Chamois Coloured goat

"Chamois goat" redirects here. For the wild Eurasian goat-antelope, see Rupicapra.

The Chamois Coloured Goat, French: Chèvre chamoisée, German: Gämsfarbige Gebirgsziege, Italian: Camosciata delle Alpi,^[5] is an indigenous Swiss breed of domestic goat. It is distributed throughout Switzerland and in parts of northern Italy and Austria, and has been exported to other countries including France. There are two strains, a horned type from the Grisons or Graubünden in the eastern part of the country, and a hornless type from the former bezirk of Oberhasli and the area of Brienz and Lake Brienz in the Bernese Oberland in central Switzerland.^[2]: 326 In some countries the hornless variety may be considered a separate breed, the Oberhasli. The Swiss herd-book was established in 1930.^[2]: 326

Chamois Coloured Goat

The horned Grisons type
Conservation status	FAO (2007): not at risk[1]
Other names	French: Chèvre chamoisée German: Gämsfarbige Gebirgsziege Italian: Camosciata delle Alpi
Country of origin	Switzerland
Distribution	Switzerland Austria Italy
Standard	MIPAAF
Use	milk[2]: 327
Traits
Weight	Male: minimum 75 kg[3] Female: minimum 55 kg[3]
Height	Male: 85 cm[3] Female: 75 cm[3]
Coat	brown with black dorsal stripe and lower limbs
Face colour	brown with black facial stripes
Horn status	horned and hornless types[4]
Beard	males bearded[4]
Goat Capra aegagrus hircus

Registration and numbers

A mixed herd of goats, with Chamois Coloured Goats in the centre, with darker Grisons Striped Goats behind them

In Switzerland the Chamois Coloured Goat is among the principal national goat breeds for which a herd-book is kept by the Schweizerischer Ziegenzuchtverband, the Swiss federation of cantonal goat breeders' associations. In Italy, under the name Camosciata delle Alpi, it is one of the eight autochthonous Italian goat breeds for which a genealogical herd-book is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep- and goat-breeders;^[6][7]: 29 the Italian herd-book was activated in 1973.^[8]: 383

At the end of 2013 the number reported for Switzerland was 13000^[9] and the registered population in Italy was 6237.^[10] A population of 2526–3000 was reported from Austria in 2012.^[11]

Characteristics

It is a medium-large goat: billies with no less than 75 kg and stand about 85 cm at the shoulder; nannies weigh at least 55 kg and average 75 cm in height.^[3] The coat is short and fine; it is russet-brown with black markings to the face, a black dorsal stripe and black on the belly and on the lower limbs; the skin is fine-textured and black.^[2]: 327

There are two strains, a horned type from the Grisons or Graubünden in the eastern part of the country, and a hornless type from the former bezirk of Oberhasli and the area of Brienz and Lake Brienz in the Bernese Oberland in central Switzerland.^[2]: 326

Use

The milk yield per lactation of the Chamois Coloured Goat in Switzerland is given as >700 kg, with 3.4% fat and 2.9% protein.^[3] Measurements made in Italy in 2004 gave figures of 343±115 litres for primiparous, 506±205 litres for secondiparous, and 539±228 litres for pluriparous, nannies,^[8]: 384 with an average of 3.24% fat and 3.13% protein.^[2]: 327