Good milch breeds differ from one another in their breed characters, such as the color, shape of head and cars, size, and coat, but certain general features may be recognized as being constant in the majority of these breeds. These are described below.
Head
The head should be long and of moderate width, with a full and well-developed muzzle and prominent nostrils. It should be naturally hornless or disbudded. The head in the doe should be well-carried and should bear a feminine appearance. The eyes should be large and bright, set well apart, indicating docility and some capacity for understanding.
Neck and shoulders
The neck should be long and slim, and of good depth, with the tassels, if present, evenly hung. The withers and the shoulders should be fine in appearance, and connect the neck with the body with little break in continuity. A considerable thickness in the shoulders or a drop immediately between the shoulder blades is undesirable.
Chest
This should be moderately deep and of good width, giving the appearance of strength without coarseness.
Forelegs
The forelegs should be straight, strong, and possess good bone.
Feet
The animal should stand well on its legs without the tendency to ‘turn toes’ or ‘walk on heels’. The hairy growth covering the hoof should be kept trimmed to the ‘sole’ of the foot, leaving the latter bare underneath.
Body
Good depth is an important feature. It should drop in a gradual curve from the point where the abdomen unites with the chest, i.e. a little way behind the forelegs, and then rise slightly again to meet the udder. The back should be level from the shoulders to the hips and then drop slightly at the tail region. The hips are often slightly higher than the shoulders, but this need not be regarded as a defect. An excessive dip in the back, however, is highly undesirable. Plenty of length from the head to the tail is a desirable feature.
Ribs
The ribs should be well sprung so as to give a barrel effect; flat sides are a common fault. The abdomen should not be protruding beyond the width of the ribs so that its roundness is not affected.
Hind-quarters
There should be sufficient width across the hips and the rump and between the pin-bone and the hocks. The hind legs should face straight forward and not outward; the latter tendency is one of the commonest defects in goats resulting in the so-called ‘cow-hocks’. There should be a slight rise from the back to the hips and a gradual drop from the rump to the tail. A sharp drop from the hips to the tail is regarded as a defect.
Hind-legs
Bones should give the appearance of strength with the hocks slightly bent. The pastern should be short, its joint showing no sign of weakness that might result in dropped pastern.
Udder and teats
The udder should be carried well under the body. When viewed from the side it should be in front of the hind legs. It should be large, but its size should be proportional to the size of the goat. The skin of the udder is usually covered partly with fine, soft, and pliable hair. The texture of the udder should be reasonably soft. Heavy milk production is associated with the amount of milk-secreting tissue. The udder should undergo considerable shrinkage after milking. Milk ducts and teats should be entirely free from hard lumps, these being sometimes discovered only after milking. Such lumps indicate chronic inflammation, which may be due to several causes. The teats should be quite separate from the udder with a distinct line of demarcation, point downward and slightly forward, and be of moderate length and of suitable size to be conveniently held in hand during milking. Large milk veins should be present under the belly and Icad to the udder. These veins, although usually better developed in old goats, indicate superior milch quality. The shape of the udder in the Indian breeds varies considerably. The occurrence of four milking quarters, all lending themselves to being used in milking, is not uncommon in Jamunapari goats. This trait is found more in certain strains and is probably inherited.
Skin and hair
The skin should be soft, supple and loose. The coat varies in different breeds, but is generally glossy, with fine, short hair.