The Alpine goat is resistant to any weather conditions, it is unpretentious to care for. For this reason, the species is very popular with experienced farmers. How beneficial their content is, and what disadvantages this breed has, will be described in the article.

Origin story

Alpine breed of goats already by its name speaks of the origin. It belongs to the alpine-high-mountain species, which determines the rapid adaptation of goats to cold and frost. Switzerland is considered to be the homeland of these goats. Then they spread to France, Italy, America. Today this species has become the most popular in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.

Appearance

Describing an Alpine goat is not an easy task, since they do not have a specific color.

Their wool can be:

  • pure white;
  • brown;
  • black;
  • two-color;
  • tricolor.

The coat of goats is short and smooth and serves to protect the animal from cold weather. It has no value in industry. Therefore, for farmers who breed animals for use in the wool industry, this breed will not be of interest.

The legs of goats are thin and at the same time strong. The muzzle is long and flat. The horns are high, strong and flat. It should be noted that the female does not differ much from the goat. The only difference is growth. Males grow up to ninety centimeters, females - up to eighty-five. The goat weighs from sixty to eighty kilograms.

Alpine goat

As for the general characteristics of the Alpine goat breed, it should be noted that it has a calm, balanced character. Due to their resistance to natural conditions, living creatures can exist peacefully without human help.

Performance characteristic

These goats are kept for their high productivity. If you are interested in how much you can get from one head, then, according to some indicators, from one female per year you can milk up to one and a half thousand liters of milk, but this is most likely embellished. In France, the average milk yield from an alpine goat was recorded from seven hundred to eight hundred liters, fat content from 3.5 to 3.7 percent. At the same time, goat milk is a very valuable and healthy product. Unlike other breeds, Alpine goats do not have a specific unpleasant odor in milk. It tastes sweet. These indicators are very similar to cow's milk.

The Alpine goat breed is considered dairy, its meat productivity is much lower. During the slaughter of young goats, the output from one head is less than ten kilograms of pure meat. From an adult livestock, twice as much meat comes out. The cost of production of an adult is more expensive than a young one.

Fertility rates are high. The first-year female gives birth to at least two kids. Then three to four babies are born.

Content

Since these goats do not require any special conditions at all, they will be comfortable in any barn. The only condition is that one goat should occupy only three square meters of area.

Naturally, the barn on the farm must be dry and clean. There must be plenty of light and fresh air. Males should be kept separate from females and young animals. Since the alpine breed differs in that it is not afraid of frost (this quality of the goat was inherited from the mountain individuals), the shed does not need to be heated.In the winter cold, they are protected by a thick warm undercoat. But this does not mean that the pen should be open for them.

Content

The hooves of goats are very delicate, this is their only place that requires special attention. Therefore, it is necessary to install a plank flooring in the barn, which must be raised from the ground by at least twenty centimeters.

Council. It is recommended that the goats equip small shelves made of boards, installed at a height of half a meter from the floor. The animals love to jump on them and can even settle there for the night.

Animal diet

If we talk about feeding this breed, then there are no special instructions. The grass is enough for the animals, which they use in the pasture. If the owner wishes to increase milk yield, vegetables and mineral supplements can be added to the diet.

In winter, the diet of goats includes only hay and root crops that have been harvested since summer. In addition, you can add concentrated feed to your food and be sure to provide vitamins and minerals.

Goats eat almost all the food that is offered to them, but are finicky in terms of drinking. If the drinking bowl is not cleaned, the goat, even dying of thirst, will not drink it. Therefore, it is necessary to water the animal exclusively with clean water.

Alpine goat breeding

Even a person who has no experience in keeping pets can breed alpies. They are not at all demanding, even during childbirth - the female has the ability to completely cope on her own. It is not necessary for a person to feed the kid, since the lactation of the mother goat is very good.

Crossing the Alpine breed with other goats brings good results, since the result is still dominated by the Alpine. Youngsters from such crossing are born with even greater immunity than their parents. Moreover, it has an unusual coat color.

Alpine goat breeding

On the territory of Russia, there are practically no purebred Alpine goats. Do not think that the reason for this is the inherent disadvantages of this variety. As such, there are no shortcomings. The reason is as follows. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, this breed was no longer imported into the country. Farmers began to breed a new, more popular Saanen breed. The Toggenburg and Alpine breeds, which are in second and third place in popularity, have faded into the background.

Another factor that affects the lack of a breed in the territories of Russia is the high cost of pedigree young animals. Although if you cross a purebred goat with a regular one, the qualities of the breed individual, as well as productive characteristics, are preserved for a long time.

Advantages and disadvantages

Having considered the livestock of this type, you can confidently determine all the advantages and disadvantages. This breed ranks first in popularity in France. In this country, goat production is widely developed.

Among the main advantages are:

  1. Alpines have a beautiful appearance. This is primarily appreciated by experts at farm animal exhibitions.
  2. Animals tolerate cold and frost with ease. The goat received this quality from its relatives who grew up in the Alpine mountains, where living conditions are very harsh. Due to this, this breed of goats can live even in the conditions of the north of Russia, while other breeds in this area cannot survive.
  3. High productivity rates. On average, one female gives about eight hundred liters of milk, which is a good indicator for industrial breeding of alpiek. In addition, milk tastes little different from cow milk, so it can be used in different forms, that is, drunk raw, making cheese, butter and other dairy products.
  4. These goats have a very calm and docile nature. All owners of the animal speak positively about it, since this living creature does not cause any harm, obeys the owner, does not eat fruit trees. There are no worries with her.

So that no one is caught in bias, one should also talk about the shortcomings that can be observed in the Alpine breed.

Namely:

  1. Goats are very picky about drinking.They need to be given only clean water, and the drinking bowl must also be clean. Otherwise, even with strong thirst, the living creatures will refuse to drink. This fact cannot be called a very important drawback, but at the same time the owner has to constantly monitor the cleanliness.
  2. The high cost of pedigree young animals. Since Alpine goats are very rare in Russia, they have to be bought only in nurseries where pedigree individuals are bred. It is for this reason that the cost of Alpine goats is very high.

Due to the quality indicators, even beginners can engage in breeding Alpine goats. Despite their undemanding nature, it is still recommended to follow the rules of their content. Thus, high productivity can be achieved.