skin is an important raw material for high-end leather products.

Reproduction and Feeding Management Goats mature sexually earlier than sheep. The age of first mating varies with breeds and regions. Generally, early-maturing varieties are 8 to 12 months old. Late-maturing varieties are about 18 months old. The body weight of young ewes is equivalent to more than 70% of adult body weight. The female goat has obvious signs of estrus such as meowing and tail wagging. Estrus lasts for 1 to 2 days and the estrus cycle lasts for 18 to 20 days. Most varieties are bred in estrus in autumn and winter. But some varieties, especially those distributed in low latitudes, can be in estrus all year round and produce three crops every two years or two crops a year. The gestation period is 146 to 150 days. The lambing rate is generally above 150%. First-time ewes usually have a single lamb. After the second pregnancy, they often give birth to double or triple lambs.

Goats are mainly raised for grazing. In pastoral areas and mountainous areas, grazing occurs all year round, with supplementary feeding only in snow-covered areas and before and after lambing of ewes. In agricultural areas, farmers tend to disperse livestock and use riverside, roadside and other open spaces for seasonal grazing or grazing. In places where there are no grazing conditions, some animals are housed all year round. In the green grass season, each sheep is fed 3 to 5 kilograms of mowed grass per day, and in the dry grass season, each sheep is fed 1 to 1.5 kilograms of hay per day. Breeding rams and ewes in late pregnancy and lactation should be supplemented with concentrate. It is heat-resistant, but is afraid of strong wind and cold rain, so it is necessary to pay attention to the cold and rain. Take a medicated bath two weeks after shearing. Male lambs not used for breeding are castrated about half a month after birth.

Yichang White Goat

Regional Scope

The origin of Yichang White Goat is Yiling (formerly Yichang County), Yichang City, Hubei Province (formerly Yichang County), Changyang, Wufeng, and Yidu , Zigui, Xingshan and other counties and cities. Specifically, it includes: starting from Xiseguo Forest Park in Yiling District and Gufu Town in Xingshan County in the north, bordering Shennongjia Forest District and Xiangyang City; extending to Yaqueling Town in Yiling District and Yuan'an County in the east; and extending to the Qingjiang River Basin in the south. In the downstream area are Changyang, Wufeng, Yidu and other counties and cities; in the west it borders Zigui, Badong and other counties. The total production area is 2.12 million hectares, with an annual population of more than 580,000 goats. Its geographical location is between 110°15′-112°04′ east longitude and 29°56′-31°34′ north latitude.

Product quality characteristics

1. External sensory characteristics: delicate and compact body, white coat, short and close-fitting hair, less fluff, and longer coat of male sheep. The head is of medium size, with a beard under the chin, medium-sized ears, straight backs and erect ears. Ewes have slender and delicate necks; rams have shorter, thicker necks. Both male and female sheep have horns, which are tilted toward the two rear sides; the horns are relatively solid, the base of the horns is slightly flat and thick, and the horns are pink. The back and waist are relatively straight, and the cross is slightly higher than the bun. The abdomen is large and round, with obvious crotch. The tail is short and curled up. The limbs are strong and powerful, the hooves are solid, and they are good at climbing steep slopes. Ewes have two effective teats and two auxiliary teats. Ram - well proportioned in size. 2. Memory quality index: mutton has excellent quality and high nutritional value. Total protein ≥18%, the actual test value is 20.1%; total fat ≤16%, the actual test value is 5.8%; cholesterol ≤812mg/Kg, the actual test value is 563.3mg/Kg; rich in 17 kinds of amino acids, the total amount of amino acids Reached 17.4%. 3. Quality and safety requirements: Strictly implement the regulations of NY5147-2002 "Pollution-free Food Mutton", NY5149-2002 "Pollution-free Food Mutton Feeding Veterinary Epidemic Prevention Guidelines", NY5151-2002 "Pollution-free Food Mutton Feeding and Management Guidelines" standards.