Peacock Goat

The Peacock Goat, also known as Pfauenziege (German), is a goat breed. Little is known about the origin of the Peacock Goat. The first mention of it was in the year 1887, under the name Prätttigau Goat, and the description of the breed is for nearly identical to the present appearance of the breed. Later other names surfaced like gray-black or gray-black-white mountain goat, razza naz (Tessin), and Colomba (Bergell). The front half of the body is predominantly white with black boots, the rear half predominantly black. The inside of the ears and the area around the mouth are dark, and the top side of the tail is white, as are spots on the thighs and flanks. The animals wear a thick, mid-length coat of hair and are horned. Dark facial spots and the dark stripes from the base of the horn over the eyes up to the nose are also characteristic of the breed. These stripes or “pfaven” gave the breed its name in that a spelling mistake of a journalist, as "Pfauenziege" means peacock goat, but "Pfavenziege" means striped goat. However, it was perceived as fitting for this beautiful animal. During the breed reclassifications of 1938, the Peacock Goat was incorrectly considered to be a color variant of the Grisons Striped Goat. More recent blood testing, however, did not confirm this assumption. At present, it is not officially recognized as a breed, but several enthusiasts and breeders still raise these goats.

This ancient mountain breed was encountered primarily in the Graubünden canton and in Upper Tessin, where it was often put to use as a lead goat in Verzasca herds. Today Peacock Goats are spread throughout all of Switzerland. In milk production, the Peacock Goat is equal to most mountain breeds. It produces a good amount of meat with modest fodder demands. About 300 Peacock Goats are kept in Switzerland.