British Alpine Goat Breed – Everything You Need to Know

These goats are tall and lanky goats with beautiful black and white Swiss markings. They do not do very well in hot and humid climate but thrive in moderate to cold temperatures.

The produce a high-quality milk that most people are able to drink and have an extended lactation period making them able to be milked for longer than most other goat breeds.

They are not really suited to small grounds as they are a lot happier in an open free-range environment that has a diverse landscape.

British Alpine Goat Quick Profile Overview

The British Alpine goat comes from a long line of graceful majestic Alpine Mountain Goats that used to freely roam the various mountainous regions of Switzerland
Country of Origin:	England
Other Names:	None
Breed Size:	Large
You may Also Like:	Top 12 Large to Largest Goat Breeds
Main Purpose:	Milk
Can be used for	Breeding, Milk, Show
You may Also Like:	Top 10 Best Dairy Goat Breeds
Temperament:	Active roamers that do not do well indoors and prefer to be free-ranged
Good with Kids?	They are a bit big and can be intimidating to kids
You may Also Like:	10 Best Goat Breeds to Keep as Pet
Ideal Environment:	Diverse landscape that has a lot of greenery for grazing and exploring
Ideal Climate:	They prefer and perform better in more temperate climates
Conservation Status:	Not Listed by the *ALC Status Common
Health Issues?	No known health issues
Good Starter Goat?	More for the intermediate and up goat owner that has a large farmland/ranch
Goat Associations:	British Goat Society
Goat Clubs:	Alpines International Club
Note: *ALC stands for American Livestock Conservancy

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Tall and quite lanky with a thick soft coat and small face
Color(s):	Black with white Swiss marking. Although the completely black goat often occurs Both does and bucks exhibit the same coat colors
Goat⇒	Doe	buck
Breed Weight:	About 135 lbs.	About 170 lbs.
Breed Height:	83 cm at withers	95 cm at withers
Hair:	Short, thick, glossy coat	The males coat is the same as the females
Ears:	Tubular, standing up alongside their head and slightly bent. They are usually white with black markings much like their coat.	The male’s ears are the same style as the female’s ears
Horns:	The female’s horns are thick and medium length protruding backwards with a curl	The male’s horns are thicker than the females and a little bit longer. They protrude backwards from their head with a curl.
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

They breed once a year and during in the spring of each year
Breeding Period/cycle:	Usually lasts 12 to 36 hours Ave. 21 days/18 to 24 days
Gestation Period:	145 to 150 days
Kids:	1 to 3
Good Mothers?	They are okay mothers
Lactation Period:	From 284 days to up to 2 years
Milking From:	4 to 6 weeks after kidding
Milk Quality:	Excellent, They have a good butterfat and nutrient-rich milk
Milking Level:	Normal, As a dairy goat, they tend to be relatively easy to milk
You may Also Like:	Top 10 Best Dairy Goat Breeds

GOOD TO KNOW

Some more information to read about the British Alpine Goat breed
Where to buy them:	As they are not that prevalent in the USA it is best to check with local goat farmers, Goat sellers or the American Dairy Goat Association and or the American Goat Federation. You can find the links to both these organizations in the “Useful Links” section of this article
Agility:	They are incredibly agile and able to climb the most amazing rock faces
Interact with other animals:	They like to keep to their own breed.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

The doe of the British Alpine goat can be found in many dairies as a milking goat. This is partly due to the high quality of her milk, the amounts of milk she produces and because they are capable of an extended lactation period.
Some can even lactate for up to two years.

These goats do not like being cooped up in a barn or stall they much prefer to be out on the range. Therefore, they are more suited to a free-range type of environment that has a lot of pasture and cover for rainy/wet weather. Goats generally do not like to get wet so need places to take shelter during rain and storms.

HISTORY

The British Alpine goat was developed in the early 1900’s from native British goats, Nubian goats and the Toggenburg goat.
The Toggenburg genetics is well visible in the British Alpine as they have the same sort of markings on their coats.

It not widely distributed but can be found throughout Britain, possibly Ireland and Australia where it was exported to in 1958.

They are excellent milkers and as such are found in many a dairy goat farm. Because of their extended lactation period and high-quality milk, they are quite sought after in Britain and Australia.
They have good sized teats with make for easier milking and they are a relatively calm goat making for good all-around milking conditions.

They have been known to be very active and enjoy wandering around the great outdoors exploring rather than being confined to a pasture or barn type structure.
They have been known to perform at their optimum and be in their best health when left to free-range on a large hilly farm or ranch.

They are normally black with white swiss marking but there have been known to be a few goats that are completely black. This is due to a gene called a “recessive gene” that this goat breed is prone to.
Many of the goats are disbudded at around 3 weeks as most dairy goats are but there is a strain of British Alpine that are also polled.

These goats make for an excellent addition to any large farm or ranch.