A Swiss breed of domestic goat named for the Saanental valley in the Bernese Oberland region of western Switzerland, a highly productive dairy breed now kept in more than eighty countries. It originated in the historic Saanen region and neighboring Simmental areas and has been exported worldwide since the nineteenth century, giving rise to many local variants through crossbreeding; the worldwide population now exceeds 900,000 head, with about 14,000 remaining in Switzerland itself. It is the largest Swiss goat breed, males standing about 90 centimeters at the withers and weighing at least 85 kilograms, with white skin, a short white coat, and either horns or a naturally polled head. The Saanen is valued above all for milk, the most productive dairy goat breed in Switzerland, averaging 838 kilograms of milk over a 264-day lactation with a minimum of 3.2 percent fat and 2.7 percent protein.
Facts
Scientific Name Domestication RegionIran (Ganj Dareh, Zagros region) 1 Domesticated When (Circa) Primary UsesDairy goat, raised primarily for milk 2 Era
Era (category) In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Goat (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationBiology
The goat or domestic goat (Capra hircus) is a species of goat-antelope
History
The earliest remnants of domesticated goats dating 10,000 years Before Present are found in Ganj Dareh in Iran.
Introduction
It was one of the first animals to be domesticated, in Iran around 10,000 years ago.
View the Source 2. Wikipedia: Saanen goat, Wikipedia
Use and managementQuote, Use and management
The Saanen is the most productive milk goat of Switzerland
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