The Girgentana Goat Breed: A Zootechnical Overview on Genetics, Nutrition and Dairy Production Aspects

In recent years, there has been a great interest in recovering and preservinglocal livestock breeds. An interesting situation is represented by theGirgentana goat, an ancient local breed reared in Sicily. Over recent years, thisbreed has become almost extinct, in part as a consequence of the marked decreasein fresh goat milk consumption. On the basis of these considerations, several studieson its genetic structure and management aspects have been conducted in order toprotect the Girgentana goat from the risk of extinction and recover its genetic andeconomic value. In this context, information on genetics, nutrition and dairy productionaspects may have a crucial role in the improvement and management of thebreed. Thus, this chapter describes some points of these applications through recentinvestigations on this goat breed.