Kodi Adu is a tall, long-legged meat goat from the dry coastal belt of Thoothukudi and Ramanathapuram districts in southern Tamil Nadu. Its white coat is splashed with black or reddish-brown, and it is built for walking long distances to browse. ICAR-NBAGR registered it as a breed in 2016.
How to recognise it
- The name: Kodi Adu means a goat with a long, lean body. It is also called Porai Adu, after the splashes of colour on its coat (ICAR-NBAGR).
- Colour: white, splashed with black or reddish-brown. Goats with reddish-brown splashes are called Chem-Porai, and those with black splashes Karum-Porai; in a TANUVAS survey, about 73% of the goats were Chem-Porai (TANUVAS study).
- Build: tall, long, lean and leggy, with a compact body and long, straight legs set squarely under it. It is taller and longer than Kanni Adu and Salem Black (TANUVAS study).
- Head: a straight face, small bright eyes with black eyelashes, a grey tapering muzzle, and medium-long, leaf-shaped ears that hang half-way down. The hooves are grey.
- Horns and beard: two horns pointing up and back, curving down or up to a sharp tip, thicker and longer in bucks. Most bucks (62%) and a few does (14%) have a beard, and bucks have longer, rough hair on the neck and withers (ICAR-NBAGR).
- Weight: NBAGR records adults at the six-tooth stage at about 33 kg (buck) and 31 kg (doe) (ICAR-NBAGR). Older, full-mouth goats in the TANUVAS survey averaged about 41 kg and 33 kg (TANUVAS study).
What it is good for
- Meat. Kodi Adu is kept mainly for meat, with skin and manure as extras; the does are not milked for the household (ICAR-NBAGR).
- Growth. Kids weigh about 3 kg at birth, 14–15 kg at 6 months and 22–24 kg at 1 year.
- Kids. About 1.6 kids per kidding on average. Does first kid at about 15 months, kid again about every 7–8 months, and have about 7–8 kiddings in a lifetime (ICAR-NBAGR).
- Breeds all year. Does come into heat in every season, most often in September to November (TANUVAS study).
- Built to walk. Its long legs suit long walks while browsing in a hot, dry tract that gets about 668 mm of rain a year (ICAR-NBAGR).
Where it is mainly found
NBAGR registers Kodi Adu as a Tamil Nadu breed and gives its home tract as Thoothukudi and Ramanathapuram districts (ICAR-NBAGR, breed register). TNAU names the Thoothukudi, Ettayapuram and Vilathikulam taluks of Thoothukudi district as its main area (TNAU). A TANUVAS survey estimated about 1.67 lakh Kodi Adu goats, kept by small and marginal farmers and landless labourers in herds of about 18 goats (TANUVAS study).
Looking for Kodi goats?
See goat ads in the districts where Kodi goats come from, or search “Kodi” in the Kattutharai app to find them near you. The seller names the breed and Kattutharai does not check it, so look at the animal yourself before you pay.
Goat and sheep ads in its home districts, 1 Nov 2026:
Rearing tips
- A browsing breed. In the home tract, herds browse over 5–10 km a day and are housed only at night (NBAGR database). Kodi Adu suits farmers with scrub and grazing land nearby; if you plan to keep goats in a shed, first read choose a feeding system.
- Grow fodder for the dry months. TANUVAS researchers call for more fodder in the breed's home tract (TANUVAS study). See grow your own fodder.
- Prevent disease. NBAGR's record lists PPR, foot-and-mouth disease, foot rot, bluetongue, enterotoxaemia, anthrax, breathing infections, lice, fleas and ticks in the breed, and about 17% of kids died before 1 year (ICAR-NBAGR). Follow the vaccination calendar and the advice in Goat kid care: colostrum, creep feed and weaning.
- Pick bucks by weight, from another herd. Farmers keep a few of the heaviest male kids for breeding (NBAGR database). Change the buck every 2–3 years: see avoid inbreeding.
Buying tips
- Look for the splashes and the height. A true Kodi Adu is white with black or reddish-brown splashes, very tall and lean, with long straight legs and leaf-shaped, half-hanging ears. A short, stocky goat is unlikely to be a pure Kodi.
- Kodi, Kanni or Salem Black? Kanni Adu is black with white face stripes and Salem Black is all black, while Kodi Adu's coat is mostly white (TNAU). See Kanni goat: breed, weight and where it is found and Salem Black goat: breed, weight and where it is found.
- Crosses are common, so a goat sold as Kodi Adu may be a cross. The breed name in an ad is the seller's word, and Kattutharai does not check it. Ask to see the mother and the herd, ask where the parents came from, and check the signs above yourself.
- Check health and age before you pay: see How to buy goats safely: health, age and fraud checks.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kodi Adu good for a beginner?
It can be, if you live in or near its home districts, have scrub or grazing land for it to walk, and buyers near you ask for it. For a farm that will keep goats in a shed all day, read How to choose a goat breed: South Indian breeds compared before you decide.
How much does a Kodi Adu goat weigh?
About 22–24 kg at 1 year. At the six-tooth stage, bucks average about 33 kg and does about 31 kg (ICAR-NBAGR); older, full-mouth bucks averaged about 41 kg in a TANUVAS survey (TANUVAS study).
What do Chem-Porai and Karum-Porai mean?
They are the breed's two colour types: Chem-Porai is white with reddish-brown splashes, and Karum-Porai is white with black splashes. Both are Kodi Adu, and colour made no difference to the kids' growth in the TANUVAS survey (TANUVAS study).
Is Kodi Adu the same as Kanni Adu?
No. Both come from the dry south of Tamil Nadu, but Kanni Adu is black with white face stripes, while Kodi Adu is mostly white with colour splashes (TNAU) and taller (TANUVAS study).
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Compare Kodi Adu with Kanni Adu and Salem Black, or see all goat and sheep breeds. To find Kodi Adu goats near you, browse goats for sale.