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Pakistan has been blessed with all that nature has to offer this world, and that includes some of the most beautiful goats in the world.
Goats are one of the most beautiful animals in the world, and they are also one of the most useful.
Not only are goats pleasant to look at, they also offer various uses to their owners, such as providing ample amounts of milk and meat.
The Dera Din Panah goat is one of the most commonly found goats in Pakistan and is popular throughout the subcontinent in general. It has also been called the “poor man’s cow” owing to its size and characteristics.
It is not a particularly rare breed of goat, owing to its large numbers, but it is commonly bred and raised in Pakistan for a variety of reasons.
Such is its popularity that you would find it a challenge to go into a market or show for goats and not see a Dera Din Panah standing amongst them.
Origin Of Dera Din Panah
The Dera Din Panah is a very important breed of goat and most of its population resides in the southern parts of Punjab.
The name of the species itself comes from a small town in southern Punjab known as Dera Din Panah. This is because this town is where this breed of goat originated from.
This town is located near other large cities in southern Punjab, such as Multan and Muzaffargarh. The Dera Din Panah is mostly found in these cities and their surrounding areas.
The reason for this is that most of its population has always been born and has been brought up in the areas surrounding the town of its origin.
Population
God has blessed Pakistan with many different species of goats, all with their own benefits, unique attributes, and aesthetic traits. There are a total of 57 million goats in Pakistan, and this number consists of multiple different species of goat. One of these is the Dera Din Panah.
According to research, the Dera Din Panah breed accounts for more than one hundred and forty thousand goats out of the millions of goats present in Pakistan as a whole. It has to be noted that this number is taken from a study in the year 2006, which means that the number will probably have grown considerably by 2021.
Appearance and Characteristics of Dera Din Panah
Stature and Size
The Dera Din Panah is not a small animal by any means. Unlike some goats that are very small in size, such as the teddy goat, the Dera Din Panah is a relatively bigger and heavier goat in size.
On a scale relative to all the breeds of goats in Pakistan, the Dera Din Panah would be classified as a medium to large size animals by people who study them.
The average height for a male Dera Din Panah goat has been estimated to fall around the eighty one (81) centimeter mark by researchers. On the other hand, the average height for a female Dera Din Panah is naturally smaller at seventy (70) centimeters.
Its weight is actually one of its determining characteristics, since it is one of the heaviest goat breeds in the country.
The average weight for Dera Din Panah goats is around sixty two (62) kilograms when talking about bucks. When talking about does, the average weight falls to about forty one (41) kilograms.
At these weight averages, the Dera Din Panah falls on the heavier and larger side of the size chart for goat breeds in Pakistan.
However, there is more to the Dera Din Panah than its size and weight. The Dera Din Panah has long, sturdy legs and a muscular appearance overall. This makes the Dera Din Panah an attractive animal.
Color
The Dera Din Panah is mainly found in the color black. However, despite a large majority of Dera Din Panah goats being black, other colors have also been observed. Very rarely, you will be able to find Dera Din Panah in dark brown colors as well.
Hair
The hair on the body of the Dera Din Panah is long and think. It is black in color and falls down the side of its body in all directions due to its longer length. This hair grows from the top of the Dera Din Panah’s head and down to its feet. The fact that it covers the whole body of the Dera Din Panah gives it a particularly unusual appearance.
If allowed to grow unchecked, the hair starts to become wavy and develops small curls as well. Along with being thick, it is also rough. This is why goat farmers prefer their Dera Din Panah to have shorter hair so that they look more aesthetically appealing.
The coat of hair surrounding the body is cut once a year. This is usually done a short time before any exhibitions where the animal needs to look its physical best to attract buyers or win contests.
Horns
The horns of a Dera Din Panah are widely believed to be its most distinguishing and visually appealing traits.
Its horns range from a medium to long length when compared to other goats in the country. Relative to these other breeds of goats, the horns of the female Dera Din Panah are more attractive and dangerous as well.
The horns grow straight up out of its skull in an upward and outward direction. This means that the horns are moving away from each other as they go up.
The appearance of the Dera Din Panah’s horns and its muscular form point to the fact that they evolved as such to allow it to defend itself against would be aggressors. This means that the Dera Din Panah is well equipped to defend itself against potential predators and even other alpha males within its own group of goats.
Ears
The ears of a Dera Din Panah are also exceptional.
Some popular goat breeds in Pakistan have small ears falling to the sides or small ears standing upright. But unlike all of these, the Dera Din Panah has elegantly long ears that fall straight downwards. Its ears also form a twisted pattern as they fall to top of its legs.
This trait of the Dera Din Panah is also popular with small children because they love to play with the ears of the Dera Din Panah.
Watching children hold these goats by the ear and walk them around is a common sight, especially during festive events such as Eid.
However, you have to remember that pulling the ears of the Dera Din Panah can be extremely painful for the animal. As such, you should instruct young ones around you to do it carefully and also avoid doing it yourself.
Main Uses of Goat
As mentioned above, some people have called the Dera Din Panah a “poor man’s goat”.
As such, the Dera Din Panah is farmed and reared for many different reasons by the people who keep them for financial reasons.
These financial uses for the Dera Din Panah are explained below.
Milk
The primary and most popular reason that the Dera Din Panah is reared by farmers is because of its exceptional milk production.
The Dera Din Panah has been known to produce anywhere between 3 to 6 liters of milk per day. This is a very high yield as far as goats are concerned, and one of the best when compared to other breeds of goat in the country. Read my Guide about Interesting fact Do Male Goats Produce Milk?
Despite the fact that most people in country’s urban population prefer to drink cows’ milk, goats’ milk is still popular in the rural areas of Pakistan. For this reason, the Dera Din Panah’s high milk production is a very desirable trait.
Meat
The Dera Din Panah is not exactly known for its production of meat. This is because its production of milk is so good that most of the farmers that rear these animals do so for the benefits associated with their milk production.
However, that does not mean that the Dera Din Panah does not produce good quality meat. The fact that the Dera Din Panah is muscular and large in size even helps in this regard.
As such, the Dera Din Panah can also produce high amounts of good quality meat if needed.
Adaptability
The Dera Din Panah can also survive in varying and different types of climates and are resilient against changing weathers, which makes them desirable for goat farmers in the country.
Due to their stubbornness against the weather and ability to tough it out, they present a safe investment for farmers looking to make money off of the benefits offered by these animals.
Conclusion
The Dera Din Panah offers multiple different benefits to its owners, such as ample production of milk and a good yield of meat when needed. Moreover, its adaptability and strength makes it one of the most well-liked breeds of goats.
At the end of the day, the Dera Din Panah is one of the most useful and visually appealing goats in Pakistan and you can’t go wrong if you’re choosing the Dera Din Panah.
