# Me and my crazy ideas- Mini Manchas



## jodief100 (Oct 26, 2011)

I breed market meat goats.  I have one little LaMancha, Jaz I keep for our home milk use.  I love her to death and this year I had her bred to a LaMancha buck.  She gave me two beautiful little doelings, Dixie and Bayou who I kept.  

She is tiny, I got her for a good price because she was accidently bred too early and was stunted.  She is about 80 lbs.  I have been worried about breeding her to my Boer or kiko buck, they are both big.  

So I am considering buying a Nigi buck just for breeding Jaz, Dixie and Bayou.  I am trying to justify it by conviencing myself the babies will have a higher value per pound and a little buck is less expensive to keep than a big one.  I know I will not get much on the meat market for LaMancha wethers so I was thinking cute little goats might sell better as pets.  

Is this a workable idea or am I just trying to justify getting the mini goats I really want?


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## daisychick (Oct 26, 2011)

I don't think it is a crazy idea at all.   To get use out of your lamancha does you will need to breed them anyway, so why not make the kids more marketable.   I bought a Nigerian buck to be able to breed my Nubian girls when they are ready, meaning I get to make mini nubians  .   It was a lot easier to find a nice Nigerian buck than to try and find a Nubian buck.  In my area Nigerians are very popular and plentiful and people practically give away the bucks, but the wethers go for the same price as does!!!!  Soooo my plan is to sell wethers as pets and keep a few mini does.    I say go for it, but I am known as an enabler


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## Queen Mum (Oct 26, 2011)

OPTIONS:

Well, you could pay a breeding fee and breed them each to a different buck and see what you get?  

Then pick the best buckling from the lot and trade it for the buck you want. 

Or keep the best buckling and line breed.  

Or just buy a show buck and breed.  And then use him for stud fees.   

Or you can just admit you like the little guys and accept that they are addicting and buy the buck you want. 

How many mini's can you fit into a box?

Depends on the size of the box...


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## ksalvagno (Oct 26, 2011)

Are the LaManchas registerable? You can register the minis with TMGC. There may be another miniature goat club but I'm not sure. The other one would be to sell as home milkers. You get more milk than from a Nigerian but smaller than the normal dairy breeds. They are becoming more popular with the homesteading / self sufficient folks.


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## jodief100 (Oct 26, 2011)

Karen- so glad you replied since you are on the short list as a source for the buck.  When I bought Jaz she was registerable but I was naive and didn't pay the extra $50 to have her registered.  At the time I had two orphans and was desperate for a goat in milk and she was all I could find locally.  Her girls are registerable as 50% since the buck was registered fullblood.  Do you know if I buy a fullblood registered buck would the resulting kids be registerable?  

I would just admit I like the little guys and buy one but I have to convince the hubby it is the "economically sound"  thing to do.  

Nigerians are not so common around here, this is mostly a Boer area.

Can I keep the minis in with my big goats?  Jaz gets kicked around more than I like because she has no horns.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 26, 2011)

I don't know anything about registering the minis with TMGC. I know with ADGA and AGS that they would not be registerable if both parents aren't registered. I would suggest emailing or calling TMGC to find out. Could you pay the extra $50 now and get her registered?

Also, they probably will need to be kept separately. The Boers will probably be too much for them. I originally got a Boer doe when I first got into the goats thinking it would be nice to have a source for future meat. But she was just too rough with the goats and I had to move her on. She didn't even have horns.


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## daisychick (Oct 26, 2011)

I have been doing a lot of research on registering since I want to make mini nubians and this is what I have found so far.  

Mini Dairy Goat Assoc.   says:

"Parents of kids must be registered with MDGA, TMGR, ADGA, AGS, CGS, or NDGA.  IDGR registered goats are allowed only if they are dairy goats.  NO Boer, Pygmy, Spanish or other meat breeds OR fiber breeds will be allowed in the Miniature Dairy Goats. "

The TMGR says this:
"Both Sire and Dam MUST be registered, either with TMGR, MDGA, IDGR, CGS, AGS, NDGA or ADGA.
When registering a first generation animal, please send a photo copy of the registration papers for the Sire and
Dam. "


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## DKRabbitry (Oct 26, 2011)

Just curious... How old is Jaz?  I only ask because I got the most wonderful little lamancha doe.  Her breeder had some mineral/feed issues that she had to iron out when she was a kid, so I was told she was small due to nutrion, but she had big genetics (she was about 75lbs when I got her).  Well after having her for 6 months... my 3-year-old doe who I thought was done growing shot up like a weed and grew litterally 2 inches in height and the width to match.  SURPRISE!  LOL  was kinda cool 

Anywho, I think getting a nigerian, or breeding your girls to a nigerian, would be way fun and I support the idea 100%!  I got a really spotty nubian to cross my ladies with.  I don't really like nubains as much as my lamanchas, but we all need a goal right?  My goal is to maybe get some nice moonspotty/dappled goats in a few generations that conform to lamancha standards  will be entertaining if nothing else, and that is why we have goats!  Milk, meat, and HEAPING loads of entertainment.


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## Ms. Research (Oct 26, 2011)

Not a crazy idea.  Definitely workable.  Definitely gave me a "lightbulb" moment after ksalvagno's input.  

I think you should go for it.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Oct 27, 2011)

Welcome to the dark side...


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## jodief100 (Oct 27, 2011)

Hubby says y'all are a bunch of enablers.  Then he said maybe next year, he wants to get some more pasture fenced in first.


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## jodief100 (Oct 27, 2011)

I soooooooooooooo want to buy Karen's buck she has for sale, Buttin' Heads Categorised.  He is pretty, I love black and white goats.  Jaz is black and white....  

Need to get working on those fences..........


DK- Jaz is about 2 1/2 years old.  She had a single buckling at 13 months and twin doelings in June when she was about two years old.  She has grown some since I got her but not a whole lot.  She is a sweet little doe, I can milk her as she stands on a box with no head gate.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 27, 2011)

jodief100 said:
			
		

> I soooooooooooooo want to buy Karen's buck she has for sale, Buttin' Heads Categorised.  He is pretty, I love black and white goats.  Jaz is black and white....


He puts moonspots on babies too!


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## Queen Mum (Oct 27, 2011)

jodief100 said:
			
		

> Hubby says y'all are a bunch of enablers.  Then he said maybe next year, he wants to get some more pasture fenced in first.


Hubby understands that goats are addicting, does he?   But really goats NEED babies.  Yes, they do.   Honest.   They need babies.


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## daisychick (Oct 27, 2011)

Do it.....do it......do it........


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## DKRabbitry (Oct 28, 2011)

My doe was born in '08, she had her kid '10, soooo we'll say she was bred at 19 months.  I got her Feb 2011, as a coming 3 year old.  She was still nursing her kid and I didn't weight her back then, but she was 26.5 inches at the wither.  Somewhere around August I noticed she had really filled out, and was as tall as my "big" goats!  I was kinda shocked... She is 28" at the wither now, and did so well into her 3rd year.    I beleive she weighed 90lbs at last weigh-in, but I can't remember if that was before or after the big growth spurt.  I am sure it depends on the bloodlines and stuff, but I wouldn't completely count out possibly growing a little more.  Granted, your girl did get bred waaaay younger than Garnet did.  I was told she was small from mineral deficient issues, but I think maybe she was just a late bloomer.  Here is a before and after pic....


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Oct 29, 2011)

What a difference, DK.  You can really see what better nutrition will do for a goat.


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## 77Herford (Oct 29, 2011)

daisychick said:
			
		

> Do it.....do it......do it........


LOL, Daisychick is the ultimate enablers for any baby animals.  Just wait when they are born, she'll want you to Fed Ex her one.


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## zzGypsy (Oct 29, 2011)

I've got a pair of little bucks that'll fit in a fed-ex box... where do you want them shipped?


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