Alpine Goats

The Alpine Dairy Goat is also referred to as the French Alpine and registration papers for this dairy goat use both designations and they are synonymous. The Alpine dairy goat is a medium to large size animal, alertly graceful, and the only breed with upright ears that offers all colors and combinations of colors giving them distinction and individuality.

They are hardy, adaptable animals that thrive in any climate while Click to Enlarge maintaining good health and excellent production. The hair is medium to short. The face is straight. A Roman nose, Toggenburg color and markings, or all-white is discriminated against.

Alpine colors are described by using the following terms:

Cou Blanc (coo blanc) - literally "white neck" white front quarters and black hindquarters with black or gray markings on the head.
Cou Clair (coo clair) - literally "clear neck" front quarters are tan, saffron, off-white, or shading to gray with black hindquarters.
Cou Noir (coo nwah) - literally "black neck" black front quarters and white hindquarters
Sundgau (sundgow) - black with white markings such as underbody, facial stripes, etc.
Pied - spotted or mottled.
Chamoisee (shamwahzay) - brown or bay characteristic markings are black face, dorsal stripe, feet and legs, and sometimes a martingale running over the withers and down to the chest. Spelling for male is chamoise.
Two-tone Chamoisee - light front quarters with brown or gray hindquarters. This is not a cou blanc or cou clair as these terms are reserved for animals with black hindquarters.
Broken Chamoisee - a solid chamoisee broken with another color by being banded or splashed, etc.

Any variation in the above patterns broken with white should be described as a broken pattern such as a broken cou blanc.

Alpine Breed History

By Paul Hamby

Goats are believed to be the first animal domesticated by man. Bones of goats have been found in caves along with evidence of human inhabitation of those caves. One of the goat remains had evidence of a healed broken leg that could have only healed under the protection of human. Scientists determined she would have died in the wild without human intervention. Her remains have been carbon dated to 12,000-15,000 years ago. These goats were the Persian (middle eastern) goat "Pashang." Some Pashang migrated to the Alps Mountains. It is likely that some of them went to the Alps along with their human companions and other wild herds moved there.

Our present day Alpines descend from the Pashang goat, also known as the Bezoar goat. Alpines are found throughout the Alps Mountains, their namesake, in Europe. Over thousands of years, natural selection developed the Alpine breed with superior agility to survive on steep mountain slopes. They developed a perfect sense of balance. The breed maintained its ability to survive in arid regions. European goat herders started selective breeding for milk production and favorite colors.

The Alpines adaptability, sense of balance, and personality made them good candidates for voyages. Early voyages were made feasible by taking along goats for milk and meat. The early sea captains often left a pair of goats on islands along their shipping routes. On return voyages, they could stop and catch a meal or a fresh source of milk. Today Alpines can be found thriving in nearly every climate and the goat is the most common farm animal found around the world.

French Alpines

French Alpines are described as: "Color varies greatly and ranges from pure white through various shades and tones of fawn, gray, piebald, and brown to black." One of the great things about raising Alpines is the anticipation of the color markings of the new kids.

In France there was no breed recognized separately and distinctly, as "French Alpine." French Alpine is a name adopted my Americans to describe the first goats they imported from France. In France today Alpines are called "Alpine polychrome" meaning of many colors.

British Alpines

British Alpines look like black and white Toggs. They also resemble the Grison breed of Switzerland. British Alpines were first bred in England after Sedgemere Faith, a Sundgau doe was exported to England from the Paris Zoo in 1903. The British Alpine Section of the English Herd Book was opened in 1925. Allan Rogers imported British Alpines to America in the 1950s. In America, British Alpines are no longer registered separately, but as Sundgau in the French and American Alpine herdbooks. Sundgau is the name for the hilly geographic region near the French/German/Swiss border along the Rhine River.

Swiss Alpines

Swiss Alpines, now called Oberhasli, have a warm red-brown coat with black trimmings along the muzzle, face, back, and belly. This coloring is known as chamoisee for Alpines. The Oberhasli come from the Brienzer region of Switzerland near Bern.

American Alpines

American Alpines are an American original. This breed is the result of crossbreeding with French or American Alpines. This program has brought in genetics from several breeds and gives the American Alpine one of the largest genetic pools of any goat breed in America. The results have been dramatic with American Alpines setting production records, winning at shows and being a generally larger animal than the original French version. American Alpines represent the success of hybrid vigor.

Today's Alpines are a versatile utility animal. Great milkers for both home and commercial dairies, Alpines produce a high volume of milk. They have the ability to produce over a period of one to three years between freshenings or milk through. This produces valuable year round milk and reduces cost by not breeding every year. Alpine milk has a high cheese yield because of good butterfat and protein content. They produce well on pasture or in dry-lotted hay fed conditions. They are known for being exceptionally hardy, curious, and friendly.

While Alpine does make excellent dairy producers, bucks make good meat animals and will often gain weight as fast as the meat breeds. Alpine wethers also make excellent pack goats. They tend to be larger, stronger, and healthier than many other goat breeds. They train easily, bond with their keepers, and retain their guard dog like instinct out on the trail. An experienced Alpine Pack Goat can be amazingly trail wise. He will remember a trail he has been on and can lead the pack through snow and fog. Alpine Pack Goats thrive in most climates and they tolerate heat better than Saanens and Toggs. The beauty of Alpine colors make them appealing to the pack goat buyer.

From the Author: Information for this article was excerpted from my book in progress "The History of Goats in America" If you have an interesting bit of goat history to contribute, please send to 2402 SW Water Street, Maysville Missouri 64469. 816 449 2891 hds@ccp.com