Appenzell Goat Breed – Everything You Need to Know

The Appenzell goat is a pure white Swiss dairy goat. They are a lot like the Saanen goat in stature but their bodies as smaller and broader.

They are a spritely happy goat that can be seen getting up too many an antic or weird acrobatic move as they precariously scale crevices, fences and even trees.

Appenzell Goat Quick Profile Overview

The Appenzell goat breed is a beautiful pure white breed from the mountains of Switzerland
Country of Origin:	Switzerland
Other Names:	Appenzellrziege (German) and Chevre d’Appenzell (French)
Breed Size:	Medium
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Main Purpose:	Milk production
Can be used for	Breeding, Milk, Pets
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Temperament:	They are lively and active
Good with Kids?	They are okay around supervised children if they have been hand raised.
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Ideal Climate:	They are adaptive to all sorts of climates
Conservation Status:	Not Listed by the *ALC They are quite rare
Health Issues?	They have no known or common health issues
Good Starter Goat?	Yes, they are quite hardy and self-sufficient
Goat Associations:	American Dairy Goat Association
Goat Clubs:	There are no listed Goat clubs for the Appenzell
Note: *ALC stands for American Livestock Conservancy

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

As cousins of the Saanen, they have many similar characteristics. The Appenzell is, however, smaller with a more compact body that the Saanen. The doe is little lighter and more delicate in appearance than the buck. But that does not make her any less robust and fearless in her antics and acrobatics. The bull is fun, fearless and quite friendly, especially if he is castrated
Color(s):	White Both the male and female goats are only found in white
Goat⇒	Doe	buck
Breed Weight:	99 lbs.	143 lbs.
Breed Height:	80 cm at withers	85 cm at withers
Hair:	Medium length and wavy	Medium length, thick and wavy
Ears:	Straight and erect the color the same as their coat	Straight and pert the same color as his coat
Horns:	They do not have horns and are naturally polled.	They are naturally polled so they do not have horns
Matures at age:	5 to 15 months	3 to 15 months
Puberty Age:	5 to 6 months	4 to 9 months
Breeding Age:	18 months	1 year
Breeding Traits:	1 Breeding cycle	Cover 20 to 30 does in 1 season

DOE BREEDING & MILKING INFORMATION

The breed once a year and will do so again the following year around the same time
Breeding Period/cycle:	Usually lasts 12 to 36 hours Ave. 21 days/18 to 24 days
Gestation Period:	Usually around 148 to 155 day but most are 150 days
Kids:	1 to 4 kids per litter – mostly twins1 to 4 kids per litter – mostly twins
Good Mothers?	Yes, they will take care of the kid(s) until they are weaned
Lactation Period:	270 days
Milking From:	4 to 6 weeks after kidding
Milk Quality:	Excellent, They have a good quality milk with a 2.9% butterfat content.
Milking Level:	Normal, As they are bred as a dairy goat they are not hard to milk
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GOOD TO KNOW

Some more information about the Appenzell goat that may come in useful
Where to buy them:	As they are quite a rare breed in America the best place to find a breeder is at the various American goat associations. Such as the American Dairy Goat Association and the American Goat Associations. They have up to date lists of all registered goat breeders and clubs throughout America. You can find links to these associations’ websites in the “Useful Links” Section of this article
Agility:	They are very agile and nimble. They tend to be master climbers
Interact with other animals:	They are very sociable animals and love to socialize with any other animal that does not pose a threat to them.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Appenzell comes from the Swiss cantons of Appenzell and St. Gallen in Switzerland.
They have been around for centuries bred primarily for their milk.

They are excellent foragers and will scale the most intricate trees to get to the juicy leaves that have attracted their attention.

These lively goats can produce up to a gallon (3.79 liters) of milk per day and the doe can produce milk for up to 10 years of her lifespan.

Both the female and male goats may have beards and they are naturally born without horns which are referred to as naturally polled.

They have the most amazing temperaments. The young goats can be very playful, frisky and just want to have fun or seek great adventures. These adventures can lead them into a lot of trouble. They are naturally curious and intelligent they tend to explore most foreign objects with their mouths. As such it is important to try and ensure there are not poisonous plants or harmful objects lying around. As kids will try and inspect them.

HISTORY

There is not much documented or written about the Appenzell goats’ history.
Other than the goat has been around for at least 100 years and comes from the historic Appenzell region of Switzerland there is not much more to go on.

The first ever breeders association for the Appenzell goat breed was founded in Innerhoden in the Appenzell district Switzerland in 1902. The Association was called Ziegenzuctgenossenschaft Appenzell.

The Swiss Federation of cantonal goat breeders’ association runs a productive project for the recovery and conservation of the Appenzell goat.
This project includes helping breeders of the Appenzell goat breed with breeding programs and financial support.

Since the start of this project, the breed has increased to a level where its conservation status has been changed to “endangered-maintained”