Oberhasli

The American population has a narrow and well-documented start. Some arrived in the early 1900s, but the purebred herd here dates from 1936, when H.O. Pence imported four does, three of them pregnant, and one buck. Earlier imports in 1906 and 1920 left no lasting bloodlines. Pence dispersed the herd in 1941 and Esther Oman bought part of it. The Fairplay and Patterswiss lines trace to Oman's animals.

For decades the breed was called the Swiss Alpine and registered inside the Alpine studbook, and its genetics went into the Alpine breed. The Oberhasli name and separate registration only arrived in 1977, with American Dairy Goat Association recognition following in 1978 and 1979. That long identity confusion is one reason the US population is still small.

The color is the signature: chamoisee, a bay running light tan to deep reddish brown, with black points. Two black stripes run from the eyes to the black muzzle, the legs are black below the knees and hocks, and a black stripe runs down the back. Does may also be solid black; bucks may not.

On size the sources differ. The Conservancy gives minimums of 34 inches and 150 pounds for bucks and 32 inches and 120 pounds for does, while the ADGA standard asks 30 and 28 inches at the same weights, and the Conservancy's own facts panel puts adult weight at 100 to 125 pounds. Either way this is a medium-sized goat with erect, forward-pointing ears.

Does often bear a single kid the first time, then two to four in later years.

Alert, friendly and gentle, with a docile disposition; the ADGA standard calls the breed calm. Does can be pushy with one another.

One trait sets them apart on the trail: they are markedly less bothered by water and obstacles than other goats.

Dairy. Does average about 1,650 pounds of milk over a 265 day lactation and good ones reach 2,000; the breed's record stands at 4,665 pounds in a year. The milk is fine and sweet.

Bucks and wethers make strong, calm pack animals, and the breed's indifference to water crossings counts for something out there.

Room and a good fence. The Livestock Conservancy says the breed needs plenty of space to roam and secure fencing, calls Oberhaslis escape artists, and notes that bucks can damage fence posts by rubbing on them.

Watch them in damp or humid weather, when the breed is prone to infection. The Conservancy adds that breeders have been able to select stronger, hardier animals as numbers have grown.

Recovering. By 2010 the count was about 1,729 animals across some 30 states, and a breed built on five imported goats stays sensitive to how its pedigrees are managed.

Registration runs through the American Dairy Goat Association. Ask for the papers and for the doe's own milk records: 4,665 pounds is the breed record, not an expectation.

With the whole purebred population tracing to one 1936 import, ask about linebreeding and what unrelated lines the seller can point to.

Recent sale prices on HoofnHorn, where there are any, are further down this page.