The Stiefelgeiss goat is a beautiful breed of domestic goat, which is also known as the Booted goat. It is a mountain goat originating in the highlands of St. Gallen, Switzerland.
And the breed was spread throughout the uplands of St. Gallen (Walensee, Flums, Weisstannental and Taminatal) earlier, in the canton Glarus and in the bordering regions.
The Stiefelgeiss goat was purposefully bred until at least the 1920s, but it the 1980s the breed became nearly extinct. The Swiss preservation foundation Pro Specie Rara saved the breed at the last moment.
The current breeding region has its concentration in eastern Switzerland, with individual breeding groups in the central and western parts of the country.
Now the ongoing conservation efforts encourage farmers to keep the goats for their agricultural usefulness, for service as mother nannies, and for meat (mostly managed by the Booted Goat Breeders Club of Switzerland).
The population of Stiefelgeiss goat is increasing gradually, and currently the population is less than one thousand. Read more information about this goat breed below.
Stiefelgeiss Goat Characteristics
Stiefelgeiss goat is a very beautiful breed. Both bucks and does are horned. Coat color is usually of bright gray-brown to dark red-brown with black or brown markings (black or brown boots).
They typically have long beard hairs over the back (called Mänteli, meaning little covering) and on the hind quarter, which are markedly darker or lighter than the rest of the coat of hair.
The Stiefelgeiss goats are not excessively shaggy, but on the animals’ hind end, long beard hairs, called “Mänteli,” grow much longer and often are of a different color from the rest of the coat. Photo from Wikipedia.
Uses
Stiefelgeiss is a meat goat breed, and it was mainly used for meat production. But the breed is also good for fiber production.
Special Considerations
The Stiefelgeiss goat is a robust, vivacious and easily satisfied goat breed. It is not specialized for milk production, but good for meat production.
Stiefelgeiss goats are well suited for extensive keeping under extreme topographical and climatic conditions, most of all in the mountainous regions. Review full breed profile of this breed in the following chart.
| Breed Name | Stiefelgeiss |
| Other Name | Also known as Booted goat. |
| Breed Purpose | Meat & Fiber |
| Breed Size | Not sure |
| Weight | Not sure |
| Horns | Yes |
| Climate Tolerance | All Climates |
| Coat Color | Bright gray-brown to dark red-brown with black or brown markings. |
| Good for Stall Fed | Not Sure |
| Rarity | Common |
| Country/Place of Origin | Switzerland |
