Saanen

The Saanen is a Swiss dairy goat and, worldwide, one of the most popular breeds kept for milk. It's a big animal, white or cream in colour, with a placid nature and a steady, heavy milk supply that keeps going well into a long lactation. The breed gets its name from the Saanen valley in the Swiss canton of Bern, where farmers bred it up over generations.

On smallholdings and small dairies, the Saanen is prized because she milks well through a long season and settles into a routine without much fuss. Does are generally easy handled at milking time, which is why the breed suits both the commercial goat dairy and the person keeping a couple of goats in a paddock at home. The milk itself carries a moderate butterfat content, good for drinking fresh or turning into cheese.

Saanens are friendly, gentle animals and take well to regular handling. They settle into a routine quickly enough and, being herd animals through and through, should never be kept on their own; a Saanen wants at least one other goat for company.

Who it suits

The Saanen suits anyone after plenty of milk from a goat that's no bother to manage: commercial dairies, cheesemakers, and smallholders with the room for a big animal. Anyone looking for a small pet goat, or working a tight bit of ground with little shade, might do better with a smaller breed, since Saanens are large and their pale skin burns easily in strong sun.

The Saanen takes its name from the Saanen valley and the districts round about it, in the canton of Bern in western Switzerland. Local farmers picked out the whitest, best-milking goats there over many generations, working the breed up within the mixed alpine farming of the area.

By the late 1800s and into the early 1900s, the breed had earned a strong name for milk yield, and Swiss breeding stock began travelling abroad. Farmers in Germany, the Netherlands, and Britain used Saanen bloodlines to found or improve their own white dairy goats.

The breed reached North America, Australia, and New Zealand in the early 1900s and quickly became a foundation dairy breed in each, bred up in serious numbers. In some countries the imported goats were crossed with local stock, giving rise to related white breeds elsewhere.

The Saanen and its close relations are now kept the world over, Ireland included, wherever a high-volume milker is wanted. Breeding continues to focus on yield, a well-shaped udder, and a temperament that's easy to live with.

The Saanen is a large, deep-bodied dairy goat, clean white or pale cream all over. The body runs long with a level back and, in does, a well-attached udder with plenty of capacity. The head is medium length with a straight or slightly dished profile, and the ears stand up and point forward and out. Some Saanens carry horns, others are naturally polled, and most farm kids are disbudded early on.

Coat and colours

The coat lies short, fine, and close to the body, though a few animals grow longer hair down the spine and over the hindquarters. Standard colour runs white through to pale cream, with pink skin underneath. Small dark spots on the skin, nose, and udder are quite acceptable. That pale skin means a Saanen sunburns a lot easier than a dark-coated goat, so shade matters even under Ireland's own mild sun. A closely related fawn-and-tan type is registered separately as the Sable in some countries.

The Saanen has a steady, easygoing nature, and that's a big part of why the breed does so well in dairies. Does are usually quiet and cooperative up on the milking stand, and the breed takes routine handling in its stride. Saanens are friendly with people they know and tend to stay settled around a new handler once a routine beds in.

Like every goat, the Saanen is a herd animal and needs company of its own kind. They form real bonds within the herd and can turn stressed if left on their own. They generally get on well with other animals too, though a herd will always work out its own pecking order. Bucks grow bigger and stronger and want careful handling, particularly through the breeding season.

The breed isn't a noisy one, though it will call now and again, mostly around feeding, milking, or if separated from herd mates. Saanens are sharp, curious animals, so secure fencing is no small matter. A bored or hungry goat will find the weak spot in a fence soon enough.

Saanens are a hardy goat once their basic needs are met, but their size and milk output call for steady, consistent management. Milking does needs a fixed daily routine and clean conditions at milking time.

Grooming

• Trim hooves every 6 to 8 weeks, sooner if they're growing fast or the ground is soft underfoot
• Give the coat an occasional brush to check the skin and clear off loose hair
• Check the udder before and after milking for cuts, heat, or swelling
• Look over eyes, ears, and skin during routine handling, and watch that pale skin for sunburn

Exercise

• Give daily access to pasture or a decent-sized exercise yard for grazing and moving about
• Offer browse and varied ground where you can, since goats would rather browse than graze
• Add climbing platforms or sturdy objects to keep active goats occupied
• Don't leave goats shut in small pens for long spells

Environment

Saanens need a dry, draught-free shelter with good airflow and clean, deep bedding, something a damp winter makes non-negotiable. Fencing has to be tall and solid, since goats climb and push at it given half a chance. Shade is essential too, because the breed's pale skin and white coat give little protection from strong sun, and heat knocks milk yield and comfort back. Keep clean water and a goat-specific mineral source on hand at all times.

The Saanen's diet is built round forage. Good pasture, browse, and hay should make up the bulk of what she eats, with concentrate topped up to match the energy demand of lactation. A doe milking heavily needs a good deal more feed than a dry doe or a growing kid, so rations are set by life stage and yield. Any change of diet should be brought in gradually over several days, since a sudden switch can upset the rumen.

Treats and supplements

Give constant access to fresh water and a loose mineral mix made up for goats, with enough copper and selenium where the local ground runs short of it. A small bit of vegetable or browse now and then makes a fine treat, but keep it a minor part of the diet so it doesn't throw the rumen out of balance. Lactating does may need extra calcium and energy on top, and a vet or nutrition adviser can confirm the right supplement plan for the herd.

The Saanen is a robust breed, and a well-kept animal can live 12 to 18 years. As a heavy milker, the doe carries extra strain on her body, so udder health, body condition, and parasite control matter more than most things in keeping her well. Most health problems seen in the breed are the ordinary conditions of dairy goats rather than anything specific to the Saanen itself.

Keeping ahead of trouble

• Run a parasite plan based on faecal testing rather than dosing to a fixed calendar
• Keep vaccinations up to date for whatever's common in the area, on veterinary advice
• Trim hooves on a regular schedule and keep housing and yards dry underfoot
• Provide goat-specific minerals to head off copper or selenium shortfalls
• Keep milking hygiene tight and check the udder at every milking

Saanen does reach breeding age at around 7 to 10 months old, though most breeders hold off until a doe has the size and condition for it, often close to a year, before her first mating. In temperate places the breed breeds seasonally, coming into heat through the cooler months, with cycles running roughly 21 days apart. A buck mates the doe during a standing heat.

Pregnancy runs about 150 days, close enough to five months. One to three kids is usual, with twins common in mature does. Most does kid away without any help needed, though the keeper should keep an eye on late pregnancy and the birth itself, and be ready to step in or ring the vet if labour stalls.

Kids can be left on the doe to nurse, or raised on the bottle with the doe's milk or a replacer, the latter common on dairies that want the doe's milk for sale and that manage CAE risk that way. Kids start nibbling at forage within the first weeks and are usually weaned around 8 to 12 weeks, once they're eating enough solid feed. Bucks are kept apart outside the breeding season, given their size and their strong smell.