Alpine Goat

With sweet faces and strong bodies, Alpine goats are a common sight on farms and ranches throughout the Western world. The origin of these goats is generally accepted to be the mountainous French countryside, although they has been domesticated for centuries.

Regardless of whether you own a true French Alpine or are purchasing from the American Alpine breed, you can count on your goat to be sweet, friendly, and long-lived — all of which are important qualities for a domestic farm animal.

Evolution and Origins

In 1903, Alpine goats brought from Switzerland were crossed with domestic goats to create the British Alpine breed. In 1958, the first British Alpines were transported to Australia, although there weren’t many due to quarantine rules.

The ancestors of modern goats came from the group Aegodontia, which includes all bovids outside of the subfamily Bovinae. In general, the behavior of modern bovids varies greatly, with some being solitary and others traveling in groups.

The Alpine goat became well established in the U.S. in the early 1900s through selective breeding. The Frenchman Joseph Crepin imported Alpine goats into Canada in 1904.

Different Types of Alpine Goats

The Alpine breed of domestic goats ranges in size from medium to large and is renowned for its excellent milk production. They lack distinguishing colors or markings, making them easily recognizable by their other features They have erect ears, a straight profile, and horns.

Alpine goats are classified into different breeds such as French Alpines, British Alpines, Rock Alpines, and American Alpines.

Alpine Goat Scientific Name

The scientific name for the goat is Capra aegagrus hircus. No naming distinction is made between the different domestic breeds, which is why it’s important to know the common name of the species you want to purchase. Alpine goats are often broken up into geographic distinctions, including the French Alpine, British Alpine, and American Alpine.

Goats are members of the Mammalia class, the Bovidae family, and the Caprinae subfamily. Many people notice that the word Capra, which is Latin, is also the origin of the word “Capricorn.”

Appearance and Behavior

Alpine goats are ruminant mammals with cloven hooves, horns, beards, and comfortably large frames that are capable of producing a significant amount of milk without compromising the doe’s comfort. Alpine goats, in particular, are known for being aesthetically pleasing and coming in a variety of unique colors.

Some of the accepted breed colors and patterns include Cou blanc, which is a white neck with black hindquarters; Chamoisée, meaning tan, red, or brown with black patches; Sundgau, or black and white markings on the face; and Pied, which means spotted with various markings.

Most Alpine goats weigh between 135 and 170 pounds and stand around 30 to 32 inches high. Does are usually smaller than bucks unless they are pregnant, in which case they may weigh quite a bit more than normal. American Alpines tend to be larger than true French Alpines, although the difference is often negligible.

Unless they have been separated by a breeder or farmer, Alpine goats live in herds of between 5 and 20. These goats are graceful, curious, and friendly with their owners and other animals on the farm. Alpine goats are particularly known for having hardy characteristics that make them capable of surviving the elements. With that said, your domestic goat will be happiest with a cozy barn, a sunny pasture, and plenty of care and attention.

Habitat

The origin of the Alpine goat is the rocky mountaintops of the French countryside. However, these goats have been domestic for quite some time, and they prefer to live in domestic pastures with standard farm amenities. One of the most important things to realize about your Alpine goat’s natural habitat is that they prefer cool to cold environments.

If you live in a warmer area, take steps to keep your goats from overheating during the summer. Even American Alpines, which have been kept at lower altitudes for many generations, still struggle with heat and prefer higher elevations.

Predators and Threats

The main predators that threaten domestic Alpine goats are feral dogs, wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, and other carnivores that live near the farm where the goats are housed. Birds of prey and foxes can occasionally be a problem, especially if you are raising kids or mini goats. The best way to keep your Alpine goats safe is to house them in a pasture with adequate fencing and a large barn that can be locked at night.

While the domestic Alpine goat is not found in the wild, wild relatives such as the Alpine ibex and wild goats in alpine regions do face threats from climate change, which reduces the number of cool alpine habitats and affects their populations.

In general, these goats have a conservation status of least concern. Farmers across the world rely on these goats for sustainable dairy production, so there is currently no risk of losing any of these goat genetic lines. Both French and American breed registries exist to help track lineages and make sure that various color patterns and genetic traits are being preserved.

Reproduction, Babies, and Lifespan

As a large goat breed, Alpines are capable of reproducing when they are 18 months to 2 years old. Bucks can be bred at 1 year, but there may be developmental and personality disadvantages related to adding them to the breeding pool this early. These ruminant mammals have a yearly mating season that lasts from July to January, with a slight monthly swing based on the local climate. The colder it is, the earlier your goats’ mating season will begin and end.

These goats have a cycle that lasts between 18 and 21 days and is only in heat for anywhere from two days to a matter of hours. Many farmers prefer to use artificial insemination on their does, especially if they only own one or two and are not interested in keeping a buck.

One of the only disadvantages of this method is that you must carefully time when the doe is in heat to ensure success. Otherwise, you can count on the males of a large herd to get to the females while they are still in heat.

These goats generally carry one baby at a time, although twins are common and triplets are possible. The average litter size for an Alpine goat is 1.75, representing a strong tendency towards twins. Baby goats are called kids and usually weigh around 5 to 10 pounds at birth.

Healthy kids typically stand up and start moving around within a few hours of birth; you can expect the mother to clean them off and help guide them around the barnyard, especially if they have raised a kid before. Kids generally cling closely to their mothers and survive purely off milk until they are around 4 weeks old and are capable of exploring other types of feed. Even if they sample a bit of grass, you should not separate a kid from its mother until it is at least 9 weeks old.

Most of the goats live to be between 15 to 18 years old if they are provided with plenty of healthy food, adequate shelter, and medical care. Alpine goat herds often suffer from viral diseases like CAE, which can cause swelling in the joints and bring significant discomfort to the animal. Other problems may relate to udder development and health, especially if your doe is expected to breed many times across her lifespan.