Russian White Goat

The Russian White Goat is a goat breed also known as Improved Northern Russian, Russian Dairy, Russian White Dairy, and Russkaya belaya (Russian).

Dairy goats, of the Saanen and Toggenburg breeds, have been imported periodically from Switzerland and other European countries, greatly contributing to the formation of various groups and varieties of goats specialized in milk production. In addition, people in the European and Asian parts of Russia have been raising milk goats for centuries. Separate groups of goats have formed under the influence of various feeding and management methods, and on the basis of different origins. Dairy goats in central and northwestern Russia, have a strong, dry constitution and a harmonious conformation characteristic of the milk type. They have a light and narrow head. The neck is long and straight with a wide sacrum and strong legs and skeleton. The positions of the front and hind limbs is regular. The coat is composed of coarse short, or occasionally long, hair, which is usually white. Animals may be hornless or horned. They resemble Saanen goats in appearance.

The animals found on private plots in the Gorki, St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Yaroslavl regions are typical of the breed. They are typical milk goats. Live weight of does is 50-60 kg, bucks 60-75 kg. They average 550 kg of milk per year, with some reaching 1,000 kg. Fat content is high - 4.2-5.3%. Milk goats are prolific, with 190-220 kids per 100 does. Some goats kid twice a year. Cases have been recorded of up to six normal kids at one kidding.

Dairy goats in the North Caucasus, Crimea, and Central Asia are somewhat smaller, having hair of various colors. However, their productivity is inferior to the goats of the Gorki, Moscow, Yaroslavl, and St. Petersburg regions. Some of these goats have a wool undercoat and yield about 100-150 g of fiber per head in addition to 250-400 kg milk with a fat content of 3.5-5.5%. The average live weight of goats in these regions does not exceed 40-42 kg.