Sarda Goat Breed – Everything You Need to Know

The Sarda goat is sadly not as in abundance as it once was. With commercial goat breeders popping up all the time and production of new hybrid type breeds that surpasses a lot of the older breeds in both meat, milk and fiber production. Most of the heritage breeds have found themselves in trouble with their numbers on the decline along with the threat of losing some of the most useful and versatile goat breeds on the planet.

Sarda Goat Goat Quick Profile Overview

These beautiful goats are from Italy and love the hilly rough terrain of some of the Italian hills
Country of Origin:	Italy
Other Names:	None
Breed Size:	Medium
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Main Purpose:	Milk and meat
Can be used for	Breeding ,Meat, Milk, Pets
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Temperament:	They are docile and well-mannered goats but can be a bit wary
Good with Kids?	They are not really bred to interact with children
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Ideal Environment:	They love the wild open spaces and are more suited to bigger farms where there is plenty of space to free-range with lots of hills.
Ideal Climate:	All climates
Conservation Status:	Not Listed by the *ALC Status/ Rarity: Common
Health Issues?	No known health issues
Good Starter Goat?	They are more for the experienced farmer
Goat Associations:	Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia
Goat Clubs:	No known goat breeders’ clubs
Note: *ALC stands for American Livestock Conservancy

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

They have a long compact body with a long shaggy coat. They are bright and alert with medium to long sized legs and a small head with a long snout.
Color(s):	Various coat colors that are usually two-toned mainly with a predominantly white/off-white base. White and gold, white and black, white and gray and black, white and light lemon, white and red and a few more color combinations There are no color variances between that of the does and bucks coats.
Goat⇒	Doe	buck
Breed Weight:	50 lbs.	67 kg
Breed Height:	70 cm at withers	77 cm at withers
Hair:	Long, soft and a bit shaggy	Long, soft and a bit shaggy
Ears:	Tubular, pert and stand erect from the side of their head	Tubular, pert and stand erect from the side of their head
Horns:	Their horns are medium length, thick and rise up in a V-shape before branching outwards with a twist at the end of them	Their horns are medium length, thick and rise up in a V-shape before branching outwards with a twist at the end of them
Matures at age:	5 to 15 months	3 to 15 months
Puberty Age:	4 to 10 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 usually breed once a year and produce mostly twins or triplet births
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
Good Mothers?	They will tend to their young until they are weaned and able to fend for themselves.
Lactation Period:	Usually around 250 to 284 days. Most common is 284 days
Milk Quality:	They can produce up to 62 liters per lactation and their milk has a 3.94 percent protein content
Milking Level:	They are quite easy and calm to milk
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GOOD TO KNOW

Some information that is good to know about the Sarda goat
Where to buy them:	There is not much information on where these goats can be bought, and they are mainly found in Italy where they are registered in the Italian Goat breeders herd book as a protected species
Agility:	They are very nimble and thrifty able to easily and agile navigate hilly terrain
Interact with other animals:	They are a wary breed and prefer sticking to socializing with their own species

GENERAL INFORMATION:

The Sarda goat prefers the environment such as that of the arid soils and hills of the Sardinian Island.

They are very hardy and are just as at home being raised in the wild as they are under a management policy.

They are one of the top dairy producing goats and have an excellent milk yield and good lactation period. Their milk contains an average of 3.94 percent of protein and a good proportion of butterfat.

Although they have long flowing beautiful locks they are not readily used for fiber production

HISTORY

The Sarda goat is a breed that is indigenous to the Mediterranean Island of Sarda which is situated off the west coast of central Italy.

This is quite an ancient breed that has the bloodlines of the Malta goat in it. It is believed that the Sarda goat was derived from the breeding of the various breeds, including the Maltese goat breed, that was introduced to the Sarda Island.

The Sarda goat is most prevalently raised in the provinces of Cagliari and Nuoro. It is also one of the eight breeds of Italian goats kept in the herd book which is run and protected by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia.