Which dairy goat breed to choose??

[hsmom26]

Hi,

I'm new to this forum. We have a little 12 acre "farmette" that we purchased last year. We currently have dogs, cats, horses, geese, chickens, ducks, & guineas. We also have one little Boer-mix wether. We had some more boer-mix goats but sold them as dairy goats is really what we want but I'm not sure what breed to choose. Can someone please tell me the breeds they like and why? I've found Nubians and Alpines for sale near me. I've owned Nubians and like them a lot. Alpines I know nothing about. I've heard they're good producers but also heard the milk doesn't taste as good as other breeds. Is either true? My family won't drink the milk if it's not really good! We have 5 kids still living at home and go through a lot of milk. I would love to make cheese, butter, etc, too, and know Nubians have a higher fat percentage. What is the best all-around family dairy goat? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Kim

[Deberosa]

I know several homesteaders around here that like the dwarf nigerian goats and use them as dairy goats. THey have smaller places than you do and that may be why but they like them.

I don't have any experience with goats. Can't get them really because I have too many rhododendrons around here and they are very poisonous to goats.

[bookwormom]

you say you have five kids still at home_ so you need a lot of milk. Now I milk two Saanens and we like them. the milk tastes neutral and the Saanen is considered the Holstein of goats. I like Alpines, too. Never had Nubians and really do not care for those floppy ears, silly I know.

[hsmom26]

Yes, we go through about a gallon of milk a day! Having milk goats would save us considerable money on milk alone, not to mention other dairy products.

A lot of people I've met do seem to like Nubians. I like them, too - I have had them in the past (as pets only) - they're nice goats. My friend has them and I got two gallons of milk from her - it was great. I did not tell my family it was goat milk and they never knew the difference until I told them AFTER they drank it all! Now my hubby is seriously considering trying milk goats, whereas before he wanted no part of it.

I know Nubians have very rich milk. They are also popular to breed to Boers in my area or to Pygmies to get Kinder goats so that's a consideration. I'm very interested in the Kinders - does anyone here have them? I think you can even breed them to Nigerians for mini-Nubians so they are very versatile!

I don't know much about Alpines. They are pretty but I don't know about their milk or personality and the people who have them seem to only breed them to other Alpines - which is fine but you have less marketable options for the kids. The person who has some for sale here even said she prefers the Nubians so I don't know if they're worth getting.

[motherearth]

hello am new here.....you are asking what breed???have raised goats for over 35 years......and have had all breeds and they are all good for one thing or another....do you want calm milk goats.....that give alot of milk>>>>> Saanen is what ya want......or one that is just for a pet....go for the look and then personality....Alpines are more high strung than Saanen and Lamancha are great they can give yea alot of milk if you do not care if they have ears???????Nubians have more butterfat in their milk, Toggenburgs leave an after taste with their mlk,Cross breds are great for hybrid vigor and then there is the Boer that is for meat and Cashmeres that are for the wool and Angoras for the hair and Then there are the wee ones , nigerian and pygmy, they can be milked...right now i have 6 milking and then year there will be 12 and the year after 20/////we use the milk for all things...we drink it and we raise bummer lambs and some calves and pigs on it......then i have enough for cheese...take care and keep the faith

[gracie88]

I have to answer this one because I love my LaManchas ;D . I am pretty new to goats and have not had experience with other breeds but I can say that mine have the characteristics that LaManchas are known for; healthy, hardy, mellow temperament, decent milkers, just real easy to have around (for goats). And you get used to the lack of ears ::)

I have heard really good things about Kinders too for family milkers. They are smaller, so easier to handle and have high milkfat content.

One other thing to take into consideration is what breeds are available near you. Maybe there is a local dairy you could talk to. A goat that does not produce quite enough for a commercial dairy can be a good choice for a home because the super producers can be more delicate and hard to feed.

Anyway, have fun goat-shopping :)

[goodwifefarm]

[/quote] They are also popular to breed to Boers in my area or to Pygmies to get Kinder goats so that's a consideration. I'm very interested in the Kinders - does anyone here have them? I think you can even breed them to Nigerians for mini-Nubians so they are very versatile!

[/quote]

I've got Kinders and I love them! They are sweet, small, but not too small, and give great tasting milk. My only concern for you would be quantity. My friend Rhonda has a Kinder that gives a gallon a day (twice a day milking) but that is not typical for Kinders. To provide your family with all the milk you need, you would probably need to be milking two does. Good luck!

[fnfredux]

Nubians are the BEST all around milk goat as far as I am concerned. I do NOT like pygmies or anything with pygmy in it. They are the peskiest goats (pygmy) going. I started with them. They are escape artists, destructive and into everything. They are not the "cute things" they may seem to be. I had a couple of kinder goats, they were on the wild side too. Nubians and Sables are the most "user friendly" goats I have had folled closely by Saanens. All three excellent dairy goats, I did prefer the Nubian milk, it is richer. That is why my herd is now all 75% or better Nubian.
I had Boers, they are not as robust as the Nubians. I have free range goats and only suppliment with a LITTLE corn and mineral block. The Nubians seem to do best on very little suppliment. It could be that they are so large, when they stand on their hind legs to browse, they can reach higher than the others.
Anyway, easy care, easy TO care for, placid and gentle personalities, Nubians can't be beat in my book. I even had one that I swear she SMILED when she got her favorite treats.

[bee_pipes]

...Nubians ... most "user friendly" goats I have had...
...easy care, easy TO care for...
...Nubians can't be beat...


Could you describe your facilities? Electric fencing? Size of goat shed? Do you milk in the shed? Anything that might provide a detailed description. Any books you'd recommend?

Regards,
Pat

[fnfredux]

Could you describe your facilities? Electric fencing? Size of goat shed? Do you milk in the shed? Anything that might provide a detailed description. Any books you'd recommend?

Regards,
Pat

I have herding dogs that keep my goats in line. To attempt to fence horned goats is like trying to carry water in a sieve. I am now having all of my kids disbudded, I realized that tho my goats are very gentle with me, they are 4ell on wheels with each other at feeding time. When a horn grazed my eye, *(butting each other) I realized I need eyes more than they needed horns.
Now as to restraining. DOGS are the best, and they will guard them too. Here is another hint. Not all goats are wanderers. Some are real home bodies, over the generations get rid of any wanderers and their kids ASAP. It will take a few years to delvelop a good herd, but it will be worth it. A lazy goat is a good goat. Any goat that show any aversion to being around humans, get rid of. Of course aggression should never be tolerated. Get rid of aggressive goats too.
Disbudding of kids may seem cruel, but horns are dangerous to other goats, the goats that posess them and you. Best to eliminate themwhen the kids are a week or so old.
I use cattle panels for fencing, with no horns on the goats, it works out great.
I have 16 goats, two sheds, on 6X8 for new kids and their does, and one 8X20 for everyone else. Straw bedding and a dry area are really all that is required for goats.
For milking...I have a strange set up as my "basement" is above ground. I was using the entry room as a milking area. This year (the does are "resting" now, not being milked due to pregnancies), but this past year I changed my facilities for milking. I built a 12X20 deck (first floor is 9" up)on my house with concrete under the deck at ground level, I enclosed the area under the deck (deck has CCA plywood and roll roofing) as a room for storing lawn equipment and my milking stand. The most I ever milk is three does, I really don't need any mopre milk than that and I "share" with their kids. I've had my favorites that I was milking at 1/2 gallon each a day while they were feeding twins. I couldn't keep up with the cheesemaking, much less eating. I sold some of the cheese, people still ask for it, but with the GVT so het up on the food thing, I won't even GIVE it away, lest I run afoul of the "LAW".
It's really easy to keep goats, as long as you either have just a couple and/or have a good goat dog or two.
Goats are pretty healthy, the need vacinations of course and hoof trimming (you can do it yourself with garden pruners). They need clean food and water, nothing moldy or rank. They do need some browse and there are a few things that are poisonous. I have lost a few goats to bad eating habits, by the time you see what happening it's usually too late. I FINALLY tracked down a problem that took a doe and her kid last year. For some unfathomable reason she was eating old oak leaves from the previous year. Oak leaves heve tannin in them and are NOT good goat browse. Since kids learn from their moms what to eat...well.
Mineral blocks and a little grain, I don not like to feed any prepared "feeds". There have been too many recalls of pet food and I suspect the controls are no tighter on livestock feed. Any mold on goat feed will sicken you animals.
Hay is good to have on hand when there is no browse
( maybe a couple of months a year), but if you have an acre per goat and some weed and brush, that would suffice for the most part.
Goats have been domesticated for a long time, in many societies they are herded and never really fenced. Goats will learn where home is and as I always say, they are like dogs with hoofs and horns(only now our herd is becoming hornless). Another caveat watch your buck like a hawk or come some fridgid January, the bathtub in the pic below could be yours.
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i164/wingspot/HPIM5726_edited.jpg
one of my crazier girls, a Saanen, Alice, she had to leave, she was a wanderer AND a dog teaser, insisted on sticking her head in the GSP pen, good old Alice 1 1/2 eared Alice.
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i164/wingspot/alice3.jpg
my Nubian Buck when he was just a kid, buy a GOOD buck you can improve your herd fastest with a good sire
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i164/wingspot/jedi782006.jpg
ANDF last but not least, handle your kids daily. They will "bond" with you. It is best to have a herd that was born to you. Easy to accomplish in just a few years if you don't need more than 6-8. Also, don't fall in 'love with the "babies". Keep only the BEST for yourself. Cuteness is NOT a consideration. I have several sentimental "yard ornament" wethers. Oh, well, I AM getting a lot more hard hearted.
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i164/wingspot/IM000478-1.jpg
I had to include Sheep, she never gets her pic anywhere.
Sorry the post is so long.
The *of OK State U has a GREAT animal husbandry site. Lots of good goat info there on breedshttp://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/goats/

[silvergramma]

I am looking forward to purchasing dairy goats as well
up here in the Tundra/prairie/ice age... i've been told that saanen/nubians are the hardier combination for milkers...they supposedly go for about 100 bucks each from a reliable breeder.. looking forward to finding out

[Anon001]

I am looking forward to purchasing dairy goats as well
up here in the Tundra/prairie/ice age... i've been told that saanen/nubians are the hardier combination for milkers...they supposedly go for about 100 bucks each from a reliable breeder.. looking forward to finding out

Good choices. I prefer Nubians and keep about 20 of them as well as one Saanen.
PaulNKS

[harvester]

Hi and good luck on your goat search. I have raised goats of all breeds in montana for the past 35 years. What I have found is this.
Saanens= massive amounts of milk. these goats are the holsteins of the goat world, their aim is to produce milk in mass quantities depending on quality and breeding I have known saanens to produce over 3 gallons a day, and often do have multiple births, twins, triplest and quads are common. feed to output ratio is very good in milk production. poor meat producer.
Alpines=I have found these to be very easy keepers and high producers of mid quality milk. Low butterfat as in saanens and can produce up to about 2 gallons a day.
Often will have twins. feed to output ratio is good in milk production, poor meat producer.
LaManchas=My preferred dual purpose breed. This goat will produce a very mild flavored milk, mostly undecernable from storebought 2%. They will produce an average of 2 gallons a day. Twins are common. Also will produce a decent amount of meat. Meat and milk in one package. I keep these as milk producers and breed them to boers to enhance the fine quality of the meat they produce. Mild mannered, can spoil easily, earless, quiet and will follow you anywhere. food to output ratio is very good in milk production and good/fair in meat production.
Nubians=Ive had many of these and have never had one that i havent gotten rid of due to their lack of true dairy milk quality (tasts goaty) and their loud mouths. this breed is initially a meat breed and will never stand up to dairy breed standards. If you dont mind the loud mouths, the head strong attitudes and stonger tasting milk they are as good as any. can produce up to 2 gallons of milk a day. feed to output ratio i feel is not worth it in the milk department, but they do produce good meat. singles and twins common.
Toggenburgs= almost identical to alpines however i did notice that another poster commented on goaty tasting milk. I agree. these are a mid level producer, very hardy!
basically a utility breed, fair milk quantity producer, some can attain 2 gallons a day. poor meat producer. excellent forragers. a little noisy. singles and twins common.
Pygmys= very small but can be milked. they will produce a very sweet milk in very small quantities. excellent for ice cream and baking. dificult to milk as they have very small teats. some can produce up to a half gallon a day. singles and twins common. will climb on things. Ive found mine walking the top rail of the fence. feed to output ratio, well you can only get so much, but size for size, excellent!
Nigerian dwarves= pretty much the same as pygmys, a little more streamlined, more color choices and will produce a bit more milk.
Boers=This is a true meat producer. I can commonly put a 4 month old boer/lamancha cross in the freezer and yield appx 75 lbs of meat. it costs me roughly 35c a lb. Boers have an extremely high butterfat content in their milk averaging 13% or more. It will have a tough time going through your cream separator. I tried, it gummed mine up and it hasnt been the same since. oh well, live and learn. Boer meat is a very high quality goat meat that has a fuller, beefier taste than any other goat meat. Well worth finding a buck to breed your does to if you want meat kids. the quality is outstanding. I have found that even goats with 1/4 boer influence have the boer quality meat. Quiet, non jumpers, not headstrong, super easy keepers. singles, twins and triplets common.
feed to output ratio excellent in meat department. Not a milking breed as their milk has a horrid taste due to the butterfat content. I dont even use it for cheese.

my end comments are..for what you are looking for I dont think it would be best to settle on just one breed. If milk is your main goal then try a saanen to produce drinking milk for the family. A lamancha for a dual milk, drinking, cheese, butter, and icecream. As I said i raise my goats for milk meat and cheese. and find lamanchas are excellent for this. esp. when bred to a boer buck.

[momma_to_seven_chi]

Nubians are the BEST all around milk goat as far as I am concerned. I do NOT like pygmies or anything with pygmy in it. They are the peskiest goats (pygmy) going. I started with them. They are escape artists, destructive and into everything. They are not the "cute things" they may seem to be. I had a couple of kinder goats, they were on the wild side too.


I agree on Nubians. *They are very gentle and are my favorite purebred milk goats. The great advantage to Kinders is that they are smaller (easier for young people to handle) and they breed year round rather than seasonally. *
I personally dislike Boer. *They are disgusting in personality. Just my opinion, but I never met a boer I liked whether it was mine or someone elses. They are pretty though. Give me a good milk goat any day over a Boer. They aren't as nasty and stubborn in personality.
Pygmys are like perpetual two year olds. I like them, but they aren't as easy to handle as any of the milk breeds. *They do breed year round, so crossing them with a milk goat to create Kinders has a great advantage.

[harvester]

Alot of a goats attitude depends alot on its breeding. My boers are perfect little angels who just want loves and cuddles, giant puppy dogs! I get my boer stock from the origonal american boer breeder that brought boers into the united states initially. Maybe thats the difference. And i find the same thing with pygmys, Ive had a few that were bull headed, does mainly, but the majority of them were lap puppies. I think Its all in the breeding. Probably a good thing to do is to visit several goat breeders in your area and spend some time with their herd. Get to know the breeds and each breeders general flock attitude and go from there.