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Messinese
	A Messinese billy
Conservation status	FAO (2007): not at risk
Other names	Capra dei Nebrodi; Siciliana Comune;
Country of origin	Italy
Distribution	Sicily
Standard	MIPAAF
Use	milk, also meat
Traits
Weight	Male: 72 kg; Female: 38 kg;
Height	Male: 72 cm; Female: 67 cm;
Skin colour	dark or pale according to coat colour
Coat	very variable
Horn status	usually horned
Beard	bearded
Tassels	present
	Goat; Capra aegagrus hircus;

The Messinese is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the area of the Monti Nebrodi and the Monti Peloritani in the province of Messina, in the Mediterranean island of Sicily, in southern Italy. It is raised mainly in those areas, but also in the provinces of Catania, Enna and Palermo.^[2] Its range partly overlaps that of the Argentata dell'Etna. The breed was officially recognised and a herd-book established in 2001. It was previously known either as the Capra dei Nebrodi (in that area) or in general as the Siciliana Comune.^[2]

The Messinese is one of the forty-three autochthonous Italian goat breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep- and goat-breeders.^[5]^[6] At the end of 2013 the registered population was variously reported as 9814^[7] and as 10,409;^[8] the total population is estimated at 42,000.^[3]

Use

The milk yield per lactation of the Messinese is 137 ± 66 litres for primiparous, 170 ± 35 litres for secondiparous, and 188 ± 36 litres for pluriparous, nannies.^[6] The milk averages 5.83% fat and 4.13% protein, and is used mostly to make caprino and mixed-milk cheeses.^[2]

References

^ Barbara Rischkowsky, D. Pilling (eds.) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Accessed June 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Daniele Bigi, Alessio Zanon (2008). Atlante delle razze autoctone: Bovini, equini, ovicaprini, suini allevati in Italia (in Italian). Milan: Edagricole. ISBN 9788850652594. p. 373–74.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Lorenzo Noè, Alessandro Gaviraghi, Andrea D'Angelo, Adriana Bonanno, Adriana Di Trana, Lucia Sepe, Salvatore Claps, Giovanni Annicchiarico, Nicola Bacciu (2005). Le razze caprine d'Italia (in Italian); in: Giuseppe Pulina (2005). L' alimentazione della capra da latte. Bologna: Avenue Media. ISBN 9788886817493. p. 381–435. Archived 5 October 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c Norme tecniche della popolazione caprina "Messinese": standard della razza (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia. Accessed June 2014.
^ Strutture Zootecniche (Dec. 2009/712/CE - Allegato 2 - Capitolo 2) (in Italian). Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali. Section I (e). Archived 4 May 2014.
^ ^a ^b Le razze ovine e caprine in Italia (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia: Ufficio centrale libri genealogici e registri anagrafici razze ovine e caprine. p. 102. Accessed June 2014.
^ Consistenze Provinciali della Razza N0 Messinese Anno 2013 (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia: Banca dati. Accessed June 2014.
^ Breed data sheet: Messinese/Italy. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed June 2014.