Messinese goat

The Messinese is an Italian breed of domestic goat indigenous to the area of the Monti Nebrodi and the Monti Peloritani in the province of Messina, in the Mediterranean island of Sicily in southern Italy. It is raised mainly in those areas, but also in the provinces of Catania, Enna and Palermo.^[2]: 373 Its range partly overlaps that of the Argentata dell'Etna. The breed was officially recognised and a herd-book established in 2001. It was previously known either as the Capra dei Nebrodi (in that area) or in general as the Siciliana Comune.^[2]: 373

Messinese

A billy
Conservation status	FAO (2007): not at risk[1]
Other names	Capra dei Nebrodi Siciliana Comune
Country of origin	Italy
Distribution	Sicily
Standard	MIPAAF
Use	meat, milk[2]: 374
Traits
Weight	Male: 72 kg[3]: 429  Female: 38 kg[3]: 429
Height	Male: 72 cm[3]: 429  Female: 67 cm[3]: 429
Skin colour	dark or pale according to coat colour
Coat	very variable
Horn status	usually horned[4]
Beard	bearded[4]
Tassels	present[4]
Goat Capra aegagrus hircus

The Messinese is one of the forty-three autochthonous Italian goat breeds of limited distribution for which a herd-book is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep- and goat-breeders.^[5][6] At the end of 2013 the registered population was variously reported as 9814^[7] and as 10409;^[8] the total population is estimated at 42000.^[3]: 429

Characteristics

The Messinese is of medium size: nannies stand on average 67 cm at the withers, with an average body weight of 38 kg; billies are on average about 5 cm taller, and weigh approximately 72 kg.^[3]: 429 The coat is very very variable, and may be solid-coloured, mottled or patched in black, brown, red or white; the hair is long.^[3]: 429

The goats are frugal and rustic, well able to forage in scrub or poor pasture and on steep terrain. Prolificity (the average number of kids per birth) is about 125% and fertility (the number of births per pregnancy) is approximately 88%; the average age at first parturition is 17 months.^[3]: 430

Use

The Messinese is reared principally for kid meat. Kids are usually slaughtered at between 30 and 40 days old.^[3]: 430

The milk yield per lactation is 137±66 kg for primiparous, kg for secondiparous, and 188±36 kg for pluriparous, nannies.^[6] The milk averages 5.83% milk-fat and 4.13% milk protein, and is used mostly to make caprino and mixed-milk cheeses.^[2]: 374

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  In Alcara li Fusi
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  A kid