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There are very many different breeds of dairy goats in the world. This page will concentrate on the breeds that are most commonly found in Uganda, but it should not be taken as an exhaustive list.
There are many breeds of goat derived from the white goats of the Saanen valley in
Switzerland. Heifer International brought British Saanen from UK and Eire. More recently,
they and Send-
This goat has a very good reputation for high milk production. But, unlike tropical white goats, it has pink skin which is sensitive to damage from tropical sun, so shelter is essential.
After the Saanen, the Toggenburg is the commonest dairy goat found in Uganda. One
of the main promoters of this type is FARM-
The Toggenburg has good milk characteristics, and its pigmented skin is resistant to bright sunlight. However, the original Swiss breed is very hairy, making them prone to overheating in hot climates. This is less common in the British Toggenburgs but is still sometimes a problem.
The Anglo-
Because it has some tropical ancestry it is often expected to adapt to Ugandan conditions better than other dairy breeds, but this has not been borne out in practice. A useful characteristic is that the milk is very concentrated.
We are convinced that for the majority of people in Uganda, cross-
One of the difficulties faced by buyers of dairy goats in Uganda is that there are
now many high-
A few British Alpine goats have been brought into Uganda. The goats have a glossy
black coat with white ‘swiss’ markings. (Similar to the markings on Toggenburg goats.)
This colouring can also be found on some mixed-