Appenzell goat

The Appenzell, French: Chèvre d’Appenzell, German: Appenzellerziege,[2] is a rare and endangered indigenous breed of white domestic goat from Switzerland. It originates in the "half-cantons" of the historic Appenzell region, Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Appenzell Innerrhoden, and has spread into the neighbouring Canton of St. Gallen.[3]

Appenzell
a hornless goat with a long white coat
Conservation statusFAO (2007): endangered-maintained[1]: 112 
Other names
  • French: Chèvre d’Appenzell
  • German: Appenzellerziege
Country of originSwitzerland
Distribution
Use
  • milk
  • vegetation management[2]
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    65 kg[2]
  • Female:
    45 kg[2]
Height
  • Male:
    80 cm[2]
  • Female:
    75 cm[2]
Wool colourwhite
Face colourwhite
Horn statususually polled[3]

History

The Appenzeller originates in the "half-cantons" of the historic Appenzell region, Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Appenzell Innerrhoden.[3] A goat-breeders' association, the Ziegenzuchtgenossenschaft Appenzell, was founded in Innerrhoden in February 1902,[4]: 156  and another, the Ziegenzuchtgenossenschaft Urnäsch, in Ausserrhoden in 1914.[5]: 28 

The Schweizerischer Ziegenzuchtverband, the Swiss federation of cantonal goat breeders' associations, runs a conservation and recovery project for the Appenzeller which includes financial support for breeders and a controlled breeding programme.[6] In 2007 the conservation status of the breed was listed by the FAO as "endangered-maintained".[1]: 112 

In 2005, the Appenzell breed represented approximately 4.2% of the total registered Swiss goat population of about 70,000 head.[3] At the end of 2013 a population of 1900–2000 was reported to DAD-IS;[2] in 2021 the population was reported to be between 1233 and 4167, with 77 breeding males.[7]

In the 1920s, the Appenzeller was cross-bred with the Saanen to create the composite Zürcher Ziege in the area of Zurich and Thurgau. A herd-book was started in 1926;[8]: 358  in 1938, the remaining stock was merged into the Appenzeller.[7] The Appenzeller also contributed to the development of the Toggenburg.[8]: 358 

Characteristics

The Appenzeller is completely white, with a medium-long to long hair coat.[9] It is usually polled; horned animals are accepted.[9] The milk yield averages just over 800 kg per year.[3]

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Appenzellerziege.
  1. Barbara Rischkowsky, D. Pilling (eds.) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. p. 112. Accessed June 2014.
  2. Breed data sheet: Appenzellerziege/Switzerland. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed June 2014.
  3. Tableaux des races: Races caprines suisses – races menacées (in French). Schweizerischer Ziegenzuchtverband. Archived 15 July 2014.
  4. Ferdinand Fuchs (1977). [ Bauernarbeit in Appenzell Innerrhoden: Sachen, Methoden, Wörter] (in German). Schriften der Schweizerischen Gesellschaft für Volkskunde, volume 61. Basel: Krebs; Bonn: Habelt in Komm.
  5. Tierzuchtbericht 2020: Fachkommission für Tierzucht[ (in German). Appenzell Ausserrhoden; Amt für Landwirtschaft. Accessed January 2022.
  6. Hans-Peter Grunenfelder (editor) (2003). Agricultural Genetic Resources in the Alps. St. Gallen: Monitoring Institute for Rare Breeds and Seeds in Europe. Accessed July 2017.
  7. Breed data sheet: Appenzellerziege / Switzerland (Goat). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed January 2022.
  8. Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.
  9. Appenzellerziege (in German). Schweizerischer Ziegenzuchtverband. Accessed January 2022.
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