Black Bengal goat

Black Bengal is a small-framed, highly prolific meat-and-skin goat breed of eastern India and Bangladesh, registered with the ICAR National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR). It is widely kept by smallholders and landless households in West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam and adjoining states as a low-input source of meat and household cash.

Origin and distribution

The breed is concentrated in the Ganga-Brahmaputra plain of West Bengal, Bihar and Bangladesh, with secondary populations in Odisha and Assam. It adapts to humid sub-tropical conditions and to browsing on roadsides, bunds and crop residues.

Morphology

Black Bengal is a dwarf goat with a tight, glossy black coat; brown, white and grey individuals also occur. The body is deep and almost triangular when viewed from the side, with short legs and short horns. Adult males weigh 25-30 kg and adult females 20-25 kg, making it one of the smallest registered Indian goat breeds.

Performance

The breed is best known for its prolificacy. Does usually attain first kidding at 9-10 months, frequently produce twins or triplets, and can kid twice a year under good nutrition. Meat is fine-textured, lean and dark, fetching a premium in eastern Indian markets. Black Bengal skin is internationally recognised for its fine grain and is processed into high-end leather.

Management

The breed thrives under low-input village conditions with browse, kitchen waste and minimal concentrate. Mortality of newborn kids is the principal production loss; clean kidding pens, colostrum within the first hour and a structured vaccination calendar against peste des petits ruminants, foot-and-mouth disease and enterotoxaemia are important (Small Ruminant Vaccination Schedule). Elevated slatted-floor sheds keep animals dry in the humid east and reduce parasitism (Elevated Goat Sheep Shed).

References

Goat Breeds of India. ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources.
Breed Descriptor of Black Bengal Goat. Indian Journal of Animal Sciences.