A cashmere goat is any breed of goat

Goat

The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...

 that produces cashmere wool

Cashmere wool

Cashmere wool, usually simply known as cashmere, is a fiber obtained from Cashmere and other types of goats. The word cashmere derives from an old spelling of Kashmir. Cashmere is fine in texture, and strong, light, and soft. Garments made from it provide excellent...

, the goat's fine soft downy winter undercoat, in commercial quality and quantity. This undercoat grows as the day length shortens and is associated with an outer coat of coarse hair, which is present all the year and is called guard hair. Most common goat breeds, including dairy goats, grow this two coated fleece.

The down is produced by secondary follicles, the guard hair by the primary follicles.

In 1994, China had an estimated goat population of 123 million goats and is the largest producer of cashmere down. Local breeds are dominant. In the past decades, breeding programs have been started to develop productive breeds.

Alashanzuoqi white cashmere goat

The Alashanzuoqi white cashmere goat is found on the Alashan Terrace which is located to the west of the Inner Mongolia

Mongolia

Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...

n plateau. Selective breeding for down production has occurred since 1970. The Alashanzuoqi goat produces a long white cashmere with a pleasing lustre. The average doe down production is 251 grams at a diameter of 14.5 micrometres (µm).

Australian cashmere goat

The foundation stock for the Australian Cashmere Goat

Australian Cashmere Goat

The Australian Cashmere Goat breed of domestic goat originating in Australia. Whilst retaining the fertility and hardiness of the bush goat, the Australian Cashmere is quite different in appearance and temperament...

 was taken from North and West China from the local bush goat population in the late 1970s. The production varies from herd to herd with the most productive herds averaging 250 grams at a diameter of 15 micrometres (µm). There is a breed and fleece standard, and active development of the breed continues with the University of Western Australia

University of Western Australia

The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...

 running a sire referencing scheme.

Changthangi

The Changthangi

Changthangi

The Changthangi or Pashmina goat is a breed of goat from Tibet or neighbouring areas in the Ladakhi Changthang, usually raised for meat or cashmere wool ....

 or Pashmina

Pashmina

Pashmina refers to a type of fine cashmere wool and the textiles made from it. The name comes from Pashmineh , made from Persian pashm . The wool comes from changthangi or pashmina goat, which is a special breed of goat indigenous to high altitudes of the Himalayas in Nepal, Pakistan and northern...

 goat is found in Ladakh

Ladakh

Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...

 and Baltistan

Baltistan

Baltistan , also known as بلتیول བལིུལ་ in the Balti language, is a region in northern Pakistan which forms Gilgit-Baltistan, bordering the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China. In addition, a part of Baltistan also falls into Jammu and Kashmir of India. It is situated in the Karakoram mountains...

 (Kashmir region). They are raised for meat and cashmere production and used as pack animals. The breed is most often white but black, gray and brown animals also occur. They have large twisting horns.

Hexi

The Hexi Cashmere

Hexi Cashmere

The Hexi Cashmere goat breed from desert and semidesert regions of the North Gansu province of China is used primarily for the production of cashmere fiber. About 60% of the goats are white. The Hexi cashmere can be found in the Gansu, Qinghai and Ningxia provinces. A typical adult doe produces 184...

 has a long history in desert and semi desert regions of Gansu province, China. About 60% of the goats are white. The Hexi cashmere can be found in the Gansu

Gansu

' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...

, Qinghai

Qinghai

Qinghai ; Oirat Mongolian: ; ; Salar:) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake...

 and Ningxia

Ningxia

Ningxia, formerly transliterated as Ningsia, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Located in Northwest China, on the Loess Plateau, the Yellow River flows through this vast area of land. The Great Wall of China runs along its northeastern boundary...

 provinces. A typical adult doe produces 184 grams of down at 15.7 micrometres (µm) diameter.

Inner Mongolia cashmere goat

The Inner Mongolia

Inner Mongolia

Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...

 cashmere goat is a local dual purpose breed with a long history. It adapts well to the desert and semi desert pastures. The goats can be divided into 5 strains, Alasan ( Alashanzuoqi), Arbus, Erlangshan, Hanshan and Wuzhumuqin. The first three strains produce quality cashmere, the last two have been developed for high production. The average down yield is approximately 240 grams with an average down diameter between 14.3 to 15.8 micrometres (µm). The cashmere length is between 41 and 47 mm. In 1994 the total Inner Mongolian goat population was approximately 2.3 million goats.

Liaoning cashmere goat

Breeding animals were selected in the 1960s from six counties in the eastern mountain area of Liaoning

Liaoning

' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...

 province. The herd has been continually developed since then and used to improve the cashmere herd throughout China. The Liaoning goat is mainly found in the Buyun mountains in the Liaodong peninsula, Liaoning

Liaoning

' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...

 province. The breed was formally named the Liaoning cashmere goat by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture in 1984. By 1994, selected Liaoning does where producing 326 grams of down at 15 micrometres (µm) diameter. The selection work emphasizes size, length of body, quantity and quality of cashmere, the ability to climb, sturdiness, conformation and growth.

Licheng Daqing goat

The Licheng Daqing goat is a dual purpose breed from the shanxi

Shanxi

' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....

 province, China. The down is brown and the average doe down yield is 115 grams at 14 micrometres (µm) diameter.

Luliang black goat

Is a dual purpose goat found in the Lüliang

Lüliang

Lüliang is a prefecture-level city in Shanxi province in China. It has an area of 21,000 square kilometers and a population of 3,600,000.-Administration:Lüliang has direct jurisdiction over:-External links:*...

 area, it produces a small quantity of dark down.

Tibetan Plateau goat

In 1994, there were more than 7 million Tibetan Plateau and Valley goats in China. Five million were in Tibet

Tibet

Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...

, 1 million in Sichuan

Sichuan

' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...

, half a million in Quanghai and about 100,000 in Gansu

Gansu

' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...

. There are also a small number of Tibetan goats in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

 and Nepal

Nepal

Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...

. The Tibetan plateau goats are kept for down production. In 1994, an adult doe's average down production was 197 grams, while the average adult buck's down production was 261 grams.

Wuzhumuqin

This is an Inner Mongolian strain. It is a new breed, recognized in 1994 and is distributed mainly in Xilingele Meng. The development of the breed started in 1980. By 1994, the breed had 372 nucleus herds and 681 selection herds. The bucks have thick long horns and 85% of the does are horned. Ninety eight percent (98%) of the herd is white. The developers of the breed claim the lustre of the fleece is better than the Liaoning goat. The average production of a Wuzhumuqin adult does in 1994 was 285 grams at 15.6 micrometres (µm) diameter, the average down length was 46 mm.

Zhongwei goats

The Zhongwei Goat

Zhongwei Goat

The Zhongwei goat is a breed of goat from the arid desert steppes of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Gansu Province of China. It is used primarily for the production of kid pelts, and secondarily for cashmere fiber....

 originated in the semi desert and desert area around Zhongwei in Ningxia

Ningxia

Ningxia, formerly transliterated as Ningsia, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Located in Northwest China, on the Loess Plateau, the Yellow River flows through this vast area of land. The Great Wall of China runs along its northeastern boundary...

 and Gansu

Gansu

' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...

provinces in China and are famous for their kid fur and cashmere production. The average fibre production for does is 216 grams at 15 micrometres (µm) diameter.