The Orobica goat is a breed of domestic goat from Italy. The exact origins of this breed are unknown, but it is first documented at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Orobica goat is actually from the Val Gerola in the province of Sondrio, in the Bergamo Alps of northern Italy. The Orobica goat is raised in the Val Gerola and the Valchiavenna in the province of Sondrio, in the Alto Lario Occidentale, the Valsassina and the Val Varrone in the province of Como, and in the upper Val Brembana in the province of Bergamo.
In Italy, the Orobica goat is one of the eight autochthonous Italian goat breeds. And a genealogicall herdbook is kept for the Orobica goats by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep- and goat-breeders.
It is also called Valgerola. The Valgerola has always described as a synonym of the Orobica. But for some reasons which are not clear, it is separately reported to the Domestic Animal Diversity Information System.
And the Velgerola is included in the list of goat breeds of limited distribution of the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture. Their numbers are reported by the Italian national association of and goat breeders, but no data has ever been entered.
There are two official breed standards, one for the “Razza Orobica” and the other for the “Orobica o Valgerola“. The registered numbers of Orobica goat was 1109 at the end of 2013. Read more information about the Orobica goat below.
Orobica Goat Characteristics
Orobica goat is a medium sized animal with lustrous coat, composed of fine long hair. Their coat color vary from uniform ash-grey to violet-beige.
The most common color combination is black-gray in the hind quarters with white-beige front. They have erect ears. And both bucks and does usually have long horns.
Average height of buck is 79 cm, and 73 cm for does. And the bucks on average weight about 80 kg and the does about 65 kg. Photo & info from Wikipedia.
Uses
It is a dairy goat breed. And it is mainly raised for milk production. But as they are medium sized animals, so they are also pretty good for meat production.
Special Considerations
The Orobica goats are very strong and hardy animal. Over the time, their native area’s geographical isolation has encouraged more diversification compared to other goat breeds.
And the breed’s hardiness has allowed it to adapt well to the hard-to-reach mountain pastures. The breed is mainly raised for milk production, but they are also good for producing meat. Review full breed profile of this breed in the following table.
| Breed Name | Orobica |
| Other Name | Valgerola |
| Breed Purpose | Milk |
| Breed Size | Medium |
| Buck | About 80 kg |
| Doe | At least 65 kg |
| Horns | Yes |
| Climate Tolerance | All Climates |
| Coat Color | Varying from uniform ash-grey to violet-beige |
| Good for Stall Fed | No |
| Rarity | Common |
| Country/Place of Origin | Italy |
