# What is the best goat breed for a small homestead?



## Afrohippie (Nov 19, 2015)

Hello everyone I'm looking for information on the best goat breed for a homestead a breed that won't take up too much space in a backyard but that will give good quality milk and has a good carcass to bone ratio..


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## frustratedearthmother (Nov 19, 2015)

Woooweee!  You're going to get a lot of answers to that question!  There are lots of people here who have goats and between them all just about every breed is covered! 

I have Pygmies, Nubians and crosses of those two breeds.  If those crosses are registered they're called Kinders.  My plug will be for Kinders if you are looking for a medium sized goat.  A Kinder is simply a cross between a pygmy and a nubian.  Most make a nice meaty carcass and give a good quantity of delicious milk.    Of course, there are variables in every breed and you should take that into account when you're making your choice.

Most folks don't milk their pygmies - but I have.  Some don't give enough to bother with but I had one that gave two quarts a day.  I milked her almost a year she was a wonderful, solid milking doe.  Pygmy milk is right up there with Nigerian milk in butterfat.  Butterfat = deliciousness!  Plus they make a good, but small carcass also.

You're going to get a lot of answers to this question.  My suggestion, do a lot of research, talk to lots, listen to lots and then make the decision that you think will work best for you.  You can always change your mind and change breeds if it doesn't work out the way you expected!

You're about to start an exciting journey - good luck along the way!


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## Hens and Roos (Nov 19, 2015)

Welcome , glad you joined us!  As @frustratedearthmother said you will get lots answers.  We have Nigerian Dwarfs for a year now and enjoy them a lot.  We milked 3 does spring thru fall this year.   Good luck with your new additions!


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## Afrohippie (Nov 19, 2015)

frustratedearthmother said:


> Woooweee!  You're going to get a lot of answers to that question!  There are lots of people here who have goats and between them all just about every breed is covered!
> 
> I have Pygmies, Nubians and crosses of those two breeds.  If those crosses are registered they're called Kinders.  My plug will be for Kinders if you are looking for a medium sized goat.  A Kinder is simply a cross between a pygmy and a nubian.  Most make a nice meaty carcass and give a good quantity of delicious milk.    Of course, there are variables in every breed and you should take that into account when you're making your choice.
> 
> ...



Honestly in our research the kinders have came up and we like what we see so far  the info on them is limited though  I've looked at 4 books and I've went to the kinder breeders website. I just wish there was more info on them like how much room do I need to house them as far as fencing and housing. How much is my feed bill going to be ect. I know this may sound bad but I'm trying to make the housing and fencing as economical as possible while at the same time making it look presentable and not like a hog pen...I'm open for suggestions....oh yeah what's a fair price for kinder's is it possible to find any for less than $200 does in particular that will have kids and give milk?


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## Afrohippie (Nov 19, 2015)

How much milk do you get from the pygmies? Let me rephrase that how much milk should I expect to get from a pygmy I thought they were originally bred for meat.


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## frustratedearthmother (Nov 19, 2015)

Because most breeders don't focus on pygmy milk production the amount you get from a pygmy could be very variable.  I got lucky and had a couple of my girls that were very milkable with decent amounts of up to a quart per milking.  I have others that would barely give a cup.  I think if you want to go that way you would need to find breeders who focus on milking.

As far as finding Kinders... I don't have a good answer for you.  They seem to be rather scarce.  Maybe check the registry site to see if they have a list of breeders. I had  Pygmies and Nubians so I started my own herd and I haven't even done the paperwork for registration yet.


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## Latestarter (Nov 19, 2015)

Loaded questions are enjoyed by all here! Everyone has their faves! 

Easiest way I found to start was breaking down to 3 categories; dairy, meat breeds, and crosses. Then by size; small, medium, large. As far as space, you can keep probably 10 or more small/medium goats on 1/2 acre but of course they will be considered "dry lot" and require you to buy all their feed. They'll strip that 1/2 acre bare in less than a week. It will also leave less room for you to enjoy the yard or have chickens, a garden etc. And of course they'll need living quarters. Have fun!


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## sadieml (Nov 20, 2015)

Are you looking to have a small herd or just to raise 1 dairy doe with an eye toward eating her offspring?  If so, a mix might be your best bet.  For small space, you definitely want a smaller breed, but you need to keep in mind that your doe has to have babies to give milk, so if you don't have a reliable neighbor for annual stud service, you might want to get your own buck.  Of course, then you have to keep an eye on things so no surprise pregnancies, or keep them separate, meaning you have to get a wether pal for your buck.  It starts to get complicated, huh?  But then, they're great pets.  I think you could do your own kinders like @frustratedearthmother .  In fact, I think that sounds like a great idea for me down the line, maybe.  We'll see.

BTW it's usually not too hard to get your hands on a couple of pygmy bucklings.  You can do what we did, get brothers, wether one keep the other intact for your herdsire.  Then get a Nubian doe.  Remember though, there could be a size issue but pygmies are determined little rascals!


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## KinderKorner (Dec 30, 2015)

KINDERS!

They are an ideal homestead goat. One of the few breeds that give good amounts of milk, and also good amount of meat.

Mine are hardy, intelligent, and full of personality.

Feel free to check out my website: www.kinderkornergoats.com


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## June2012 (Jan 6, 2016)

Other than kinders, which are, no doubt, a fantastic dual purpose breed for many, but there are tons of boer x dairy crosses. Some cross Boers and Saanens (boer male, saanen female), use a doeling from the cross, and cross again with a boer buck. This is a cross female that gives the quantity of a Saanen, and meat breeds have fairly rich milk. She should give you a lot of sweet, delicious milk. The kids of the 50/50 doeling and pure boer should be pretty meaty too. (However, this is on the assumption of good genetics!!)

If Saanens and Boers are too big for you, pygmies and any milk cross should do well. Or you could go with Kinders, but personally, I find the butterfat too high for me. (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE cream more than anyone, but I don't think the cholestrol is too healthy.)


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## Latestarter (Jan 6, 2016)

Any cholesterol you get from goat's milk is by definition the GOOD cholesterol! I have that on good authority 

Edit to add, forgive my poor manners... Greetings and welcome  to BYH @June2012 ! Glad you could join us and hope you'll jump in on some of the threads. There's a real good group of folks here!


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## June2012 (Jan 11, 2016)

@Latestarter Seriously?! Is that only from goat's milk or in general? To what I know, drinking whole cow's milk is bad for your cholestrol... Really cruious right now!! XD

Thank you for your warm welcome. I definitely appreciate this.


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## samssimonsays (Jan 11, 2016)

Welcome! I know many people who have Nigerians. I had originally wanted them but I visited a farm of someone local and the personality of her full sized goats, mostly Alpine, some Saanan, some boer and some crosses, won my heart over. So, I now have a Saanan/Nubian doe and an alpine doe. THey really don't take that much space and we let them outside of the fence when we are home to graze. The pen can be as big or as small depending on how much hay and grain you want to feed. The more foliage they have access to, the less you need to feed store bought feeds. This saves on cost of feeding them. We have found a smaller pen for us works but we have the time to let them out to graze on our property while we are home so they are still getting access to all of what they could even with a bigger pen. I suggest possibly even a mini mancha (Not sure if that is the correct name but they are a Lamancha dairy goat crossed with a Nigerian and they produce some awesome milk). I honestly think if a full sized goat isn't for you to go with a dwarf/full sized cross as you will get more milk for it. The lady my Alpine came from actually has outstanding bone and size in her herd and she brings they wethers to market and keeps some for herself as well. SHe has said they are not as meaty as the boer but you aren't getting that much less where it is an issue. 

I am very new to all of this and only going off of what I have been advised and told so please take what I say with that in mind ha ha. But good luck on your new adventure with goats! You will not regret it. Oh, one final thing. I was able to go and visit farms in my area with goats and meet them and see which ones were a fit for me. They are very much like dogs where each breed has their own unique quirks and personality traits.


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## Latestarter (Jan 11, 2016)

June2012 said:


> Seriously?! Is that only from goat's milk or in general? To what I know, drinking whole cow's milk is bad for your cholestrol... Really cruious right now!! XD
> 
> Thank you for your warm welcome. I definitely appreciate this.



I was (half heartedly) joking!    IMHO, from study/investigation/logic:

There are those who want you to believe cows milk is "bad" for you (in general). In fact studies have proven this not to be the case. There are others who say raw cows milk is dangerous. It has been proven that this can be the case if the milk is improperly cared for/handled (un-clean environment) but in fact has many MORE benefits and is actually better for you than store bought pasteurized/homogenized milk. The minute amount of cholesterol in milk and saying it can/will harm you is to me laughable... Dangerous at what level? if you drink 500 gallons a day for 15 years? Seriously.... come on.

Goat milk has different proteins than cows milk has, cows milk can lead to lactose intolerance or even milk allergies. Most lactose intolerant folks and many folks with milk allergies CAN drink goats milk with no issues. Some folks say goats milk is nasty (wonder how many have actually tried it twice?). Most folks with experience will tell you that does have some to do with the breed of goat, but mostly happens based on what the goats have been eating (same thing happens with cows), and how the milk was handled. If the goats udder is cleaned before milking, the milk is handled in a sanitary manner and the milk is cooled ASAP after milking, it's as good or better than cows milk.

Different breeds of goat have different levels of milk fat (cream) as well. The more cream, the "richer" the flavor of the milk! One of the highest milk fat breeds is the Nigerian Dwarf. I've personally never read or heard anyone say they preferred the goats milk with LESS cream... Go figure?

Anyway, there's a wealth of "stuff" on the internet you can read and make your own decision.


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