Saanen goat

File:Herd of goats Saanen.JPG

Flock in a commercial operation in Sernur, in the Mari El Republic of the Russian Federation, showing both horned and hornless animals

The SaanenTemplate:Efn is a Swiss breed of domestic goat. It takes its name from the Saanental in the Bernese Oberland, in the southern part of the Canton of Bern, in western Switzerland. It is a highly productive dairy goat and is distributed in more than eighty countries worldwide.Template:R

History

The Saanen originates in the historic region of Saanen (Template:Langx) and in the neighbouring Simmental, both in the Bernese Oberland, in the southern part of the Canton of Bern, in western Switzerland.Template:R

It is reported from more than eighty countries. The total world population is reported to be over 900,000 head.Template:R Of these, some 14,000 are in Switzerland.Template:R

It has since the nineteenth century been exported to many countries of the world, and has given rise to many local sub-breeds, often through cross-breeding with local goats. Among these local variants are the Banat White in Romania, the British Saanen, the French Saanen, the Israeli Saanen, the Russian White, the Template:Ill in Germany, and the Yugoslav Saanen.Template:R

A black variant, the Sable Saanen, was recognised as a breed in New Zealand in the 1980s.Template:R

Characteristics

The Saanen is the largest breed of Swiss goat:Template:R billies stand about Template:Cvt at the withers and weigh a minimum of Template:Cvt.Template:R It has white skin and a short white coat; some small pigmented areas may be tolerated.Template:R It may be horned or hornless, and tassels may be present. The profile may be straight or somewhat concave; the ears are erect and point upwards and forwards.Template:R

Use and management

The Saanen is the most productive milk goat of Switzerland,Template:R which has the most productive milking goats in the world.Template:R Average milk yield is 838 kg in a lactation of 264 days.Template:R The milk should have a minimum of 3.2% fat and 2.7% protein.Template:R

It is not well suited to extensive management, and is usually raised intensively. Being pale-skinned, it does not tolerate strong sun.Template:R