Danish Landrace

Danish-LandraceA rare breed kept mostly now non-commercially, Danish Landrace Goats have pretty markings and individual personalities! They are good producers and are ideal for families! Danish Landrace Goats are extremely hardy and can be kept even in very cold or humid climates. Many people keep them as house goats for their milk, or simply for hobby!

Danish Landrace Goats are fairly undemanding and have sociable personalities! At maturity, a male Danish Landrace Goat stands about 85 centimeters at the withers and weighs 85 kilograms. Females are about ten centimeters shorter and only weigh around 50 kilograms!

They have medium to large frames and their hair, which may be short or long, grows in thick and warm against winter weather! Colorwise, Danish Landrace Goats offer a variety of choices. They come in black, blue, or brown pied varieties or solid black. There is also a harz variety, which has chamois coloration- brown with a black underside, legs, and black facial markings.

Two bezoar varieties are also available. Danish Landrace bezoar goats have brown bodies with white undersides and white and black facial markings. The black bezoar is similar but has black coloration with white-only markings. Most Danish Landrace Goats have horns but many are polled. Annual milk production usually averages around 800 kilograms per Danish Landrace doe!

Danish-Landrace1Danish Landrace Goats are derived from indigenous Danish goats. In the early 1900’s, these goats were crossed with German Harz and Saanen Goats to improve the breed. Their popularity was short-lived and post-World War II the only Danish Landrace Goats remained in the hands of die-hard enthusiasts of the breed.

Using the goats as embryo recipients for other breeds, such as Boer Goats, only made things worse, wasting the reproductive potential of the remaining Danish Landrace does. Today, preservation efforts are being made toward Danish Landrace Goats, though they are still kept mainly for hobby rather than commercially.

It is thought that there are around 250 female Danish Landrace Goats remaining. Danish Landrace Goats are extremely hardy in cold climates. Generally, they remain out of doors all year round and feed on grazing alone. Their milk is believed to be especially tolerable to people with milk allergies, even children!

Breeding and ProDanish Landrace Goats are quite rare and it is important to breed them responsibly. They have rather low litter sizes, although their lambing ease is good and they reach sexual maturity at about the same age as other goats in the region. Danish Landrace Goats also have an average lambing interval and length of mating season!