Breed Profile: Icelandic Goat

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The Icelandic goat is the native landrace of Iceland. It is also known as the Icelandic settler goat as it is directly descended from the original inhabitants of Iceland without influence from other later breeds.

The Origin and History of the Icelandic Goat

A Viking Origin

Goats were brought from Norway to Iceland between 784 and 930 CE by the original settlers we know as the Vikings. There’ve been no further records of goat imports since that era. Since settlement, goats became widespread on the island, judging by place names with goat-related themes. They were likely kept in small numbers by subsistence farmers. Unsurprisingly, the cold of the medieval Little Ice Age led families to prefer sheep, due to their wool and fattier meat and milk. The preference for sheep still remains among Icelandic farmers to this day.

Climatic Fluctuations

The earliest population census was in 1703, when 818 goats were recorded. Since then, numbers have fluctuated greatly but are usually below 1,000 head. After a particularly cold spell starting in 1770, a huge volcanic eruption belched poisonous fumes, causing acid rain that destroyed pasture and killed 50% to 80% of Iceland’s livestock. Somehow, goats managed to survive the ensuing famine. However, a further glacial spell in 1850 reduced their numbers to under 100 head by 1890. The drastically low population risked imminent extinction.

Fortunately, the popularity of goat milk rose in seaside villages, encouraging farmers to start breeding to meet the demand. Goat numbers rapidly soared above 1,000 between 1915 and 1945, peaking at 2,983 head around 1930.

A Second Near-Extinction

Meanwhile, from 1927, the cow dairy was becoming increasingly industrialized and cattle became the preferred source for milk. After the Second World War, goats were banned from urban areas due to their penchant for eating people’s gardens. Meat production was still focused on sheep. So goats became disregarded and stigmatized by farmers. Goats were only considered fit for extremely poor families, where they still served for milk, meat, leather, and fiber. Their numbers gradually dropped as they were increasingly marginalized.

An importation of sheep from Europe in 1933 caused a catastrophic spread of diseases to which native livestock had few defenses, as they had lived in geographical isolation for many centuries. This led to a widespread cull of goats and sheep throughout the island. By 1960, fewer than 100 goats remained alive. These few escaped disease, as they were pets kept in small groups.

The Breed’s Recovery

Following growing concern for their survival, the Farmers Association of Iceland secured state funds to establish a herd book and help goat keepers protect and breed the remaining few. In 1991, they started collaborating with the Goat Breeders Society of Iceland, which promotes goat products to market. Small-scale production of cheese and fiber has also gained popularity in recent years.

Four females and two males were shipped to Scotland in 1986, where they contributed to a crossbreeding scheme to provide fiber producers with the ideal cashmere goat. Breeders reported that the Icelandic goats greatly contributed to the fineness of the fiber.

Small farm artisan production coupled with agritourism has boosted goat populations, which have steadily climbed to reach 1,888 head in 118 herds by 2024.

Conservation Status

Although the population is stable and increasing, it is still at risk due to low genetic diversity. In addition to government sponsorship, it has been necessary to commercialize goat production to raise funds for their conservation. Fortunately, appreciation for cheese and other products is now spreading in Iceland, particularly through restaurants, tourism, and artisan products.

A reserve flock is being developed in Maine by grading up an American herd with imported semen from Icelandic males. Each generation will have a greater percentage of Icelandic genes. This will provide a nearly pure backup herd in case the original population becomes extinct.

Characteristics of the Icelandic Goat

Description

Although size and weight vary greatly, these goats are generally small and short-legged, with long, coarse hair over a thick layer of cashmere undercoat.

Colors

Around 20% of animals are white. The rest are mainly piebald or black, gray, or brown with various markings.

Weight

Adult does range between 77 and 110 pounds (35–50 kg); bucks between 132 and 165 pounds (60–75 kg).

Height to Withers

Does average 16 inches (40 cm); bucks 24 inches (60 cm).

Temperament

The goats are known for their gentleness and friendly nature. Visitors to Háafell farm’s Icelandic Goat Center enjoy cuddling goat kids who often fall asleep in their arms.

Adaptability

Through their long presence in Iceland’s subpolar oceanic climate, the goats cope with extreme cold and damp. Even so, they shelter at night and during inclement weather and benefit from winter feed. They are highly flexible foragers and range far in small groups when given the opportunity.

Biodiversity

The breed is currently highly inbred due to at least two near extinctions and movement restrictions between districts. Consequently, it has limited genetic diversity, which can lead to low vitality and high extinction risk. This issue was highlighted in a 2012 paper that used pedigree information and genetic samples to discover a very low effective population that’s highly inbred with few genetic variations.

Surprisingly, inbreeding hasn’t suppressed growth and reproductive rates as much as expected. Herds are regionally inbred in separate parts of the country. Unsuccessful lines would’ve died out due to reproductive failure, leaving the fertile lines that are still with us today.

The conservation effort helps breeders find bucks from unrelated herds. These are often to be found in different districts. Increasing the population size through careful selection of unrelated breeding partners will allow variation to recover.

Productivity of the Icelandic Goat

Popular Use

Although still mainly kept as pets, a few small farms dedicated to artisan production of cheese, meat, leather, and fiber products are gaining favor.

Yield Averages

Milk yield is estimated at 40 to 53 gallons (150–200 liters) per lactation of about 150 days. This is about two pints (one liter) a day in summer, dropping to one pint (half a liter) in fall. Milk fat averages 3.2%. Does mature slowly and are more likely to breed from their second year. Kids are mainly born in April and May, and does average 1.15 kids per year.

The fleece yields a small amount (6 to 28 ounces/163–790 g) of fine, high-quality cashmere, which represents 25% to 47% of the coat weight. It is considered a superior grade fiber of 13.6 to 18.6 microns.

Sources

• Ævarsdóttir, H.Æ. 2014. The secret life of Icelandic goats: activity, group structure and plant selection of the Icelandic goat. Thesis, Iceland.
• Dýrmundsson, Ó.R., 2005. The Iceland goat: past and present. Animal Genetic Resources 36, 53–59.
• Sveinsdóttir H.E. and Dýrmundsson, Ó.R., 2003. The Icelandic Goat Breed. Icelandic Sheep Breeders of North America 7,1.
• Baldursdóttir, B. K., Kristjansson, T., and Hallsson, J. H. (2012). Diversity of the Icelandic goat breed assessed using population data. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section A — Animal Science 62(2), 53–65.
• Beau Chemin Preservation Farm, Waldoboro, Maine.
• FAO Domestic Animal Diversity Information System.
• Lead image is an Adobe Stock photo by RagnarTh.