Sable
Have a Sable to sell? List it.
At a glance
- Origin
- United States, from colored Saanen lines
- Primary use
- Dairy
- Adult weight
- Does at least 135 lb; bucks at least 170 lb
- Height
- Does at least 30 in; bucks at least 32 in
- Coat
- Any color or combination except solid white or solid light cream
- Temperament
- Calm
- Registered
- 2005 in the US
About Sable goats
The Sable is a Saanen that is not white. The color has always occurred in Saanen herds as a recessive, and for years those kids were registered as recording grades or not registered at all. American breeders organized them into a recognized breed and the American Dairy Goat Association granted full status in 2005.
History
The color is nothing exotic: Saanens carry recessive color genes, and two white parents can throw a colored kid. For decades the paperwork treated those kids as mistakes.
New Zealand got there first, recognizing the Sable Saanen as a breed in its own right in the 1980s. The American recognition in 2005 followed the same logic.
Characteristics
Genetically and functionally they are Saanens: the same large frame, the same heavy, long lactation, the same calm temperament.
The ADGA standard asks does of at least 30 inches and 135 pounds and bucks of at least 32 inches and 170 pounds. The color rule is the breed: any color or combination except solid white or solid light cream, since white makes the animal a Saanen. The hair is short, the ears erect, the face straight or dished.
Temperament and handling
ADGA credits the Sable with the same calm temperament as the Saanen, and the American Goat Society describes the breed as identical to the Saanen in everything but color.
The usual dairy cautions apply. Penn State Extension describes bucks as tending to be aggressive, with a strong, urine-like odor that is worst from September to early January. ADGA's show rules bar animals with natural horns, and Mississippi State University Extension recommends disbudding between 4 and 14 days of age.
What they are used for
Dairy, at Saanen scale. The Saanen is the world's high-volume dairy goat, kept in more than 80 countries, and the Sable brings the same production in a pigmented package.
What they need
What the color buys is sun tolerance. Colored skin does not burn the way a white Saanen's does, which makes Sables the better choice in high-sun country and open pasture. The white parent breed tolerates strong sun poorly and tends to be run under intensive management; the Sable is the answer to exactly that.
Before you buy
The trade is population size. Sables are a much smaller registry than Saanens, so finding unrelated bucks and quality stock takes more work, and the price reflects the scarcity rather than any production advantage.
Registration runs through the American Dairy Goat Association. Ask for parentage and milk records the same way you would for a Saanen, and check that the color actually falls within the rule.
Recent sale prices on HoofnHorn, where there are any, are further down this page.
Sources
- American Dairy Goat Association, Breed Standards (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia, Sable goat (Saanen) (opens in a new tab), CC BY-SA 4.0
- American Goat Society, Breed Standards (opens in a new tab)
- Penn State Extension, Meat Goat Production (opens in a new tab)
- Mississippi State University Extension, Methods for Disbudding Goat Kids (opens in a new tab)
- American Dairy Goat Association, 2026 Show Rules (opens in a new tab)
Reviewed by HoofnHorn.
No Sable goats at auction right now.
Heritage breeds come up in ones and twos, so this is normal. We will email you the moment a Sable is listed.