Grüenochte Geiss

Billy of the Grüenochte Geiss breed, with light-coloured breast (Adrian Bär)

Origin and development

In the Valais dialect, “Grüenochte Geiss” or “Grüenochti” refers to a type of Valais goat with grey, black and white-coloured forequarters. It is known from historical records to have occurred in the Valais region, representing part of the genetic diversity of Valais goats. Despite a long tradition, it was likewise not recognised as a breed in 1938. In the course of the Copperneck goat rescue project, both (snow-white) Sempione and Grüenochti goats were identified. The usually strikingly variegated forequarters gives these animals a distinctive appearance, underlining their robustness. Although their numbers are gradually increasing, the Grüenochte Geiss is still among the rarest goat breeds in Switzerland.

Description

This is the grey variant of the four Valais goat colour types. Grüenochti kids are often lighter-coloured than the adult animals. It can also often be observed that the grey part in adults becomes lighter towards the front. The slender build and imposing horns resemble those of the other breeds in the Valais goat group. The coat length – as for Copperneck and Sempione goats – is shorter than in Blackneck goats.

A group of goats of the Grüenochte Geiss breed enjoying the last days of autumn at pasture above Adelboden (Sabina Bircher / Züchterverein der Capra Sempione, Kupferhalsziege und Grüenochte Geiss)

Breeding objectives

h Rescuing a critically endangered coat colour variant h Coat hair not too long (at least 20 cm ground clearance) h Good fattening capacity h Large, robust animals

References

ProSpecieRara (www.prospecierara.ch) Züchterverein der Capra Sempione, Kupferhalsziege und Grüenochte Geiss (www.zckg.ch)