Breed Profile: Pyrenean Goat
One of the Oldest French Goat Breeds of Great Value to People and Ecosystems
Reading Time: 7 minutes
The Pyrenean goat is a dual-purpose range goat with a fascinating history. This ancient breed dispersed its genes throughout France and Spain thanks to its worth to various people, from mountain shepherds and migrant salesmen to ailing infants.
The Origin and History of the Pyrenean Goat
Origin
For many hundreds of years, hardy long-haired goats, variously patterned and with lop ears, accompanied flocks of sheep in the French Pyrenees. They were fashioned through ancient migrations and mountain living. Their roots are likely to be ancient.
Around 7,000 years ago, settlers from the Middle East migrated across the Mediterranean, bringing domesticated goats to southern Europe. In 600 BCE, Greek settlers founded Massalia, which became the principal trading port of Marseilles, welcoming goats, some bearing the characteristic lop ears popular in the eastern Mediterranean.
Transhumance in the Pyrenees
Prior to the 1870s, small groups of these goats accompanied flocks of sheep throughout the seasonal migrations from the valleys to the mountains throughout the French Pyrenees. In winter, they fed on the remains of crops and vines in the valleys, fertilizing the soil with their manure. In summer, they wandered through mountain pastures, providing milk for the shepherd and sheepdogs during the season-long migration.
While the older son would inherit the farm, the younger would either work for his brother or seek other income. In some cases, a young man would take a small herd to town to supply fresh milk to customers, straight from the teat.
As the rail network expanded and thermal spa towns became popular tourist resorts, more opportunities opened up for such enterprise. Equally, the Pyrenees saw a population boom from the 1870s, which led these migrant goatherds to look further afield. Most of these came from Béarn, an area in the southwest of the Pyrenees. The goats were known for their excellent walking skills and their high-quality milk. From April to September, after the kids were sold for Easter, lactating goats with their herder and dogs would walk around 25 miles (40 km) a day, finding a sheltered heath with a barn to rest up for the night. Goats would forage along the route, and the dogs would keep them from eating farmers’ crops.
Travel to Paris and Beyond
At each town they passed through, the goatherd would serve customers by milking each goat in turn on the street. In this way, different herds traveled many routes all over the country, even to Spain, but mainly toward Paris and the seaside towns of western and northern France, to find custom among tourists and wealthy townspeople. They reached Belgium and perhaps even Britain.
Once they reached Paris, each goatherd would negotiate a neighborhood to supply. As he made his rounds, he played his signature tune on the panpipes or horn, or in song. His typical costume, complete with beret and cane, became iconic of early 1900s in Paris. Children would come out bearing bowls so they could drink the freshly served milk.
How the Breed Was Almost Lost
After the First World War, goat milk was popularized as a nutritious lifesaver to combat child mortality. Joseph Crépin, a defense civil servant, raised his own son on goat milk and set about promoting the goat dairy. Not only was he instrumental in encouraging dairy breeding, he also encouraged homeowners to keep goats in their backyard. At the end of the season, Pyrenean goats were often sold to householders or urban farms, which met the growing demand for a ready supply of milk for urban children.
However, as the automobile soon crowded the Parisian streets, the trade of the milk seller became more difficult. Goatherds found it more lucrative to bring cheese to the city rather than goats, and successful traders became the new suppliers of Parisian markets.
Conservation Status
In 1852, there were around 70,000 head in the Pyrenees. Then around 1900, there were estimated 1,500 in Paris alone. However, during that century, goats were banned from forests, and other breeds were selected for milk production. This led to the near extinction of the Pyrenean breed by the 1980s.
A handful of enthusiasts then sought out landrace types from all the remotest corners of the Pyrenees. They started to rebuild herds from 10 or more original lines. By 2000, there were still only 80 known females, so breeders created the Association la Chèvre de race pyrénéenne in 2004 to save the breed. By 2010, there were 3,300 females and 300 males registered. The herd book is still open to animals that meet the standard and are descended from landrace types. A recent surge of interest has seen young farmers setting up as artisan producers. Now approximately 5,000 goats are registered.
Characteristics of the Pyrenean Goat
Description
Although individuals vary in appearance, the standard describes the ideal as a large, sturdy, and rugged frame with strong legs and spread hooves. The head is large with long and wide horizontal or lop ears, a beard, and a tuft of hair on the forehead. The horns curve backward and slightly outward, being thicker and more twisted in mature bucks. The coat is mid-length or long.
Colors
Normally black or dark brown, but coats vary through shades of brown or gray to white. There are often white markings on the head, belly, and legs, and belted patterns are common.
Weight
Adults over 110 pounds (50 kg).
Height to Withers
Adults 30 to 34 inches (75–85 cm).
Temperament
Like many range animals, they vary in personality, tending toward being independent and inquisitive. Much depends on how they are raised. Those bred for dairy tend to be more amenable and friendly toward people, being more used to human contact. Being highly attuned to exploring and foraging, they need the freedom to roam and will easily become bored by tired pasture. Their agility allows them to easily escape enclosures, although some herds are trained to respect fencing.
Adaptability
Due to their long history in the Pyrenees, they have perfectly adapted to its climate and rocky terrain. Consequently, they are hardy and resilient in their own environment. They do not adapt at all well to enclosure and intensive farming. However, farmers may provide a barn and extra feed for kidding in cold weather. They are efficient foragers, finding a varied diet of mainly brush and woody browse. As they roam and prefer higher-level plants, they avoid internal parasites. From spring to fall, they range in woods and pastures or stay up in the mountains. Although this is true of some dairy herds, most browse pastures around the farm.
Biodiversity
Breeders maintain the standard as recognized in documents from around the 1920s. They are careful to maintain their goats’ foraging skills and hardiness. They select dams able to raise kids in the free-range mountain environment. Dairy breeders also prioritize the cheese-making qualities of their milk.
Genetic studies reveal that Pyrenean goats diverged a long time ago from ancient Mediterranean lines, such as the Provençale and Rove goats. An apparently high inbreeding coefficient is due to the limited number of animals used to rebuild the breed rather than recent inbreeding. Although herds in isolated valleys often become related, there are marked differences with those of other locations. The variety of coat patterns, for example, is a product of within-breed variety rather than a sign of crossbreeding. Indeed, genetic analysis reveals the breed’s distinctness. The most closely related breed is geographically distant, being the Chèvre des Fossés of Brittany and Normandy. This surprising result is likely due to the migration of Béarnese herds along the western coast. Similarly, some Spanish breeds have inherited traits from the Pyrenean goat, for example, the Payoya goat.
Productivity of the Pyrenean Goat
Popular Use
Two-thirds of producers keep suckling herds as a complementary farming activity, supplying the local specialty of Easter kid meat as well as older kids after the summer season. These herds also maintain pastures and open up space for sheep grazing. They clear brush from areas that machinery cannot reach. The other third are dairy herds for artisan cheese production.
Yield Averages
Dairy herds generally yield 51 to 103 gallons (200–400 kg) over around 230 days. This milk is very rich and suitable for making a variety of high-quality cheeses (protein 29.5%; fat 39.5%). Each dam initially feeds her kids for 2 to 3 months before milking.
Did You Know?
The Pyrenees also have a wild goat of a different species, the Iberian ibex, which was reintroduced in 2000 after the local population was wiped out.
Sources
- Association la Chèvre de race pyrénéenne (ACP)
- Danchin, C., 2004. L’analyse du génome dévoile l’histoire des races caprines sélectionnées en France. Institut de l’Elevage.
- Passal, J.-N., 2005. L’esprit de la chèvre. Editions Cheminements.
- Passal, J.-N., 2022. L’épopée des chevriers pyrénéens 1870–1940. Les Ateliers de l’Ours éditeurs.
- Races de France
- Lead image © Association la Chèvre de race pyrénéenne.
Originally published in March/April 2025 digital issue of Goat Journal and regularly vetted for accuracy.
