Contents
Dairy breeds of goats are especially valuable, and the first place among them rightfully belongs to the Saanen. It was bred in Switzerland more than five hundred years ago, but gained its popularity in the twentieth century. Today, this breed of goats is very common in our country. Everything about the breed, caring for it and about the features of growing in our article.
Breed description
The origin of the name is connected with the place where the breed was bred, the town of Saanen, which is located in the Bernese Alps. For a long time, experts have been crossing various breeds of goats in order to breed one of the best. In Europe, it gained popularity only at the end of the 1905th century, and was brought to Our Country in XNUMX. The description of the breed will help the breeder with the choice.
The Saanen goat is a rather large animal, with a wide body of white color. The presence of cream and light yellow shades is allowed. The head is small and graceful with small horn-shaped ears pointing forward. Goats are mostly polled, but there are also horned ones, which does not affect the purebred. The neck of the Saanen goat is long, often with earrings on the underside, the line of the back is straight. The breed is not subject to shearing, a short undercoat grows only when kept in the conditions of the north. The limbs are set correctly, the muscles are well developed. The udder has a spherical shape, it is very large. The table below provides more detailed specifications.
Table
Everyone who decides to breed Saanen goats should know well how it looks and understand the parameters and characteristics of the breed. A table will help with this.
Parameters | Description for the Saanen breed |
|---|---|
Height at withers | 75-95 centimeters |
Body length | 80-85 centimeters |
Bust | 88-95 centimeters |
Live weight | For goats – 45-55 kilograms, for goats – 70-80 kilograms |
Fertility per 100 queens | From 180 to 250 kids per year |
Weight of kids at birth | 3,5-5 kilograms, famous for rapid weight gain |
Milk yield on average | 700-800 kilograms per year |
Average lactation period | 264 day |
Reference milk quality | Fat content – 3,2%, protein – 2,7% |
Undoubtedly, Saanen goats can be considered the best dairy goats in the world. Such a goat always looks spectacular, it is large and white (see photo). If you are offered a goat of a different color, you should know that it has nothing to do with the Saanen.
Below is a video, after watching which, you can further study the signs of this breed:
breeding zones
As you know, milk production largely depends on where and under what conditions a goat lives. Saanen dairy goats have excellent acclimatization and adapt to live in various conditions. They are especially common in the west and south of Our Country, in the Astrakhan region, as well as in Belarus, Moldova.
Saanen goats can be reared in the north of the country if the maintenance and care are appropriate. The quality of milk is not affected. It is tasty, has no foreign odors, its fat content is 4-4,5%. The calculation of milk yield is taken on average, taking into account the fact that goats will have kids every year. Before lambing, milk is released in small quantities, and the maximum milk yield is reached after the third birth.
The breed is also important for breeding. It is often used for crossing with other breeds to increase the number of milk yields in unproductive animals. Such work always gives a positive result.
Fertility
Many are interested in the question of how many kids are born in one season. A goat, as a rule, can give birth to 2-3 kids, which quickly gain weight. The early maturation of the breed is extremely high: fruitful insemination occurs at the age of up to 6 months, if the growing conditions and nutrition meet the standards.
Pros and cons of the breed
After reviewing the information and watching the video above, we can say with confidence that it is profitable to breed animals of this breed. However, it is worth familiarizing yourself in advance not only with the pluses, but also with the minuses of the Saanne goat.
The pluses include:
- a large number of milk yields;
- excellent genetic qualities for crossing;
- complaisant character;
- the possibility of breeding in different climatic zones;
- the absence of an unpleasant odor characteristic of other breeds.
All these qualities speak volumes, but when describing any breed, it is impossible not to talk about the minuses. These include:
- exactingness in care (feeding must be of high quality);
- frequent and productive crossing may call into question the purity of the acquired animal;
- high price.
Indeed, today it is very difficult to find a purebred Saanen type, and its cost will be extremely high. Moreover, for beginners, the very process of choosing and determining the breed according to a number of characteristics is often difficult. Crossing made it possible to bring out very similar specimens that can be passed off as purebred Saanen goats.
Often breeding Saanen goats are imported from Holland, France and, of course, Switzerland. Please note that there are so-called colored Saanen goats. As a result of crossbreeding, colored kids are often born, which can be considered Saanen for the reason that the genetic transmission of the main parameters for milk yield is generally preserved from generation to generation.
The photo shows a typical representative of the Sable breed (Dutch type).
Comparison with other breeds
It is difficult to find a breed to compare, since Saanen goats have proven themselves perfectly. Let us present to your attention a goat of a meat and dairy type, which is also famous for its large milk yields – the Nubian.
Nubian goats are famous not only for their huge milk yields (up to 900 kilograms per year), but also for their tasty and tender meat. They also have a friendly and gentle nature, not aggressive, and love children. The difference in the fat content of the milk of the Saanen breed and the Nubian is noticeable: in the latter it is almost twice as fat (5-8%). The taste of milk is excellent, it has no foreign odors. The Nubian also gives a good offspring: 2-3 goats per season, but often a goat can give birth twice a year. The Nubian goat is growing rapidly and gaining weight. Below you can find a video about this breed:
However, the Nubians have a number of features that will not allow raising goats throughout Our Country:
- animals of the Nubian breed are thermophilic, most often grown in the southern regions;
- they are also demanding in terms of food and care.
Feeding is done in a special way. Bred in South Africa, the breed often suffers from a lack of vitamins and minerals in Our Country. The animal endures cold winters with difficulty, suffers, and the property of character does not allow them to be grown on large farms in the vicinity of other breeds and animals. The breeder is faced with the question of how to feed the goats, how to protect them from the attacks of blood-sucking insects.
In comparison with them, the Saanen goat breed is more unpretentious in care.
Reviews
Reviews of Saanen goats are positive, which is why they have gained immense popularity among farmers around the world. Today, Saanen goats are bred in Australia, the USA, Latin America and Asia, and not only in Europe.
Conclusion
9
Below is a video with care instructions:
We also present to your attention a video review of the main breeding mistakes:
Purebred Saanen goats must be kept in good conditions. They expect attention, love and varied food from their owners. If all conditions are met, then goats will delight with tasty and healthy milk for many years.