# Opinions On Goat Breeds



## ArtisticFarmer (Jul 10, 2013)

I can't decide between Alpine, Nubian, and LaManchas. I like alpines cause their cute and give good milk, Nubians sound good in general, but I know they can be loud, and LaManchas, I like the idea of high butterfat in their milk, but they look kinda...creepy.  I guess I'd get used to them. What do you think? Any other breed suggestions?


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## dhansen (Jul 10, 2013)

I love my nubians and their milk, but some of them are LOUD.  I also love that they can look different, unlike alpines.


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## OneFineAcre (Jul 10, 2013)

I think you should select the breed that you prefer 

They all have their advantages, and there aren't any real disadvantages to any goats.  They are all cool.

I have Nigerians.  If I were to own another breed it would be Nubians.  Why?  I like the way they look.


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## woodsie (Jul 10, 2013)

Something to consider is if you are looking to keep registered animals, are there other breeders in a reasonable driving distance that has that kind of breed. It seems like in my area the only registered animals are Nubians and Nigerian Dwarfs, maybe a couple alpines. Although it is tempting to get "something different" it makes it very difficult to maintain a registered herd unless you spend a lot of money travelling or shipping and also makes it hard to sell the animals at a decent price.


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## cindyg (Jul 11, 2013)

I love my Nigerian Dwarfs, and am starting with Mini Silky Fainters.  It's a good point about access to the breeds though, I have to do some travelling/shipping to get what I want.  I drool over all the goats I see in the States, and here in Canada it's so hard to get them.  Especially on the East Coast.  I like the smaller breeds, for ease of handling and space requirements.  And the NDs give fabulous milk!!


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## AshleyFishy (Jul 11, 2013)

Nubian mutts sometimes make the best goats! They are normally very affordable and come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Boer/Nubian mutts are one of my favorites! You could then cross them back to a boer buck and sell the kids as meaties for a bit more.

First off pretty much anything with Nubian in it is going to be talkative. I don't mean just the loud ear splitting noises but the soft chortles and low mmms they do.

They tend to pout the worst, say when it is vaccination or worming time. They will stomp their foot when angry and wrinkle up that bottom lip when they are pouting. Any registered Nubian or cross I've owned express themselves to the point it is easy to anthropomorphize their behavior. They will steal your hearts and anything edible...

They also lick... don't why but all my Nubian and Nubian crosses always lick me...Or beg for leaves off of the trees they can't reach. They look at the branches, then look at you and make this little mmm noise at you then look at the branches again. You shake your head thinking "aww poor pathetic goatie thinks it has me trained".......as your digging in your tool shed for your tree pruners and step ladder. Oh well that tree needed trimming anyway.

I would say my milk goat of choice over all is the Nubian. You will laugh at their comedic antics, cry for them if they are sick and swear you'll never have another when you lose one....


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## ArtisticFarmer (Jul 11, 2013)

I am leaning toward ND. I've read their milk is known to be very good, they are pretty availiable in my area, and they are just so darn cute!!!!!!! How big of a shed/stall would 2 need?


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## Catahoula (Jul 11, 2013)

Not all Nubian are loud. My neighbors's two were loud at the beginning but they are relatively quiet comparing to my Boers! I like Lamancha's milk best...comparing to the Nubian and Alpine's milk that I have tasted. Nubian has higher butterfat than Lamancha or Alpine...I think. Why don't you visit different goat breeders and try to milk the goats and taste the milk. Nigerian Dwarf may have the most butterfat milk but they are smaller, so milking them may be harder for people with bigger hands.


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## OneFineAcre (Jul 11, 2013)

ArtisticFarmer said:
			
		

> I am leaning toward ND. I've read their milk is known to be very good, they are pretty availiable in my area, and they are just so darn cute!!!!!!! How big of a shed/stall would 2 need?


A lot of people ask opinions about breeds on this site.  Most people talk up the breed they own, which is good.  It makes sense that you can speak fondly of the animals you own.  But, since you are leaning towards ND's I can defintely say that they would be a good choice.

I own Nigerians.  Their milk is very good.  The fat content also makes it very good for making cheese. We make several kinds, but mostly a soft chevre just because it is the simplest and it freezes well.

Plus, they have the best feed conversion ratio of any dairy goats (feed input for milk output)

They are very sweet anmals as well.

Maybe 8x8 would be good size?  I forgot what you need for two, it's been years since I only had 3 which is what we started with. 

We bought 3 doelings 4 years ago.  Then we got a buck. You know what happened then 

We have 23 now and that is after I sold 4 this past weekend.  I have 5 I am going to put for sale because I have 5 does kidding in August.


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## ArtisticFarmer (Jul 11, 2013)

OneFineAcre said:
			
		

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I am trying to convince myself, 2, only 2. HA good luck with that.  I am %100 positive I will be getting NDs now. I am so excited! But I will be waiting until next spring. It seems so far away! Oh, do you think a 18" by 36" milking stand will be big enough for ND does?


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## OneFineAcre (Jul 11, 2013)

ArtisticFarmer said:
			
		

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I think 3 is better.  More of a herd.  
There is a plan on Fiasco farms website for building a milkstand.  You will have to adjust the height of the head gate for ND
The platform is bigger than 18x36.  I can't remember the exact dimensions, it's probably 36" long but it is definitely wider than 18"


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## ArtisticFarmer (Jul 11, 2013)

OneFineAcre said:
			
		

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would 18" be wide enough for a ND? Or should I try and find a wider platform?


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## OneFineAcre (Jul 11, 2013)

ArtisticFarmer said:
			
		

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18" is kind of thin.


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## ArtisticFarmer (Jul 11, 2013)

OneFineAcre said:
			
		

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Ok, I'll get a bigger one. Thanks.


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## Tiss (Jul 19, 2013)

One thing to think about with the ND's is teat size. Sometimes they can be hard to hand milk. My mini-mancha has tiny teats and is much harder to milk than my standard Lamanchas and Alpines. 

I like the Lamancha milk the best but I'm happy for the volume of milk the Alpines give. Lamancha milk goes on my cereal, Alpine gets made into cheese and yogurt around here.


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## RamblingCowgirl (Jul 20, 2013)

I love ND's and Minis!!!
If you go with the right lines some of those ND girls are packing in the whole teats/udders department. I had one who as a FF had the same teat size as some standards. I did have some ND/Pygmy crosses that teat size was an issue. I think leaving the kids on the doe helps stretch them out. Kid stays with mama for 2 weeks, then you separate them at night and only milk in the morning until the babies are weaned. I understand that does not work for everyone, but that's how I like to do it.
I know it's hard to do, but take your time looking before you buy  I'd also advise stocking up on wormer, copper, other minerals and any thing else you can think of before you bring them home. Saves you from having to hunt it down when you need it. And if you go with kids be sure they have been treated for coccidiosis, it's a life saver. I agree with what someone else said, 3 is better then 2.
And they seem to like a wider stand, seems to make them feel more comfortable.
Fiasco Farms has and awesomely useful site!


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## WyoNubian (Aug 12, 2013)

If we ever get another breed, I think it might be NDs or LaManchas.  I have girly hands (small, but with long fingers), so teat size isn't too much of a problem.

We have three Nubians, one milker we just got this past week, and two doelings that we have had for two months.  I love them.  I was out in a canvas chair in their shed today, and before I left, all three were laying on the ground around my chair just chewing their cud and looking for attention.  Bree, the milker, is slightly vocal, but we also think she MAY be in a light heat cycle right now.  Bree is a lovely goat, BTW, and I just made some blueberry icecream from her milk this morning (today is the hubby's birthday, he requested German chocolate cake, and I decided to use up some blueberries and make ice cream to go with it). The kids love her milk on their cereal.  I had to gripe them out earlier for using too much milk, because I needed it for making ice cream, and they kinda went heavy on their cereal this morning.


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