Chegu
Feb 21, 2013
The Chegu breed is fairly widespread in Himachal Pradesh. A few thousands are also found in Sikkim.
Chegu goats are recognised for their multifarious utility as providers of quality meat (chevon), pashmina the valuable textile fibre, coarse fibre, manure, hide and skin, and milk to a limited extent. They are predominantly white, though greyish red and mixed colours do occur. Chegu goats are medium sized with small ears and horns which are bent upward, backward and outward.
These goats are reared under a small scale extensive and/or semi intensive production system based on free-ranging/grazing on natural pastures, common village grazing lands, fallow uncultivated lands, road-side vegetation and high altitude pastures. Kidding takes place once a year with single births. According to the 18th Livestock Census 2007, the number of Chegu goats in the country is 10,097. The National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources has put the Chegu goat breed on the ‘endangered species list’.
| Adult Male | Adult Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Average Body weight (kg) | 35 to 40 | 30 to 35 |
| Average Body length (cm) | 72 to 77 | 65 to 69 |
| Average Height at withers (cm) | 68 to 68 | 58 to 61 |
| Average Chest girth (cm) | 86 to 93 | 74 to 78 |
