Goat Discovery - Breeds - Alpine
Alpine
- Origin - Alps of Switzerland.
- Type - Dairy breed.
- Hair - Short to medium length hair with colors that may range from pure white through shades of fawn, gray, brown, black, red, bluff, piebald, or various shadings or combinations of these colors.
- Face/Ear Type - Straight or slightly dished face, and ears that are medium sized, fine textured, and erect.
- Important Traits - Hardy, adaptable animals that thrive in any climate while maintaining good health and excellent production.
Alpine colors are described using the following terms:
- Cou Blanc (coo blanc) - literally means "white neck" and refers to white front quarters and black hindquarters with black or gray markings on the head.
- Cou Clair (coo clair) - literally means "clear neck" and refers to front quarters that are tan, saffron, off-white, or shading to gray with black hindquarters.
- Cou Noir (coo nwah) - literally "black neck" and refers to black front quarters and white hindquarters.
- Sundgau (sundgow) - black with white markings such as underbody, facial stripes, etc.
- Pied - spotted or mottled.
- Chamoisee (shamwahzay) - brown or bay and the characteristic markings are black face, dorsal stripe, feet and legs and sometimes a martingale running over the withers and down to the chest. Spelling for male is chamoise.
- Two-tone Chamoisee - light front quarters with brown or grey hindquarters. This is not a cou blanc or cou clair as these terms are reserved for animals with black hindquarters.
- Broken Chamoisee - a solid chamoisee broken with another color by being banded or splashed, etc.
** Any variation in the above patterns broken with white should be described as a broken pattern such as a broken cou blanc.
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