To Know Where We Are Going, We Must First Understand Where We Are Coming From
The origin of the Golden Guernsey (GG) is unknown, though genetic research by the University of Cordoba has concluded that the goat is indigenous to Guernsey and is a "stand alone" breed. There were a few golden goats amongst the scrub herds on Guernsey Island, and these were seen by Miss. Miriam Milbourne in 1924. It is largely thanks to her efforts that the golden goat has survived. She started keeping goats in 1937, and in the early 1950s began a breeding program for Golden Guernseys at the suggestion of a B.G.S. Judge, Dr Tracey. With great determination she increased her herd to about 30 goats, and in 1965 a separate Golden Guernsey register was opened in the Guernsey Goat Society's Herd Book. The first successful imports to England were in 1967 and the inaugural questionnaire and newsletter of the mainland club were issued in 1968. The British Goat Society (BGS) Golden Guernsey register was opened in 1971. The Golden Guernsey breed now has a CLOSED Herd Book. It CANNOT be graded up to & kids must have BOTH registered sires and dams to be registered themselves and called Golden Guernsey.
BGS BREED STANDARD FOR GG: Head/Ears - Erect with a slight upturn at the tips. Facial line - Dished or straight. No tassels/wattles. Body - Smaller than the other breeds. Fine-boned. Skin - A shade of gold, neither pink nor grey. Coat - All shades of gold with or without small white markings and blaze or star on head. No Swiss markings. Hair can be long or short. The male coat usually carries more hair than the female.
Moving Forward With Guernseys In The US
BG Timeline Image Coming Soon. 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. In USA only ONE herd was allowed to breed GG's. The Southwind Farm herd in NY state imported GG embryos & semen back in 1996 and established a herd. They sold male GG's but until the death of the original importer, Allen Skolnick, who died in 2013, no females were available. After Allen’s death, the goats were sold at auction and the new owner(s) of the GG females is undisclosed. Enthusiasts in USA have made good use of SWIND males to start their own herds of British Guernseys.
BGS BREED STANDARD FOR BG: Head/Ears - Erect with a slight upturn at the tips permissible. Facial line - Straight or slightly dished. Tassels permissible. Body - The British Guernsey should be larger and heavier boned than the Golden Guernsey. Should be wedge shaped with a good spring of rib, straight topline sloping slightly to tail. Good dairy quality. Skin - A shade of gold, neither pink nor grey. Coat - All shades of gold; neither brown nor white permissible. No Swiss markings. White markings/ blaze or star on head permissible. The male coat usually carries more hair than the female.
The above information was generously provided by Christine Ball. Christine was the British Goat Society (BGS) Overseas Officer for many years & is now Vice-President. She is the breeder of the "Peaclond" herd of Golden Guernsey’s (GG) & organizer of all the embryo & semen exports for the USA. Christine is knowledgeable of all the GG bloodlines in USA and also serves the breed by helping new members liaise with the BGS secretary, if necessary.
Worthy of Preservation
Not only are these goats beautiful, they truly are a breed worthy of preservation, as they are excellent mothers, feed efficient milk producers, extremely docile, quiet, and tend to be very hardy and parasite/disease resilient.