Beautiful and Sweet: Oberhasli Goats

We have Kids on the Way!

The first time I saw an Oberhasli doe I was struck by her pure elegance. I had never seen a goat with such gait, charm, gorgeous color and markings. My husband Bob adores goats so we chose the Oberhasli. They are known for their milk production and gentle nature, and they are stunning to look at.

We have had two Obbie does for 3 years and they have been bred once with lovely healthy, energetic kids. We left them open this year; added a registered Obbie doe and buck and are expecting kids February, 2007. We are not looking to build our goat herd which means we will be offering kids for sale.

A Bit of History :

The Oberhasli goat is a medium sized dairy goat of docile temperament. The coat is a warm red-brown with black trimmings along the muzzle, face, back and belly. Bucks often have more black on the head than does. The history of the Oberhasli has been traced to Switzerland to a goat called “Swiss Alpine”.

Today’s Oberhasli’s can be traced back to four does and one buck imported in 1936 by Dr. H.O. Pence of Kansas City, Missouri. Three of the four does had been bred to different bucks while still in Switzerland. Because of a registry problem, in 1941 Dr. Pence sold his goats in two divided groups. One of the groups of goats was lost in the 1950’s while the other ended up in California and was owned by Esther Oman. The pedigree of almost every Oberhasli can be traced to Mrs. Oman’s goats with the Patterswiss or Playfair herd names. The Oberhasli was given its own herd book in 1980.

Quality Breeding and Rare:

The numbers of Oberhasli goats worldwide are not large. They are bred for quality not quantity. It is considered a minor breed of domestic animal and could be in danger of extinction. They are considered RARE by The American Minor Breeds Conservancy. RARE means that there estimated fewer than 5000 globally.

Sweet Milk, Great Packers:

Obbies are known for their sweet milk, more similar to the tast of cow milk than other goats. Their friendly temperment, natural agility and strong back legs make them excellent for packing.