# Toggenburgs-tell me about them



## jodief100 (Dec 20, 2010)

I have been looking at adding a few milk goats to my herd of boers and kikos.  I know everyone says Nubians work great with boers but I just love the look of Toggenburgs.  

How is the milk?  How much do they give?  How do they cross with boers?  What is thier temprement?  

I want a few dairy goats for milk and to hybridize my boers, hopefully to make them hardier.  I have one LaMancha, Jaz and I love her.  I think she would like a few dairy goats she can hang around with and not get pushed around by the big goats with horns.  My hunny thinks Jaz looks funny and loves the look of the Toggies.


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## Emmetts Dairy (Dec 20, 2010)

I Love my Toggies and recommend them highly.  They are beautifully tempered. Very easy and friendly!!!  Great and I mean great milkers and have nice long lactations!! Its awesome.  And thier milk taste great! Lower fat content.  Not too low..but lower than a Nubian I believe. I have heard it rumored that they have a differant taste. But I have never found that at all.  And with any milker...condition, surroundings etc..can make a world of differance!!!

I can get 3 quarts a day from them.  I had one in the height of lactation got a gallon a day!! It was amazing!!  She just did'nt stop!! LOL...But generally you can expect 2 - 3 quarts a day.

I have no idea how they breed with others..as I only have Toggies soley. I have never introduced another breed or mixed???  

My new buck has award winning milking lines! So I was thrilled when I saw that!!  So Im anixous to see what comes out of the next breeding season!!!  

But I recomend them to anyone...very hardy breed, cold tolerant too!! And I never    had a grumpy one!! All have been mild mannered and friendly!!!

Good luck...and they happen to be the oldest registered dairy goat breed ever! Kinda cool!!  

Thats my expirence with em!


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## Roll farms (Dec 20, 2010)

Those are the ToggenBoer kids we had last year.  I didn't much care for them butttt...maybe w/ a Kiko buck they wouldn't be quite so homely.

Ours are very loud and 'in your face'.  Lots of milk, but not as 'good' as the Nubian milk (tastes watered down in comparison).


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## Emmetts Dairy (Dec 20, 2010)

My Toggies are not loud at all...Im surprised??  But all goats are differant I guess.  

But toggies have a lower fat content...so thats why it may taste watered down???   

Babies goats are always cute to me!! Even though they are kinda funny looking..!  They first one got some of the toggie markings?? Kinda???  But they are still cute!!  

Im glad you had those pics! I knew someone must of tried it!!


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## hcammack (Dec 20, 2010)

Toggs are the best. They are what made me want to get into dairy in the first place! The refined beautiful look the great milking genetics and the calm laid back personality. All I can say is the toggenburgs outweigh both Alpines and Nubians from a milk production and a personality standpoint. The nubians I have worked with have been really loud and annoying animals. The toggs on the other hand very laid back and easy milkers and keepers. I think they are the Jerseys of the goat world. 

Henry


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## Roll farms (Dec 20, 2010)

Like all things, a lot depends on bloodline.

I won't keep / breed a noisy Nubian...the screamy ones got sold off, so we pretty much have a calm, quiet batch.

The 2 Toggs are only annoying the 10 mos. of the year they are preggo / being milked...morning and night they bellow at milking time, fight to get in the door when someone else is supposed to come in, refuse to leave the stand, etc.  And since they're huge, they're hard to force / drag around.
The other 2 mos. they're just in your way all the time...but at least they are quiet.

I've seen other Toggs at other places who don't act like these idiots...but it's a mother-daughter duo and, I suspect, the annoying factor is genetic.

Of course, my husband met / fell in love w/ THESE TWO.

And, because of butterfat, Nubians are the 'Jersey of the goat world'.


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## hcammack (Dec 21, 2010)

Roll farms said:
			
		

> Like all things, a lot depends on bloodline.
> 
> I won't keep / breed a noisy Nubian...the screamy ones got sold off, so we pretty much have a calm, quiet batch.
> 
> ...


Thats true I was talking more about the personality not the components. Milk wise Toggs and Alpines are more like Holsteins. Sorry if it came off harsh I just am not a nubian fan but to each their own.


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## jodief100 (Dec 21, 2010)

Great- this is exactly what I want to know- who loves them and who hates them and why.  It seems bloodlines are very important here. 

Roll, I have to admit those babies are homely.


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## Calliopia (Dec 21, 2010)

I will pipe up in defense of Nubs..  Aside from my buck... my guys are QUIET. Like I was afraid I had defective Nubians because they don't yell all the time. 

I have one that was a bottle baby and she will talk back to me if I yell of the back porch to them but that's about it. 

We live near a road though and my buck spends most of his day telling off the cars and defending his ladies.  (Obviously they are bigger stinkier bucks that are out to get his harem)


I talked to my aunt about Toggs since she had about 10 of them in her herd of 30.  She said hers were the boss always. They were her escape artists and could jump  6ft from a standing position just like a deer.  They are more charismatic but more trouble.  She wasn't fond of the milk but she had a large herd and when compared to the Nubians the milk was a little thin and goaty.  

As far as milk taste.. I have a friend with a lamancha that I can't stand the milk from.  I feel like I walked outside and licked a goat every time I take a sip. It is just gross.   However NOBODY in her family notices the taste because it is what they are used to.


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## Roll farms (Dec 21, 2010)

Calliopia said:
			
		

> I feel like I walked outside and licked a goat every time I take a sip. It is just gross.


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## Emmetts Dairy (Dec 21, 2010)

Roll farms said:
			
		

> Like all things, a lot depends on bloodline.
> 
> I won't keep / breed a noisy Nubian...the screamy ones got sold off, so we pretty much have a calm, quiet batch.
> 
> ...


I agree...It does depend on bloodlines for certain!  I have not had any screamers yet!!    Ive been lucky. 

But I am with Roll, when or if I ever do get the menice..they will be first to go to freezer camp...cuz I dont want that behavior running thru out the herd. And behavoir is genetic and learned for sure!

And I do believe that goats will see one getting away with being an INSANE FREAK   and they will do it to.  Goatie see..goatie do!!! 

They push like little kids to see how much we can take!!!  Brats!!! 

But Ive always had very good luck with my toggies and I just love em   

I am a true beliver in condition and surroundings on goat milk taste on all breeds.  Cuz I had some terrible goat milk and some wonderful stuff from many breeds.  And most times it was bad becuase of how the animals and  the milk was handled.  IMO.  

There is a small fat content differance in Nubian to Toggs but its like 2% to Whole milk...not that dramatic..but again thats my opinion.

I will add that Nubians have a quality milk!  No denying that!!


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## rebelINny (Dec 21, 2010)

I don't have any Toggs and never have so can add to input to them. However I LOVE Alpines mainly because that is what I have but I really love the look of the Nubians but they are really way too big for me to handle! I LOVE the mini-breeds especially my mini-alpines. You get the coloring, easy goingness of the Nigerians(which I love) plus the milk of the two breeds with a little extra butterfat from the Nigies. Only con is they don't always produce as much as a standard but for all the pro's...one being that I can easily handle them with my 5'1 125lb frame and so can my children. If my hubby would let me I would go for all mini-alp's or at least always breed my standard's to nigerians for the mini's and wow how they shoot those babies out!!


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## chandasue (Dec 21, 2010)

I considered getting a togg recently and it was a really tough choice (I also visited ober and lamancha breeders.) The breeder I visited had beautiful toggs and several top milkers (Anna Severson if you want to check out her toggs at http://knotneer.tripod.com/index.html) and they were all very smart, quiet and gentle despite me keeping them past their feeding and milking time.


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## Emmetts Dairy (Dec 22, 2010)

chandasue said:
			
		

> I considered getting a togg recently and it was a really tough choice (I also visited ober and lamancha breeders.) The breeder I visited had beautiful toggs and several top milkers (Anna Severson if you want to check out her toggs at http://knotneer.tripod.com/index.html) and they were all very smart, quiet and gentle despite me keeping them past their feeding and milking time.


That is my expirence too!  So what did you end up getting???? Just curious?


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## chandasue (Dec 22, 2010)

I have a lamancha baby reserved for this spring from another line of top milkers, Deb Macke's Raintree Dairy Goats. (Shoot. I can't remember the name of the lady that breeds really nice Obers, she's down by Red Wing, MN.) I can't exactly pinpoint why but lamanchas just make me giddy.   I waffled between Lamanchas and Nigerians when I first got goats and I went with the smaller guys since I was a little intimidated by the size of larger goats. Now that I've been around them and the size doesn't bother me anymore, I wish I would have just went with them in the first place but that's ok. I love them all anyway.  But I'm betting I'll have to build a new milk stand for her since mine is ND size. LOL That's why I'm getting a baby so I have plenty of time to do that next summer.


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