"Goats By Breed - Oberhasli" |
![]() Your support of our advertisers helps support GoatWorld! |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() The face is straight. A Roman nose is discriminated against.
Oberhasli are found both horned and polled (naturally hornless). In the U.S., dairy goats must be disbudded or polled if they are to be registered. Though horned Oberhasli are still quite common in Swiss herds, breeders are finding that having hornless goats for sale broadens their market for selling stock.
As an Oberhasli buck matures his beard becomes more distinguished. Occasionally older does will grow a cluster or strand of straggling hairs but not a true beard. Like all the other alpine breeds, Oberhasli goats carry the genetic trait for 'wattles'. Wattles are those little tufts of hair covered skin dangling at the throat of this young buck. They are considered vestigal organs left over from evolution and have no known purpose. When passed on, wattles are present at birth and can be found on both bucks and does.
The distinctive, consistent color and pattern seen on Oberhasli dairy goats distinguishes them as a 'color breed'. That consistent appearance plays an integral part in the assessment of every individual registered in the Oberhasli herd books and used in breeding programs whose purpose is to preserve and continue improvement of this unique population. Through many years of selective breeding, the Swiss established or 'set' this very same pattern which has made the Oberhasli dairy goat recognizable worldwide. When individuals displaying body color or markings weakened by diluting color genes are used in a breeding program, one of the most recognizable traits of this breed is threatened. These weakened links in appearance may appear randomly in future generations if they are not culled out of breeding programs in the same way the Swiss Oberhasli founding breeders did years ago.
An overall display of strength, good width from front to rear, a nice flat topline and a slightly uphill line from the hip to the shoulder is what most Oberhasli breeders are seeking in their breeding programs. This young doeling may have a promising future ahead of her. Oberhasli are considered a 'medium sized' dairy goat breed in both Europe and the United States but what does that really mean? The U.S. standard describes a minimum height for mature Oberhasli does as 28"/71cm at the withers with a minimum weight of 120#/54.54kg. Minimums for bucks are 30"/76cm in height and 150#/68.18kg in weight.
Reference: American Dairy Goat Association, PO Box 865, Spindale, NC 28160. Phone: 704-286-3801
Photographs: |
Email: Contact INFO Telephone: Contact INFO |
Designed & Hosted by: JOLLY GERMAN ©1999-2021 GoatWorld.Com |
![]() |
All written, audio, video and graphic material contained within this site, except where otherwise noted, is Copyright ©1999-2021. Some content may also be the property of contributors to the site, in which case their material is also protected by applicable copyright laws and this copyright policy. No material may be linked directly to or reproduced in any form without written permission. If you would like to reprint something from our site, simply send us an email to request permission to do so. Please refer to our REPRINT criteria. This site is run and operated by a Disabled Veteran |