Sarda goat

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Sarda
Conservation status FAO (2007): not at risk [1]
Country of originItaly
Distribution Sardinia
Standard MIPAAF
Usemilk, also meat [2]
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    67 kg [3]
  • Female:
    50 kg [3]
Height
  • Male:
    77 cm [3]
  • Female:
    70 cm [3]
Wool colorvery variable
Horn statusmay be horned [4]
Beardmay be bearded [3]
Tasselsmay be present [4]

The Sarda is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, off the west coast of central Italy. It is raised throughout the island, particularly in the provinces of Cagliari and Nuoro. [2] It is an ancient breed that has been influenced by the Maltese goat. [2]

Contents

The Sarda is one of the eight autochthonous Italian goat breeds for which a genealogical herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep- and goat-breeders. [5] [6] The herdbook was established in 1981. [7] In 1998 the total population was 260000, of which 6577 were registered in the herdbook; [2] at the end of 2013 the registered population was 11121. [8]

Characteristics

The animals are of medium build, long-necked and deep-chested; the does have well-developed udders. The breed is particularly hardy and well-suited to being raised in a wild or semi-wild state in tough conditions. As much of the available pasture is used by the Sarda sheep, goats are marginalised and allowed only the poorest terrain; they are fed little or nothing over and above what they can graze. [2]

Use

The milk yield of the Sarda per lactation of 220–240 days [2] is 173±62 litres for primiparous, 215±98 litres for secondiparous, and 237±109 litres for pluriparous, nannies. [3] The milk averages 3.94% protein, and is used to make Gioddu, a fermented milk product; Casu Axeddu, a mixed pecorinocaprino cheese; and ricotta. [2]

Kids are slaughtered at a weight of 7–10 kg. [2]

Related Research Articles

Sarda sheep Breed of sheep

The Sarda is a breed of domestic sheep indigenous to the island of Sardinia. It is raised throughout Italy, and in other Mediterranean countries, particularly Tunisia. The Sarda is considered to be among the best Italian breeds of sheep for production of sheep's milk; most of the milk is used to make pecorino sardo cheese. The Sarda is highly adaptable; it may be kept on lowland or on mountainous terrains, and is suitable both for intensive and for extensive or transhumant management. The long, coarse white wool is used for weaving carpets and other goods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maltese goat</span> Breed of domestic goat

The Maltese is a breed of domestic goat from the east and central Mediterranean area. It originates in Asia Minor, and takes its name from the island of Malta. It is raised mainly in southern Italy, and particularly in the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. Although the Maltese: Mogħża Maltija is reported to DAD-IS, the official view is that there are no pure-bred specimens of the breed in the Maltese islands, although it is possible that some modern Maltese goats are closely related to the original type. The Maltese is also present in Greece, Turkey and the Maghreb.

The Jonica is a breed of domestic goat from the province of Taranto, in Puglia in southern Italy. The origins of the breed are uncertain; it is thought to have originated from crossing of local varieties with the Maltese breed. The Jonica is one of the eight autochthonous Italian goat breeds for which a genealogical herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.

The Finarda is a breed of large domestic sheep from the regions of Lombardy and Piemonte in northern Italy. It is heavy breed raised mainly for meat, although it also yields 4–6 kg of wool per year. It results from cross-breeding the Bergamasca and Biellese breeds. It is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders. However, in 2008 the herdbook was empty, and may in fact never have been activated. Most data for the breed dates from 1983.

The Istriana or Carsolina, Croatian: 'Istarska Ovca', Slovene: 'Istrska Pramenka', is a breed of domestic sheep from Istria and the Karst regions of the northern Adriatic, from north-east Italy to Croatia and Slovenia.

The Altamurana is a breed of sheep from the province of Bari, in Puglia in southern Italy. It takes its name from the town of Altamura, in the Murge. It is of Asiatic, possibly Syrian, origin. It is raised mainly in the provinces of Bari and Foggia. It was formerly considered a triple-purpose breed, yielding meat, milk, and wool; it is now kept principally for milk production. It yields approximately 65 kg of milk per lactation, with on average 7.5% fat and 6.5% protein.

The Rossa Mediterranea is a breed of domestic goat from the Mediterranean island of Sicily, in southern Italy. It derives from the Damascus goat of Syria and the eastern Mediterranean, and is thus also known as the Derivata di Siria. It is raised mainly in Sicily, but also in Basilicata and Calabria in southern mainland Italy.

The Sempione is a rare breed of domestic goat from the mountains of Piemonte in north-western Italy and the neighbouring area of Simplon in the canton of Valais in Switzerland; Sempione is the Italian name for Simplon. The Sempione goat is well documented in photographs from the early twentieth century, but is now thought to be close to extinction, and has more than once been considered extinct. Examples were recorded at Saliceto di Cravagliana in the province of Vercelli in 1983, and others have since been identified in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, particularly in the Val Divedro and the upper Ossola.

The Napoletana is a breed of domestic goat from the area south of Naples, in Campania in southern Italy. It is raised on the slopes of Vesuvius, on the slopes of the Monti Lattari, and in the Agro Nocerino Sarnese which lies between them. The origin of the breed is unknown. It may derive from goats of African origin imported to the area in the early years of the twentieth century; the alternative name Torca Nera, "black Turkish goat", suggests an origin in the Mediterranean basin.

The Grigia Molisana is an indigenous breed of greyish domestic goat from Molise in southern Italy. It is raised in the comuni of Acquaviva Collecroci, Castelmauro, Montefalcone nel Sannio, Montemitro and San Felice del Molise; all are in the province of Campobasso, and the breed may also be called the Capra di Campobasso. The highest concentration is in Montefalcone, from which the name Capra di Montefalcone derives. The origins of the breed are not known; studies conducted in the 1980s suggest influence from the Alpino Comune, Garganica and Maltese breeds.

The Di Teramo is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the province of Teramo, in Abruzzo in southern Italy, and is raised only in that area. Numbers are very low; the breed was listed as endangered by the FAO in 2007. It is further threatened by cross-breeding with the Garganica breed.

The Rustica di Calabria or Sciara is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from Calabria in southern Italy. It is raised mostly in the provinces of Catanzaro and Cosenza. Although present in substantial numbers it has been little studied; its conservation status and origins remain unclear. It may have been influenced by the various goat breeds, including the Abyssinian goat, the Maltese and a type known as "Tibetan", whose introduction to Calabria in the early twentieth century is documented.

The Cilentana Fulva is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the province of Salerno, in Campania in southern Italy. It takes its name from the geographical region of the Cilento, much of which is today within the Parco Nazionale del Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni, and is raised in that area, in the Monti Picentini, and throughout the province of Salerno. It is one of three indigenous goat breeds in the Cilento, the others being the Cilentana Grigia and the Cilentana Nera. The Cilentana Fulva is found on lower ground and richer pasture than the Cilentana Nera, and is raised mainly for milk. It appears to derive from inter-breeding of local goats with the Maltese and particularly the Derivata di Siria, with which it shares many characteristics.

The Cilentana Grigia is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the province of Salerno, in Campania in southern Italy. It takes its name from the geographical region of the Cilento, much of which is today within the Parco Nazionale del Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni, and is raised mainly in that area, but also in the Monti Alburni and the Monti Picentini. It is one of three indigenous goat breeds in the Cilento, the others being the Cilentana Fulva and the Cilentana Nera. The Cilentana Grigia is found on lower ground and richer pasture than the Cilentana Nera, and is raised mainly for milk. The origins of the breed are obscure; it shows the influence of the Maltese and Garganica breeds, and similarities to other Italian grey breeds such as the Ciociara Grigia of Lazio and the Argentata dell'Etna from Sicily.

The Argentata dell'Etna is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the area of Mount Etna in the province of Catania and the Monti Peloritani in the province of Messina, in the Mediterranean island of Sicily, in southern Italy. It is raised mainly in that area, but also in the provinces of Enna and Palermo. It is named for the volcano and for its silvery grey coat. The origins of the breed are unknown; it shows similarities to the Garganica breed, and to other Italian grey breeds such as the Ciociara Grigia of Lazio and the Cilentana Grigia of Campania.

The Nicastrese is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from Calabria, in southern Italy. It originates in the province of Catanzaro, and takes its name from the former town of Nicastro, which since 1968 has been part of Lamezia Terme. The Nicastrese is raised mainly in the area of origin, but also in the neighbouring provinces of Cosenza and Reggio Calabria. Photographic evidence suggests that it may be closely connected to the old "Araba" breed of the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nera Verzasca</span> Breed of goat

The Nera Verzasca, also known as the Nera di Verzasca or Verzaschese, is an indigenous breed of black domestic goat from the Valle Verzasca, in the canton of Ticino in southern Switzerland, from which it takes its name. It is raised in that area and in the provinces of Como, Varese and Verbano Cusio Ossola in northern Lombardy, in the north of Italy.

The Valfortorina or Capra di Benevento is a rare breed of domestic goat from the Val Fortore in the province of Benevento, in Campania in southern Italy. It survives in very low numbers, and its conservation status was listed as "critical" by the FAO in 2007. A small number are kept at Benevento by the Consorzio per la Sperimentazione, Divulgazione e Applicazione di Biotecniche Innovative (ConsDABI), the institution responsible for the conservation of genetic resources in Italy.

The Roccaverano is an indigenous breed of large domestic goat from the Langhe, in the provinces of Asti and Cuneo, in Piemonte in north-western Italy. It is raised mainly in the Langa Astigiana, mostly within the Comunità montana Langa Astigiana Val Bormida, and is named for the town and comune of Roccaverano in that area. The origins of the breed are unknown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Messinese goat</span> Breed of goat

The Messinese is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the area of the Monti Nebrodi and the Monti Peloritani in the province of Messina, in the Mediterranean island of Sicily, in southern Italy. It is raised mainly in those areas, but also in the provinces of Catania, Enna and Palermo. Its range partly overlaps that of the Argentata dell'Etna. The breed was officially recognised and a herd-book established in 2001. It was previously known either as the Capra dei Nebrodi or in general as the Siciliana Comune.

References

  1. Barbara Rischkowsky, D. Pilling (eds.) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN   9789251057629. Accessed June 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Daniele Bigi, Alessio Zanon (2008). Atlante delle razze autoctone: Bovini, equini, ovicaprini, suini allevati in Italia (in Italian). Milan: Edagricole. ISBN   9788850652594. p. 394–95.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lorenzo Noè, Alessandro Gaviraghi, Andrea D'Angelo, Adriana Bonanno, Adriana Di Trana, Lucia Sepe, Salvatore Claps, Giovanni Annicchiarico, Nicola Bacciu (2005). Le razze caprine d'Italia (in Italian); in: Giuseppe Pulina (2005). L' alimentazione della capra da latte. Bologna: Avenue Media. ISBN   9788886817493. p. 381–435. Archived 5 October 2014.
  4. 1 2 Razza Sarda: Norme Tecniche Allegate al Disciplinare del Libro Genealogico della Specie Caprina (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia. Accessed June 2014.
  5. Le razze ovine e caprine in Italia (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia: Ufficio centrale libri genealogici e registri anagrafici razze ovine e caprine. p. 36. Accessed June 2014.
  6. Strutture Zootecniche (Dec. 2009/712/CE - Allegato 2 - Capitolo 2) (in Italian). Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali. Section I (e). Archived 4 May 2014.
  7. Breed data sheet: Sarda/Italy. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed June 2014.
  8. Consistenze Provinciali della Razza 47 Sarda Anno 2013 (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia: Banca dati. Accessed June 2014.