Altai Mountain Goat

The Altai Mountain Goat is also known as the Gornoaltaiiskaya (Russian).

The Altai Mountain breed was formed between 1944 and 1982 on collective farms of the Gorno-Altai Autonomous Region of the former Soviet Union as the result of Don goats used for improvement of the local goats. However, like local Altai goats, they mature rather slowly and grow till the age of 5-5.5 years. Breeding of Altai Mountain goats is directed to enlargement of the pedigree goat population and to increase of wool production and live weight, without the loss of the adaptability to the special conditions of Siberia. Pedigree goats are also raised for sale to other farms.

Altai Mountain goats are uniform in color, size, conformation and wool production. They have a strong constitution and are highly adaptable to the severe conditions of extensive husbandry in the highlands. The year-round maintenance on pastures does not lead to deterioration of the quality (strength, length, fineness) of the wool, because it grows in seasons which are favorable in terms of feeding.

They have a relatively high live weight (5-10 kg more than local ones) and good meat qualities and are able to fatten rapidly during a short summer period. Live weight of males is 65-70 kg and that of females is 41-44 kg. They can be kept on pasture all year round.

Altai Mountain goats are superior to local ones in wool yield (3-4 times more). The wool of Altai Mountain goats has high technical qualities and is a valuable commodity for light industry. The guard hair is black and the true wool dark grey. Laboratory data show that the true length of wool fibers in pedigree goats is 7.5-10 cm. The average diameter is 16-17 µm in adult goats and 15-16 µm in young animals. There is no apparent difference in wool fineness between flanks and thighs. Guard hair diameter is 75-90 µm. Wool content in the fleece of pedigree animals is 65-70%. Uniformity between them does not exceed 10%. Wool yields are 600-900 g for males and 450-600 g for females. Fiber length is 8-9 cm for both. For Altai Mountain goats, the breaking length of wool (with 16-20 um diameter) is 9-9.5 km. For comparison, Merino wool up to 1/23 µm in diameter is considered strong enough if its breaking length is not less than 7 cm.