Dairy goat breeds are unique animals. A farmer can get healthy milk from which cheese is made, and a decent amount of wool from them. Even Robinson Crusoe survived on a desert island largely by taming a goat. There are many types of dairy goat breeds, let’s get acquainted with the most common of them.
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Dairy goat breeds
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Goats of the Zanen breed
The homeland of these goats is distant Switzerland, and specifically the valley called Saanental. Today, it is one of the most common goat breeds in Europe.
Saanen goat breed
Zanen goats are distinguished by their large physique. The growth of an adult goat can be from 75 to 85 centimeters. In weight, an adult can reach up to 90 kg.
This breed is usually hornless, which means they don’t have horns. The standard coat color for them is white, as in the photo. On the ears and udder, pigment spots of a dark skin tone may occur. A distinctive characteristic of such goats is their endurance in different climatic conditions, as well as the fact that they produce many offspring.
It should be noted that there is a record amount of milk in the world, and it belongs to the Zanen goat breed. This is 3507 liters of milk. The average amount of milk from one adult goat is approximately 600 liters of milk per year. This milk is 4% fat.
The prices for these animals are quite high. The price per animal can be approximately $500. You can buy a Zanen goat in one of the private farms.
Toggenburg breed
This breed got its life in Switzerland by breeders. Farmers love this breed for its high acclimatization ability. Toggenburg goats can survive in almost any environment, even very cold ones.
Mother and kid of the Toggenburg breed
Even the owners love them for their high degree of fertility. But in order for this fertility to be, goats require special care for themselves:
- They require a clean, dry, warm barn for themselves.
- Concrete floor, which is covered with wooden decks, and covered with hay on top.
- Each Toggenburg goat must be kept in a separate stall.
- They must have quality food. Even in the summer, this breed will need vitamin and mineral supplements.
- Requires access to green pasture.
- If you want the Toggenburg goat’s milk to taste great, then keep the goats in a separate room from the goats.
But, if you comply with all these conditions, then you will get a good milk yield, from which you can make decent quality cheese. A goat can produce an average of two kids per year. The advantages of the Toggenburg breed are also that the kids grow quickly, and adult goats live long.
Toggenburg representatives are distinguished by a light brown shade of wool, on the muzzle there are two characteristic white stripes, as in the photo. The physique is strong, but harmonious.
Alpine goats
These goats also come from Switzerland. But the latest breeding work on this breed was carried out in England and France. Despite such a pretentious name, this breed does not require any special conditions for itself. They are not picky about food. A distinctive characteristic is that these goats climb mountains remarkably, where they get juicy and green grass for themselves.
Alpine goat breed
Alpine goats have an interesting character. They love to communicate with people, are distinguished by their loyalty to the owner, and lend themselves well to education.
Such animals are characterized by a variegated color. In the color, in the classic version, there is a white head and neck, the body is brown or black, as in the photo. Outwardly, such alpine artiodactyls are small in size. They have a small head and a long, graceful neck.
The growth of an adult can be 75 centimeters, despite the fact that its weight is about 60 kg. In one pregnancy, an alpine goat can bear two or three kids at once. As for lactation, approximately 1200 liters of milk can be obtained from one Alpine goat per year. This milk is 5% fat.
On the territory of Russia, alpine goats are quite common. Therefore, if you want to acquire such a breed for yourself, then this will not be difficult. One adult will cost about 20 rubles.
Breed of white Russian goats
This breed is the result of selection work in the region of Russia. Already by the name of these animals, you can understand that they have a characteristic white shorts. The physique of these animals is strong, but harmonious.
The growth of an adult individual can be about 80 centimeters, this is with a weight of about 50 kg. As a rule, representatives of these artiodactyls are horned, but sometimes they can also be found with horns. During lactation, a white Russian goat can bring its owner a milk yield of 500-800 liters of milk. This milk is 4-5% fat. This breed is very common in Russia, one adult goat can be purchased for 3000 rubles.
Gorky goat breed
This breed got its life on the territory of Russia. In breeding work, a white Russian goat and a Saanen breed were crossed.
If we consider these domestic animals with other domestic goats, then we can safely say that in the dairy direction, the Gorky specimen is the best.
Animals of the Gorky breed are distinguished by grace and grace, but at the same time they have a rather strong body structure. The growth of an adult will be approximately 70 centimeters, this is with a weight of 50 kg. There are representatives of Gorky individuals, both with horns and without them. A characteristic feature of the appearance are the ears that stick out forward and up.
Gorky goats
The standard color is white. The wool of such a goat contains about 10% down. This breed is versatile. As for milk, a farmer can get about 450 liters of milk per year from one goat during lactation. In addition, such goats are bred for both meat and wool.
Farmers love this breed also because they are hardy in different climatic conditions, they are able to survive even in extreme cold. The advantage is that they are unpretentious in the feed. For one pregnancy, a female Gorky goat can bring two or even three kids at once, which also cannot but please farmers. It is best to purchase such a breed through special shops with photos of goats or private farms. One goat will cost you 6000 rubles. These are the dairy goat breeds.
