We recently attended the County Fair and of course, headed straight to the craft exhibits, and 4-H projects, and livestock shows. We saw some beautiful goats, they were a lite brown, with a dark brown strip down their back. Also their ears and legs had a dark brown coloring. They looked like deer, but we never did get the name of the breed. Any info on the type of goat this is would be helpful. Michele

-- Michele Bryant (micheleb@aol.com), March 17, 2001

Answers

Sounds like a standard Nubian to me. They come in all kinds of color combinations, and the colors that you describe are common. Ours get locked up in the barn during deer season.

-- Ed Copp (OH) (edcopp@yahoo.come), March 17, 2001.

I doubt they were Nubs if they looked like deer, cuz of the easily distinguishable ears. Sound to me like Oberhasli, although they arent usually LIGHT brown, usually medium to dark.....?

-- Earthmama (earthmama48@yahoo.com), March 17, 2001.

They could have been Barbado sheep.

-- Leo (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), March 17, 2001.

Toggenburgs?

-- Lenette (kigervixen@webtv.net), March 17, 2001.

Sounds like the coloring of Kinder goats. A search on the web should give you a couple of sites with pictures. I've seen them and the ones I saw (photos) also looked like deer.

-- Julie (julieamc@excite.com), March 17, 2001.

What can I say, I guess I'm a moron. I meant OBERHASLI, not Kinder, but they sound so similar.....LOL Sorry!

-- Julie (julieamc@excite.com), March 17, 2001.

I would guess Oberhasli, I know some people who raise them, they vary from light brown to dark and look like deer.

-- Lenore (archambo@winco.net), March 17, 2001.

alpine goats have ears that are like deer.I,ve had one that had horns and evryone who saw her would comment on how much she looked like a deer.She had the same coloring also

-- Steve (a12goat@cs.com), March 17, 2001.

My Oberhasli escaped yesterday and was headed toward the house. I heard the dogs barking and when I looked out, I thought it was a deer running right up to the porch.

-- Lena(NC) (breezex4@go.com), March 17, 2001.

I say Barbado sheep too. I thought they looked like deer the first time I saw them.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), March 17, 2001.

I'd bet it was a Barbados Black Belly sheep. These are hair sheep, not wool; they don't have to be shorn and their tails aren't clipped. Not all of them have the stripe down their back. Take a look:

http://www.barkingrock.com/cherokee.jpg

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), March 18, 2001.

Either Alpines or Oberhasli, most likely. The coloring you describe is called chamoisee, (pronounced sham-wah-zay). Oberhasli have to be either this color or back,but are more of a reddish brown than a light brown. Alpines come in many color combinations, including this one.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), March 18, 2001.

Oberhasli. That's why I chose to keep them...they resemble deer except for the black "knee boots" and belly and the black stripe down the back. From a distance they look just like deer. I have seen some Alpines with similar markings of the Obies, tho.

-- JimR (jroberts1@cas.org), March 19, 2001.

I raise Barbados Blackbelly sheep and everyone thinks they're goats. These are hair sheep and look just like deer, small, fine and never need to be sheared. As Rogo said, go look you and you will see what we mean. They are beautiful animals. Anne

-- Anne (pygmy@bulkley.net), March 19, 2001.

They're probably Kinder goats. You can go to the website at hometown.aol/KGBAssn and click on "Rogues Gallery" to see pictures of very deer-looking goats. I want to get this kind of goat when I finally get some. Good milkers (from nubian mamas) but with a chunky body (from pygmy fathers) for better meat ratio, they're a really nice manageable size and apparently have sweet dispositions. Very beautiful and deer-looking.

-- snoozy (allen@oz.net), March 19, 2001.

I have a little doeling thats mother is Nubian and the father is 1/2 Togg. and 1/2 Obi. and she looks like a deer. she has the thin dainty legs and the deer like body. She is just beautiful.

-- Jeanette Wardwell (jnettie_1999@yahoo.com), March 20, 2001.