Dairy nurses in Switzerland - Alpine goats
Remember the children's nursery rhyme "there is a horned goat, there is a bearded goat ..."? This characteristic is quite suitable for the heroines of our article - the Alpine goats. They were bred in the Swiss Alps back in the 19th century, and since then they have settled all over the world. This is understandable: Alpine domestic goats give a lot of tasty milk. Why the inhabitants of many countries, including Russia, fell in love with Swiss nurses, read on!
Features of the breed
Strictly speaking, several breeds of goats are considered to be Alpine. Among them there are long-horned and sulfur-shaped, the latter, in turn, are divided into long and short-haired, horned and hornless. And the color of the Alpine beauties is completely for all tastes: gray, and black, and spotted, and white ... Nevertheless, they all belong to the dairy direction and are famous for:
- tasty milk without a specific smell;
- large milk yields - 750-1000 liters per lactation, lasting up to 315 days;
- endurance to adverse environmental conditions;
- unpretentiousness in nutrition;
- fertility - females bring up to four to five babies;
- excellent potential for improving breeds.
It is easy for the owner or hostess to find a common language with alpine goats. True, this is not a merit of a person, but rather of an animal: these goats have a light and benevolent character. But do not expect that they will be so accommodating in relation to their girlfriends in the herd. And we are completely silent about the goats during the winter mating season. Their rivalry for females is serious, with fights until victory.
Alpine goats, accustomed from hoary antiquity to mountain springs, have one mandatory requirement - the purest water. You hesitate, do not change the water in the drinking bowl to clean - you will get less milk.
Origin
Alpine goats have their origin, among other ancestors, from the wild alpine ibex ibex, also called ibex. These beautiful animals live in the alpine pastures of the Alps, sometimes rising up to 3.5-4 kilometers to the border of green vegetation and snow and ice. They gracefully and easily jump from one rock to another, being content in difficult times even with moss. Same as the next video from Tone Toplak.
In the course of history, Ibeks have developed uneasy relationships with people. Rarely has an animal been shrouded in such mystical secrets as they are. They were credited with both witchcraft and healing power, which is why the ibexes in Europe were almost exterminated by the 16-17th centuries. Today the mountain goat population has been restored in Switzerland, France and Italy. They live mainly in national parks.
Appearance
Alpine goats have a large body: at the withers, the height of the female is 66-76 centimeters, of the male - up to 86 centimeters. At the same time, their legs are surprisingly short and thin, it is easy and simple for them to travel through the mountains and jump on stones over precipices. If you ever manage to feel the hooves of such an animal, you will be surprised: they are soft and elastic. These are the ones that are needed for long and dangerous travel.
The horns of Swiss nurses are oval or flat. There is a beard. The back is straight, the neck is short, the same head, sitting on a short neck. The udder is moderately developed and does not sag.
Productive qualities
In its homeland, an Alpine goat, which stays all day in the pasture, can give no more than 1.3 liters of milk: long journeys in search of food affect. However, with the combined keeping of these animals (pasture plus corral), milk yield increases to 6 liters per day, and the record holder gives up to 1600 liters of milk for lactation. Experts say that its composition is very close to that of the mother, and therefore it is ideal for children.
The fat content of Alpine goat milk, of course, depends on feeding and is 3.5-5.5%. The percentage of protein is also high - 4%. Since ancient times, people have made wonderful cheeses out of it.
Let's continue our description. Alpine goats are kept not only for the sake of milk - they have tasty meat, delicate in taste. For the first time, the female brings one or two kids, in the subsequent lambing there are more babies - up to five. It is usually not worth worrying about childbirth: good genetic potential allows the goat to meet the baby herself, lick him and then feed him with nutritious milk.
Features of care and maintenance
Caring for an alpine nurse is no different from caring for "ordinary" goats. It's good if you can build for them a spacious - up to 4 square meters per individual - paddock with a wooden floor covered with hay and straw. For all their unpretentiousness, these goats are very afraid of drafts, so there should be no gaps in the pen. It is better to supplement the corral with pastures in the pasture: these animals need to move a lot. Once again, it is worth recalling the clean water in the drinking bowl: it needs to be changed constantly.
With due attention to the characteristics of the breed, keeping Alpine goats will soon pay off. Having such a grateful and cheerful animal, bringing delicious milk for the family and for sale, you will eventually become convinced that they are irreplaceable on the farm.
Photo gallery
At Lilia Lenshina's farm in Volokolamsk near Moscow, Alpine goats eat hay, straw and even nuts. Why did she choose this particular breed? About this - on the ZagorodLifeTV channel.