Extremely rare Rawhiti goats (formerly known as Tuart English goats) at Te Hua Farm in Oxford, New Zealand.
We are striving to preserve this feral breed that closely resembles their ancestors, the English goat, but has adapted over the past 140 years to the bush of New Zealand. Read on, and don't miss the history of these fascinating goats, as well as our conservation and photos pages! We are currently following a Rescue Conservation Breeding Program to save this breed.
All the does are being hand mated, which means that we take the doe to her chosen buck (based on which of the three family groups she is in, as part of our conservation efforts) when she shows signs of being in oestrus. In this manner, we know within a day or two the date she will be due, and can watch her carefully for signs of labour. We don’t usually assist births unless absolutely necessary, but we still make sure the kid is all right once it’s on the ground, and we dip the umbilical cord in iodine tincture to prevent possible infection. Besides, none of us ever tire of watching the newborns getting to their shaky legs and having their first feeds!
