Savanna
Savanna is a large meat breed from South Africa.
Does at 143 lb (65 kg) (typical).
We show every headline figure our sources carry for this breed. The full record, including what we searched for and did not find, is below.
Registered by North American Savannah Association (NASA), Pedigree International, American Meat Goat Registry (American Savanna Registry) (AMGR).
Good for
Not for
Nothing in our sources counts against a particular use.
Savannas share their foundation stock with the Boer and Kalahari Red, but look nothing alike: solid white, with black-pigmented skin, horns, nose, udder, genitals, and hooves, plus a cashmere undercoat that grows in for winter over a mohair-free base coat.
Mature does run around 143 lb, bucks around 231 lb. NASA’s own breed guide names reproductive efficiency, litter weaning weight relative to the doe’s own weight, as the breed’s single most economically valuable trait, ahead of rate of gain. Breeding runs year-round rather than seasonal.
Hardiness, heat tolerance, cold tolerance, and parasite resistance are all rated high, a breed built to work with minimal input across a wide range of conditions.
How Savanna compares
Too few sourced figures for a group median: 1 of 9 meat breeds have one.
Does are cited at 143 lb, above the median of 100 lb across the 17 breeds in our list with a sourced doe weight.
Not enough sourced data to rank Savanna on weaning weight. Our sources didn’t publish one. 1 of 9 meat breeds in our list have a sourced figure for this.
Full record
Size
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Size class | Large2 |
| Mature doe weight | 143 lb (65 kg) (typical)1 |
| Mature buck weight | 231 lb (105 kg) (typical)1 |
2 more fields not found in our sources
| Height at withers (doe) | Not found in our sources* |
| Height at withers (buck) | Not found in our sources* |
Appearance
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Coat type | Double-coated with down4 |
| Coat length | Short4 |
| Colors | white, off-white, gray4 |
| Patterns | black/brown speckling on ears4 |
| Ears | Pendulous5 |
| Horns | Horned6 |
| Distinguishing features | Solid white goat with black-pigmented skin, horns, nose, udder, genitals and hooves (breed standard preference), Grows a cashmere undercoat in winter, Large, well-muscled meat-type frame4 |
1 more field not found in our sources
| Facial profile | Not found in our sources* |
Meat
Mature carcass: AMGR describes Savanna kids as producing 'carcasses with good conformation' at an early-to-medium maturity rate.2
Muscling: NASA's breed guide describes reproductive efficiency (litter weaning weight relative to doe weight) as the breed's most economically valuable trait, alongside good rates of gain.3
3 more fields not found in our sources
| Weaning weight | Not found in our sources* |
| Average daily gain | Not found in our sources* |
| Dressing percentage | Not found in our sources* |
Fiber
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Fiber type | Cashgora4 |
| Annual fleece yield | Not applicable, Winter undercoat is not commercially harvested. |
| Fiber diameter | Not applicable, Not commercially measured. |
| Staple length | Not applicable, Not commercially measured. |
| Shearings per year | Not applicable, Not sheared for fiber. |
| Down percentage | Not applicable, Not commercially measured. |
Breeding
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Breeding season | Year-round breeder5 |
3 more fields not found in our sources
| Litter size | Not found in our sources* |
| Age at first breeding | Not found in our sources* |
| Weight at first breeding | Not found in our sources* |
Temperament and management
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Docility | Moderate4 |
| Temperament tags | Alert, Calm4 |
| Hardiness | High4 |
| Heat tolerance | High3 |
| Cold tolerance | High3 |
| Parasite resistance | High4 |
4 more fields not found in our sources
| Handler experience level | Not found in our sources* |
| Browse clearing suitability | Not found in our sources* |
Housing: Not found in our sources*
Fencing: Not found in our sources*
History and registries
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin country | South Africa1 |
Breeds like this one
Boer
The Boer converts feed into carcass at a rate its standard calls unusually high among mutton breeds.
Kalahari Red
Kalahari Reds have no US registry of their own, so breeders dual-register them under two other associations.
Kiko
Kiko is a standard-sized meat breed from New Zealand.
About goats generally
The facts below are stated by extension and veterinary sources for goats as a species, not for this breed specifically, shown separately from the breed's own cited record above.
| Fencing / escape difficulty | High7‡ |
| Hardiness | High7‡ |
| Heat tolerance | High8‡ |
| Cold tolerance | Low9‡ |
| Browse clearing suitability | High7‡ |
Housing: Goats generally don't need elaborate housing -- a simple three-sided structure that blocks wind and rain is enough, at roughly 15 square feet of bedded space per animal. The real hazard is cold, damp drafts rather than fresh air itself: sustained drafty, wet-cold conditions can quickly bring on pneumonia and scours in young kids more than in adult stock.10‡
Fencing: Goats are notorious escape artists, so fencing built for cattle or sheep usually isn't enough. A multi-strand, electrified high-tensile fence with hot wires worked into the first, third and top strands is the standard effective approach; plain woven wire works too, but needs an extra interior electric strand to stop goats climbing on it or catching their heads and horns in the mesh.7‡
‡ Facts marked with a double dagger are about goats generally, not specifically this breed. See "About goats generally" above.
Sources (10)
- The Origin and Development of Savannah Goats (North American Savannah Association) · breed registry / association, retrieved 2026-09-05
- Savanna Goat in America - American Meat Goat Registry · breed registry / association, retrieved 2026-09-05
- Savannah Goat Guide (NASA) · breed registry / association, retrieved 2026-09-05
- American Savanna Registry Standards, American Meat Goat Registry · breed registry / association, retrieved 2026-09-05
- South African Savanna Breed Standards (AU) | Pedigree International · breed registry / association, retrieved 2026-09-05
- Breeding Better Savannahs (NASA) · breed registry / association, retrieved 2026-09-05
- Meat Goat Production | Penn State Extension · university extension, retrieved 2026-09-05
- Nutritional Requirements of Goats | Merck Veterinary Manual · peer-reviewed / government / conservation body, retrieved 2026-09-05
- Shelter, Fencing and Predator Control Needs on Pasture | Langston Ag Research · university extension, retrieved 2026-09-05
- Goat Housing and Facilities | Penn State Extension (Meat Goat Production and Management Home Study Course) · university extension, retrieved 2026-09-05
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