Spanish Goat Breed Bloodlines

  • The Spanish Goats were dropped off along the coastal regions of the Americas over 500 years ago. They have been adapting and thriving without human management for centuries.
  • The Spanish Goat Breed is at its base a Landrace. Being a Landrace enables genetic diversity and adaptation like no other domestic goat breed.This diversity enables the goats to adapt and genetically respond to their environment.
  • As a result of this fact, when a herd of Spanish goats are raised in a closed management system, they will adapt both genetically and phenotypically.
  • In 2007 Leslie Edmundson – The Spanish Goat Association, along with Dr. Sponenberg enrolled producers to name their herds. The genetics that originate from these ranches are named for the producers and/or ranches they originated from.
  • Due to the genetic and phenotypical traits, as well as the need to preserve and protect the genetic diversity, the Spanish Goat Registry tracks the bloodlines by the original names.
  • We are working on individual descriptions and best example photos and videos of these particular bloodlines.
  • We will announce when this project is complete.

Baylis Spanish Goat Bloodline
Named after Rob Baylis, Eastabuitchie, Mississippi

Rob Baylis began raising Fullblood Spanish Goats when he was a boy. Eastabuitchie, Mississippi is in the Piney Woods region of Mississippi – a hot, humid region covered in pine trees. Rob lived near the river and the goats foraged on pines, Yaupon bushes and Bluestem grass.
Rob’s goats were used for land management. Parasites and hoof issues were not a problem for the Baylis herd, they had adapted well to their Southeastern climate. Rob raised the Baylis for 75 years and kept a closed herd except for the occasional Nubian sire. The Baylis herd in Mississippi got up to about 400 goats before Rob died and the goats were split up.
The Baylis herd was sold to a breeder in Arkansas. From there the goats were sold to a breeder in North Carolina and another breeder in Kentucky.
The Baylis goats are distinct with their predominantly tri color markings, however they have multiple color combinations within a herd, outright ears and twisted horns. The Baylis are a medium size goat which makes them a better land manager than a meat goat. They are incredibly hardy and adaptable, ideal for running with cattle or on their own with predator protection. They are excellent mothers and can be bred back so that they kid two times per year.
Unfortunately, two circumstances have led to challenges for current breeders to manage. First, from time to time Rob would bring in a Nubian Sire which caused split scrotums, multiple teats and udder engorgement. Secondly, the breeders did a great deal of inbreeding prior to the establishment of the Spanish Goat Registry (SGR).
SGR Certified Breeders of the Baylis Bloodline have been diligent in improving the Baylis line with DNA Registrations and Parent Verifications to manage inbreeding challenges, and removing females with multiple teats, and/or udder issues, as well as males with large split scrotums from the gene pool altogether.
Today, we have a group of dedicated Baylis Bloodline Spanish Goat Breeders that SGR is honored to be working with to preserve this valuable adaptive and hardy set of genetic traits.