The Girgentana goat is a domestic goat breed that people use for milk production. It is native to the province of Agrigento on the Mediterranean island of Sicily’s southern coast.
Origin of Girgentana Goat
The Girgentana goat breed’s actual origins are unknown. in central South Asia, notably Kashmir, northern Afghanistan, and Balochistan are places where people think they surface at first.
It was recognized by Johann Wolfgang Amschler as Capra Prisca and the Ram in a Thicket statue unearthed at Ur by Leonard Woolley in 1927-28.
Leopold Adametz’s claim that it is descended, at least in part, from the markhor, Capra falconeri, a species of Central Asian goat-antelope, appears to be widely accepted among zoologists.
It’s possible that Greek colonists brought these animals to Sicily circa 700 BC, or it could have been Arab invaders in the ninth century AD that brought them.
Girgenti, the local Sicilian name for Agrigento, inspired the Girgentana goat breed’s name. Previously, more than 30,000 goats were available throughout the province’s highlands and coastline zone.
The Girgentana goat is now extremely rare and at risk of extinction. The report estimates that there were a total of 524 Girgentana goats in existence at the end of the year 1993.
At the end of 2013, 390 goats were already in record to have been in existence. Furthermore, the FAO designated the breed’s conservation status as “endangered” in 2007.
An Overview of Girgentana Goat
Appearances
The breed is one of eight autochthonous Italian goat breeds for which the Associazione Nazionale Della Pastorizia, Italy’s national sheep-breeders, maintains a genealogical herdbook. But unfortunately, there is not much information about the kind of breed.
The Girgentana goat is a lovely and medium-sized animal. It has a white coat with grey-brown hair on the head and throat.
Girgentana goats have curly horns in a spiral shape. They have a long beard and small-medium-sized upright ears on both bucks and does.
The average height of a buck is 85 cm, and that of a doe is 80 cm. The average body weight of a buck is 65 kg, and the average body weight of a doe is 46 kg. Wikipedia provided the image and information.
Purpose of Use
Girgentana goats are dairy goats. People mostly use them for milk production.
Behavior and Temperament
Girgentana goats are resilient, active, and well-adapted to their environment. You can see this kind of breed in mainland Italy, Sicily, and Western Europe. The does produce a lot of milk. For example, a doe may produce approximately 400 kg of milk annually.
