Thuringian Goat Breed – Everything You Need to Know

The Thuringian goat breed is a lively, friendly and happy goat breed. They have been around since the 1800’s as a family goat used for milk and cheese as well as meat production.

Today with their numbers as low as they are the goat is no longer used for meat but rather as milk and foliage control goat. They can also be kept as pets as they are very friendly, well behaved and seem to like human interaction.

Thuringian Goat Quick Profile Overview

These lively happy little goats may soon become extinct if their population numbers are not regained
Country of Origin:	Germany
Other Names:	German Toggenburg, Thüringer Wald and Thüringer Waldziege
Breed Size:	Medium
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Main Purpose:	Meat and milk
Can be used for	Breeding, Meat, Milk, Pets
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Temperament:	Calm, alert and well mannered
Good with Kids?	They can be good around supervised kids, but they are a bit bigger than the smaller breeds so special attention should be given in watching the children around this breed
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Ideal Environment:	They are very adaptive to most environments as long as there are good grazing and things to keep their intelligent minds occupied
Ideal Climate:	All climates
Conservation Status:	Not Listed by the *ALC Common
Health Issues?	No known health issues
Good Starter Goat?	They are more for the intermediate up farmers/homesteaders
Goat Associations:	No known goat associations
Goat Clubs:	No known goat associations
Note: *ALC stands for American Livestock Conservancy

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

They are very sweet looking little goats with happy little faces that have a white surround. They have compact bodies and very strong legs of medium to long length.
Color(s):	White markings on a chocolate brown/black color coat There are no differences in the coat colors to distinguish the male from the female goat
Goat⇒	Doe	buck
Breed Weight:	48 kg	55 kg
Breed Height:	74 cm at withers	78 cm at withers
Hair:	Short and coarse	Short and coarse
Ears:	Tubular that stand up straight from their head	Tubular that stand up straight from their head
Horns:	Usually born polled	Usually born polled
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 are seasonal breeders that only have one set of kids per season
Breeding Period/cycle:	Usually lasts 12 to 36 hours Ave. 21 days/18 to 24 days
Gestation Period:	Usually around 5 months
Kids:	Twins or triplets
Good Mothers?	They will wean their kids and look after them until they can fend for themselves
Lactation Period:	Usually around 250 to 284 days. Most common is 284 days
Milk Quality:	Their milk contains 3.5 % butterfat and they produce on average 700 to 1000 kgs of milk per season.
Milking Level:	They are not very hard to milk
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GOOD TO KNOW

Some information that is useful to know about the Thuringian Goat Breed
Where to buy them:	They are not found in the States so there is no information on where they can be bought. Please check with the various American Goat Associations which links and names can be found at the end of this article.
Agility:	They are very agile, nimble and quick
Interact with other animals:	They prefer to socialize and stick to their own species

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Thuringian Goats have a strong resistance to disease and parasites.

They are also excellent for keeping grass and thick bush under control. They are often used in the maintenance and clearing of brush and fields.

They are not used in leather production as their numbers are very limited today they are not usually culled.

They are no longer used for milk production and are mainly used for brush clearing and milk

HISTORY

The Thuringian goat breed originates from Thuringen in central Germany. It is a breed that has been selectively bred as an improvement on the German Improved Fawn goat breed. It was developed to have better milking production than the German Improved Fawn goat breed as well as be able to be used for meat production.

The Thuringian goat broad was developed by the selective crossing of the Thuringer Landziege, Rhonziege, Harzerziege and Toggenburg goat breeds. It was developed in Germany around 1885 and has since been well adapted to mountainous regions for which they are well known. They are also known to be able to walk for incredibly long distances and being really strong, hardy and versatile goats.

They were originally only known in the area of Thuringia but soon spread across the German Federal Republic and were known by many different names throughout the country.

They are very rare today and very much in danger of becoming extinct.