The Toggenburg goat breed was developed several centuries ago. These animals are mainly bred in Western Europe and the European part of Russia. These are dairy goats that produce about 5 liters of high-fat milk per day. Animals eat grass in summer and hay in winter. They tolerate harsh winters well. However, during the cold season it is recommended to keep them indoors.
Origin of the Toggenburg goat breed
Animals of this breed belong to the Alpine dairy goats.They are bred mainly for milk. True, an adult animal weighing 50 kilograms produces about 25 kg of meat. They also have beautiful skins with ash-brown fur. Toggenburg goats produce 3-5 liters of milk per day with a fat content of 4-5%.
This breed was developed in Switzerland. It took several centuries before the Toggenburg goats were developed. Ordinary farmers were involved in breeding the new breed. They selected individuals with the greatest productivity, producing the most milk. An improved dairy breed with a distinctive color appeared in Toggenburg in the 18th century. Hence the name of these goats. In the 19th century, or rather in 1892, the Toggenburg breed was officially registered. These goats began to be bred for sale.
At the beginning of the 20th century, animals of this breed appeared in all countries of Western Europe and even in the USA and Russia. Local farmers crossed them with domestic goats. Soon, new breeds appeared based on the Toggenburg (English Toggenburg, Czech Brown, German Thuringian Forest and others). In Switzerland itself, the peak of popularity of these goats occurred in the mid-20th century.
Currently, in the homeland of the Toggenburg breed, farmers breed other animals for milk. Saanen goats are more productive. In Russia, the Toggenburg breed was bred even before the revolution. Then they forgot about these goats and paid attention to them only after the collapse of the USSR. True, their numbers in modern Russia are still small.
Description and characteristics of the animal
The Toggenburg breed has an interesting color. The fur of these goats is short but thick, ash-brown in color. There are goats with chocolate and brown-black colors. They have a white spot under their tail. The head is dark.True, there are two white stripes on the sides of the muzzle. The ears are light at the edges, small, erect. The legs are widely spaced, straight, and also white at the bottom. The goat has a small dark beard and a short tail. The Toggenburg breed does not have horns.
The body of these animals is barrel-shaped, angular, gradually widening towards the rear. Height at withers - 65-75 cm, weight - 45-65 kg. The udder is large, with two nipples. Productivity per year is 700-1000 liters of milk. The goat is adapted to cold climates. Milked all year round, even in winter. The taste of milk and milk yield depend on the diet and conditions of detention. Animals feed mainly on grass and hay.
Main pros and cons
Advantages of the breed:
- good immunity;
- undemanding to feed;
- excellent adaptability to cold climates;
- year-round lactation;
- high milk yield;
- delicious milk from which you can make cheese.
Disadvantages of the Toggenburg breed:
- not suitable for meat breeding;
- gains weight slowly, but eats a lot of feed;
- To prolong lactation, females need to mate every year.
Breed conditions and care
In their homeland in Switzerland, Toggenburg goats grazed in high mountain areas, and due to the lack of pasture, they could stand in a stall all year round. These animals need to be kept in a barn. In summer they can graze in the meadow all day. In winter, animals should be kept in a warm room.
The temperature in the barn is maintained at 10-20 degrees Celsius all year round. Be sure to install ventilation, windows and doors. At lower temperatures, animals will not milk well. In hot weather, representatives of the Toggenburg breed often overheat, which is why milk yield drops.The barn should have a manger for hay, feeders for finely chopped vegetables and grain, and a drinking bowl (bucket) for water.
In the summer, goats can be driven out into the meadow in the morning, after the dew has subsided, but it is better for the animals to wait out the midday heat in a cool room. The barn should be dry and fresh. The bedding (straw) is changed every day. If representatives of the Toggenburg breed are kept in dirt and dampness, they will get sick. If you do not change the bedding, the animal will begin to have problems with the udder.
What to feed a goat
Animals are fed 2-3 times a day. In summer, from morning until lunch, and after lunch, until sunset, they can graze in the meadow. Goats benefit from eating green grass and being in the fresh air. Cereals and legumes bring the most benefits. Animals need to be fed clover, alfalfa, timothy, fescue, and nettle. They eat up to 8 kg of green grass per day. When goats are grazing on pasture, you need to make sure that they do not eat poisonous or soapy (with saponins) plants.
Additionally, animals can be fed with vegetables (pumpkin, carrots, beets), beet tops, branches of fruit bushes and trees.
In winter, goats are fed sun-dried hay. It is necessary to prepare at least 500 kilograms of it for one individual. The animal is given about 4 kg of hay per day. In winter, goats are fed root crops and grain mixtures (oats, corn, barley, wheat). During the cold period, animals are given spruce branches, premixes, pharmaceutical vitamins and minerals, bone meal, chalk, and salt stone for licking.
In between feedings, goats are given clean water (5 liters of water per goat 2 times a day). The liquid can be slightly sweetened or salted. Animals should not be given water immediately after being on pasture.Large amounts of fresh grass, especially legumes, plus drinking water can lead to bloating. It is advisable to ensure that goats do not overeat. If animals graze greedily, you need to make them move a lot.
Breeding rules
Sexual maturity in the Toggenburg breed occurs at 6 months of age. True, it is recommended to cover females only at 12-18 months. For mating, a purebred goat is selected, then the offspring will be first-class. They cover the goat on hunting days. During pregnancy, females begin to grow an udder. Colostrum appears 60-70 days after mating. Pregnancy lasts 5 months. 1-4 cubs are born. For the first 3 weeks, the kids should drink all the milk. When the cubs grow a little, the milk can be milked little by little for personal use.
The female needs to be coated once a year, no more often, preferably in the fall, so that babies are born in the spring. Then the cubs that are born after milk feeding in the summer can be transferred to green grass, that is, to graze in the meadow. During the warm season, goat kids will gain about 30 kg of weight and they can be slaughtered for meat or sold before wintering.
Frequent illnesses
Goats suffer from bloating if they are grazed in a meadow in the rain or in the morning when there is dew. In cold and damp weather, animals can get colds. If they are fed improperly, they develop gastrointestinal problems.Excess grain leads to ketosis, lack of vitamins and minerals affects the offspring (non-viable, weak).
If an animal is kept in a damp and cold room, it may develop rheumatism. Goats suffer from hoof inflammation if they are accidentally injured.
In young goats, mastitis often occurs with the appearance of milk. For this disease, animals are given water with dill to drink. Massage, rubbing the udder with camphor oil, unsalted fat, comfrey tincture with vodka, and ichthyol ointment can help prevent mastitis. To protect against dangerous diseases, goat kids at 3 months of age are vaccinated against anthrax, foot-and-mouth disease, brucellosis, rabies, tetanus, and parasites. Prevention against fleas and worms is carried out quarterly. The health of the Toggenburg breed is influenced by the conditions of detention and the quality of feed.
Prospects for breeding Toggenburg goats in Russia
Russian farmers know Toggenburg goats well. These animals are loved for their calm nature and high milk yield. A female can produce up to 6 liters of milk per day after 3-4 lambings. Peak productivity occurs at 5-6 years of age. Such goats are kept for about 10 years, then replaced by young ones.
Animals of the Toggenburg breed adapt well to the climate of the middle zone and tolerate harsh winters well. They are bred mainly in the Vologda, Kostroma and Leningrad regions. In Siberia and the Far East, the Toggenburg breed is rare. In these regions of Russia there are no breeding animals for breeding, and it is not easy to get them.
