White Shorthaired Goat

The White Shorthaired Goat, also known as Bilà Kratkosrsta Koza, originated from a landrace which was not uniform in color, mostly light-brown to white,but was improved by crossing with Swiss Saanen bucks since the early 1900s. It was recognized as a breed in 1954-55 and is now found thoughout the Czech Republic.

The breed is similar to the Saanen in appearance, pure white, shorthaired without any colored hair. Some strains maintain the characteristic Saanen's black spots on the skin of the nose, eyelids and sometimes belly. They have upright ears, with 75-80% hornless, the pollness fixed through systematic selection.

Their appearance is typical for milk goats - strong but fine boned, deep and long in body, with long legs. Average does weigh about 120-150 lb, with a height at the withers of 72-80 cm, and a heart girth of 85-105 cm. Bucks weigh about 150-190 pounds, with a height of 75-85cm at the withers, and a 95-115 cm heart girth. They mature early, bearing kids at 12-15 month of age.

The population numbers some 35,000 with 97% of animals on small farms, a decrease form the 1.5 million after World War II.

The average milk production reaches 1700 pounds of milk per 300 days (an average in 1994-1998). The best animals raised in small households may even reach 3000 pounds, with 3.7% fat and 2.75% protein. The average prolificacy is 190%, with 1% of recorded births as quadruplets.