Darling Alpines!

Another stop on Mom and my baby goat tour of Northern Colorado was Vicki Larson of Harmody Alpines in Windsor, CO.  Vicki, Greg, Amanda, Kenton, Hannah, Joseph, Abbi and Emily (phew!) started out with a small herd of Alpines fifteen years ago, and now they’ve branched out into Lamanchas, Oberhaslis and Toggenburgs.  Last year the Larsons did quite well at Nationals and are gearing up for another good year.  Here are some pictures of their adorable babies, as well as some Alpine facts!

Click on each picture to see a larger version.

The Alpine breed originated in the French Alps.  They were first imported to America in 1922 by Charles P. Delangle.

Alpines are the only breed of upright-eared dairy goat that can come in all different colors and patterns

Before a recent overhaul by the Nigerian Dwarf breed, Alpines were once the 2nd most popular breed in ADGA (1st is Nubians).

Common Alpine colors include:  Cou Blanc (coo blanc) – literally “white neck” white front quarters and black hindquarters with black or gray markings on the head.  Cou Clair (coo clair) – literally “clear neck” front quarters are tan, saffron, off-white, or shading to gray with black hindquarters.  Cou Noir (coo nwah) – literally “black neck” black front quarters and white hindquarters.  Sundgau (sundgow) – black with white markings such as underbody, facial stripes, etc.  Pied – spotted or mottled.  Chamoisee (shamwahzay) – brown or bay characteristic markings are black face, dorsal stripe, feet and legs, and sometimes a martingale running over the withers and down to the chest. Spelling for male is chamoise.  Two-tone Chamoisee – light front quarters with brown or gray hindquarters. This is not a cou blanc or cou clair as these terms are reserved for animals with black hindquarters.  Broken Chamoisee – a solid chamoisee broken with another color by being banded or splashed, etc.

A “Rock Alpine” is a Purebred French Alpine crossbred with another Swiss import.  They are not registered under ADGA, but the Rock Alpines of the 1920s had great genetics and were absorbed into the category of “American Alpine,” which includes goats that are not 100% French Alpine.

A “British Alpine” is a goat that appears to be a black and white Toggenburg.

Alpine milk is great for cheese because of their good butterfat and protein content

Alpines can have Toggenburg-like facial stripes, but cannot be Toggenburg colored.  Likewise, they cannot be solid white like Saanens.

Alpines are known for being curious, friendly and hardy

You can find more information about Alpines at the Alpines International Breed Club website: www.alpinesinternationalclub.com/

Thank you to the Larson family for letting us visit your goats!  Good luck at Nationals!

Adorable Lamanchas!

Hello Everyone!

Yesterday, Mom and I also made a visit to Marilou Webb of South Fork Lamanchas.  Marilou has some of the best Lamanchas in the nation, and frequently wins big at goat shows.  This spring, Marilou has FORTY-NINE kids and counting!  She still milks all her does by hand and hand-raises all the kids.  Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip.

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The Lamancha is the only major breed of dairy goat that originated in the U.S!  Lamanchas were first bred by in Oregon by Eula Fay Frey.

Lamanchas are one of the most easily recognizable breeds of goat because they appear to have no ears!  Don’t worry- they can hear just like any other goat.  There are two types of Lamancha ear: Gopher (less than one inch of cartilage) and Elf (maximum 2 inches of cartilage, turned up or down).  Gopher ears are preferred (as seen above).

Lamanchas come in every color known to goats and can have spots, stripes or no pattern at all

The name “Lamancha” comes from the earless goats from La Mancha, Spain first exhibited at the World’s Fair in Paris in 1904

Only male goats (bucks) with “Gopher” ears are able to be registered because it is possible to breed the short ears out of Lamanchas by using elf-eared bucks and elf-eared does

Lamanchas are known for their high milk production

Lamanchas have very calm and loving personalities

Dairy goats are tattooed in each ear to be registered and identified by ADGA.  Because Lamanchas do not have external ears, they are tattooed on the left and ride fleshy sides of their tails instead!

Like the Nubian goat, Lamanchas have high butterfat in their milk

Pictured above: Cate, an old goat with a goofy, toothy grin

To find out more information about Lamanchas, visit the American Lamancha Club website: http://www.lamanchas.com/

Thank you Marilou for sharing your goats with us!  To find more information about Marilou’s herd, visit http://www.southforklamanchas.com/

Nubians are Great!

Hello Everyone!

Today we drove down to Erie, CO to visit Pam Bartholf of Wakan Dairy and her Nubian Goats.  Here are some of my favorite pictures of the day, and some facts about Nubians!

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Nubians originally came from Nubia, a desert region in the Northern Sudan, but the British and French are credited with developing today’s Anglo-Nubian from a variety of breeds

Nubians are the most popular breed of dairy goat in the U.S. today

Nubians are known for their long, pendulous ears and Roman noses

Nubians produce less milk on average than many of the Swiss-origin breeds

Nubians have short, glossy hair and come in a variety of color patterns

Because of their heritage, Nubians are able to withstand extreme cold and heat

Nubians are very commonly born in large litters – triplets and quads are more common in Nubians than other breeds

Nubians are known for being very vocal, sociable animals

Nubian milk is very high in butterfat- 5% on average

For more information, visit the International Nubian Breeders Association at www.i-n-b-a.org

Thank you Pam for sharing your goats with us!