# So.....which buck? Oberhasli or LaMancha? Milk production stats?



## freemotion (Aug 21, 2009)

OK, I haven't seen them yet, but want to have my head straight before my heart gets involved when I see a pretty face or impressive set of horns or a glorious shiny coat.

I am considering breeding my Alpine-x doe (that's what y'all said she was  ) to a La Mancha or an Oberhasli, maybe a Toggenburg.  Looking online at pictures, the Oberhasli is stunning to me.  But production and hardiness are my priorities.

I want decent but not outrageous milk production, maybe a steady three quarts with a long season, a peak of four quarts would be lovely.  Nothing more than that.

Nice personality, very hardy breed.  Not aggressive to other goats would be a plus.

Waddaya think, on paper?  In general, do you have a favorite among these breeds, and why?


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## lupinfarm (Aug 21, 2009)

I think you need to breed to all 3 breeds with different nannies and tell us which ones you like best


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## freemotion (Aug 21, 2009)

Verrrrry funny!  

Actually, hmmm....


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## Rockytopsis (Aug 22, 2009)

Are you looking for doe kids for future milk production? Then I would choose the LaMancha buck. Nice personality, very hardy breed.  Not aggressive to other goats.


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## Roll farms (Aug 22, 2009)

My vote's always going to be Oberhasli out of that lineup....
Good milk, good attitude, not aggressive at all.


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## lupinfarm (Aug 22, 2009)

Uh oh, I can see this is going to be a difficult choice!


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## freemotion (Aug 22, 2009)

Yes, I would like to keep a doeling, if there is one, for future milk production.  

I can't help choosing by looks.....Oberhasli is like a beautiful deer....La Mancha has no ears!

Which is known for better milk production?  A google search gave me lots of show-type statistics.  I'm looking for reality and generalities.   Is one of those considered dual-purpose?


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## Roll farms (Aug 22, 2009)

Obs and LM are BOTH considered "dairy" breeds, and depending on the genetics of the bucks you're looking at it, should produce CLOSE to the same type daughters, milk / production-wise.

I can't get past the earless LM heads, m'self....But when you've been raising the long ears for 10 yrs or so, that's understandable, right?


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## freemotion (Aug 22, 2009)

I like your answer.....I will ask about the individual bucks and their mothers and daughters, if info is available, and hopefully I will like an Oberhasli and he will be affordable!  Hopefully, Mya will like him, too!


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## Goatfarmer (Aug 22, 2009)

My vote is for the Oberhasli or the Toggenburg, if it were me. I just cant get past the no ears thing. Thats just WEIRD!!!   All up to you tho! We have Saanens and Oberhasli and Oberhasli mix. The oberhasli are beautiful but very high strung, have great personalities tho!!  Good luck!!


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## freemotion (Aug 22, 2009)

Darn, now it seems that I might just buy a buckling.  There are just no available bucks here that won't cost me an arm and a leg by the time I have a vet check done (probably at least $150-200 here, could be more) and hire someone to haul the doe (I just have a car, no buck-y doe is getting in it!) and pay the fee.  Might as well just buy a lactating doe by the time I'm done!  Ahh, suburbia!  So they have a couple of LaMancha bucklings from great milking lines available for $100 each.  I am thinking of keeping one until the doe is bred, then selling for my purchase price.  So 3-4 months of food.  The buck (-ling?) is now four months old.  

Waddaya think?  I know he will stink.  Can't be helped.  I don't know what else to do.  I ran into this last year and ended up buying a bred doe.  Can't do that every year!


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## Goatfarmer (Aug 22, 2009)

freemotion said:
			
		

> Darn, now it seems that I might just buy a buckling.  There are just no available bucks here that won't cost me an arm and a leg by the time I have a vet check done (probably at least $150-200 here, could be more) and hire someone to haul the doe (I just have a car, no buck-y doe is getting in it!) and pay the fee.  Might as well just buy a lactating doe by the time I'm done!  Ahh, suburbia!  So they have a couple of LaMancha bucklings from great milking lines available for $100 each.  I am thinking of keeping one until the doe is bred, then selling for my purchase price.  So 3-4 months of food.  The buck (-ling?) is now four months old.
> 
> Waddaya think?  I know he will stink.  Can't be helped.  I don't know what else to do.  I ran into this last year and ended up buying a bred doe.  Can't do that every year!


Not such a bad idea.Ive heard of lots of people doing that, especially with pure bred bucks, because they say the purebreds dont live as long as the crosses. May even make a lil money that way.  Good luck!!


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## lupinfarm (Aug 22, 2009)

I think that is a great plan... I found out the hard way that they *will* pee in your car  ... Although, freakishly, Hermiones pee didn't get on the car seat :S


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## freemotion (Aug 22, 2009)

You should've seen the reaction I got at traffic lights in the city I had to go through when I brought my little Ginger Peach home at five weeks old.  I put a piece of plywood so she couldn't jump into the front seat, put every conceivable and absorbant rug, blanket, towel, etc I could come up with on the back seat, and covered it all with two layers of tarp.  She never pee'd.  She had fun looking out the windows, though!


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## Roll farms (Aug 22, 2009)

Penny, my black Ob doe...rode home in the back of my jeep w/ a Depends on.
Seriously.  Taped on, so it wouldn't slide down.
Won't work on lactating does or bucks, but great for does / doelings....jes sayin' for future reference.
It was a 2 hr trip and we got a LOT of looks.


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## lupinfarm (Aug 22, 2009)

Hahaha... 

Unfortunately I don't have much space in the back of the truck (just a supercab) so the girls had to be locked in a crate the whole way home. It was easier to get them into their pen when we got home anyway.


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## freemotion (Aug 23, 2009)

Ha!  Depends!  There are some at the discount store across the street....what size for a full-grown goat????

The only reason Ginger rode loose in the back seat instead of in a crate is that I went to buy a lactating doe (didn't bring the crate) and came home with a baby instead!  Responding to my heart and not my head again!  The doe had an extra teat, and the doeling was perfect, and I'd just lost a buckling after a long, hard struggle....Never go shopping when you are hungry...   But I love my little Ginger Peach, she is a major sweetie-pie!


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## lupinfarm (Aug 23, 2009)

We have a bunch of crates, the one I used would probably have fit a labrador retriever a bit snugly  It just fit wedged between my front and back seats haha. Oh yeah, and it's one of those wire crates not the plastic ones although the plastic ones are even better. 

Before we got this crate, a standard poodle lived in it though!


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## freemotion (Aug 23, 2009)

I have two "large" plastic airline crates, I have transported a pygmy in one, but a full-size goat would never fit.  Maybe extra-extra-large?


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## Laney (Aug 23, 2009)

We use our Minivan with the back seats stripped out.  Then we put down every imaginable absorbant thing that we are willing to throw out, with cardboard under it.

We are lucky in that our only Buck, Frederick isn't very "bucky".  He doesn't pee on himself, so you only get that natural musky smell...it's still potent when he is in rut.  And of course he is still disgusting in other Bucky ways when the girls are in heat....but it wasn't intolerable being in the Van with them.

OH...we also bring sweet feed or treats with us...and thrown them into the back if they start acting uppity.... I think after the third time they start acting uppity on purpose!!!!!I think my daughter actually hit Frederick in the head with some sweet grain!!!!!

Laney


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## freemotion (Oct 16, 2009)

I am now down to the wire....the buck should arrive next weekend.  I have a choice between LaMancha and I think one of the Oberhasli's is still available.  Can anyone tell me what the average milk production for the Oberhasli is?  How it compares with the LaMancha?

If the difference is a cup or two a day, that is ok, since I am producing for our own use.  I imagine that in a dairy, a few ounces adds up over the space of a year and makes a big difference.  

But if the difference is a quart or two, and the lactation is significantly shorter, well, it will have to be the earless wonderboy.



Anyone out there milking Oberhaslis?


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## Roll farms (Oct 18, 2009)

They are comparable, as I understand it.  

Keep in mind, though....Say the buck you use makes wonderful daughters who show well, have great conformation, etc....that's no guarantee you'll get great gobs of milk.  

I just checked a couple DHIR records pages from various states and the two breeds were both ranked high in most lists.
I've never milked a LaMancha, but my Obs do great.  

I think maybe you're putting too much thought into "breed" and not concentrating on THOSE particular bucks.  SOME bucks just don't make good milking daughters, even if their dams were milking champions.


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## freemotion (Oct 18, 2009)

The ones up for consideration are bucklings, so we have no idea what they will produce.  The LaMancha supposedly comes from a mother who won prizes for production.  I can't get any answers on the Oberhasli's because they are owned by the son who is a freshman in college this year.  Why my questions aren't passed on to him, or why he isn't bothering to answer them, is very puzzling.  Sure, he is busy and overwhelmed, I'm sure, but do they really want to move a buckling for a decent price or not?   

My dilemma is really about heart vs head, ears vs udder.  And the Ober is twice the price of the LaMancha.

At first, I just wanted to get my doe pregnant with whatever came along to do the job, and sell the offspring asap, just so I could have more milk.  Now I am very inclined to ultimately keep four does.  Then, thankfully, I will be out of room.


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## MrsCountryChick (Oct 19, 2009)

I've only milked my Saanen doe, but we have 2 LaMancha does & our own Buckling Buck who will be breeding them in the next few months. But from experience at auctions & posting ads it's Very True that LaManchas get a bad wrap cuz alot of people can't get by the no ear thing, causing LaManchas to go for a lower price. So just cuz the LaMancha is priced lower doesn't mean the LaMancha is a lesser Buckling. We purchased our Registered LaMancha Doe for 1/2 the price of an average Registered Doe. 

We personally Love the sweet personality of our LaManchas. From our experience they're very mellow & are pleasantly mannered goats, even our Bucks. Good Luck with your choice.


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## freemotion (Oct 19, 2009)

Thanks, I know I will love whatever they produce, ears or not.  I just want to be able to sell the offspring.  I don't have room for dozens of goats, ears or not!


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## PattiXmas (Oct 20, 2009)

Laney said:
			
		

> We use our Minivan with the back seats stripped out.  Then we put down every imaginable absorbant thing that we are willing to throw out, with cardboard under it.
> 
> We are lucky in that our only Buck, Frederick isn't very "bucky".  He doesn't pee on himself, so you only get that natural musky smell...it's still potent when he is in rut.  And of course he is still disgusting in other Bucky ways when the girls are in heat....but it wasn't intolerable being in the Van with them.
> 
> ...


This is how we brought our Nubians back home from the State Fair in Detroit!  we used an extra large metal dog crate -  both girls fit nicely inside.  There were people that at first thought they were dogs until they got up behind the van and could see.  Needless to say, it took us a long time to finish getting loaded, as everyone wanted to pet or have their pictures taken with the girls!


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## PattiXmas (Oct 20, 2009)

freemotion said:
			
		

> Thanks, I know I will love whatever they produce, ears or not.  I just want to be able to sell the offspring.  I don't have room for dozens of goats, ears or not!


I don't think I could handle the La Manchas.  I think what is worse then them not having big ears is the fact that the scrappy tag is sometimes on the flap of skin right below the tail...


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## freemotion (Oct 20, 2009)

OK, now it seems that I might not have a choice.  This is very frustrating....I need to just take a breath and be happy to get my girls pregnant and lactating, I guess.  It looks like it will have to be the LaMancha, but I won't know for sure until Sunday.....maybe.  

Either way, I'm off now to go and raise the height of my fencing it what is to be the buck pen!


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## freemotion (Oct 27, 2009)

Here he is, with some of the girls already lining up....







I think he touches that hot wire every 15 minutes or so, often with his tongue!  BAAAAH!!!!


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## MrsCountryChick (Oct 27, 2009)

freemotion said:
			
		

> Here he is, with some of the girls already lining up....


Looks like LoVe to me, lol.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 27, 2009)

Well, he looks like a good looking young man!


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## freemotion (Oct 28, 2009)

Just wish he had ears!  Well, he has the most important body parts that were missing from my herd....


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## lilhill (Oct 28, 2009)




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## freemotion (Oct 29, 2009)

He has the quietest voice of all my goats, which is very interesting to me.  LaMancha may be the best choice in the suburban setting after all.


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## CrimsonRose (Oct 29, 2009)

freemotion said:
			
		

> Just wish he had ears!  Well, he has the most important body parts that were missing from my herd....


 Congrats on your new man!


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## Blackbird (Oct 29, 2009)

Congrats Monique! He's a beauty! Er, a handsome guy. Yup, he should get the job done just fine. Munchies are known to have a somewhat higher butterfat content than Obers, so I think you made the right choice!


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## freemotion (Oct 29, 2009)

Munchies????    I may have to give him a third name....Mister Buck, Mister Stinky, and....Mister Munchie!  I posted another pic of him somewhere, but can't find it now.  It was to show someone his house.

eta:  Nevermind, I looked at my uploads, and it is somewhere on ss.

eta again:  Here it is, post #28:  http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=89284#p89284


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## MrsCountryChick (Nov 1, 2009)

freemotion said:
			
		

> He has the quietest voice of all my goats, which is very interesting to me.  LaMancha may be the best choice in the suburban setting after all.


Out of all my goats (Saanen & Lamancha except for 1), I have a little guy that was just an 'adorable' buy as a baby this spring, he's a Mini Nubian..... & everyone makes their own noise, but he takes the cake! My Lamancha boys sound usually like a little child eating food saying "Mmmmmmmmmmmm" in a relativelly low tone. But Nestor my Mini Nubian screams "MAAAAAAAAAA, MAAAAAAAAA"! You'd think everytime it's feeding time he's "starving"


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