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Individuals of this breed are sometimes distinguished by color as Black, Brown, Gray and White Bengal. Personal surveys suggest that the breed could be separated into two types, one found in the hot humid plains of West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, and the other in the sub-temperate and humid uplands and plains of Assam and other northeastern States. The latter were earlier known as Assam Plain and Assam Hill goats, depending on their location but are not substantially different from the former.
Distribution
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Distributed throughout all eastern and northeastern India, from Bihar through northern Orissa to all West Bengal, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. T he total Bengal-type goat population in the States of West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, according to the 1972 census, was 14.164 m, of which 2.198 m adult males and 6.257 m adult females. In Assam and other northeastern States, the goat population was 1.501 m, of which 0.304 m adult males and 0.543 m adult females.
Breed characteristics
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Body weight
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20.38
|
|
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Body length
|
63.2
|
51.2
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Height at withers
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58.3
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55.4
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Chest girth
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72.0
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63.2
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Conformation
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Small animas. The predomonant coat colour is black, brown, gray and white are also found, the former two sometimes ith blac markings along the back and on the belly and extremities. In a survey of 20 goats in Assam, 96 were completely black, 1 completey white, 11 brown, 45 white with black markings and 17 brown with black marings. In another surveyin Bihar, the proportio f gray to brown as 35 : 65. The hair coat is short and lustoru. The nose line isslightlydepressed. Both sexes have small to medium horns, directed upward and sometimes backward, aerage horn length 6.4 cm (range : 5.8 to 11.5 cm). beard is observed in both sexes. The ears are short, flat and crried horizntally, average ar length 13.8 cm (range : 11.5 to 4.1 cm)
Reproduction
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Kidding percentage (%)
|
|
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Singles
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44.6
|
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Twins
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51.3
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Triplets
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4.1
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Performance
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Milk
|
|
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Lactation yield (Kg)
|
58
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Lactation length (days)
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118
|
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Meat (kg)
|
|
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At birth
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1.31
|
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At weaning
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6.09
|
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6 months
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8.80
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9 months
|
12.60
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Assam and other North-estern region
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|
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Adult males
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Adult females
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|
Body weight
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15.38
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14.27
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Body length
|
53.8
|
54.8
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Height at withers
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49.5
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49.3
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Chest girth
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58.7
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59.1
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