Oberhasli goat

Last updated
Oberhasli Goats.jpg
Other namesSwiss Alpine
Country of originOriginated in the Swiss Alps. Brought over to United States in 1900s.
Standard ADGA/AGS
Usemilk
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    68 kg (150 lb) [1]
  • Female:
    54 kg (120 lb) [1]
Height
  • Male:
    76 cm (30 in) [1]
  • Female:
    71 cm (28 in) [1]
Wool colorchamoisée, brown with black dorsal stripe and lower legs
Face colorbrown with black stripes
Horn statushorned or polled [2]
Notes
Website: Oberhasli Breeders of America
Oberhasli with atypical facial coloration; the two eyestripes are not apparent Oberhasli Goat face.jpg
Oberhasli with atypical facial coloration; the two eyestripes are not apparent
A black Oberhasli; only does may be black BlackOberhasli.JPG
A black Oberhasli; only does may be black

The Oberhasli is a modern American breed of dairy goat. It derives from the subtype of Chamois Colored Goat from the Oberhasli district of the Bernese Oberland in central Switzerland. All purebred members of the breed descend from five Chamois Colored Goats imported to the United States in 1936. A breeder's association was formed in 1977, and a herdbook established in the following year. Until then, goats of this type had been known as Swiss Alpine, and interbred with Alpine goats of other types. [3]

Contents

History

Goats of Oberhasli type were imported to the USA in 1906 and in 1920, but these goats were not bred pure and the bloodlines were lost. [1] In 1936, H. O. Pence imported five Chamois Colored Goats from Switzerland to the United States; all purebred Oberhasli in the USA descend from these. [1] Until the 1970s these animals were registered as Swiss Alpines. Crossbreeds with French Alpine or American Alpine stock were registered as American Alpines. [4]

An association of breeders, the Oberhasli Breeders of America, was formed in about 1977. [3] In 1978 [1] or 1979 [4] the Oberhasli was accepted as a breed by the American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA). A purebred herd maintained with records by Esther Oman, a breeder in California, was the foundation of the new breed. In 1980 the ADGA retrieved part-bred Oberhasli-type goats from its other herdbooks. [4]

In 2010 a total of 1729 head, distributed over approximately 30 states, was reported to DAD-IS, based on data from one (unspecified) breed registry only. [5]

Characteristics

Standards for the Oberhasli are published by the American Dairy Goat Association and by the American Goat Society. [6]

The coloring of the breed is called "chamoisée" or "chamoisee" for its perceived resemblance to the colors of the wild Alpine chamois. The coat is bay or mid-brown, with black markings consisting of two black facial stripes through the eyes to the muzzle, a black forehead, a black dorsal stripe or mule stripe, and black belly and lower limbs. Does, but not bucks, may also be solid black. [7]

The Oberhasli milk production record per lactation is 2,116 kg (4,665 lb). [7]

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Chamois Coloured goat Breed of goat

The Chamois Coloured Goat, French: Chèvre chamoisée, German: Gämsfarbige Gebirgsziege, Italian: Camosciata delle Alpi, is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from Switzerland. It is distributed throughout Switzerland and in parts of northern Italy and Austria, and has been exported to other countries including France. There are two strains, a horned type from the Grisons or Graubünden in the eastern part of the country, and a hornless type from the former bezirk of Oberhasli and the area of Brienz and Lake Brienz in the Bernese Oberland in central Switzerland. In some countries the hornless variety may be considered a separate breed, the Oberhasli goat. The Swiss herd-book was established in 1930.

The Ciavenasca is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the Valchiavenna, in the northern part of the province of Sondrio, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It is raised only in that area; the name of the breed derives from that of the valley or the town of Chiavenna. The Ciavenasca belongs to the group of polychrome or multi-coloured Alpine goat breeds and displays several distinct coat types, each of which has a name in the local dialect. Management is extensive: the animals are kept on high alpine pasture in the summer months. They are extremely hardy and well adapted to mountain terrain.

The Bormina is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the Valtellina, in the northern part of the province of Sondrio, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It is particularly associated with the area of the comune of Bormio, from which its name derives. Because of the reddish colour of its coat and its clear Swiss markings, it may also be call the Frisa Rossa. It is raised mainly in the Valtellina but is also reported from the Lario and from the area of Varese. It does not have official recognition in Italy, and breed numbers are very low. Management is extensive: the animals are kept on high alpine pasture in the summer months, and brought under cover in winter.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dohner, Janet Vorwald (2001), The encyclopedia of historic and endangered livestock and poultry breeds (PDF), Yale agrarian studies, Yale University Press, pp. 60–61, ISBN   978-0-300-08880-9
  2. "Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS) | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations".
  3. 1 2 Porter, Valerie (ed.), Ian Lauder Mason (2002). Mason's world dictionary of livestock breeds, types, and varieties 5th edition. Wallingford: CABI ISBN   085199430X. p. 149.
  4. 1 2 3 Ruth McCormick (July 2000). [History]. United Caprine News. Edited version on website of Oberhasli Breeders of America. Accessed June 2014.
  5. Breed data sheet: Oberhasli/United States of America. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed June 2014.
  6. ADGA/AGS Breed Standards [ permanent dead link ]. Oberhasli Breeders of America. Accessed June 2014.
  7. 1 2 Oberhasli goat. The Livestock Conservancy. Accessed June 2014.