There are many reasons why a breeder might choose to breed BGs. For example, with careful selection of the initial non-GG goat female, it may be possible to increase milk yield and/or improve conformation.
| What is a British Guernsey? |
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The British Guernsey (BG) is a Golden Guernsey type goat (GG) which is
obtained by specific stages of breeding at the end of which the goat
will be 7/8ths GG and hence VERY similar to the GG in appearance, BUT
which may have some new characteristics provided by the initial
non-GG female used to start the breeding. There are many reasons why a breeder might choose to breed BGs. For example, with careful selection of the initial non-GG goat female, it may be possible to increase milk yield and/or improve conformation. |
The British Guernsey Breed Standard |
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Size The British Guernsey should be larger and heavier boned than the Golden Guernsey. Head Ears erect with a slight upturn at the tips permissible. Facial line straight or slightly dished. Tassels permissible. Body The body should be wedge shaped with a good spring of rib, straight topline sloping slightly to tail. Good dairy quality. Coat All shades of gold; neither brown nor white permissible. No Swiss marking on the head. White markings/ blaze or star on head permissible. Male Coat Usually carries more hair than the female. |
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One possible route to breeding up to a British Guernsey |
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Start with any female of any age (but preferably a white dairy goat) and register this female with the British Goat Society Identification Register (IR). Mate the IR female with a BG/GG male and register any female progeny within two years in the Supplementary Register (SR). Mate the SR female with a BG/GG male and register any female within two years in the Foundation Book (FB). Mate the FB female with a BG/GG male and register any female within two years in the Herd Book stage 1 (HB(1). Mate the HB(1) female with a BG/GG male and register any female progeny within two years in the Herd Book stage 2 (HB(2)). Mate the female with a BG/GG male and register any male or female progeny as British Guernsey (BG).
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| The breeding up process requires time and patience but at the end you will have a goat that looks similar to a GG and also may have some of the characteristics of the IR female. | |
| British Guernseys in the USA |
| It is not possible to import GGs into the USA - the strict animal health regulations DO NOT
ALLOW goats to be imported. But for many years, some American breeders have wanted to develop a Golden Guernsey-type breed of goat. (Please note that golden
coloured goats occur from time to time just by chance, but a golden coloured goat is just that.
Being gold in colour does NOT make it a Golden Guernsey!) To try to establish a GG-type breed in the USA, Guernsey enthusiasts are grading up to BG status, using USA female dairy goats of appropriate size and type with GG semen imported from the UK, to establish a GG-type US herd. There is also a very small number of pure-bred GGs in the USA (from embryos imported in an exercise several years ago) some male progeny of which are being used in the grading up scheme. When BG status is achieved, the goat is 7/8ths GG so it is very similar to the pure-bred GG. Diane Gray was the first person to achieve BGs in the USA. Anyone in the US who is interested in this should email either or . |
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| Please note that semen for the USA has to be collected on Ministry Approved premises from males blood-tested for specific diseases both before and after collection. Shipping is expensive unless several breeders share the costs. |
| For information on GG semen in the UK, visit COBS or Goat Genetics |
Page last updated 21-Jul-2009 |