Conservation status | FAO (2007): no concern [1] |
---|---|
Other names | |
Country of origin | Switzerland |
Distribution | worldwide |
Standard | |
Use | milk |
Traits | |
Weight | |
Height | |
Skin colour | white |
Coat | white |
Horn status | horned or hornless |
Notes | |
short-haired | |
|
The Saanen [a] is a Swiss breed of domestic goat. It takes its name from the Saanental in the Bernese Oberland, in the southern part of the Canton of Bern, in western Switzerland. It is a highly productive dairy goat and is distributed in more than eighty countries worldwide. [3]
The Saanen originates in the historic region of Saanen (French : Comté de Gessenay) and in the neighbouring Simmental, both in the Bernese Oberland, in the southern part of the Canton of Bern, in western Switzerland. [4]
It is reported from more than eighty countries. The total world population is reported to be over 900,000 head. [3] Of these, some 14,000 are in Switzerland. [5] : 404
It has since the nineteenth century been exported to many countries of the world, and has given rise to many local sub-breeds, often through cross-breeding with local goats. Among these local variants are the Banat White in Romania, the British Saanen, the French Saanen, the Israeli Saanen, the Russian White, the Weiße Deutsche Edelziege in Germany, and the Yugoslav Saanen. [5] : 404
A black variant, the Sable Saanen, was recognised as a breed in New Zealand in the 1980s. [5] : 398
The Saanen is the largest breed of Swiss goat: [5] : 404 billies stand about 90 cm (35 in) at the withers and weigh a minimum of 85 kg (190 lb). [2] It has white skin and a short white coat; some small pigmented areas may be tolerated. [2] It may be horned or hornless, and tassels may be present. The profile may be straight or somewhat concave; the ears are erect and point upwards and forwards. [5] : 404
The Saanen is the most productive milk goat of Switzerland, [5] : 404 which has the most productive milking goats in the world. [5] : 345 Average milk yield is 838 kg in a lactation of 264 days. [5] : 404 The milk should have a minimum of 3.2% fat and 2.7% protein. [2]
It is not well suited to extensive management, and is usually raised intensively. Being pale-skinned, it does not tolerate strong sun. [5] : 404
The Simmental or Swiss Fleckvieh is a Swiss breed of dual-purpose cattle. It is named after the Simmental – the valley of the Simme river – in the Bernese Oberland, in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. The breed is typically reddish in colour with white markings, and is raised for both milk and meat.
The Valais Blacknose, German: Walliser Schwarznasenschaf, is a breed of domestic sheep originating in the Valais region of Switzerland. It is a dual-purpose breed, raised both for meat and for wool.
The Toggenburger or Toggenburg is a Swiss breed of dairy goat. Its name derives from that of the Toggenburg region of the Canton of St. Gallen, where it is thought to have originated. It is among the most productive breeds of dairy goat and is distributed world-wide, in about fifty countries in all five inhabited continents.
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.
The Braunvieh or Swiss Brown is a breed or group of breeds of domestic cattle originating in Switzerland and distributed throughout the Alpine region. It falls within the "Brown Mountain" group of cattle breeds. The Swiss Braunvieh was originally a triple-purpose animal, used for milk production, for meat and for draught work; the modern Braunvieh is predominantly a dairy breed.
The Buša or Busha is a breed or group of breeds of small short-horned cattle distributed in south-eastern Europe, principally in Albania and the countries of the former Yugoslavia – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Related breeds include the Gurgucke, Lekbibaj and Prespa of Albania, the Gacko of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Greek Shorthorn, the Metohija Red of Kosovo and the Rhodope Shorthorn of Bulgaria.
The Anglo-Nubian is a British breed of domestic goat. It originated in the nineteenth century from cross-breeding between native British goats and a mixed population of large lop-eared goats imported from India, the Middle East and North Africa. It is characterised by large, pendulous ears and a convex profile. It has been exported to many parts of the world, and is found in more than sixty countries. In many of them it is known simply as the Nubian.
The Golden Guernsey is a rare breed of dairy goat from Guernsey in the Channel Islands, where it has been known for more than two hundred years. In 2024 it received a Royal title from King Charles III and is officially the Royal Golden Guernsey Goat.
The Appenzell, French: Chèvre d’Appenzell, German: Appenzellerziege, is a rare and endangered indigenous breed of white domestic goat from Switzerland. It originates in the "half-cantons" of the historic Appenzell region, Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Appenzell Innerrhoden, and has spread into the neighbouring Canton of St. Gallen.
The Barbari or Bari is a breed of small domestic goat found in a wide area in India and Pakistan. It is distributed in the states of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh in India, and in Punjab and Sindh provinces of Pakistan.
The Danish Landrace is a Danish breed of dairy goat.
The Dutch Landrace is a traditional Dutch breed of domestic goat. It has been known in the Netherlands since the seventeenth century, and was formerly numerous there. It came close to extinction in the 1950s, but was saved by cross-breeding with unrelated goats, and by 2020 numbered over 2000 head.
The Irish Goat is a traditional Irish breed of domestic goat. It is a dual-purpose breed, used both for meat and for milk. It is an endangered breed and may survive only in feral populations. It is distinct from the feral Bilberry Goat of Waterford.
The Laoshan goat breed from the Shandong Province of China is used for the production of milk. It is derived from the selective breeding of local goats crossed with Saanen goats first introduced to the area in 1904.
The Russian White Dairy or Russian White is a Russian breed of dairy goat. It derives from cross-breeding of the indigenous North Russian with imported Swiss Saanen goats; this began in about 1905. The Gorki derives from it, but is always horned, while the Russian White may be horned or polled. It has become a rare breed, numbering only a few thousand head.
The Sahelian is an African breed or group of breeds of domestic goat. It is used to produce meat, goatskin and milk. It is distributed in twelve African countries, principally in the Sahel region from which the name derives, but also in other parts of Africa – in the Central African Republic, Ghana, Somalia and Togo; it is also present in Iran. The largest population is reported from Mali, where in 2015 there were about 35 million head, or about 75% of the total population of almost 48 million.
The Valais Blackneck is a Swiss breed of domestic goat from the canton of Valais. It is distributed in southern Switzerland – the largest concentration is in the area of Visp (Viège) – and in neighbouring areas of northern Italy; it is present in modest numbers in Austria and Germany. It is known by many names, including German: Walliser Schwarzhalsziege or Gletschergeiss; French: Col Noir du Valais, Chèvre des Glaciers or Race de Viège; and Italian: Vallesana or Vallese.
The Sirohi is an Indian breed of domestic goat. It is named for its area of origin, the Sirohi District of Rajasthan, in north-western India. It may be described as a dual-purpose breed, reared for both meat and milk production, or as meat breed. It is well adapted to the dry tropical climate of Rajasthan.
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 Capra Grigia, French: Chèvre grise des montagnes, German: Graue Bergziege, is a rare and endangered Swiss breed of domestic goat. It originates in the valleys of the cantons of the Grisons or Graubünden in the eastern part of the country, and of Ticino or Tessin in the south. It is possibly related to the grey type of the Passeirer Gebirgsziege from the Autonomous Province of Bolzano in north-eastern Italy.